Exclusive Interview With Yazid Sufaat, "The Experience In The Thaghut Prison"

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The prison is supposed to be used to detain people who commit crimes. But the prison has been transformed into a confinement for those who really did not deserve to be detained. Detained without trial and an accusation that is legitimate. Yazid Sufaat, a Mujahid from Malaysia, accused of assisting the 9/11 attack and several other charges, is one of the living eyewitnesses who was detained over invalid charges and without trial.

The following is a Malaysiakini interview with Yazid Sufaat conducted by Fathi Aris Omar, Aidila Razak and Salhan K Ahmad on 20/3/2012, which focuses on the ISA, approaching its abrogation, which is expected to be presented in the currently ongoing session of the Parliament. Earlier, the second interview has discussed about the Exclusive Interview With Yazid Sufaat, 9/11 Attacks Increased The Number Of Adherents Of Islam. In this third discussion, Yazid told about his experience of being held in the thaghut prison under the Internal Secuirty Act (ISA).

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Twisting and turning in his 8ft by 10ft solitary confinement cell in the Kamunting detention camp in Perak one night, former army captain Yazid Sufaat, who is alleged to be an al-Qaeda operative, said he wanted nothing more than to see the a clear sky and the stars.

“One day, in prison, I felt like seeing the stars shining. I had not seen them for three years at that point, for I could not see the sky from my cell. Seeing stars is a gift.

“I prayed, ‘Ya Allah, let me see some stars’. Sometimes we take some things for granted,” he said, recalling his seven-year incarceration at the Kamunting detention camp in Perak, under the Internal Security Act 1964.

Sent behind bars without trial for his involvement in jihad activities in December 2001, including the 9/11 attacks in New York, Yazid was kept in solitary confinement for five years.

There, he used blood from the swarms of mosquitoes attacking him in the cell to write Qur'anic verses on the walls, which was sweltering hot at night, leaving him drenched with sweat after performing the solat.

Seemingly still filled with angst over his incarceration, it is this experience in Kamunting that makes him doubt the government’s pledge to repeal the ISA.

“If it is working well for them (the government), why should they abolish the law? Maybe they’ll change the name, but the contents of the new (replacement laws) will be the same, or even worse,” he said.

A biological warfare programme

Among the longest-serving ISA detainees in history, Yazid, currently under travel, asset and arms deals sanctions imposed by the United Nations, believes his incarceration has to do with his “expertise”.

Trained as a biochemist on a government scholarship in the United States, this top student of the Royal Military College who retired as a captain with the army was part of a biological warfare programme under the Defence Ministry.

While mostly candid about his involvement with famous characters such as Sheikh Usamah bin Laden (rahimahullah),Yazid was hesitant to reveal details about the government’s “secret” programme which was later scrapped, describing it “a long story”.

“When they (the police) first took me in, I didn’t tell them (about the government programme). I didn’t want them to know, didn’t want the liability to fall on the government, to pass the buck to someone else.

“Finally, they managed to get a report from their ‘friend’ and they wanted me to clear things up. I didn’t want to clarify (anything), so they took my wife in,” said the father of four.

His wife, Sejahratul Dursina @ Chomel Mohamed, was held under ISA for two months and after this was placed under a movement restriction order for six years.

“If you want to be released from ISA, just follow what they say and admit to all the charges… I refused to do so and they kept me for seven years… because I don’t want to sing 'Negara-ku' (national anthem - ed.).

“I don’t want to sing. Why should I (when) the country had betrayed me?” Yazid asked.

The helpers of Thaghut (Satan)

Yazid would wake up at 4am daily to read the Qur'an, and under poor lighting too – a 15-watt light bulb that was only replaced with a fluorescent light outside the cells, after many complaints from the detainees.

When the prison cells were opened at 8am, Yazid said, he would jog in the confinement area, which he said only allowed between 80 to 90 paces, for an hour before tending to his vegetable patch.

“At 11am, we’ll be locked up in the cells again so I read the papers, which were full of holes because all the so-called sensitive issues had been cut out,” he said.

Yazid was not only interrogated by Malaysian investigators but said he received visits from Indonesian police and the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), and that he kept his lips sealed.

“I would go in there, show my face, and not say a thing. I said, ‘If you want to know anything, you ask (the Special Branch)’,” he said.

Claiming that some detainees were assaulted while being interrogated, Yazid said himself did not suffer such abuse.

“The Qur'an says that those who believe must conduct jihad in the path of Allah, while non-believers are on the path of the thaghut (satan), so wage war against those who aid the satan. I consider all who had a hand in my arrest as the satan’s aides,” he said.

Yazid said he could not understand how the ulama's who visited Kamunting could use the Qur'an to justify the ISA.

“In Islam, if you intend to do something good, Allah gives you a reward. Even if you don’t do it, but if you intend to do something bad, Allah doesn’t penalize you if you don’t do it,” Yazid said.

“So how can the ISA be justified? It punishes people even for their intentions to do bad. Using the Qur'an to justify ISA… isn’t that idiotic? A mufti, who is still alive, has written a book justifying ISA,” he said.

Still in touch with Jemaah Islamiyah

To this day, Yazid, who confesses to still be in touch with and “helps” old friends who are linked to Jemaah Islamiyah with their “daily needs”, denies all the five ISA charges (see chart) that were levelled against him.

Asked if he was still a threat, he said: “I am not dangerous. I have never been dangerous since day one.”

Returning “wild” from California, United States, where he trained to be a biochemist on a government scholarship, Yazid said, he started to ask questions about his religion.

Some time later, he joined the Al-Ehsan Association, a registered Islamic organization to which he ‘donated’ his condominium in Sungai Long, Selangor.

“I gave the condo to these people for whatever they wanted to use if for. If a traveller needed lodging, they could use it,” he said.

Three of the people who stayed at the condominium were associated with the 9/11 attacks, with one – Zacarais Mousaoui – eventually employed by Yazid, purportedly to market a software developed by Yazid’s company, Infocus Tech.

Infocus Tech is one of several Malaysian companies that researchers claim were shell companies set up to raise funds for al-Qaeda.

“Back then, computers and phones didn’t talk to each other, so we developed software to integrate them. We developed it for call centres. That kind of thing…

“So, if you ask whether I funded (Mousaoui for 9/11), I’m not going to say yes or no. He was my employee. Let the readers think,” he said.

Yazid said he hired Mousaoui when the latter, who is from a computer engineering background, asked for help, saying he needed to get a visa for the United States.

“He never told me he wanted to take lessons (in flying planes).

“He asked me if I could help him get a visa to the US. I said, ‘Why not? You take my software there’. So I wrote everything, that he is representing us, etc,” he said.

