Special Information Bulletin
Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center
at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S) September 2004
www.intelligence.org.il/eng/sib/9_04/chechnya.htm for documents

Hamas identifies with and supports Chechen and international Islamic
terrorism on CDs found in the Palestinian Authority-administered
territories. The CDs are distributed by Hamas to Palestinian youth in
various educational institutions

Overview

1.Among the propaganda and indoctrination materials found in institutions
influenced by Hamas in the PA-administered territories were CDs containing
posters and movies used by Hamas to show, among other things admiration,
identification and support for Chechen and international Islamic terrorism .

2.The CDs, containing materials preaching hatred and terrorism, are
distributed by Hamas in various educational institutions in the
PA-administered territories as part of their plan for indoctrinating the
younger Palestinian generation. The CDs from which Chechen material was
taken were distributed by Hamas at the American University in Jenin
(November 2003); at Islamic-oriented Hebron University (February 2004); and
at the Hebron Orphan Asylum , operated by the Islamic Charitable Society ,
identified with Hamas (August 2004).

3.The terminology used on Hamas posters and movies (analyzed below) is
extreme Islamic in nature. The Chechen terrorist leaders, such as Shamil
Basayev and "Khattab " 1 are praised, while the Russian Army is held in
contempt and its actions are described as "terrorism against the Islamic
population of Chechnya." One of the CDs (called "The Russian's Hell"), which
shows scenes from the fighting in Chechnya, includes religious messages in
favor of a jihad [holy war], claiming that those taking part in it go to
heaven as shaheeds [martyrs for the sake of Allah] after their death.

1 Khattab , or Ibn al-Khattab , is the nom de guerre of Samir Saleh
'Abdullah al-Suwailem. His real name is also given as Habib 'Abd al-Rahman
al-Khattab. He is one of the "graduates of Afghanistan" who joined the
Chechen rebels. He was born in Jordan , or, according to other sources,
Saudi Arabia , and killed by the Russian Army in 2002. (Details about his
life can be found at the SOBAKA Internet site and in the book Hatred's
Kingdom by Dory Gold, Regnery Publishing, Inc., p. 138) He appears as a
shaheed on all three Hamas posters.

4.Side by side with showing admiration and support for Chechen terrorism,
Hamas also identifies
with international terrorism. For example :

a.Osama bin Laden 's picture appears on one of the posters along with that
of Ahmad Yassin and Chechen terrorists .
b.Regions in which "holy wars" are being fought by holy warriors [
mujahadeen ] are mentioned : Chechnya, Afghanistan, the Balkans, Kashmir,
Lebanon, and, of course, Palestine.
c.There is a quotation from Muslim tradition about the international
brotherhood and Islamic revival of Muslims living as an oppressed minority
under "infidel" regimes.

5.Using such materials, Hamas presents itself to its supporters in the
PA-administered territories, especially the younger generation of
Palestinians, as supporting Chechen terrorism. It also presents itself as
part of the violent international Islamic insurrection in regions where
friction exists between Islam and the "infidels," and bases its actions on
ideology which comes directly from Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda.

6.The Appendices which follow deal with the material found on Hamas CDs
distributed in the in the PA-administered territories.

Appendix A
www.intelligence.org.il/eng/sib/9_04/chechnya.htm for documents

1.A Hamas posted entitled Chechnya, Afghanistan, the Balkans, Kashmir,
Palestine, Lebanon . It was taken from a CD distributed by Hamas , in our
assessment to institutions in the PA-administered territories, especially
educational institutions.
2.The CD was found in two separate locations : at a Palestinian Heritage
Week exhibition at Hebron University 1 on February 28, 2004; and in a
computer at the orphan asylum supported by the Hebron Islamic Charitable
Society , which is identified with Hamas , on August 12, 2004.

1 Among propaganda and indoctrination material captured by Israeli army
forces on March 4, 2004.

3.The pictures appearing from left to right are: Khattab, Ahmad Yassin,
Khattab again, Osama bin Laden and Shamil Basayev, one of the Chechen rebel
leaders , who was recently (September 2004) mentioned in media reports as
being one of the planners of the slaughter at the school in Beslan, Ossetia.

4.Beneath the pictures appears a traditional saying ( hadith ) of the
prophet Muhammad, according to which :
"Islam was born in a region alien [i.e., hostile] to it [that is, a region
which did not know Islam beforehand, and in this context, the Arabian
peninsula before the rise of Islam]; it will continue to exist in a region
alien to it, as it did in the beginning [in this context, it will continue
to exist in those regions of the world where Muslims are a minority living
in a hostile environment ]; therefore, blessed be the aliens [i.e., Muslims
living as a minority in regions alien to them, among whom Islam will
continue to exist]." The saying is attributed to Abu Suhaib , one of the
"sahabah" [companions] of Muhammad.

5.The message refers to the "oppressed minority of Muslims" living in the
countries mentioned on the poster. Its militancy is expressed in the
accompanying pictures - Sheikh Ahmad Yassin and Osama bin Laden in the
company of Chechen leaders. To the left and right are M-16s with sniper
scopes. It is an explicit message of violence, in which Hamas goes beyond
its Islamic-Palestinian identity and encourages international Islamic
terrorism .

Appendix B
www.intelligence.org.il/eng/sib/9_04/chechnya.htm for documents

1.A Hamas poster found (August 12, 2004) in a computer in the offices of
the Hebron orphan asylum operated by Hebron's Islamic Charitable Society .
The Society belongs to Hamas and has been outlawed by Israel (as of February
2002).

