Al Qaeda in Its Own Words

Edited by Gilles Kepel and Jean-Pierre Milelli, Introduction and Notes by Thomas Hegghammer, Stephane Lacroix, Jean-Pierre Milelli, and Omar Saghi

Translated by Pascale Ghazaleh

    • Contents
    • Contributors
    • Note on the Translation
    • general introduction: Al Qaeda, the Essentials Gilles Kepel

    Part I: Osama Bin Laden

    • Introduction: Osama Bin Laden, the Iconic Orator Omar Saghi
    • The Companions Den (Excerpts)
    • Declaration of Jihad against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Sanctuaries (Excerpts)
    • Interview with CNN (Excerpts)
    • World Islamic Front Statement Urging Jihad against Jews and Crusaders
    • Interview with Al-Jazeera (Excerpts)
    • Tactical Recommendations (Excerpts)
    • Second Letter to the Muslims of Iraq
    • Message to the American People

    Part II: Abdallah Azzam

    • Introduction: Abdallah Azzam, the Imam of Jihad Thomas Hegghammer
    • The Defense of Muslim Territories Constitutes the First Individual Duty (Excerpts)
    • Join the Caravan (Excerpts)
    • Morals and Jurisprudence of Jihad (Excerpts)
    • To the Young Muslims of the United States (Excerpts)
    • The Solid Base (Excerpts)

    Part III: Ayman Al-Zawahiri

    • Introduction: Ayman al-Zawahiri, Veteran of Jihad Stéphane Lacroix
    • Bitter Harvest: Sixty Years of the Muslim Brotherhood (Excerpts)
    • Advice to the Community to Reject the Fatwa of Sheikh Bin Baz Authorizing Parliamentary Representation (Excerpts)
    • Knights under the Prophet’s Banner (Excerpts)
    • Loyalty and Separation: Changing an Article of Faith and Losing Sight of Reality (Excerpts)

    Part IV: Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi

    • Introduction: Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Jihad in “Mesopotamia” Jean-Pierre Milelli
    • Letter to Bin Laden and Zawahiri (Excerpts)
    • Notes
    • Index
  • Cover: Al Qaeda in Its Own Words
  • A photo of the author

Author photo: Jacques Sassier, c. Editions Gallimard

Gilles Kepel is Professor and Chair of Middle East Studies at the Institute of Political Studies in Paris.

Jean-Pierre Milelli is lecturer in Arabic at the Institute for Political Studies in Paris.