The other two individuals linked to 9/11 who stayed in the Sungai Long condominium were Khalid al-Midhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi – two of five hijackers of American Airlines Flight 77, which slammed into the Pentagon.

The duo, according to the United Nations, had stayed at Yazid’s condominium in January 2000 to attend what the UN termed an “al-Qaeda conference” in Kuala Lumpur.

“I was not there. At that time I was in Pakistan and Afghanistan, building a hospital there,” Yazid said.

Next to the hospital, he said, was a laboratory where he is accused of developing biological weapons – an accusation not levelled at him during his detention under the ISA, but earning him the moniker “Anthrax CEO”. Though the US intelligence doubts that Yazid developed the anthrax strain.

Favourite bugs

But Yazid said that he was in fact “successful” in developing some “bugs”, but the laboratory was destroyed when the NATO forces bombed Kandahar.

“I can still find (anthrax) if I want to, but what for? It has no commercial value. Anthrax is only good for sabotaging, it cannot kill.

“It’s not my favourite bug, anyway. I’d rather use bacteria or virus that (really) hit you and give you one or two hours before you die.

“Whose handiwork do you think the bird flu was? Scientists, who later couldn’t control it,” he disclosed.

On the charge of supplying ammonium nitrate to build bombs for an attack in Ambon, Indonesia, Yazid said that it was purely a business transaction between his company, Green Laboratory Medicine, and a Yemeni company.

“The Yemeni company ordered 40 tonnes of it, but I only managed to send four tonnes. The profit was RM1,600 per tonne, so imagine how much I would make with 40 tonnes! It was not my business (to know) what they wanted to do with it.

“I checked with the government if there was restriction to exporting this item, but there was none. Now they’re more clever and have placed restrictions on it (ammonium nitrate),” he said.

On the final two charges – funding sectarian violence in Ambon and armed struggles in the southern Philippines – Yazid maintains that he had only provided funds for humanitarian aid.

He said that during his interrogation, he was asked if the funds he sent for “medicine, food and clothes” could be used to buy arms and admitted that there was a possibility.

“Maybe, how am I to know?” said Yazid, who admits that he still “preaches”.

The official statement would later read that Yazid confessed to funding arms purchases in southern Philippines, and that the arms were to be brought back to Malaysia to topple the government.

“They can write anything, because under the ISA, nobody is going to challenge whatever they say. This is ISA,” he said, adding that he only knew he was associated with Jemaah Islamiyah when he read his charge sheet.

Months prior to his release, Yazid decided to soften his stand, after his wife implored him to do so, and started singing the Negara-ku.

“They moved me back to stay with the other detainees. There was a fan and I was sick for a week, trying to adjust to this so-called luxury,” he said.

No more fears now

Before his release, Yazid said two prayers – one for God to “destroy” his interrogators if they did not repent. The other was for himself.

“I prayed: ‘Ya Allah, give me a sign to show if what I did was right or wrong. Show me when I am released’. So I was pretty nervous.

“The first solat I performed after I was released was the asar solat. I was terrified. Who knows, maybe I really did something wrong? People could spit at me or throw their shoes at me,” he said.

Instead, he received a warm welcome from a neighbourhood mosque and when he returned the next day, he was asked to lead the maghrib prayers. They later made him their imam.

“I am now nearing 50, I wasted seven years of my life… but no, I wouldn’t say they were wasted.

“I became an adult in the most ignorant place, the United States, but I matured in prison… Allah got rid of my fears in prison,” Yazid said.

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(arrahmah.com)

Three Russian Muslims, One Of Them A Convert, Tortured Brutally To Death By Kafir Russia

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CAUCASUS -IslamDin, the official website of the Islamic Emirate of Caucasus KBK province, reported that three Muslims who were regarded as "militants" by the kafir Russia and their local stooges, have been killed, after they had been kidnapped beforehand and then tortured brutally until they died (shaheed insha Allah), on (16/3/2012).

Russia accused that the three shaheed Muslims were involved in “terrorism” acts and attacks against the police.

The fact of the matter is that the three Muslims did not commit the alleged acts. They returned to their homes with the their car from one of the provinces of the Emirate of Caucasus, Steppe Nogai.

They were stopped at a checkpoint and taken to the local puppet police station where they were subjected to brutal tortures. The invader police forced them to sign the confession of the charges against them.

All the three Muslims refused to sign the confession paper and they were subjected to cruel and inhuman tortures. This was proven by the numerous bruises, abrasions, sores on their bodies and a few broken limbs.

Mansur's body is full of traces of torture

One of the three victims is named Mansur, who had just converted to Islam (mualaf), got the most heinous torture. Perhaps, as he had repented, the barbaric Russian police got angry and spiteful.

Mualaf Mansur's photo before he was murdered

The two other Muslim brothers tortured are Ruslan Vologirov from wilayah Terek and Rashid. Ruslan was an athlete, a Greco-Roman wrestler. His family said that he was not associated with the Mujahadeen.

After torturing to death those three Muslims, the kafir Russians and their stooges took the janazas of the three Muslim youths (may Allah accept them) to the rear of the Baksanenok village.

The janazas of the three innocent Muslim youths were placed by the road. And then the kafireen Russians acted in accordance with their scenario. They put two pistols, a machine gun and two bombs with timing mechanism, batteries and plastic bottles near the corpses. The kafir Russiaan media reported this in detail.

(arrahmah.com)

Exclusive Interview With Yazid Sufaat, 9/11 Attacks Increased The Number Of Adherents Of Islam

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The 9/11 attacks in 2001 have left bad memories for America, around 3,000 people died in the attack and America have to suffer immense material losses as its economic center was destroyed. So many pros and cons over the 9/11 attacks carried out by a handful of courageous Mujahideen. Some people completely believe in the conspiracy theories of the West, while some people (the Muslims in this case) still believe and want to listen to the words of their brothers with regards to the 9/11 facts.

Yazid Sufaat is one of those brothers, he is a husband and a father, biochemist, entrepreneur and former Army captain who was accused of helping September 11 2001 attack in America, imprisoned in the political prison, the Internal Security Act (ISA) Malaysia since 2002, and then was freed in 2008. Malaysiakini conducted an interview with Yazid Sufaat, published in Malaysiakini on 20/3/2012. What follows is a translation of the article and interview relating to the the 9/11 attacks, a continuation of the earlier interview which talked about the experience of Yazid Sufaat in Afghansitan and meeting with Sheikh Usamah bin Laden rahimahullah. The interview this time discusses about the 9/11 and the spread of Islam:

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The UN said that Yazid Sufaat had in October 2001 met Zacarias Mousaoui - who was in 2006 sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in the US for planning the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre (WTC) among others - and gave him at least US$35,000 to prepare for the attacks..