2.To the left is a map of Israel marked "Palestine." The inscription in the
center reads, " Hamas , we do not believe in words." At the right is a
picture of Salah Shahadeh, who was the commander of the terrorist-operative
wing of Hamas in the Gaza Strip until he was killed in a targeted Israeli
attack . At the bottom of the poster are maps of Chechnya and Afghanistan .

Appendix C
www.intelligence.org.il/eng/sib/9_04/chechnya.htm for documents

1.A poster taken from a propaganda CD distributed at the American
University in Jenin by the Hamas student movement (November 2003). The
inscription reads: "The leader of the mujahadeen [fighters in the holy war]
in Chechnya - a shaheed [martyr for the sake of Allah] of Islam. The large
letters read "The shaheed , commander Khattab ."

"Khattab" was the nom de guerre of one of the leaders of Chechen terrorism,
a "graduate of Afghanistan." He was born either in Jordan or Saudi Arabia
and killed by the Russians. The following information comes from the SOBAKA
Internet site:

Appendix D
www.intelligence.org.il/eng/sib/9_04/chechnya.htm for documents

1.Poster taken from a CD distributed at the American University in Jenin
(November 2003) by the Hamas student movement.
2.Khattab appears at both the center and left, with the following
inscription: "Oh great hero and soldier, vanished from the soil of the jihad
, whose eyes enclose a dream of tears; Allah released you [from a life] in
an age in which everything is inverted and people have lost their minds; the
spirit has carried you beyond the horizon, transcending every new-arising
idea; you have left all the vain pleasures of this world and its interests
because the faith imbuing your heart is your dwelling; I loved you as a
brother in faith, stern [with enemies] in battle, but mild with friends." 3
3 A description of the admirable Muslim warrior found in classic Arabic
poetry, despite the fact that they style here is modern and in rhyme.

Appendix E
www.intelligence.org.il/eng/sib/9_04/chechnya.htm for documents
A CD called "The Russian's Hell" (Part 3)

1.The CD was found at the Palestinian Heritage Week exhibition at Hebron
University 4 -- a Hamas stronghold -- on February 28, 2004.
4 Among propaganda and indoctrination material captured by Israeli army
forces on March 4, 2004.
2.It contains, among other things, expressions of contempt for the Russian
soldiers: "Fire is waiting for you in the next world, and the Chechens in
this." There are exhortations in favor of jihad [holy war], whose dead
[reportedly] go directly to paradise; condemnation of the cruelty of the
Russian army against the Muslims of Chechnya; a description of the " jihad
warriors" of commanders nicknamed Abu al-Walid and Abu Ja'ffar being
prepared for guerilla sorties.

Appendix F
www.intelligence.org.il/eng/sib/9_04/chechnya.htm for documents

A fatwah [religious Muslim edict] issued by Muhammad bin 'Abdallah
al-Seif, the mufti of the Chechen fighters, provides (reserved) religious
approval for Chechen terrorist suicide bombing attacks, including those
perpetrated by women. It was posted on the official Hamas Internet site
(www.palestine-info.info) 5 next to others issued by senior Saudi Arabian
and Kuwaiti clerics who also authorized suicide bombing attacks.

5 Posting the fatwah on its main, official Internet site was a service Hamas
provided to the Chechens, giving them a marketing tool which may increase
its dissemination and impact.

Overview
1.The fatwah issued by Sheikh Muhammad bin 'Abdallah al-Seif, the mufti of
the mujahadeen [ jihad warriors] in Chechnya was detailed and explicit.
2.It was written to provide an answer for the quandary of religious leaders
who find it difficult to authorize suicide bombing attacks: whether the
suicide action [ ishtishhad ] is justified or whether it is considered
suicide for personal reasons [ intikhar ], which his forbidden on religious
grounds. The specific case he was dealing with was that of the female
Chechen suicide bomber, Hawaa' Barayev .
3.In his opinion, each act of suicide must be judged on its own merits
according to the circumstances in which it was committed. It is impossible
to decide beforehand if the act was permissible or forbidden. With regard to
the Chechen female suicide bomber, determined the mufti, the suicide bombing
attack was justified because it was part of the Chechen war against the
Russians. He also mentioned the Palestinian suicide bombing attacks against
Israel and claimed that they were responsible for the Palestinians'
achieving self rule .
4.The mufti mentioned two categories for legitimate suicide bombings: an
attack perpetrated using explosives (when a terrorist detonates himself or
in a car bomb) and shooting by a mujahad [ jihad warrior] (chiefly at
soldiers) until he himself is killed. While both are legitimate, the
circumstances determine if they were justified or not.
5.The mufti is obviously an expert in the relevant Islamic sources, the
fighting in Chechnya and the Palestinian insurrection against Israel.
Therefore, in our assessment the fatwah was instrumental in fomenting
Chechen terrorist suicide bombing attacks during the past few years . In
addition, some of the sources used by the mufti appear in notes written by
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the al-Qaeda representative in Iraq, when he explained
his strategy for perpetrating suicide bombing attacks there.

Sheikh Muhammad bin 'Abdallah al-Seif's fatwah - select pages taken from the
Hamas Internet site
Introduction: General information about the fatwah's authors

Original document
www.intelligence.org.il/eng/sib/9_04/chechnya.htm for documents

The first two pages of al-Seif's fatwah 6

6 Pages 22-23. The entire fatwah ranges from page 22 to page 68.