JUST ONE VICTORY AFTER ANOTHER:

Libya: Jailed Islamic Group 'Preparing' to Renounce Armed Violence (Mohammed Al Shafey, 7/07/08, Asharq Al-awasat)

Leaders of the Libyan "Al-Jama'ah al-Islamiyah al-Muqatilah" [The Islamic Fighting Group] are close to reaching an ideological consensus that condemns armed violence, Asharq Al-Awsat has learned. [...]

Asharq Al-Awsat has learned that Abdullah al-Sadiq, the amir of the Fighting Group who is held in BuSalim Prison with the Al-Qaeda leaders sent a written message a few days ago to Saif al-Islam al-Qadhafi thanking him for the initiative of opening a dialogue with the Libyan Islamists regardless of the outcome. Numan Uthman, who fought against the Russians in Afghanistan, said: "I have been a party to these contacts from the beginning at the request of the Al-Qadhafi Foundation for Development and directly through Engineer Saif al-Islam as well as at the request of the imprisoned leaders of the group, specifically the group's amir Abdullah al-Sadiq, deputy amir Abu-Hazim, and Sheikh Abu-Mundhir al-Saidi, the official in charge of Shariaa. Bin-Uthman described the dialogue with the leaders of the Fighting Group as a new approach by the state that was strongly opposed to the fundamentalists after some members of the Fighting Group participated in an attempt to assassinate Libyan leader Colonel Muammar al-Qadhafi. He said that what is exciting in the matter is that the one in charge of the dialogue is Engineer Saif al-Islam, the son of the colonel himself. Bin-Uthman revealed that he personally met with some elements inside the BuSalim Prison that were wearing a red overall, in other words, they have sentenced to execution. He said that the jurisprudential review includes a re-diagnosis of reality, especially in light of what he described as "the American onslaught on the Islamic world while focusing on the importance of preserving security and stability in Libya". He revealed that the released fundamentalist members of the Fighting Group "have been given 10,000dinars each to start a new decent life and 300 dinars each in immediate assistance from the Prison Administration on the day they were released".

The dialogue sessions are a new blow to the leaders of Al-Qaeda and to Bin Laden's deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri who had announced the joining of the Fighting Group to Al-Qaeda and who is personally in charge of the Libyan members in the organization.

Do you suppose John Kerry and Barack Obama even know that Libya is reforming?

Posted by Orrin Judd at July 7, 2008 8:22 AM