New Jihad Magazine Targets Western Audience Posted: July 17, 2009

Muslim extremists are increasingly appealing to Western audiences through English-language magazines disseminated via the Internet. 

In July 2009, the media wing of Al Mosul Islamic Network released the inaugural issue of Defenders of the Truth, a self-described "English Jihad Magazine" that calls for Allah to "destroy the enemies of Islam…the Jews, Christians, Atheists, and the betraying criminals."

The online publication consists of essays and articles written by members of Al Mosul Islamic Network, an apparent Internet-based network designed to provide a forum for English translations of Islamic poems, essays and analysis concerning jihad. 

According to the editor's note, Defenders of the Truth is published to educate Muslims about the "war on Islam" and "the treacherous governments of the so called Muslim countries who bow down to the Christians and the Jews."  The magazine also aims to disclose the true nature of the mujahideen, or Muslim warriors.  

Al Mosul's Internet-based publication represents the growing trend of appealing to Westerners through English-language magazines on the Internet. In April 2009, Al-Fursan Media, an apparent collaboration of online terrorist sympathizers, released an English-language publication entitled Jihad Recollections. This online magazine includes an article by Younes Abdullah Muhammad, spokesperson for Revolution Muslim, an anti-Semitic Muslim organization that justifies terrorist attacks against non-Muslims. Abdullah Muhammad expresses support for Al Qaeda and the positive results of the September 11 terrorist attacks and calls on Muslims to "exploit these results and advance the jihad."

The first issue of Al Mosul's Defenders of the Truth covers a range of topics, including the obligatory nature of jihad, the "justified attacks" of September 11, 2001 and support for the mujahideen in the Caucasus and Somalia.  Highlighted throughout the issue is the alleged mandatory and perpetual nature of jihad and suicide operations.  "Swords or guns," the magazine reads, "it doesn't matter."

Hamzah al Farooq, an apparent member of Al Mosul, writes about "the most glorious attacks" of September 11 against the "oppressors" and their "corrupt way of life."  According to Farooq, "the collapse of their man-made structures and their papers they care so much about being tossed around to and fro in ashes symbolize the destruction of what they stand for."

Farooq purports that most Westerners are guilty of committing crimes and fighting against Muslims.  He therefore views it "justifiable to kill all Western people who are on the Muslim lands, and especially why all the people living on the land of Israel which once belong to Palestine can be killed."  For Farooq, the terrorist attacks of September 11 demonstrated that the "Mujahideen don't even have to cross seas to battle the Infidels. They can battle them right at home in their countries."

The Website for Al Mosul Islamic Network features a short promotional video that strings together clips of terrorist and "martyr" videos produced by other Muslim extremist media organizations, including Al Ansar Media Batallian, which distributes media and press releases of Al Sahab, Al Qaeda's media wing, and Sawt al-Qoqaz, or "the Voice of the Caucasus," a group that has also released an online jihad magazine in support of the mujahideen fighting in the Caucasus.