Abdullah al-Muhaysini

Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Sulayman al-Muhaysini
عبدالله بن محمد بن سليمان المحيسني
Religion Islam
Alma mater Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University
Personal
Born Buraidah, Al-Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia
Religious career
Post Qadi (Judge) of the Army of Conquest, Sheikh of Tahrir al-Sham

Abdullah al-Muhaysini عبد الله المحيسني is a Saudi Arabian Islamic cleric who is known for having served as a religious judge in the Army of Conquest in the Syrian Civil War.

He was born in the city of Buraidah, al-Qasim, to a known religious family. Attending elementary school here, he continued secondary school and college in Mecca, where he also graduated from the University of Umm al-Qura in the field of Islamic Jurisprudence. Later he studied Comparative Jurisprudence in the Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, writing a master treatise on the rule of war refugees according to Islam.

Muhaysini is married and has children.

His father Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Mohaisany is a known Quran reciter and has served as the imam and preacher of a local mosque in Mecca. He has at least once been arrested by government authorities for his public prayers.

Abdullah al-Muhaysini arrived in Syria in 2013 after his uncle Omar Al-Muhaysini had previously died there fighting the Syrian Arab Army.[1] In an interview with IZRS he stated that his intention when departing towards Syria had been to resolve the internal conflicts between Syrian Opposition factions.

Contributions to the Syrian civil war

Since his arrival in Syria, Muhaysini actively served as a preacher and judge, delivering sermons in local mosques, issuing religious verdicts and counseling Islamic groups. In addition he has appeared on the front lines for a couple of time, inciting Syrian Opposition fighters and raising their morale. After the conquest of Idlib in 2015, he served as the official judge of the Army of Conquest for Idlib city. Working independently Muhaysini has good ties to a great range of Islamic factions in Syria, which enables him to intervene in conflicts and settle on resolutions.

Muhaysini publicly fundraised for the 2016 offensive to break the Regime siege on Aleppo from donors in Qatar and other Persian Gulf states.[2] In 2016, Muhaysini thanked donors for providing rockets to fighters in Syria.[3]

In late 2013, Muhaysini posted his support for the then-active Madid Ahl al-Sham campaign on Twitter while identifying one of the fundraiser's organizers, Sa'd bin Sa'd Muhammad Shariyan Al Ka'bi, and its location in Qatar.[3][4] Madid Ahl al-Sham was a Qatar-based fundraising campaign identified by Muhaysini and others for its financial assistance for Jabhat al-Nusra.[5][4][6] The U.S. Department of State identified Madid Ahl al-Sham as a "fundraising campaign that was suspected of sending funds to violent extremist elements in Syria."[7] [viii]

The military "Cubs of al-Aqsa" training camp for Syrian children was founded by Muhaysini.[8] Muhaysini claimed support from Turkey[9][10] and Turkish newspaper Yeni Şafak praised Muhaysini sayıng he was battling "terrorists".[11]

The substition of the Turkish currency for the Syrian currency was called for by Muhaysini.[12]

Muhaysini interceded in west Idlib during an FSA Nusra conflict to mediate.[13]

In early 2014 Muhaysini again served as a mediator, this time between ISIS and its rival jihadist groups, Al Nusra and Ahrar al Sham.[14] Reports claim that Muhaysini hoped to achieve a merger between ISIS and the rebel groups, both of which are thought to have received funding from the Qatari government or covert terrorist supporters in Qatar, such as those behind Madid Ahl al-Sham.[15][16][17][3][18]

Public image

The start of the battle to break the Siege of Aleppo was announced by Muhaysini.[19] The Saudi newspaper Okaz called Muhaysini a takfiri and a terrorist and accused him of trying to "Afghanize" Syria after he launched a mass recruitment campaign for jihad in Syria.[20] Muhaysini released a video of himself congratulating a Saudi boy from Buraidah he was going to send off to be a suicide bomber, telling his mother that he would go to paradise and be rewarded with virgins.[21][22] The Saudi newspaper Okaz denounced Muhaysini for sending off the Saudi boy as a suicide bomber in Aleppo after promising him virgins in the afterlife.[23] Muhaysini responded against Okaz over the Takfiri label.[24]

Tawhid wal Jihad's leader Abu Saloh met with Abdullah Muhaysini.[25] Abu Saloh translated a speech by Muhaysini into Uzbek.[26]

After the Russian military intervention in Syria Al-Muhaysini threatened that Syria would be a "tomb for its invaders" or "graveyard for invaders" in response to the Russian intervention and brought up the Soviet–Afghan War.[27][28][29] Muhaysini arranged for foreign fighters of multiple backgrounds to repeat the phrase "The Levant is the graveyard of the Russians", in a video message, among them was a fighter claiming to be from "East Turkestan".[30] It was pledged that the Levant would be a "cemetery of invaders" like the "Afghan quagmire" for the Russians according to Muhaysini.[31] It was declared that in Syria, women's participation in some theaters and jihad in general was obligatory by Muhaysini after the Russian intervention.[32]

Abdullah Al-Muhaysini praised the Turkistan Islamic Party fighters in their attacks against the "Nusayris" of Assad's army (Alawites).[33]

The Islamist Turkish publisher "Beyaz Minare Kitap" (White Minaret Book) published a Turkish language book titled "Türkistan'dan Şehadete Hicret Hikayeleri 1" containing the biographies of Turkistan Islamic Party fighters along with praise of TIP fighters by Abdullah al-Muhaysini.[34][35]

