A Significant Discussion About Takfir

According to Al Sharq Al Awsat, a group of senior Saudi clerics is discussing a proposal to criminalize "takfiri" fatwas which claim that people taking part in certain kinds of activity are not to be considered Muslims.

While a positive development, there is an important loophole -- the proposed rule would only prohibit takfiri fatwas from "non-official institutions." Sorry, Ahmadiyyas! Apparently takfir is OK when it's coming from the Saudi establishment.

The definition of what is an "official" institution is also in play. There are a lot of Islamic institutions outside of Saudi Arabia which rely on Saudi financial support, and not all of them are exemplars of tolerance and brotherly love. Would all of these institutions be covered by this ban, or would it just apply within the kingdom?

Furthermore, the stated motive for this proposal is not exactly pristine from an Islamic standpoint. A source explained to Al Sharq that the non-official takfiri fatwa phenomenon "diminishes the prestige of the state, as well as impacting on external relations between Saudi Arabia and the rest of the world." That sounds like nationalism, which is a no-no under the Saudi interpretation of Islam, and it also sounds like a politically expedient decision rather than a principled stand.

And what is the penalty for issuing a non-official takfiri fatwa? Will the Saudis declare takfir against offenders? And doesn't that undercut the whole point of this exercise?

Whether for good -- in that it diminishes the strength of the takfiri movement -- or for ill -- in that it highlights the hypocrisy of the Saudi establishment for all Muslims to see -- this discussion is worth watching. If a ruling emerges, there will almost certainly be repercussions. Beware the law of unintended consequences.

In other takfiri news, Dr. Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, a prominent Islamic scholar with one foot in the east and one in the west, has issued a fatwa against terrorism which states that terrorists who are "burning the Muslims are debarred from the fold of Islam."

Will those who live by the sword of takfir also die by it? This seems a little dicey to me. Also take note that the takfir in this case applies only to terrorists who kill Muslims. The fatwa does prohibit terrorism against non-Muslim targets, but no penalty is specified.

Labels: Analysis, Saudi-Arabia, Takfir, Weblog

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Sunday, April 26, 2009

9/11 Commission, FBI Source Documents, Chronological, Jan. 1, 2004 to End of FOIA Response

A note to readers: This is the last batch of chronological documents provided by the FBI to the 9/11 Commission and referenced in footnotes to that report.

There are a handful of major reports left to post, representing some of the FBI's deepest analytical works regarding the September 11 attacks. Those reports will be posted over the next several weeks.

A substantial amount of additional 9/11 materials are available and will continue to be posted here, as well as a variety of declassified government documents on various topics of intererst, including crime and law enforcement, national security, intelligence, war on terror, and more.

01/04/2004: FBI Summary of Information, Lotfi Raissi

01/04/2004: FBI Summary of Information, Lotfi Raissi

Raissi was an Algerian national who lived in Phoenix and attended flight school shortly after Hani Hanjour, one of the 9/11 hijackers. This 22-page document contains a substantial amount of information the FBI collected on Raissi, including alleged links to Hanjour and previous investigations in several countries. The document also contains information about Hanjour's flight training and additional unknown individuals who took flight training at the same time.

02/09/2004: FBI/DS Deployment to Sierra Leone

02/09/2004: FBI/DS Deployment to Sierra Leone

02/09/2004: FBI/DS Deployment to Sierra Leone

Details of an FBI investigative trip to Sierra Leone. The reasons for the trip are related to the investigation of conflict diamonds to finance al Qaeda.

03/25/2004: FBI FD-302, Interrogation of Louise Sweeney (9/11 Families)

04/07/2004: FBI FD-302, Interrogation of Fuad Omar Bazarah

04/07/2004: FBI FD-302, Interrogation of Fuad Omar Bazarah

05/17/2004: FBI Summary of Information, Mohdar Mohamed Abdullah

05/18/2004: FBI Summary of Information, Mohdar Mohamed Abdullah

05/18/2004: FBI Summary, Interview of Charles Sabah Toma (re: Modhar Mohamed Abdullah)

06/09/2004: FBI, Information in Preparation for Interview of Yazeed Saad Atif
Al-Salmi

06/17/2004: FBI FD-302, Interrogation of Yazeed Al Salmi

06/17/2004: FBI FD-302, Interrogation of Yazeed Al Salmi

06/17/2004: FBI FD-302, Interrogation of Yazeed Al Salmi

07/01/2004: FBI Lead Sheet, Mohdar Mohamed Abdullah

The four documents that follow appear to be the same document with wildly different patterns of redaction applied by the FBI.

