CAIRO Ñ Egypt has published two books by the organization that assassinated Anwar Sadat which seek to discredit Al Qaida and its philosophy of holy war.
The reformed Gamiat Islamiya group released two books that condemn violence in
the name of Islam and dismiss the teachings of Al Qaida leader Osama Bin
Laden. Much of the contents address the legitimacy of the Sept. 11, 2001 Al
Qaida suicide strikes on New York and Washington.
The books were distributed throughout Egypt as authorities have released
more than 1,000 members of Gamiat, including three of its leaders.
The
Egyptian government is also expected to release most of the remaining 2,000
Gamiat detainees as the group has renounced violence, Middle East Newsline reported.
"Because they have the experience and because they used to carry out
the violence they will certainly have more credibility when they speak
against violence," Montasser Al Zayat, an attorney who represents most of
those accused of Islamic insurgency, said.
The Gamiat played a major role in the 1981 assassination of President
Anwar Sadat and carried out the 1997 Luxor attack that killed nearly 70
people. In the wake of the outrage of the Luxor attack, the Gamiat declared
a unilateral ceasefire and slowly the government groomed a leadership
prepared to reform the organization.
One of the Gamiat books, "The Riyad Bombings," focuses on the May 12 Al
Qaida suicide attacks against Western compounds in the Saudi capital. Gamiat
asserted that Islam obliges its followers to protect foreign guests and said
jihad can only be declared by the state.
The second, "River of Memories," contains a dialogue between Gamiat
leaders and the rank and file. The dialogue recounts the meetings between
reformist Gamiat leaders and other prison detainees in 2001 and 2002.
Egyptian authorities allowed several Gamiat leaders to tour prisons to
persuade Islamic insurgents to renounce violence.
The second book quotes Gamiat leaders as condemning the Al Qaida attack
on the United States in 2001 as un-Islamic. The book brings a litany of
examples from the Koran and the Hadith that denounce violence against women,
the elderly and foreigners.
In all, Gamiat released six books against Islamic violence. Four
previous books were released in 2002 and dealt with theology.
