ERBIL, Kurdistan Region--A man identified in an online video as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the jihadist group that has proclaimed an Islamic state spanning the border of Syria and Iraq, has called on the world’s Muslims to rally to his cause.
In a Friday sermon said to have been preached in Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city captured last month by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the self-proclaimed Caliph declared: “I am your leader who presides over you.”
The bearded and turbaned figure then appeals to Muslims: “If you see that I am right, assist me. God gave us victory after years of Jihad and patience”.
Although there was no means of confirming the identity of the speaker, the 21-minute video appeared aimed in part at countering claims that al-Baghdadi, who has a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head, had been wounded in recent fighting.
The video was also clearly intended to appeal to Muslims beyond the region. The immediate response, however, included denunciations from religious scholars and online mockery from ordinary Muslims.
A Kurdish twitter user, Serko Sivarmeni, asked: “Will the real Caliph please stand up?” Hadi al-Bayati, a pharmacist, tweeted: “My leader, what a clown”.
Others joked about al-Baghdadi not having a Twitter account, suggesting that, if he did, it should be called @TheBigDadddy
Among theologians who have rejected al-Baghdadi’s grandiose claims to have revived the Caliphate were Sunni scholars and leaders of the Muslim brotherhood.
Yusuf al-Qaradawi, chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, said: “The Islamic Caliphate declared by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is null and void.” He added: “This move by the ISIS will harm the Sunnis in Iraq and the Syrian revolution, and choosing Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as the Caliph is baseless according to the Islamic Sharia.”
In the video of the purported Mosul sermon, the man identified as al-Baghdadi declares:
“Syria is not for Syrians and Iraq is not for Iraqis. The land is for the Muslims, all Muslims.” It was a doctrine that, if held to, would allow Muslims to “conquer Rome and own the world, if God wills.”
“I do not promise you what the kings and rulers promise their subjects and followers — luxury and security and leisure but I promise what God promises those who believe in him,” the speaker declared.
“If you want security, respect God. If you want a livelihood, respect God. And if you want an honourable life, fight jihad in the name of God.”
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