04/25/2006: FBI Memorandum, Connections of San Diego PENTTBOMB Subjects to the Government of Saudi Arabia

04/25/2006: FBI Memorandum, Connections of San Diego PENTTBOMB Subjects to the Government of Saudi Arabia

Date Unclear: FBI Memorandum, Connections of San Diego PENTTBOMB Subjects to the Government of Saudi Arabia

Date Unclear: FBI Memorandum, Connections of San Diego PENTTBOMB Subjects to the Government of Saudi Arabia

Labels: 9-11, 9-11-Commission, FBI, Flight-Schools, Hijackers, INTELFILES, Lotfi-Raissi, Saudi-Arabia

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9/11 Commission, FBI Source Documents, Chronological, Jan. 1, 2004 to End of FOIA Response

Labels: 9-11, 9-11-Commission, FBI, Flight-Schools, Hijackers, INTELFILES, Lotfi-Raissi, Saudi-Arabia

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Friday, February 6, 2009

9/11 Commission, Memorandum For The Record, Commission Interviews

12/3/2003: 9/11 Commission Memorandum For The Record, interview with Charles Freeman, former ambassador to Saudi Arabia

Keywords: Muslim World League, Afghanistan

12/5/2003: 9/11 Commission Memorandum For The Record, interview with Tom Furey, former consul general to Saudi Arabia

Keywords: Visa Express program, passport fraud

12/9/2003: 9/11 Commission Memorandum For The Record, interview with John Hamre, former Deputy Defense Secretary

Keywords: East African Embassy Bombings, Osama Bin Laden, WMD, Richard Clarke

9/3/2003: 9/11 Commission Memorandum For The Record, interview with Jamie Gorelick

1/9/2004: 9/11 Commission Memorandum For The Record, interview with Jamie Gorelick

1/13/2004: 9/11 Commission Memorandum For The Record, interview with Jamie Gorelick

Keywords: INS, Justice Department, "The Wall Memo"

Labels: 9-11, 9-11-Commission, INS, INTELFILES, Jamie-Gorelick, Richard-Clarke, Saudi-Arabia, Visa

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9/11 Commission, Memorandum For The Record, Commission Interviews

Labels: 9-11, 9-11-Commission, INS, INTELFILES, Jamie-Gorelick, Richard-Clarke, Saudi-Arabia, Visa

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Saturday, January 17, 2009

9/11 Commission, FBI Source Documents, Chronological, May 1, 2002 to December 31, 2002

Labels: 9-11, 9-11-Commission, Hijackers, INTELFILES, Saudi-Arabia

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Posted by J.M. Berger | Permalink

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9/11 Commission, FBI Source Documents, Chronological, May 1, 2002 to December 31, 2002

Labels: 9-11, Hijackers, INTELFILES, Saudi-Arabia

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Tuesday, February 19, 2008

2002-04-15: FBI Letterhead Memorandum, Omar Al Bayoumi Contacts With Saudi Government

This FBI memo details the phone records of Omar Al Bayoumi, a Saudi citizen who assisted hijackers Khalid Al-Midhar and Nawaf Al-Hazmi in relocating to San Diego in early 2000. Bayoumi helped them find an apartment and pay their rent and introduced them to people in the local community.

Bayoumi also kept in close contact with his apparent employer, the Saudi government. The exact nature of Bayoumi's employment has remained unclear, but his close associates suspected him of being a Saudi intelligence officer.

According to the memo, local mosque members "believed there was always a covert employee of the Saudi Arabian government stationed at the mosque," and that Bayoumi may have been that person.

Bayoumi was "employed by the Saudi government to monitor the activities of Saudi dissidents that resided in the U.S.," the memo states, according to "a prominent Islamic leader in San Diego."

