The terrorist's brother is ready to become a peacemaker

On the eleventh anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Mohamed al-Zawahiri, brother of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, proposed mediation and a plan for a peace settlement between the West and the Islamic world in an interview with the American CNN channel . If the parties consistently implement all points, al-Zawahiri is confident that peace can be achieved within 10 years. Osama bin Laden came up with a similar initiative in 2004. Then the plan, which provided for the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan and the release of all Islamic prisoners in American prisons, was not adopted. The refusal was responded to by a series of bombings on the London Underground in 2005.

“I speak as a mediator on the part of the Islamic movement. I am not a representative of any particular groups,” said Mohamed al-Zawahiri. “I believe that we can achieve reconciliation based on Sharia law.”

According to al-Zawahiri's plan, NATO must withdraw troops from all Islamic countries, stop supporting dictatorships, release all Islamists from prison, stop interfering in the Islamic education system, and not interfere with the introduction of Sharia law. In turn, the Islamic movement must release all prisoners of war, stop terrorist attacks, abandon provocations and defend the “legitimate interests of the West in Islamic states.”

However, the prospects for reconciliation seem quite illusory. On the one hand, if the NATO countries agree with al-Zawahiri’s plan, one of the first to be released from an American prison should be Sheikh Abdel Rahman of Oman, who is serving a life sentence as one of the organizers of the September 11 attack. On the other hand, the role of Mohamed al-Zawahiri is also questioned. In an interview, he admits that he has not communicated with his brother for more than 10 years, but is confident that if “the American intelligence services allow him, he will be able to come into contact with him”: “There are no differences between my thinking and my brother’s thinking. The difference is that my brother has a reputation as a bloodthirsty barbarian terrorist. This is not so. We believe that our religion imposes obligations on us to Allah, which we must follow." According to al-Zawahiri, “the entire Islamic movement lives by Sharia law, according to which, if reconciliation brings better results than struggle, then it is the sacred duty of Muslims to strive for reconciliation.”

When asked by a CNN journalist whether there would be a terrorist attack on Western countries if the peace plan was abandoned, al-Zawahiri answered evasively: “You must act consistently: if you want to live in peace, others must also feel that they are living in peace.” .