U.K. Jihadist Anjem Choudary Clears Up Some Misconceptions Re the Foley Beheading

Thanks for the, er, clarity, Anjem:

British cleric Anjem Choudary told the Clarion Project that reports linking him to Abdel Majed Abdel Bary, the British rapper identified as the Islamic State terrorist who beheaded American journalist James Foley, are false. However, he did endorse the atrocity and the caliphate declared by IS. 

Choudary denied ever meeting Bary or his father, an Al-Qaeda member involved in the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Africa who was extradited to the U.S. in 2012 from Britain. Choudary said his group did protest the elder Bary’s prolonged detention in the United Kingdom since 1998. 

He also rejected press reports that his organization radicalized Bary. Choudary said no one in his group ever mentioned meeting Bary and that he’s confident someone would have discussed it if they had. 

Choudary told the Clarion Project that the beheading of Foley by the Islamic State is permissible under sharia

 

“Muslims who abide by the sharia and follow the jurisprudence do not make a distinction between civilians and army,” he said. 

“This fellow was not just a civilian of America. He was a journalist,” he stated.  

Choudary said journalists are responsible for attacking Muslims, including the Islamic State, in the media. 

Choudary justified the beheading and attacks on civilians by pointing to the “Battle of the Trench” in Islamic history. He said that Mohammed, the prophet of Islam, targeted an entire Jewish tribe due to the actions of a few leaders. All 700 mature men of the tribe were executed. 

The specific act of kidnapping and execution was also justified by Choudary. He said that sharia permits only three options for handling hostages: ransom, exchange or death.
Choudary also expressed support for the Islamic State’s declaration of a caliphate.  

“There is no doubt in my mind that the criteria for the khalifah [caliphate] have been met,” he said...