The Turkistan Islamic Party released a video titled "A Message to the Turkestanis" (رسالة الى التركستانيين) featuring Abdullah Al-Muhaysini, an Al-Qaeda cleric of Saudi origin.[36][37] Muhaysini urged the "Turkistani Musims" to raise their children to love death like "infidels" love life.[38] "Turkistani" is used as an alternate ethonym for "Uyghur" by some Uyghurs.[39]

The Turkistan Islamic Party released a new video titled "Importance of Martyrdom Operations in Our Current Time" (أهمية العمليات الإستشهادية في زمننا الحاضر) (زامانىمىزدىكى پىدائىيلىق ئەمەلىيىتىنىڭ ئەھمىيىتى) by Abdullah al-Muhaysini.[40]

Doğu Türkistan Bülteni Haber Ajansı reported that the Turkistan Islamic Party was praised by Abu Qatada along with Abdul Razzaq al Mahdi, Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, Muhaysini and Zawahiri.[41]

Muheisini endorses scholars of the pro-jihad movement like Al-Balawi, Eyad Quneibi, Tareq Abdulhalim, Hani al-Siba'i, Yusuf al-Ahmed, Abdulaziz al-Tureifi, Suleiman al-Ulwan, Abu Qatada al-Filistini, and Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi.[42] Abdullah al Muhaysini, Hani al Siba'ee, Abu Qatada, and Abdurazak al Mahdi were all featured in a Turkistan Islamic Party video.[43]

The Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria released "Blessed Are the Strangers #6" featuring a speech by Hasan Mahsum, as well as by Army of Conquest leader Abdullah al-Muhaysini and fellow scholar Abdurazak al Mahdi.[44]

Abdul Razzaq al-Mahdi and Abdullah al-Muhaysini asked Muslims with money to aid the cause of the Uyghur Turkistan Islamic Party and praised the Uyghur fighters for their role in the Syrian Civil War fighting against the Syrian government.[45][46]

Muhaysini was many times interviewed and lauded by American journalist Bilal Abdul Kareem, who leads a pro-opposition news agency called "On the Ground News'' (OGN) that reports from Syria.[47][48][49]

Denying rumors of his death or injury, Muhaysini gave a speech.[50][51]

Lebanese singer Fadel Shaker received a message from Muhaysini.[52] Hassan Nasrallah was challenged to a debate by Muhaysini.[53]

The incarceration of Abdulaziz Al Tarifi was decried by Muhaysini who warned against undermining the religious police.[54]

Muhaysini tweeted a positive outlook on Trump's election victory for Sunni Muslims.[55] Muhaysini said in a video that Muslims would benefit from open hostility towards them by Trump.[56]

After attacks on Jabhat Ahl al-Sham by Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham was asked to desist by Muhaysini.[57]

Muhaysini, Abu Taher Al Hamawi, and Abdelrazzak Mehdi worked on the formation of the group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham.[58] They are members of the group and appeared in its founding declaration.[59][60][61] Muhaysini asked members of various factions to urge their leaders to join Tahrir al-Sham.[62] Attendance at a speech by Moheiseni was manipulated by drawing IDP impoverished people with promises of motorbikes and refrigerators through a raffle by HTS.[63]

Muhaysini and the Turkistan Islamic Party negotiated between Tahrir al-Sham and Liwa al-Aqsa.[64]

Controversy

There is a considerable amount of controversy surrounding Muhaysini.

Muhaysini vowed to exterminate Alawite men and wrote that Alawite women could potentially be executed as apostates.[65] Muhaysini demanded the destruction of the Shia village of Al Fu'a if Sunnis in Madaya were not fed, claiming that the starvation would cause the deaths of 40,000 Muslims there.[66] Instructions on treatment of children and women of Alawites were given by Muhaysini on Twitter.[67]

Virgins in the afterlife were promised before the battle of Khan Touman to suicide fighters by Muhaysini.[68] Muhaysini visited Turkistan Islamic Party fighters before the battle and performed dua. Khan Tuman in Aleppo then came under attack by the Uyghur Turkistan Islamic Party.[69][70][71] A picture of Muhaysini with a Turkistan Islamic Party fighter in Khan Touman was released by the Turkistan Islamic Party after the battle.[72][73] They displayed weapons and munitions seized during the battle. Corpses of what the TIP labelled as "Rawafid" (Shia) fighters and pictures of "Iranian" prisoners were released by the TIP.[74][75]

Virgins whose spit would allegedly sweeten oceans in the afterlife were promised by Muhaysini to fighters before preparing for battle in Aleppo.[76] Muhaysini launched 100 Elephant rockets against Aleppo at the beginning of the attempt to break the siege and thanked Persian Gulf businessmen and Turkey for funding the rockets.[77]

On 9 June 2017, he was one of 69 individuals designated by Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain that have financed terrorist organizations and received support from Qatar.[78]

Allegations of ties to al-Qaeda

Muhaysini was slapped with sanctions by the US Treasury.[79] Muhaysini called himself a "national symbol" according to Syrians and expressed his "shock"" at being declared a terrorist by the United States Treasury when he spoke to The New York Times.[80] Muhaysini posted a video replying to the terrorist designation by the USA.[81]

Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi and Abu Qatada were referenced by Muhaysini. Al-Qaeda leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri were lauded by Muhaysini.[82]

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