A interview with "reformed" members of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group #no2sharia #tcot #tlot

...." At one moment, Saadi seemed to embrace a new beginning. "Perhaps we can convince al -Qaeda not to attack the West," he said. But he later sounded less sure: "I don't believe bin Laden is calling for the killing of any single civilian.".....

....." Many of the former fighters said they still believe in waging war against U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. They also consider the conflicts in the Palestinian territories and Somalia, where Islamists are fighting a U.S. -backed transitional government, legitimate forms of jihad. "When America invades a country, the insurgency is legal and lawful. From a religious point of view, it is permissible and we have to support it," said Sadeq, the group's emir. "And U.S. policies in Israel and other places adds fuel to the fire." Salabi, the mediator, agreed. "Violence against occupation is a sacred act," he said. "It is a sacred jihad." The U.S. ambassador to Libya, Gene Cretz, expressed concern about such comments. "I don't know how you parse jihad," he said. "If it means that, 'If you don't do it in Libya, you are free to go and do it elsewhere,' that would be a little troubling to us." It remains to be seen how the former militants will adapt to a Libya that in recent
years
has moved closer to the West. Saadi said his country is not "an ideal state under Islam." Others demanded strict Islamic sharia laws, with public amputations for convicted thieves and head-to -toe coverings for women. "I am still a Salafist," said Tarreq Muftah al-Ghunnay, the group's former commander in Jordan, referring to the ultra-strict brand of Islam espoused by bin Laden. The younger Gaddafi said he was confident the government could keep most of the released prisoners from returning militancy."....

Former militants now wage battle within Libya to discredit al-Qaeda

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/29/AR20100529024...

Posted via email from fightingstatism