Other FBI interviewees said Bayoumi was "an employee of the Saudi Arabian Government (who) traveled to mosques throughout the world to monitor and observe Saudi citizens for signs of dissident behavior."

Another source said Bayoumi "was connected with a Saudi Arabian company that is equivalent to the Federal Aviation Administration," and said he was paid $5,000 a month to be a student.

The memo below details Bayoumi's phone contacts with the Saudi government over slightly less than two months in 2000, around the time the hijackers arrived in San Diego. Phone records revealed Bayoumi called local Saudi officials, including the consulate in San Diego, 34 times. He called Saudi officials in Washington D.C. 141 times in the same period, according to the memo -- more than twice a day on average.

Calls appear to be directed to the Saudi Cultural Mission, the Saudi Education Mission, the Saudi Embassy in Washington, the Saudi Consulate in San Diego, the Saudi National Guard, and the Saudi Islamic Affairs Department.

Although the notation is unclear due to FBI redactions, it also appears Bayoumi called a U.S. Department of State diplomat.

Extensive portions of the document were redacted by the FBI, including substantial portions of FBI interviews with Saudi government officials who had contact with Bayoumi.

2002-04-15: FBI Letterhead Memorandum, Omar Al Bayoumi Contacts With Saudi Government

Labels: 9-11, Bayoumi, Hazmi, INTELFILES, Midhar, Saudi-Arabia

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2002-04-15: FBI Letterhead Memorandum, Omar Al Bayoumi Contacts With Saudi Government

Labels: 9-11, Bayoumi, Hazmi, INTELFILES, Midhar, Saudi-Arabia

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Monday, February 18, 2008

2001-10-03: FBI Communication, associates of Omar Al-Bayoumi

The San Diego field office's investigation of Omar Al-Bayoumi yielded a great deal of data on his time at the Parkwood Apartment complex, where hijackers Al-Midhar and Al-Hazmi moved after arriving in San Diego. Telephone connections put Bayoumi within three degrees of separation of the bin Laden family on one hand and blind Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman on the other, but the FBI's redactions of this document make the number of degrees and their intensity unclear.

Among other things, this document states:

One resident of the complex, linked to al-Bayoumi, was a Saudi citizen who hosted a party for "The Blind Sheikh" Omar Abdel Rahman in October 1992. The same resident was "determined to have known Osama Bin Laden's family in Saudi Arabia and to have telephonic contact with members of Bin Laden's family who are currently in the U.S."

A telephone link also connected a resident with Anwar Aulaqi, then-leader of the Dar El-Hijra mosque in
Falls Church, Virginia and "determined... to have been the spiritual leader for hijacker Nawaf Al-Hazmi."

Al-Midhar and Al-Hazmi briefly lived with Bayoumi before moving into the nearby Parkwood Apartment complex, where Bayoumi also moved.

"According to the apartment manager of the Parkwood Apartments, Al-Bayoumi occasionally paid rent for Al-Hazmi and Al-Mihdhar."

Evidence was found supporting the possibility that Bayoumi was affiliated with the Saudi intelligence service. The FBI redacted details of that evidence.

Another individual who apparently moved into the Parkwood complex may have "succeeded Omar AI-Bayoumi and may be undertaking activities on behalf of the Government of Saudi Arabia."

Bayoumi or one of his associates "has had telephonic contact with Anwar N. Aulaqi," the memo reads. "Aulaqi is the Imam of a mosque in Falls Church, Virginia and is believed to have been the spiritual leader of hijacker Nawaf AI-Hazmi."

Two versions of the document were released. Each has slightly different redactions by the FBI.

FBI Communication, associates of Omar Al-Bayoumi Version 1

FBI Communication, associates of Omar Al-Bayoumi Version 2

Labels: 9-11, Bayoumi, Hazmi, INTELFILES, Midhar, Saudi-Arabia

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2001-10-03: FBI Communication, associates of Omar Al-Bayoumi

Al-Midhar and Al-Hazmi briefly lived with Bayoumi before moving into the nearby Parkwood Apartment complex, where Bayoumi also moved.

"According to the apartment manager of the Parkwood Apartments, Al-Bayoumi occasionally paid rent for Al-Hazmi and Al-Mihdhar."

