ABSTRACT
Jihadist internet discussion forums occasionally sponsor question-and-answer sessions between their members and prominent Jihadist clerics.1 In one such session, the Saudi shaikh, Ali bin Khudair al-Khudair, a senior student of the heralded Saudi Jihadist ideologue Hamoud bin Uqla as-Shuaybi, took questions from interested forum members.2 At one point a member asked Khudair: “What do you see in those Shuyukh [distinguished Muslim clerics]: Abdul-Munim Mustafa Halimah, whose kunya [honorific name] is Abu Basir [al-Tartusi], Isam Muhammed al-Barqaawi, commonly known as Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, and Umar bin Mahmud, whose kunya is Abu Qatada al-Filistini?” To clarify, the forum questioner queried Khudair about his thoughts on three well-known Jihadist clerics: Abu Basir al-Tartusi, Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, and Abu Qatada. These “What should I think of Shaikh X?” type of questions appear almost daily on the Jihadist web forums. Jihobbyists, or those enthusiasts of the Jihadist ideology who are not connected to an official al-Qaida element, tend to be obsessed with practicing Islam to the letter. Reading and following the right teachings and teachers are key parts of getting Islam right in their minds. Rarely do Jihobbyists have the chance to ask such questions to a scholar of Khudair’s caliber.