In an interview at his home, Yazid (right) admitted that Mousaoui was an employee at his software company. Yazid said he paid him a stipend to market the software, which connects computers to telephones mainly for call-centre purposes, in the US and Europe.

Mousaoui, who he had met at his apartment in Sungai Long, Selangor, needed a visa to go to the US. After learning about his computer engineering background, Yazid offered him the job.

The same apartment, donated to registered Islamic organization Al-Ehsan Association for its activities would later be used for planning the 9/11 attacks in what the UN terms the '2000 Al-Qaeda summit'.

However, Yazid maintains he was not in Malaysia at the time and did not know about it.

"Mousaoui never told me he was going to learn how to fly planes. This guy never told me anything. Did I give him money to fund 9/11? Let your readers think for themselves," he said.

Arrested under the Internal Security Act at the Thai-Malaysian border while on his way back from Afghanistan in December 2001, Yazid spent at least seven years at the Kamunting detention camp in Perak - five of which were in solitary confinement.

'I don't believe in democracy'

Yazid Sufaat (48), has a simple answer for the attack that killed about 3,000 people on 9/11, “If what the 9/11 attackers did was wrong, Allah would have "shown signs."

According to him, conversions to Islam have been on the rise, and as such, the militants who have allegedly brought a bad name to Islam were actually doing the "marketing" work.

"Their intentions are pure. What they did is a form of worship, and they could have made mistakes here and there. But their faith, their belief in the oneness of God is true," he said.

"If they made mistakes, in their implementation, inshaAllah, Allah will forgive them."

“What is unforgivable, he said, is people establishing laws that go against His words,” Yazid said.

This is why, Yazid said, he does not have faith in electoral politics. He believes in the system of the Khilafah.

“I don't believe in democracy. The danger of democracy is that elected representatives become lawmakers. The Qur'an says there is no law but Allah's, so they cannot... make laws against what Allah ordains,” Yazid said.

“We don't want to associate ourselves with them (those who make laws against Allah's word). We don't want to give Allah's rights to others who will do as they please and contest Alllah,” Yazid asserted.

Excerpts of the interview follow:

Malaysiakini: Was Sept 11 considered a defensive move or a retaliation?

Yazid: I don't know, (but) this is what I think. They attacked the WTC, that is where the US centre of economics is... The heart of the Pentagon is not in Pentagon but in WTC.

Their economic power and intelligence was in WTC. We wanted to cripple them, we have to bring their morale down. War is about morale. War is all about morale. You think you're big, nobody can hit you?!

Malaysiakini: So you are saying this is the first strike, from Muslim world to Western capitalist world in recent history?

Yazid: Bring their morale down. You want to win, bring their morale down. Bring the morale down, you (will) win the war. (Yazid lowers his voice) Bring their morale down, bring their morale down.

Malaysiakini: But what about ... the bombings in Bali and Jakarta? Is that defending yourselves?

Yazid: It's like this... I have been Muslim for 48 years, but I'm still not confident that my solat is 100 percent correct. Not to mention (these attackers). Their intentions are pure. What they did is a form of worship, and they could have made mistakes here and there.

But their iman, their belief in the oneness of God is true. If they made mistakes, in their implementation, God willing, Allah will forgive them.

Malaysiakini: This is referring to bombings in Jakarta or Bali?

Yazid: I don't want to say that what they did is wrong. I don't want to speak on that. Any mistake is only in the implementation, it does not cancel out their faith.

The important thing is to not lose iman (become murtad) . If you do, ya Allah ... it is better to die a Muslim. Even if you die in sin, God willing, He will forgive you, as long as you don't worship others.

Malaysiakini: Specifically, how does this fit with the likes of (militants who have passed away) Noordin Mohammad Top and Azahari Husin?

Yazid: I want to ask you one thing: Who did the marketing of Islam? Who did the marketing? You answer me. Who did the marketing, who did the marketing? People like Abu Omar, Osama Laden, these are the people who market Islam.

Malaysiakini: You mean popularize Islam?

Yazid: Okay, (people) say it is in a bad way. But look at statistics, the people who converted to Islam in Europe and US after Sept 11. Their priests are floored. Why?

Sept 11... maybe it is right what they did. People like them (the Mujahideen who carried out the shaheed operations) are willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their love for Allah, hoping for paradise.

There must be something right. Or else, everyone will hate (Islam) and the conversion rates will go down. You have to think this way.

I don't want you to agree with me, but I'm throwing a rhetorical question so we can think. Who did the marketing for Islam?

Malaysiakini: Azahari and Noordin, the sort of people who are in the international media spotlight, are considered to be marketing Islam?

Yazid: They did the marketing for Islam. (Our detractors) want to portray us as 'bad' but look at the result.

Malaysiakini: Is it because this kind of conflict triggers people to study Islam?

Yazid: You study history. We never started this thing, this war.

Malaysiakini: We, meaning your group, or Muslims?

Yazid: Muslims. They triggered it, (Muslims) got to defend ourselves. Ha! Go back to history... Muslims never start any conflict. When they started it, we have to defend ourselves, okay?

I went to Afghanistan to start this so-called project because we have to defend ourselves. In order to defend ourselves we must know what they're doing.

When we study... then they (enemies) will consider you as a threat to them. Of course, we are a threat to them. They will never allow you to be one up from them. They will never allow it, but Muslims don't realize this.

I started ‘the project' before Sept 11 and when Sept 11 happened, my laboratory (in Kandahar) got bombed, my hospital got bombed. What happens then? They will kill you before you can crawl. They won't allow you to grow.

Malaysiakini: How do you justify the death of innocent people? Even in the Qur'an, it says you cannot kill women and children.

Yazid: Study Fiqh Jihadiyyah (the jurisprudence of jihad), what you can do and what you cannot do. In any fiqh, the ulama's tend to differ in their opinion, even in very simple things, let alone these big ones.

When these people (Mujahideen) carried out the bombings, of course they weigh up these things. The do's and don'ts, the can and cannot. What choices they have. The majority of ulama's say no, but a small minority of ulama's say yes, it can be done. After the fall of the Abbasid empire in 1258, there is no more Shari'ah (Islamic law)... So it is our obligation to bring this thing (Khilafah) back.

Malaysiakini: How do you decide if the cause is worthy?

Yazid: Before you do anything, you need knowledge. Some people do the hajj without knowing why but not the jihad. If you want to know about science, you go to a professor with a PhD. If you want to know about jihad, ask an ulama' who go to jihad. Not the ulama' who teach in classrooms..