Evidence was found supporting the possibility that Bayoumi was affiliated with the Saudi intelligence service. The FBI redacted details of that evidence.

Another individual who apparently moved into the Parkwood complex may have "succeeded Omar AI-Bayoumi and may be undertaking activities on behalf of the Government of Saudi Arabia."

Labels: 9-11, Bayoumi, Hazmi, INTELFILES, Midhar, Saudi-Arabia

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2001-10-08: FBI FD-302, Interrogation of Isamu Dyson, aka Cayson Bin Don

Record of interrogation for an associate of Omar Al-Bayoumi, a Saudi who assisted 9/11 hijackers Khalid Al-Midhar and Nawaf Al-Hazmi in relocating to San Diego. Associates of Bayoumi speculated that he worked for the Saudi intellgience service.

Bayoumi and an associate (Dyson, whose name has been redacted) visited the Saudi consulate in Los Angeles (on Feb. 1, 2000), just before meeting Al-Midhar and Al-Hazmi for the first time (a meeting Bayoumi claimed was accidental).

"Soon a man came out and greeted [Bayoumi]. [The associate] described the man as being in his 40s, approximately 5' 8" in height with a black/grey beard down to his chest, who was wearing a suit. It appeared that [Bayoumi] and the man from the consulate knew each other. It was obvious they had met before." The two met behind closed doors for about 30 minutes.

Bayoumi picked the restaurant where he "accidentally" met the hijackers. Bayoumi told his traveling companion he had dined there before, but he incorrectly took them to a cafe with a similar name (that did not serve food). Eventually they found the right place down the street.

The hijackers entered the restaurant. The associate described his impression of the meeting as "coincidental" and said he could not recall who intiated the conversation. Some of the conversation was in Arabic, which the associate did not understand. Bayoumi offered to help the hijackers "if they liked San Diego." The hijackers drank chai tea.

A party was held at the apartment Bayoumi helped Al-Midhar and Al-Hazmi secure. The party was videotaped, the associate said, although "some attendees were sensitive about not being filmed." (The party is further discussed in subsequent documents.)

Bayoumi "spent a lot of time at Al-Hazmi and Al-Mihdhar's apartment."

2001-10-08: FBI FD-302, Interrogation of Isamu Dyson, aka Cayson Bin Don

Labels: 9-11, Bayoumi, Hazmi, Hijackers, INTELFILES, Midhar, Saudi-Arabia

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2001-10-08: FBI FD-302, Interrogation of Isamu Dyson, aka Cayson Bin Don

Bayoumi "spent a lot of time at Al-Hazmi and Al-Mihdhar's apartment."

2001-10-08: FBI FD-302, Interrogation of Isamu Dyson, aka Cayson Bin Don

Labels: 9-11, Bayoumi, Hazmi, Hijackers, INTELFILES, Midhar, Saudi-Arabia

Views expressed on INTELWIRE are those of the author alone.

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A Significant Discussion About Takfir

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9/11 Commission, FBI Source Documents, Chronological, Jan. 1, 2004 to End of FOIA Response

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9/11 Commission, FBI Source Documents, Chronological, Jan. 1, 2004 to End of FOIA Response

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9/11 Commission, Memorandum For The Record, Commission Interviews

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9/11 Commission, Memorandum For The Record, Commission Interviews

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9/11 Commission, FBI Source Documents, Chronological, May 1, 2002 to December 31, 2002

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9/11 Commission, FBI Source Documents, Chronological, May 1, 2002 to December 31, 2002

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2002-04-15: FBI Letterhead Memorandum, Omar Al Bayoumi Contacts With Saudi Government

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2002-04-15: FBI Letterhead Memorandum, Omar Al Bayoumi Contacts With Saudi Government

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2001-10-03: FBI Communication, associates of Omar Al-Bayoumi

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2001-10-03: FBI Communication, associates of Omar Al-Bayoumi

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2001-10-08: FBI FD-302, Interrogation of Isamu Dyson, aka Cayson Bin Don

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2001-10-08: FBI FD-302, Interrogation of Isamu Dyson, aka Cayson Bin Don

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"...a timely warning..."

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