Middle-East Side Story

Saif al Islam al Gadhafi, the second eldest son of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, just convinced his dad to let several hundred members of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group out of prison in Libya.  Why?  So they can fight their rival jihadists who are members of al Qaeda.  This Libyan Sharks vs. Jets remake is designed to thwart the growing popularity of al Qaeda and at the same time offer a Bronx cheer to Osama bin Laden.  "This was a big event," says Noman Benotman, a former commander in the LIFG.  "Al Qaeda leaders will not be happy about this."

Apparently, for years, ever since the two groups fought side-by-side (with American help) against the Russians in Afghanistan, the two groups have gone their separate ways.  One turned their attention to us infidels in the U. S., while LIFG fought the Gadhafi regime in armed conflict.  The leaders of both groups used to be very close.  As a matter of fact, Al Saadi, the LIFG's religious guide, was a close confidant of both OBL and his second lieutenant Ayman al Zawahiri.  Mullar Omar, the Taliban leader, once viewed Al Saadi, and not OBL, as "the emir of the Arabs."

Counterterrorism experts believe this new development could prove to be an extremely useful tool against al Qaeda.  A 417 -page religious document, "Corrective Studies," issued by LIFG, repudiates al Qaeda's ideology.   In essence a new code for jihad.  It states, "Jihad has ethics and morals because it is for God.  That means it is forbidden to kill women, children, elderly people, priests, messengers, traders and the like.  Betrayal is prohibited, and it is vital to keep promises and treat prisoners of war in a good way.  Standing by those ethics is what distinguishes Muslims' jihad from the war of other nations."  Indeed.  Take that al Qaeda.