Voices of Jihad - RAND Corporation

Note on Sources
This book consists largely of quotations from jihadi leaders and writers drawn from
their books, manuals, fatwas, communiqués, interviews, web postings, and articles,
as well as excerpts from the Qur’an, Hadith, 1 and earlier Islamic writers and scholars.
The amount of primary material related to jihad is vast. In addition to the Qur’an and
the Hadith quoted by jihadis, the Internet has exponentially increased the amount
of available jihadi material. By one count, the number of terrorist-related web sites
grew from 12 in 1997 to 4,500 by 2005 (Weimann, 2005). The subject of al-Qaeda in
itself has generated hundreds of thousands of Internet postings.
Translated material is taken from a variety of sources, ranging from translations
by the authors or publishers to the Open Source Center (OSC) (formerly the Foreign
Broadcast Information Service (FBIS)) and the BBC, to private organizations such as
the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) and SITE. 2 Several excerpts have
been translated by RAND and are so noted.
Some of these sources are controversial and have been criticized for being biased.
We have not attempted to present a balanced collection of Muslim views in this book.
Because the book comprises original jihadi writings, the issue of balance is not germane,
except as it pertains to conflicting jihadi views. These are fully reflected in this
work. Moreover, the sheer volume and repetitiveness of jihadi statements help to
ensure consistency and minimize misconstrual. Thus, while the translations may differ
in quality and may even reflect particular agendas, they are more than adequate to
capture the intent of the jihadi authors.
It should also be noted that, for brevity, we have included little jihadi poetry
and few Qur’anic statements. This has the unfortunate effect of failing to convey the
sense of fervor and even rapture contained in these excerpts or the extent to which
jihadis seek to tap into the religious and emotional roots of Islamic culture.
Many Internet citations can be located only with difficulty or not at all. The
web sites come and go, closed down by various authorities or abandoned by their
1 Collections of reports on the sayings, decisions, and life of the Prophet.
2 Previously a nonprofit service monitoring terrorist Web sites, SITE has become a for-pofit organization called
SITE Intelligence Group.
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