The ulama's (who do jihad) says we can conduct jihad, but we have to minimize all the kind of things (the damage). That's what these people do. Minimize the loss. How much damage did they do? (The enemy) kills 1 million, we kill 3,000. Is (killing) justifiable? Never justified, we don't want to do that. But if they do to us....it's difficult. I am not going to force people to agree with me.

Malaysiakini: Have you visited your 'students' in Guantanamo Bay, or their family? Do you feel guilty?

Yazid: Every job has its hazards...these people (in Guantanamo Bay) they know this. If they don't know, then they were not well informed. But it was part of the knowledge they must understand.

When they (the enemy) put me away...from my family, I thought 'Hey!'. If you're going to Singapore, and you see see exit signs for Batang Kali, Taiping, Penang ... that means you're not going in the right direction, right?

A verse in the Qur'an says to go to heaven, you must find handcuffs, prison, exile. All those are signs you must find. In my journey to heaven I see these signs. Why worry? You think the people in Guantanamo Bay are sad?

Malasyiakini: What about the family of people who die in the bombings?

Yazid: What about the brothers of mine who (the enemy) kill? Do you think about that?

Malaysiakini: If we don't want this to happen to us, why should we do the same? Since 9/11, the attacks on Muslim countries by the Western states have escalated. They may not be winning the wars, but so many people die because of it.

Yazid: If we don't do this (attack them), how sure are you that they would not do this (to us)? It's the same thing. Let us die fighting.. Jihad is a search for life, not death. History has proven that they will still attack. If the kafir (non-believers) are good, then the Qur'an is wrong. Allah said if we fight back, (the enemy) become weak. (Recites verse 76 from the an-Nisa chapter of the Qur'an)

"Those who believe fight in the cause of Allah , and those who disbelieve fight in the cause of Thaghut. So fight against the allies of Satan. Indeed, the plot of Satan has ever been weak.”

Allah told us to fight against the kuffar who walk on satan's path. If we don't fight them they will become stronger and you could be wiped out. That is a verse. How can you defy the Qur'an? In the at-Tawba (the Repentance) chapter, Allah says that, if we don't go forth in Allah's cause, he will replace us with another people.

Malaysiakini: Since you say you have connections with the Taliban group, do you think Osama's death will lead to a Taliban revival?

Yazid: Our religion will be victorious not because of Osama Laden or Yazid Sufaat. If God wills, we will succeed, if we do it right. It is ordained. The Prophet has determined the way to do it, just follow.

This victory will not come at our convenience or when it fits our schedule. We have to remember that. It's not a 'majority-wins' race.

Sometimes, we are not confident in Allah. Look at the Prophet. When he went to war, he did his level best, but it could never match the enemies' capabilities in terms of strength, quality of weaponry, etc. But why did he win?

When I tell the Special Branch officers that, they say: "That was the Prophet. Who are you in comparison?" (Laughs) . If that's our attitude, then what can we do?

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(arrahmah.com)

An Interview By Malaysiakini With Yazid Sufaat (Former ISA Detainee), The Experience Of Meeting With Sheikh Usamah bin Ladin

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JOHOR, Malaysia - Yazid Sufaat is a biochemist and former Army captain, accused of aiding the 11th September 2001 attacks in the US, and was imprisoned in the Internal Security Act political prison of Malaysia since 2002, and then was freed in 2008. He told that he had met with Sheikh Usamah bin Ladin rahimahullah and it was an honour for him. Below is the artcile and interview by Malaysiakini with Yazid Sufaat in the series, ISA by Fathi Fathi Aris Omar, Aidila Razak and Salhan K Ahmad, published by Malaysiakini on (20/3/2012).

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A simple Google search on Yazid Sufaat will return the following results - militant, bombmaker, biological weapons expert, and one of the longest serving detainees under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

"They call me the CEO of Anthrax."

Shrugging as he says this, the father of four who was released from ISA detention in November 2008 after seven years - five of which were in solitary confinement - wears the title almost like a badge of honour.

"They (the accusers) call me that because I only have a 'cabok' (simple) Bachelor of Science but my students were PhDs, Masters' degree holders," he told Malaysiakini in an extensive interview at his home last week.

His "students" are now inmates in Cuba's Guantanamo Bay, which he discovered when the Federal Bureau of Investigation showed him photographs of them during questioning at the Kamunting detenion centre where he was held.

"I am Yazid Sufaat. I am not going to hide myself, my face, my name. Why should I? I am handsome, no?" asked the 48-year-old Johor native, laughing.

His devil-may-care attitude may lead one to believe that Yazid's "I love Osama Laden" proclamation on his Facebook page as a sort of joke.

But the unrepentant Yazid, who is one of seven Malaysians on the United Nations ‘travel, asset and arms deal' sanction list for alleged involvement with the infamous al-Qaeda, really loves Osama.

Recalling his time in Afghanistan in 2000-2001, Yazid admitted having met the now deceased al-Qaeda leader and considered it "an honour".

"Of course, I met him, it's an honour to meet him. How many people have?" he asked.

Yazid, who crossed the the Pakistan-Afghan border on learning of the Sept 11, 2001 attacks on the US, said he trained as a militant for six months under the one-time most wanted man in the world.

"That was the opportunity to face them (the enemy). Of course, they came... I think the closest bomb that fell was 15m from me. That was the experience; (I) wanted it, Allah give (me) a chance," he said.


Under Osama, he sharpened his shooting skills, learned to walk in the dark and navigate using the stars and how to withstand the brutal desert combat conditions -losing about 18kg in the first two months.

"I am military trained but trained in a different terrain. (In Afghanistan) there is no jungle, all desert.

"Of course we could not run away from the Qur'an. I learned Arabic, listened to (Osama's) lectures, his usrah (discussion to instill loyalty and brotherhood)."

When Kabul fell to the Northern Alliance forces in November 2001, it was Osama who advised him to leave the war-torn country and return when "we have won back Afghanistan".

"At that time I thought, if they catch me out here, I would be heading to Guantanamo. If I go home, it's only ISA. So I called a friend at Bukit Aman and he said: ‘Come back. At least here it's only ISA'.

"My wife didn't believe I would be arrested, so I said let's cross the border and see. We crossed Bukit Kayu Hitam (Thai-Malaysian border) and I was arrested ," he said of the December 2001 incident.

The journey to Afghanistan

A Royal Military College alumnus and a retired army captain, Yazid's journey to Afghanistan began when he started seeking answers about his religion.

He said that he became an adult in the "sin cities" of the US, having graduated from California State University as a biochemist at the age of 23.

"When I returned, I was still wild. My mother-in-law said I should go study religion, but I didn't want to learn about the solat or how to perform the haj.”


"I wanted something different. So (people said) go meet this ustaz and (when I did) I thought, ‘this is good, this is something different'."

