Challenge to Al Qaeda?

[P36]

It's a long article, so I only posted half. It's a start, I suppose.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa...ode/index.html

Editors Note: This story is the result of a two-year CNN investigative report into peace talks held between the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) and the Libyan Government which recently culminated in the LIFG, a militant jihadist group once close to Osama bin Laden, repudiating al Qaeda. "The Jihadi Code," a documentary on the breakthrough against al Qaeda in Libya, airs on November 15 at 1200 GMT.

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- From within Libya's most secure jail a new challenge to al Qaeda is emerging.

Leaders of one of the world's most effective jihadist organizations, the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), have written a new "code" for jihad. The LIFG says it now views the armed struggle it waged against Col. Moammar Gadhafi's regime for two decades as illegal under Islamic law.

The new code, a 417-page religious document entitled "Corrective Studies" is the result of more than two years of intense and secret talks between the leaders of the LIFG and Libyan security officials.

The code's most direct challenge to al Qaeda is this: "Jihad has ethics and morals because it is for God. That means it is forbidden to kill women, children, elderly people, priests, messengers, traders and the like. Betrayal is prohibited and it is vital to keep promises and treat prisoners of war in a good way. Standing by those ethics is what distinguishes Muslims' jihad from the wars of other nations."

The code has been circulated among some of the most respected religious scholars in the Middle East and has been given widespread backing. It is being debated by politicians in the U.S. and studied by western intelligence agencies.



Video: Into the prison in Tripoli

Gallery: The new jihadi code In essence the new code for jihad is exactly what the West has been waiting for: a credible challenge from within jihadist ranks to al Qaeda's ideology.

While the code states that jihad is permissible if Muslim lands are invaded -- citing the cases of Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine -- the guidelines it sets down for when and how jihad should be fought, and its insistence that civilians should not be targeted are a clear rebuke to the goals and tactics of bin Laden's terrorist network.

CNN was given exclusive access to the Abu Salim jail where the code was written to talk to the LIFG prisoners. The jail has a bloody reputation; in 1996 prison guards put down a revolt by allegedly killing more than 1,200 prisoners in less than 24 hours

[JJ_BPK]

It's a start,, 2000 converted,, now only 1.2 billion to go...

After 1400 years someone has sowed a seed....

[Wolf07]

It was very nice to read this and realize that there is someone amongst the jihadist ranks who has retained a thread of their humanity, but from what I have read, the short term effects just wont be enough for anyone to start celebrating soon. The first thing that popped into my head was, great, they are still jihadists and still will kill American and coalition forces without hesitation. This has not changed and will not change for quite a while. In fact, this may worsen the situation because now young men in the middle east will be better able to justify their participation in the jihad, and the jihad may become more accepted by the general populous- exactly what we don't want to happen.

Second, this document is not changing the minds of anyone who has committed themselves to the more extreme jihad. al Qaeda certainly is not going to change operating procedures overnight.

In synopsis, the playing field may have just become a far more volatile place with increased recruitment and rapport for the insurgency. Of course, only time will tell.