Video message by Ayman al-Zawahiri seen as opportunistic by protesters calling for greater freedom and not Islamic rule
Nour Ali in Damascus and Matthew Weaver
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 28 July 2011
"Syrian activists have rejected a message from the new al-Qaida leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, praising their efforts to topple Bashar al-Assad as an Islamic battle against US and Israeli interests.
"I don't think a single Syrian would welcome this statement," said Razan Zeitouneh, a lawyer and rights activist in Damascus who has been monitoring the uprising. "Al-Qaida is trying to use our revolution to get back into the light after the peaceful Arab uprisings took attention away."
In a video message posted on extremist websites Zawahiri, who became al-Qaida leader in June following the death of Osama bin Laden, denounced Assad as "the leader of the criminal gang" and "biggest of those who spread corruption" – largely in tune with protesters' views.
But by calling the protesters "the front for jihad and martyrdom" he also sought to cast the uprising as sharing al-Qaida's aims – a far cry from protesters who have called for greater freedom, rather than the Islamist rule al-Qaida advocates...."
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