New Palestinian Jihadi Media Group

Jama'at al-Tawhid wa'l Jihad fi Bayt al-Maqdis, a Gazan Palestinian organization based on al-Qaida's global jihad, has taken created its own media organization. The Jama'at has set itself up as an alternative to nationalist organizations like Hamas, and is using the new "Organization of al-Jihad for Media Production" to further al-Qaida's goal of war with Israel.

"In this period of time where the hostility of the people of disbelief has intensified to the Muslims, they took up their flags and focused on the destruction of this religion and the division of its people. They broadcast corrupt and false approaches like secularism, democracy, and [Arab] nationalism, inciting on the guardians of Allah, the mujahideen," explained the group in an Arabic statement on the formation of its media wing. "In the shade of this fierce offensive on the people of the Sunnah w'al Jama'ah, it is our obligation to establish the Organization of al-Jihad for Media Production."

The group claims four goals with the new project: Broadcasting its view that Allah's religion should dominate; planting the idea of al-Wala' wal-Bara' - the love of Muslims and hate of disbelievers; informing about the actions of the mujahideen, encouraging others to fight for terror on the 'enemies of Allah'; and, publishing the biographies of those who give up their lives.

These goals are consistent with its past actions, according to information published by the blog "Views from the Occident." Last August, the Jama'at issued statements condemning the nationalist group Hamas; called for the murder a Shia cleric in September; released a tape in November about freeing Palestinian prisoners; and published the first part of a book outlining their ideology of Jihadi Da'wa, calling people to al-Qaida's transnational war on the Jews and the Americans.

Groups based on al-Qaida's transnational jihad have been making slow and uneven gains on traditional terrorist groups like Hamas and the Palestinian Jihad, according to "Views from the Occident." Membership remains fluid and al-Qaida-style organizations are a small part of Palestinian terror. Hamas also crushed Jund Ansar Allah, a group that took up weapons against Hamas last August.

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