"Addicted" to the lessons, Yazid began delving more and more into the teachings of Islam only to be left unsatiated.

"I thought, ‘this can't be it'. (I) wanted to graduate, so I started reading more and when you have knowledge you want to ‘do' (something). I am a scientist... I want to prove the theory."

In 1995, Yazid performed the umrah and vowed to only return to perform the haj when he could understand the Qur'an. He returned in 1998.

The same year, he went to Ambon, Indonesia, at the height of the Christian-Muslim conflict - to experience the "real jihad".

"I had a bit of money. If I left my family, they can sustain themselves. I wanted to see the real thing. What is so special about it. I wanted to face it... jihad in terms of qital , which means war," he said.

Going into Ambon "blind" on his own steam on the first fact-finding mission, Yazid and a friend met with Muslims there to understand their urgent needs and returned home to build a network of assistance.

At the time, Yazid was operating a pathology lab, running medical tests for up to 600 clinics and it was his clients that he approached to get the rudimentary medical supplies to send to Ambon.

"It was humanitarian. There you could find all sorts of non-Muslim humanitarian groups like the Red Cross. The Muslims were people like me, who wanted to help. They were called Mujahideen (freedom fighters), now they are called terrorists.

"In a conflict area, you have to defend yourself. You don't just go like that Mavi Marmara ship. It's stupid!" he said.

Yazid would later be charged for funding sectarian violence in Ambon - one of the five charges which kept him under the ISA.

"Mercy (Malaysian NGO) was there. Umno (Malaysia's ruling party - ed.) guys were there. Both were funded. Yazid Sufaat was there, self-funded, but this is a threat to national security," he said.

The 'project' in a Kandahar lab

His desire to "help (his) fellow brothers" also saw Yazid finding himself criss-crossing the Afghan-Pakistan border - this time to build a hospital.

He used his experience in running a pathology laboratory to train staff at the hospital and to set up a laboratory next to the hospital in the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar.

It was at this laboratory that he was accused of having developed biological weapons - something which he terms "the so-called project".

Initially hesitant to reveal what went on in the lab, which he claims he started before Sept 11, 2011 and was bombed out following the World Trade Centre attacks, Yazid let out that it was a defence strategy.

"Of course (there was research), we are scientists (laughs) . We have to do it, but the lab wasn't that sophisticated. It was bare bones, that was what we could manage. We do what we can and leave the rest to Allah.

"If (the other side) use ‘bugs', you must understand that bug in detail so we can counter any biological weapon that they use. You must know your enemy," he said.

But was he really the ‘CEO of Anthrax' and a senior al-Qaeda leader as alleged?

"I never expected to be accused of doing this thing... if you read the stuff they wrote about me, it's impressive. But (what I did) was really nothing.

"If people want to write bad things, they will write bad things. (If) they want to write good things they would. That is just perception. I don't care. What do I need to hide?

"My name is Yazid Sufaat. I did not do anything wrong. I don't feel guilty at all," he declared.

***

(arrahmah.com)

“Sea Of Hijabs” Flowing In The UK

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My friend, Anisa from Barbados, who is also a muallaf (revert) invited me to her house in Tooting, for a farewell event. The family is going to emigrate to Cairo, wishing to taste life with an Islamic nuance, she said.

I was introduced to her friends who are multi-racial and colour, including pure English women, an Algerian woman of French nationality, Jamaican, Ethiopian and Nigerian. Unique indeed.

I was attracted to the appearance of Joana Rowntree, a native English Muslimah who was wearing a full Muslim dress. Similar to abaya, loose, gray in colour with light blue hijab. I greeted her and introduced myself.

Joanna, an English woman who's about 26 years of age, has embraced the religion of Islam for only about 3 years. Joanna works as a Medical Researcher for the Guy Hospital, London Bridge.

She went through a very long spiritual journey. The story goes that, after finishing High School in the UK, she did not right away go to university, but decided to go for an adventurous venture. She believes that traveling can broaden our horizon.
“Travel can broaden your mind,” she said.

She thus registered herself to become a volunteer with the British Council. Teaching English language was one of the ways to go overseas, she remembered when telling the story of how she first reverted to Islam.

"I want to seek experiences by traveling," she added. Joanna eventually chose Sarawak, Malaysia.

"The place is very far, it is in a village in the interior of Borneo island," Joanna disclosed while watching her child who has a blond hair.

"The Malay people are very kind and gentle, I felt at home there. So much so that I lived there for not less than 10 months," she added.

So what made her revert to Islam?

One day, while resting, as usual my students approached me. Normally they would come by giving salam. Apparently that day, they handed me a small and thin book.

"Miss.. miss do you know Prophet Muhammad, our Rasul?" one of them asked, they jostled and each one of them wanted to get the attention.

"Who is Muhammad?... I don't know," patiently, Joanna answered their question.

"Here miss.. read this book... there is a history of our prophet, Muhammad, here," they said presenting a book about Rasulullah Salallaahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam (صلى الله عليه و سلم) to Joanna.

As the book is in Malay language, apparently Joanna could not understand it much. She had to refuse it gently so that those children would not get offended.

"....but miss, you are an English language teacher, you must learn our language, the Malay language. This is a gift from us and feel free to read it." The book was accepted by Joanna while feeling amazed, thinking how kind they were.

Joanna appreciated the gift very much, as if she was given a special attention by those children, she was so touched.

It was since then that Joanna was interested in the religion of Islam. She found herself time to go to book shops when she was in Kuala Lumpur. The words of those children kind of left a trace in her heart.

Joanna found out that there are actually many books about Islam in English. Joanna bought a small English-Malay dictionary. She thought those kids would surely love it if they know that she's learning Malay language. It was since then that Joanna started to get attracted to Islam until eventually she uttered the two kalimah of shahadah.

Everywhere

It's a different story with Nini, this woman from Indonesia, who is also a resident (a settler married to a British) has a unique story. This employee at a Department Store has stayed here for quite a long time, more than 10 years. She was formerly a dancer.
Friendly and vivacious, her friends were everywhere. After joining a study circle with the Indonesian students in London, she found something new, she admitted that she felt happy to be in a comfortable environment, as well as having obtained many inputs.

One day, a rather drastic change happened. Nina wanted to wear the hijab. But she only wore it from home to the study place, and then to the supermarket or the station. But upon reaching the workplace, she took it off. There was some kind of a sinful feeling, but Nina was in the process of fostering her courage.

Every time she attended the study circle, the triangular shaped pieces of fabric always slipped off and fell onto her shoulders.

One day, I said to her, “Where are the pins, Nin?” I helped her to clip them.

