Abu Muhammad al-Tahawi: The Leader of Jordan’s Jihadi Protestors

Abu Muhammad al-Tahawi: The Leader of Jordan’s Jihadi Protestors

The role of jihadis in the Jordanian city of Irbid, the country’s third largest, has increased exponentially since their emergence in post-2003 Iraq. Owing to its proximity to the Jordanian-Syrian border, Irbid emerged as a transit point for Salafi-Jihadis heading to Iraq or Lebanon between 2004–2007.

One of the most notable Jordanian court cases at the time was that of the “group of al-Tahawi,” which refers to Abdul Qader Shahadeh al-Tahawi (a.k.a. Abu Muhammad al-Tahawi) who was the group’s leader and chief inspirer.

Al-Tahawi, who would later become known as “the leader of the Salafi-Jihadi trend in northern Jordan,” was sentenced in 2005 to three years in Qafqafa prison for his role in a plot that aimed to kill Israeli and American tourists in Irbid, blow up the Irbid office of the Jordanian General Intelligence Department (al-Mukhabarat) and attack a tourist festival in the ancient town of Jerash (AP, January 9, 2005). Another 11 individuals have also been convicted in the same case (al-Ghad, September 12, 2005). When appearing in court, al-Tahawi improvised a poem that praised the success of 9/11 and hailed al-Qaeda leaders such as Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and Abu Mus’ab al-Zarqawi. 

Al-Tahawi lived in Saudi Arabia from 1979 until his repatriation to Jordan in 1990. During his time in Saudi Arabia, he reportedly visited Afghanistan where, according to Jordanian authorities, he trained in the use of weapons. Since returning to Jordan, he held religious lesson groups there and fostered a support network.

After the state execution of two jihadis led to riots at Qafqafa prison in April 2006, al-Tahawi spoke to al-Jazeera on behalf of the rioting prisoners via a smuggled mobile phone. The fact that he was their spokesman indicates that he enjoyed a high status among them. One of the men executed was Khaled al-Bishtawi, a fellow jihadi who was imprisoned because of his involvement in the “group of al-Tahawi” [1]. Al-Tahawi continued to broadcast his rhetoric years later.

In a video broadcast on al-Arabiya in 2009, al-Tahawi appeared at his son’s wedding party calling for the restoration of an Islamic caliphate through jihad. In January 2010, Jordan’s State Security Court sentenced al-Tahawi, 56, along with another prominent jihadi, Imad Obeidat, to 18 months in prison for “fanning sectarian and racial strife” (Jordan Times, January 5, 2010). 

By the time al-Tahawi was jailed for the second time, he already supported the well-known jihadi thinker, Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi. Thus, when young jihadis who presented themselves as inheritors of al-Zarqawi’s legacy in Jordan openly rejected al-Maqdisi’s methods, it was also a repudiation of al-Tahawi to a degree, as he and al-Maqdisi are ideological allies. The neo-Zarqawists challenged al-Maqdisi, accusing him of taking a soft approach to jihad, and accused him of “revising” his jihadi ideology (see Terrorism Monitor, November 19, 2008).

The 2011 uprisings sweeping the Middle East and North Africa pose a genuine challenge to jihadis. In toppling two of the ossified, secularist autocrats of the Arab world and genuinely threatening four others, these Internet- and tech-savvy Arab youth movements have succeeded in doing peacefully what jihadis failed to do over the course of several decades with violence. The revolts, led in part by rising food prices and dire employment prospects rather than obscurantist theocratic musings, have vexed hardline jihadis who would wish these revolutions to be based on religious motivation as opposed to their more mundane economic and social roots. 

Inspired by the popular revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, Jordan’s jihadi leaders who sided with al-Maqdisi as opposed to the neo-Zarqwists, brought jihadis into the streets of Jordan in a bid to stay relevant. The jihadi faction of the protestors, some led by al-Tahawi, demanded the release of their jailed brethren and the implementation of Shari’a law in Jordan. 

Some neo-Zarqawists took part in demonstrations that jihadis organized in several Jordanian cities as well. A recent protest ended bloodily in Zarqa, causing injuries to more than 80 policemen (see Terrorism Monitor, May 5). This incident landed al-Tahawi in prison again for his involvement (Ammannet.net, April 17).

Unlike the more erudite al-Maqdisi, al-Tahawi has no record of sophisticated theorizing for jihadist movements nor has he a list of publications. Despite this, he seems to have some degree of influence on young jihadis in the Kingdom through his lessons and speeches. His influence increased markedly since he helped orchestrate the jihadi-oriented demonstrations. In mid-April, the well-known online jihadi forum Ansar al-Islam released a recorded tape of al-Tahawi, produced by al-Ma’sada Media Productions, discussing the “legitimacy” and “feasibility” of demonstrations and protests. [2] 

In an interview with Jordanian daily al-Sabeel, Al-Tahawi said that peaceful protest is a means to an end and the question for jihadis is “whether it is legitimate or not” and explained that “it is [legitimate] as long as there is no forbidding for it in [the Quran or Hadith]” (al-Sabeel, April 24). [3] Yet, al-Tahawi has not abandoned violent jihad as he stressed in another interview: “all options are still open for jihadis until the governments meet their demands” (Albosala.com, April 17).

Obviously jihadis in Jordan are at a crossroads. Swinging between violent and peaceful methods of political change, this new path being treaded by al-Tahawi could become a way to defuse violent trends among jihadis. This does not necessarily mean that those adhering to this currently more quiescent trend do not believe in violent jihad, but they are less radicalized in the wake of the Arab revolts, which have greatly influenced them. Hence, if the former trend is properly engaged in the political debate in countries like Jordan, it could turn outspoken individuals like al-Tahawi into models to follow in order to reduce incidents of violence. The alarming alternative would be the neo-Zarqawists becoming the accepted norm of dissidence for politically frustrated jihadis if relatively peaceful (even if Islamist in nature) protests are quashed.  

Notes

1. To view the clip, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BtczVdcVso.
2. To view al-Tahawi’s comments on Jordan’s demonstrations, see https://www.as-ansar.com/vb/showthread.php?t=36355.
3. Though the interview was published on April 24 it was conducted previously.