Monday, July 8, 2013

Whole Lot of "Twisting" Goin' On?

This headline asserts that an al-Shabaab bigwig "twists" Islamic texts. But how is it "twisting" if one employs direct quotes--and if one's opponents do so, too?:
"If anyone comes while you follow a ruler, and tries to split your unity and disperse you, kill him," a hadith quotes Prophet Mohammed as saying, according to Sahih Muslim. 
Top al-Shabaab commander Ahmed Abdi Godane used these same words to threaten a growing number of dissenters within the militant group through a statement issued June 17th. It came two days before militants loyal to Godane engaged in a bloody clash in Barawe with members of an al-Shabaab faction opposed to his rule. Dissenters have voiced opposition to what they described as his increasingly tyrannical behaviour. 
Produced by the militant group's al-Kataib media arm and announced via Twitter, the 17-page statement titled "This is a Notification for the People" is clear evidence of the mounting internal pressure on Godane. The statement details the dissenters' apparent transgressions, and attempts to use a long list of hadiths and Qur'anic verses to shore up obedience within the al-Shabaab rank-and-file and justify Godane's continuing manhunt...
Hear the rank-and-file sing:

Come on Godane, let's do the twist.
Come on Godane, let's do the twist.
Just quote some Mo, and don't desist...

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