“Wow, in fact, you look so beautiful, look in the mirror, your beauty is even more obvious,” I said convincing her. True indeed, she looks more beautiful and elegant. She smiled sheepishly, mixed with pride.

“If you have not dared to have it full-time, try it part-time first, get used to it first, so that we can have the self-confidence and the people around us are not surprised,” thus was my advice.

One day, she did an observation. She secretly tried to find out the total number of Muslimahs in her workplace. She was surprised, apparently the number is quite big. In the end, every time attending the study circle, she was busy discussing and telling about her hijab. Nini finally began to get obsessed with hijab. In fact, she even asked for advice, when could she start wearing it to work.

"I am waiting for the moment, give me support.. ok," she added. "I'm afraid of getting fired," she said, apparently anxious. And I calmed her by explaining that faiths are protected by the law. Just like the Jews in this place, who also wear something on their heads.

Once day, Nini took a day-off, she invited her friends for coffee. Of course, she's wearing hijab. At the time of going back home, she suddenly veered towards her workplace to just say hello to her colleagues. Apparently she forgot that she was wearing hijab. Of course, all of her colleagues were surprised. Coincidentally her supervisor who is Muslim was also there.

"Ooh..I didn't know you wear hijab, Nin," he said. She blushed while saying that she does wear hijab.

"Why don't you wear it to work," he challenged.

"Really? Can I wear hijab to work?," as if she could not believe hearing the offer which is valued as very exciting.

"Well of course you can.. I will talk to my manager and I am sure you have the right in this country," he assured .

The feeling of joy in Nini's heart could not be imagined that day. She got the full support from her supervisor. She went home in strides that felt so very light. She felt like shouting to the sky. Now Nini wears hijab to work, where the colours are matched with the uniform.

Interestingly, it was said that her move was later followed by a number of Muslimahs who all these years were hiding in their hiding places.

And as usual, the friends and companions who used to go to the discotheque or gather for fun with her, one by one distanced themselves from Nini.

Spat At

One day, I got to know a woman named Jennifer, just call sister Jane. She is a muallaf whom I knew in front of the French Embassy, during a demo about hijab. Next thing we knew, we became good friends.

One day, through the telephone, she told me about her belief.

"As I have already professed the shahadah, which implies my witness and acceptance of the existence of Allah the One, as well as my witness that Prophet Muhammad is Allah's Messenger, then this is a commitment and my promise. Meaning, I cannot just take half-and-half. I have to take whole, including wearing the hijab of course," she said.

In the early period of her reversion to Islam, Jennifer didn't know how to wear hijab. She bought two head scarves and then draped it over her head.

By wearing hijab, she claimed to be feeling more secure in the streets, without attracting the attention of the males who always think that women are sex objects.

“I feel free from the pressure to compete for beauty. I could then be more simple in appearance," she disclosed.

Nevertheless, there are also those who stare with different kinds of look,but Jane doesn't care.

"When I wear the hijab I feel the warmth in my heart and soul. There is the peaceful and secure feeling, even though I feel that I still have not been able to fulfill His commandments, I am afraid that I have not yet been able to obtain His pleasure," said Jennifer.

I, Joanna, Nini and Jane and the Muslimahs in the UK (and the other European countries) indeed are very fortunate, in general the people are quite democratic, protecting our choice to wear hijab.

Indeed, the hijab does not come and approach the females in the UK at an instant or all of a sudden. Though there are certain Muslimahs who suddenly wished to wear hijab, but generally it is due to the influence from friends.

Nevertheless, just to drape a piece of cloth over our heads in this country requires its own “jihad”.

When a big incident happened in the UK, the 7th July (the case of a bombing in the Subway) for example, it forced the Muslimahs to take extra precautions. Not a few Muslimahs became the public targets. In the streets, the Muslimahs were insulted, spat at or shouted at, ‘Hey terrorist’ or receiving other unpleasant treatments. But for those who know the situation of the country, they will understand. Even my child could say, “Just ignore them mum, they are just so ignorant.”

According to the data, the number of Muslim population in the United Kingdom at this time is around 2.8 million (4.6 percents of the total population). The United Kingdom has the third largest Muslim community in the European continent, after Germany and France. The Muslims can be found everywhere, including the Friday prayer worshipers that spilled out onto the streets.

And hijab is now a part of the community in the United Kingdom as a diverse nation; whether in terms of nationality, ethnicity or religion, as well as color. You can see hijab everywhere, flowing. Except in Bromley, especially in my village in Pettswood.

I sometimes think, “Ah, maybe it is only me with hijab, where incidentally the population are 98.5% white/English.” Only that, I feel, the people around me do not feel threatened by my presence.

Though a minority, I keep blending in, not isolating myself from the people around, while displaying our Islamic akhlaq.

My do'a and from you I hope, is that, I and the other Muslimahs in the UK remain istiqomah in upholding the commandment to cover the awrah like in Surah al-Ahzab: 59, “O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.” [QS. 33:59].

*/ Al Shahidah, Bromley, 5th February 2012.

Translated from Indonesian by: prisonerofjoy

Source: voa-islam.com

Her Son Killed By Israeli Missile, She Only Received Pieces Of Her Son's Body In Plastic Bag

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GAZA - With deep pain and bitterness, she cried with her tears falling on her cheek like pouring rain splashing the ground, while holding the remains of the school bag and books in her hands, she asked, "Will Israel the murderer of my little boy, the half of my heart, find a way to have them tried, or they are going to persist with their wickedness without punishment, as usual? I hope they will be tried, or the justice which the international community speak about so excessively, ONLY applies in Libya and Sudan but when it is the murderer Israel, they are beyond the reach of their justice?"

These are words that are clear and simple, the expression of a mother who is grieving as his son, Ayub Useila (12), had just been killed in Gaza by the Israeli-American missile on Sunday (11/3/2012). She demanded justice to those who work in the Body of International Law which always carry the slogans of justice, peace, welfare, humanity and so forth, which they always talk about in excessiveness, but are silent when Israel commits crimes against humanity.

Ayub's body was torn into small pieces, so much so that it was hard to collect, as a result of the powerful explosion that caused the fleshes of Ayub's body, that were in pieces, flew into the air, and got stuck in the trees. While his cousin was critically wounded in that vile attack.

The bloodthirsty and blind Israeli criminals could not tell the difference between the fighters who are armed and carrying rockets – where they claimed that they only target fighters who carry rockets – and the children who carry schoolbags on their way to school. Simple, just like what the other international criminals (America and its allies) do against Muslims, Israel actually has the same craving, they want to slaughter all the Muslim populations including children, females and old people who are helpless.

A few years ago, Ayub's mother have also lost two of her children, as a result of other Israeli atrocities through air strikes. Every year, she loses a child.

