Around the autumn of 2005, Al Qaeda’s then No 2 sent a message to the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, urging him to tone down his sectarian rhetoric and the targeting of Shiite Muslims.
Remember, he advised, in the manner of a father to a wayward son, the importance of popular support.
“The goal [of establishing a caliphate] will not be accomplished without public support, even if the movement pursues the method of sudden overthrow,” he wrote. Without a mass movement by Muslims, the “Islamic movement would be crushed in the shadows”.
Al Zarqawi didn’t listen and within a year he was dead, killed in a US airstrike – betrayed, some said, by Al Qaeda itself for disobedience.
But the disagreement between Al Zawahiri and Al Zarqawi goes to the heart of the battle of ideas within militant jihadism, a battle that still goes on, and which will set the tone for the wars raging today in the Middle East.
It can be seen in the release this week of a US journalist held by Jabhat Al Nusra in Syria, an attempt to draw a contrast between Al Qaeda and the brutal beheading of James Foley by the Islamic State.
It can be seen, too, in the way that Jabhat Al Nusra, Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, has worked hard to retain popular support and not alienate Syrians.
The strategy of Jabhat Al Nusra is a gradualist one: win Syrian hearts and minds, win the war against Assad, and then seek power in a new government. Al Baghdadi and the Islamic State, by contrast, have decided to shoot straight for the prize.
Only time will tell whether Al Qaeda’s approach or that of the Islamic State will triumph.
Militant groups are vehicles for an ideology, much like political parties. In that regard, longevity is itself a sign of success. And Al Qaeda is entering its 14th year as the foremost Islamist militant group. The Islamic State, by contrast, has already alienated most Muslims, as well as Al Qaeda itself, and may eventually face so many enemies that it will implode.
Yet even if it does, the Islamic State’s brief Icarus moment has established a key strategy for militant groups. In an arena of chaos, money and recruits can bring power as much as popular support.
The Islamic State group is uncompromising. But this very lack of compromise has drawn recruits and funds from across the world. It is noticeable that while Al Qaeda initially drew its followers from a limited range of nationalities – the “Afghan Arabs” in particular – the Islamic State has, within a matter of months, drawn recruits from all over the world.
Moreover, the group has appropriated the ideas of Al Qaeda but has taken them in surprising new directions.
The foundation of Al Qaeda’s philosophy comes from a philosopher and Islamic scholar called Ibn Taymiyyah. His ideas were born out of the chaos of war – and have thus attracted renewed interest during times of great upheaval.
Ibn Taymiyyah lived in Syria in the 13th century, a time of enormous change in the Middle East. Just five years before he was born, the Mongols sacked Baghdad, then the centre of the Islamic empire, bringing to an end half a millennium of Abbasid rule. The reverberations of that act continued for centuries and Ibn Taymiyyah’s thought was born out of that chaos. His desire for renewal in the Islamic world saw him overturn some of the classically-understood Islamic tenets of war.
In particular, the general prohibition on killing other Muslims. The Islamic State has no compunction in doing so, reinterpreting Ibn Taymiyyah’s teachings to declare that even the murder of Muslims is sanctioned when it is done for the sake of establishing the caliphate.
Al Qaeda, which was influenced by Ibn Taymiyyah but which also borrowed from the political realism of Islamism, used to declare that war against Muslim governments was legitimate because the rulers had become “corrupt”.
This was a way of separating the rulers from the ruled, allowing Al Qaeda to infiltrate and find followers within a country whose rulers it was fighting.
The Islamic State, on the other hand, has modified this doctrine to believe that all those who don’t follow its hardline philosophy – or even those who espouse and express it differently – are legitimate targets. Thus, it can expect more resistance from people on the ground, but balances this with gaining more recruits, drawn to its uncompromising attitude, allowing it to make swift gains.
Behind the gruesome theatre of beheadings and massacres and the public relations of pre-emptively declaring a caliphate stands a philosophy of war, one that, as Al Zawahiri said in his letter, believes in a “swift overthrow” more than maintaining popular support.
What can seem like an arcane debate over philosophy and military tactics is profoundly important to the wars taking place in the Middle East today. Arab governments, as well as the West, dislike both groups, but have so far failed to crush either.
That is because it is the ideology that needs to be attacked as well as the military expression of it. It is out of the swamp of jihadist thought that the weeds of Al Qaeda and the Islamic State have grown.
falyafai@thenational.ae
On Twitter: @FaisalAlYafai
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
UAE Falcons
Carly Lewis (captain), Emily Fensome, Kelly Loy, Isabel Affley, Jessica Cronin, Jemma Eley, Jenna Guy, Kate Lewis, Megan Polley, Charlie Preston, Becki Quigley and Sophie Siffre. Deb Jones and Lucia Sdao – coach and assistant coach.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Managing the separation process
- Choose your nursery carefully in the first place
- Relax – and hopefully your child will follow suit
- Inform the staff in advance of your child’s likes and dislikes.
- If you need some extra time to talk to the teachers, make an appointment a few days in advance, rather than attempting to chat on your child’s first day
- The longer you stay, the more upset your child will become. As difficult as it is, walk away. Say a proper goodbye and reassure your child that you will be back
- Be patient. Your child might love it one day and hate it the next
- Stick at it. Don’t give up after the first day or week. It takes time for children to settle into a new routine.And, finally, don’t feel guilty.
more from Janine di Giovanni
Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
RESULT
Copa del Rey, semi-final second leg
Real Madrid 0
Barcelona 3 (Suarez (50', 73' pen), Varane (69' OG)
The biog
Fast facts on Neil Armstrong’s personal life:
- Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio
- He earned his private pilot’s license when he was 16 – he could fly before he could drive
- There was tragedy in his married life: Neil and Janet Armstrong’s daughter Karen died at the age of two in 1962 after suffering a brain tumour. She was the couple’s only daughter. Their two sons, Rick and Mark, consulted on the film
- After Armstrong departed Nasa, he bought a farm in the town of Lebanon, Ohio, in 1971 – its airstrip allowed him to tap back into his love of flying
- In 1994, Janet divorced Neil after 38 years of marriage. Two years earlier, Neil met Carol Knight, who became his second wife in 1994