Al Qaeda’s Zawahri calls for strikes against West

By Firouz Sedarat

DUBAI (Reuters) – Al Qaeda’s deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahri
called on Muslims to attack the West in an audio tape posted on
the Internet on Saturday, urging similar strikes as those
against New York, London and Madrid in recent years.

In a video of his remarks aired by Al Jazeera television,
Zawahri also urged the Islamist militant group Hamas not to
recognize peace deals signed by the Palestinian Authority with
Israel.

He also called on Muslims to boycott countries where
satirical cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad had been published,
including Denmark, Norway, France and Germany, and said that
Muslims should prevent the West from “stealing Muslims’ oil.”

“(Muslims have to) inflict losses on the crusader West,
especially to its economic infrastructure with strikes that
would make it bleed for years,” said Zawahri, an Egyptian.

“The strikes on New York, Washington, Madrid and London are
the best examples,” he said.

“We have to prevent the crusader West from stealing the
Muslims’ oil which is being drained in the biggest robbery in
history,” he added. It was not clear if the tape was made
before the failed al Qaeda attack last month on a major Saudi
oil facility.

“Reaching power is not a goal by itself … and no
Palestinian has the right to give away a grain of the soil,”
said Zawahri in comments directed at Hamas. “The secularists in
the Palestinian Authority have sold out Palestine for crumbs…
Giving them legitimacy is against Islam.”

The U.S. State Department dismissed the threats.

“No taped video threats will weaken our commitment to work
with out allies in the international community to combat
international terrorism and violent extremism, or to bring to
justice those responsible for the murder of innocent
civilians,” said Justin Higgins, a U.S. State Department
spokesman.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Zawahri called on Muslims to give financial support to
Islamic fighters, saying they were on the “front line” in
defending Islam.

The audio track of the video aired partially by the
satellite television channel was posted earlier on a Web site
used by Islamist groups.

Commenting on Zawahri’s remarks, Hamas official Osama
Hamdan said the group had no intention of recognizing the
deals.

“The Hamas movement will not fail the Palestinian people
and the (Islamic) nation,” he told Al Jazeera. “There is
nothing wrong with (offering) advice but what we want … is
support from the nation.”

As well as physical attacks on the West, Zawahri, who is
deputy to al Qaeda’s leader Osama bin Laden, called for an
economic boycott against several countries.

“It is our duty to take part in a mass economic boycott of
Denmark, Norway, France, Germany, and all countries that take
part in this crusader attack against Islam,” he said, referring
to the cartoons first published in a Danish newspaper last
year.

He described the cartoons as part of a U.S.-led “crusader”
campaign. “An example of the hatred of the crusaders led by
America … are the repeated offences against the personality
of the Prophet Mohammad, may peace be upon him,” Zawahri said.

Saturday’s tape came as U.S. President George W. Bush
concluded a visit to Pakistan, where Zawahri and Osama bin
Laden are believed to be hiding.

Zawahri, who wore a black turban and a white robe, sat in
front of a curtain. He did not appear to have a customary
assault rifle next to him, in the tape which carried the logo
of al-Sahab, al Qaeda’s media arm.

The Web posting said the tape was made in the Muslim month
which approximately corresponded to February. Zawahri made
reference to a ferry disaster on February 2 in the Red Sea.

(Additional reporting by Inal Ersan)