“This is a disaster, a catastrophe,” Ayub's mother said.

The residents were collecting the pieces of Ayub's body

"That morning, as usual, Ayub packed up his bag and went to school bringing a piece of bread with potatoes in his hand. A few minutes later, I heard 'Zannaneh', an Israeli Apache, firing a missile into the streets which is used by students to go to school. I ran into the street to look for my son who has just left. He has died, he became the target of Israel's missile. His bag was thrown dozens of meters away and little bits and pieces of his body were scattered around the place. The remains of his body became small pieces on the tree branches and a piece of bread and potatoes were strewn on the ground. He was killed before he could eat his breakfast."

Many children in Gaza have been killed by Israeli missiles and many others suffer serious injury, they arrived at the hospital, instead of home or school. As for those who survived but were wounded, many of them are suffering from pain, trauma and phobias to remain alive.

Ayub's mother received the janaza of her son in the form of small pieces of Ayub's fleshes that have been collected and put inside a plastic bag. This was the third time Ayub's mother received the janaza of her children that had turned to small pieces by the Israeli missiles.

During Ayub's funeral, she insisted on putting the remains of the Ayub's books, pieces of bread and potatoes, along with Ayub's janaza.

When Israel continues its acts ofcrime without any hindrance, many of the mothers in Gaza become fearful every day, fearing that their children would not return home safely.

Ash-Shaheed Ayub receiving a bicycle as a present a few days before the murder.

Israeli crimes will continue without trial or punishment from the laws of the so-called "international law". The officials of the world who submit to the “international law” are limited to only issuing words of condemnation, as a sweetener of their lips and fake agreement letters. But actually they are powerless in the face of Israel which is supported by America and its allies.

Everyday, the mothers, children, girls, youths, old people in Palestine have their lives under threat. The Israeli invasion a fews years back has been a bitter experience for the Muslims in Palestine, especially in the Gaza Strip and for the Muslims all over the world. And it will continue to take place until the end of time.

The Muslims in Palestine called upon all the Muslims of the world to take action and provide support, whether it be with life, property and do'a, instead of relying on the decision of the “international law”, where its officials are the people who always promote peace, justice, welfare, humanity, "anti-terrorism", and so on, but they are the people who will only be silent like a lifeless statue when Israel-America massacre Muslims.

(arrahmah.com)

Successfully Retaken, Pontianak Conducive: "Thousands of Muslims Responded To The Call Of Jihad" Allahu Akbar!

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"The FPI is a part of the Islamic ummah, those who disturb the FPI, means they are disturbing the Islamic ummah... the Muslims do not attack, but they are attacked first!"

Thus was what the central Chairman of the FPI Pontianak, Ustadz Ali Al Muntahar, emphasized from his residence. It is not just a mere utterance, it was proven by the gathering of thousands of Muslims from different cities and towns without being commanded, to unite with the ranks of the FPI when hearing that there would be an attack by the Dayak people against the headquarter of the FPI which is driven by the elements of Dayak activists.

"Who called those people? Not the FPI! No! But Allah! So this is not the problem of the FPI anymore, but the problem of the Islamic ummah! They raided the women who wear jilbab by holding up spears and mandai (Dayak traditional weapon - ed.), as well as pelting the houses of worship of the Muslims with stones, this is fighting against Islam! The Muslims would not back off if this is the case!" he explained.

With regards to this, one of the Muslim community leaders who just happened to be beside him said , "Solat is done, Zakat is done, Fasting is done, Performing Hajj is done... but where is the Jihad???" He said this to motivate the Islamic ummah of Pontianak to do jihad defending life and religion. The same thing was stated by Habib Rizieq in his SMS, "Say to them (the Dayak elements), You Come We Receive, You Sell We Buy."

Nevertheless, the Muslim community is still offering the opening of a dialogue, "We are asking Cornelis as the Chairman of DAD West Kalimantan, not as a governor, to be present, Ibharim Banson, Mr. Barnabas Simin, Yakobus Kumis, Yusuf Undun, David undun, Dr. Hanis Rafael, the sultan in West Kalimantan, as well as the Muslims who were present in the earlier meeting, namely the FUI, FKUB, etc.. to sit again and discuss about this problem," he asserted.

Solatul Jum'at Like In A War

The Muslim community in the area of Ambawang, which is located near the Dayak community, performed the solatul Jum'at in turns, some were on guard while some others were performing the solatul Jum'at. The khutbah delivered was also purposely shortened. In this regard he answered, "It ever happened in Ambawang, we are praying the solat jum'at, they (the Dayaks) went out burning. This is not to provoke the Muslims.. but we are only anticipating.. do not be off guard, unite the ranks…"

The Apparatuses Are Asked To Be Firm

“Come on kalopda (Head of Regional Police - ed.), you lots must be independent, and truly upholding the law. The Haq is haq, batil is batil! Even until now, the burning incident in the area of Ambawang by the Dayak community has not been solved completely,” he explained.

Before this, he was also disappointed with the attitude of the apparatuses who appeared to allow the clashes in Veteran St., "At that time the Dayak people were already attacking the Muslims, we withdrew, the apparatuses were silent.. however, as reinforcements arrived from our rear, the Dayak people ran off, when chased by the Muslims, only then the apparatuses fired warning shots so that we would halt, what's this?!" he said.

This is the work of just a handful of the Dayak communities

Regarding the news that circulated widely in the society, so the FPI Pontianak clarified that the act of the Dayak people yesterday does not represent the Dayak community as a whole. "There is Dr. Hanis Rafael, who is a very respected leader of the Dayak customs, he in fact rejects this kind of act. He deeply regretted that this could happen. This is obviously the works of some elements, not the Dayak community as a whole. The FPI has been in this Pontianak for 10 years, we with the Islamic ummah have never disturbed the Gawai Dayak (Dayak Celebration -ed.) event, we have never disturbed their activities. There are some elements that deliberately take advantage, and the arrival of Habib Rizieq have a selling value for that," explained Ustadz Ali Muntahar

Successfully Retaken, Pontianak Conducive

On Thursday afternoon, when the police blockade was lifted, the Muslim communities then moved and carried out the“sweeping” looking for the Dayak elements that harassed the Muslims. It was done into the center of the concentration of the Dayak masses at Betang House (cultural center). In the action, two mischief-makers were reportedly wounded and another one in a critical condition. In fact, hundreds of those mischief-makers who had terrorized the Muslims in the streets, have gone out of town. And it was ascertained that from the Muslims' side, only one was lightly wounded due to a fall. The banner with the provocative words, which earlier was paraded by the hundreds of Dayak elements, is now in the hands of the Muslims.

