04/13/2004: 
Breaking News
A Message from Zarqawi
from FAS Project on Government Secrecy
An exceptionally vivid sense of the grievances, obsessions and motivations of an Islamic enemy of the United States can be gleaned from the statement of accused Jordanian terrorist and Ansar al-Islam figure Abu Musab Zarqawi, which was broadcast last week in the Arabic media.
Behind the Islamist hyperventilating, an itemized complaint can be discerned: the U.S. is bent on seizing the region's natural resources, defending the security of Israel, and deflecting the rise of Islam.
"America came to spread obscenity and vice and establish its decadence and ribald culture in the name of freedom and democracy. It hopes to remold the region and change its political, religious, and cultural map according to its personal interests."
As much as he hates Americans and Jews, Zarqawi loathes Shiite Muslims even more.
"They (Shiites) harbor more evil and rancor against Muslims, big and small, devout and non-devout, than anyone else...To them, anyone who does not believe in the infallible Imam (Al-Mahdi) -- who incidentally does not exist -- is a nonbeliever in God and the prophet, may the peace and blessings of God be upon him."
Seething with anger, resentment and an insatiable longing for transcendence or death, the author threatens continued, escalating violence against American and Shia targets in Iraq.
The Zarqawi statement also includes improbable lines like "Listen, O Muslims, to the words of Leslie Gelb, president of the Council on Foreign Relations in an article in The New York Times."
See the April 6 statement, translated by the CIA's Foreign Broadcast Information Service, here:
