Does the reader know this verse of poetry? [All and sundry are asking for Nufayl/ as though I am indebted even to the Abyssinians] This verse was spoken by Nufayl bin Habib, whose men were defeated by Abraha. Before the latter would kill him, Nufayl told him to spare his life and in return, he would become his guide in Arabia. Then when the Abyssinians were defeated at the gates of Mecca, having been struck by “birds, in flocks, and stones of baked clay”, the defeated soldiers set out looking for Nufayl, to guide them back to Yemen, and this is when he spoke the famous verse above. Before this verse, he also said: [thank God I saw the birds, fearing that stones shall be thrown at us] I think that I have personally turned into this Nufayl, as I find myself wanted around the world because of my name. This is because in English, they do not say “Al-Jihad”, but rather, only “Jihad”, which they understand as being a holy war. This does not apply to me at all, however, since I was among the first of those who were defeated on the path of revolution, and always supported peace in love and war as I still do. I will not go back to the terrorist attacks of 11/9/2001, or before and after it. Instead, I will content myself with what I read about me in the Western press in recent weeks, such as the following news items: - Jihad cover-up. The meaning here is not press coverage, but rather Barack Obama's cover up of the massacre at Ford Hood, as alleged by the Likudnik newspaper Washington Times. - Why We Should Put Jihad on Trial, an op-ed published in the reliable newspaper the New York Times, about Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the terrorist attacks, and in which article I was unjustly implicated. - Have Yourself a Very Jihad Christmas, an article published in a Likudnik website about al-Qaeda's ongoing danger during the Christmas holidays. - Road to Jihad: Americans recruited for terror, a report on ABC's website about Americans who were detained in Pakistan. My name was thus mentioned in many news items about this subject. -Jihad of one: a website that explains how one can fight alone, which spares me the need for further explanation. - Israel arrests Jihad operating in the West Bank. This is a lie as I would never go to the West Bank as long as there is even one Israeli there. - Arrests Raise Fears of American Jihad; this was the title of a news story in the Wall Street Journal. All I want to say here is that I am not an American nor will I ever be, so go look for someone else. - Four Britons linked to 'violent Jihad' plot charged with terrorism. - Store operator in trouble over Jihad comments [Ar. comment= hang]. What could he have possible hanged on me? Mortadella? - What is Jihad? This article was written by the Likudnik Daniel Pipes in the Likudnik newspaper the New York Post. The article quotes Saddam Hussein and then discovers that Jihad means “holy war”. All I want to say here is that Pipes is an old Israeli apologist who covers up the crimes of the Israeli fascists to the extent of being a complicit in these crimes. He also had a role in inciting against Iraq, and is thus against any Arab or Muslims interests. - Jihad: an introduction. This is a report published on the BBC which explains the meaning of Jihad, its history and Jihad on the internet; the article also mentions that the Hadith about the internal Jihad being the greater jihad is not reliable. The report also tackles holy war and the justifications for jihad. I will content myself with the above. I have many other articles and news stories all dealing with Jihad, but I deny my responsibility altogether, as the following saying applies to me: [I walk alongside the wall, and pray God will bring me safely home] Even the famous writer Thomas Friedman wrote an article two days ago entitled www.jihad.com, in which he talks about the terrorists who use the Internet to incite against America. Once again, I deny any involvement, as the maximum extent of my IT know-how is browsing to the New York Times website, and reading what Friedman and Maureen Dowd may write. Does the reader want to know more? As if my name is not an enough reason to be accused of terrorism from Afghanistan to the United States, then I surprisingly also found, two days ago, the name of my wife mentioned in the newspapers. There was an article in the New York Times written by Gail Collins, whom I know from the conference in Davos. She is a prominent intellectual, and her article was entitled “The New Perils of Pauline”. Other than being married to Jihad, these perils – according to the article – include the healthcare bill and the opposition this is facing in both houses of congress, to the extent at which almost nothing remained unchanged in the bill. The article's title is taken from a 1914 silent movie, which was also aired as a series with each episode ending with Pauline in trouble, and facing a great peril which she survives in the next episode...or in other words, just like the stories of Abu Zayd al-Hilali and Antara bin Shaddad in our popular culture. I can say here, with great confidence, that my wife is far from being this or that, probably as far as I am from Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri...then I plead the judge for clemency for me and her. [email protected]