Allahu Akbar!

by:
Unknown Mujahid

1000 Muslimahs Deceived By Thai Soldiers

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THAILAND – The American troops sent on duty outside the country, such as in Vietnam (in the 60's), in Afghanistan, Iraq, always left behind social problems for the local people after the soldiers have returned to their home country.

The problems ended up being a burden that must be borne alone by the local families, in addition to also having to fight back the feeling of shame and disgrace. This happened in Southern Thailand where many Muslim women established intimate relationship with the non-Muslim soldiers until they get married and have children.

The source said, 1000 Muslimahs have been fooled by the Thai soldiers in charge of hunting down Islamic fighters in the Southern part of that 'Land of White The Elephant'. They were reportedly married to the Thai soldiers, after the Thai soldiers finished their duty, some were brought along but some were also left behind just like that.

A representative of the Human Rights organization concerned with the border issues in South Thailand, Chaiyong Maneerungsakul, said, the Muslimahs fall prey making relationship with the Buddhist soldiers sent on duty in that region.

There were members of the Buddhist army who fall in love with the local women who are Muslim and persuaded to marry them. Even though the soldiers changed religion (to Islam), but in the end it was just a fraud. According to Chaiyong, the story about Buddhist soldiers converting to Islam is an ordinary thing here.

“For them there is no hindrance, today Buddhist, tomorrow Islam and the next day return to Buddhism again, it is commonplace.”

If the soldiers completed the tasks in the South and moved to other regions, the Muslimahs just now would be confronted with the problem of culture shock, which in the end make them forced to return to the South again. Thus Chaiyong said as excerpted from the Bangkok Post.

The exposure of the issue of the 1000 Muslimahs was accompanied with the case of a video recording showing a local Muslim teenagers aged 16 who was harassed by the Thai Government soldiers.

The report stated, on 22nd January, a soldier known as Winai, had committed harassment in a location adjacent to a hospital near the army outpost. The abuse was committed in that quiet place while recorded by his friend, a government soldier named Yot.

The case was revealed after Yot distributed the vile recording which caused the victim's parents to complain to the authorities.

These incidents of sexual abuse and cases of Muslimah who became victims to the Buddhist soldiers who abandoned their wives and children, add to the suffering of the Muslims in the South which have been suffering for so long, since the country, where the majority of the populations are Muslim, is ill-treated by the Thai forces.

(hidayatullah)

Thailand Attacks: Mujahideens Killed Two Soldiers

9th March, 2012

Thai security personnel stand guard next to body armour of soldiers after a bomb attack by Mujahideen on a roadside in Thailand's southern Narathiwat province March 7, 2012. — Photo by Reuters

YALA: Two soldiers were killed and 12 wounded in brazen Mujahideen attacks on military bases and checkpoints in Thailand’s troubled Muslim south on Friday, police said, the latest Mujahideen attack in the region bordering Malaysia.

About 50 gunmen attacked a military base housing Special Forces in Narathiwat early on Friday, injuring 12 soldiers, police said.

They fired M-79 grenades to bring down electricity pylons to block the road and damaged a waterworks office and a motorcycle car park.

A few hours later in Yala province, Mujahideens attacked an army checkpoint and took two soldiers hostage. They bound their hands and feet with plastic cable, stole their weapons and shot them dead before fleeing, police said.

More than 5,000 people have been killed in Muslim-dominated Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani provinces since a low-level resistance from the 1970's resurfaced in 2004.

The region is more than 1,100 km away from the capital, Bangkok, and was part of an independent Malay Muslim sultanate until annexed by the predominantly Buddhist Thailand in 1909.

Despite flooding the region with more than 60,000 police officers and troops, the government has made little progress in quelling the unrest, for which no credible group has claimed responsibility.

Source: Reuter

Attack Kills Four Thai Soldiers In Restive South

The blast hit a military patrol as it drove along a road in Narathiwat

Four soldiers have been killed in southern Thailand after suspected Mujahideens detonated a roadside bomb.

Police said that the attack occurred late on Wednesday in Narathiwat province, one of three southern provinces hit by struggles.

The suspects detonated the device as the two-vehicle patrol travelled down a rural road, police said.

Another soldier was seriously injured in the attack.

Thailand's three southern-most provinces have been plagued by bomb attacks and shootings since 2004, when a decades-old resistance campaign reignited.

More than 4,300 people have been killed in the conflict. The Thai army had 60,000 forces stationed in the region to tackle the uprising as of 2011.

Thailand annexed the three provinces - Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani - in 1902, but the majority of people there are Muslim and speak a Malay dialect, in contrast with the Buddhists in the rest of the country who speak Thai.

Mujahideen Attack In Southern Thailand Kills Four Soldiers

20 January 2011

The Mujahideens made off with more than 50 rifles and about 5,000 bullets

Separatist Mujahideens in southern Thailand have killed four soldiers in an audacious attack on an army base.

Military officials say up to 40 gunmen overran the camp in Narathiwat in an unusually well-organized raid.

Mujahideens carry out regular attacks in Thailand's three southern provinces, but usually through roadside bombings or drive-by shootings.

In the latest attack, the Mujahideens attacked the base from the front and the back, according to army officials. They shot at soldiers, set off bombs, burned buildings and made off with more than 50 rifles and about 5,000 bullets.

Shadowy Groups

Little is known about the various Mujahideen groups but the BBC's Alastair Leithead in Bangkok said they are thought to operate in small, independent cells of just a few people, without a strong leadership hierarchy.

It was said this raid suggested a much greater level of co-ordination.

The Mujahideens have called for autonomy for an area historically known as Pattani before it was annexed into Thailand more than 100 years ago.

They are not thought to be linked with global or even regional jihadi networks.

The Narathiwat raid undermines the government's argument that violence is decreasing in the region.

According to Duncan McCargo, Thailand analyst and professor of South East Asian politics at Leeds University, the latest attack shows that the Mujahideen movement is very much alive and well, and is waging a war on the Thai state.

Regional Grievances

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva made a visit to the south earlier in the week and talked about lifting the state of emergency in more districts.

But on Tuesday, the government extended emergency rule in most of the region for another three months, despite concerns by human rights groups over the powers given to the military.

Critics accuse the government of failing to address the grievances of Thailand's Malay Muslims, who are a majority in the southern provinces.

"The Abhisit government's policies of socio-economic development and empty talk of 'reconciliation' have not made the problem go away," said Prof McCargo.

"The ongoing violence in the south should be a wake-up call that Thailand needs to get serious about reviewing its over-centralized structures and tackling the deep causes of national conflict, which are about inequalities of political power," he said.

Read also: Tragic, Pattani Muslimahs Raped And Then Murdered