Abu Anas al-Shami
Encyclopedia
Abu Anas al-Shami was known as Omar Yusef Juma'a prior to joining Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
's Jama'at al-Tawhid wal Jihad group in Iraq
.
Abu Anas Al Shami was a Palestinian
cleric, teacher, writer, and jihadist born in Kuwait
. Originally from the Palestinian West Bank
town of Yabroud, Abu Anas obtained an Islamic studies
degree at Madinah University in Saudi Arabia
.
During the 1980s, he went to Afghanistan
to fight against the Soviet Union
. There he met the Islamic scholar Abdullah Azzam and Osama bin Laden
. In the mid-1990s he went to Bosnia-Herzegovina
to teach Islam in towns and refugee camps. He then returned to Jordan
and became a preacher in the neighborhood of Sweileh. In the late 1990s, the Jordanian officials shut down an Islamic center that al-Shami had established in Amman
on the grounds that it was promoting a fanatical interpretation of Islam.
In 2003, al-Shami joined Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in north-eastern Iraq. He was appointed to the advisory council of al-Tawheed wal-Jihad and soon became Zarqawi's second in command. He was both spiritual advisor to the group and directed many of its attacks and battles against American
and Iraqi forces. In a letter he wrote about the first siege of Fallujah
, Sheikh Yusef describes how his 300 mujhideen fought-off over 2,000 U.S. Marines
.
Abu Anas al-Shami was killed by an American missile strike against his car in September 2004 (the exact date is disputed) near Abu Ghraib
, when he had been sent by Zarqawi to the Sadr City
area of Baghdad
. A eulogy to him was written by Zarqawi's first spiritual mentor, Abu Muhammad Asem al-Maqdisi
, and appeared on the Tawhed website which is run by Maqdisi's organisation on behalf of al-Qaeda.
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi ; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal al-Khalayleh was a Jordanian militant Islamist who ran a paramilitary training camp in Afghanistan...
's Jama'at al-Tawhid wal Jihad group in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
Abu Anas Al Shami was a Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
cleric, teacher, writer, and jihadist born in Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
. Originally from the Palestinian West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
town of Yabroud, Abu Anas obtained an Islamic studies
Islamic studies
In a Muslim context, Islamic studies can be an umbrella term for all virtually all of academia, both originally researched and as defined by the Islamization of knowledge...
degree at Madinah University in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
.
During the 1980s, he went to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
to fight against the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. There he met the Islamic scholar Abdullah Azzam and Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
. In the mid-1990s he went to Bosnia-Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
to teach Islam in towns and refugee camps. He then returned to Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
and became a preacher in the neighborhood of Sweileh. In the late 1990s, the Jordanian officials shut down an Islamic center that al-Shami had established in Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
on the grounds that it was promoting a fanatical interpretation of Islam.
In 2003, al-Shami joined Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in north-eastern Iraq. He was appointed to the advisory council of al-Tawheed wal-Jihad and soon became Zarqawi's second in command. He was both spiritual advisor to the group and directed many of its attacks and battles against American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Iraqi forces. In a letter he wrote about the first siege of Fallujah
Fallujah
Fallujah is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jewish academies for many centuries....
, Sheikh Yusef describes how his 300 mujhideen fought-off over 2,000 U.S. Marines
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
.
Abu Anas al-Shami was killed by an American missile strike against his car in September 2004 (the exact date is disputed) near Abu Ghraib
Abu Ghraib
The city of Abu Ghraib in the Baghdad Governorate of Iraq is located just west of Baghdad's city center, or northwest of Baghdad International Airport. It has a population of 189,000. The old road to Jordan passes through Abu Ghraib...
, when he had been sent by Zarqawi to the Sadr City
Sadr City
Sadr City is a suburb district of the city of Baghdad, Iraq. It was built in 1959 by Prime Minister Abdul Karim Qassim and later unofficially renamed Sadr City after deceased Shia leader Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr....
area of Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
. A eulogy to him was written by Zarqawi's first spiritual mentor, Abu Muhammad Asem al-Maqdisi
Abu Muhammad Asem al-Maqdisi
Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi or more fully Abu Muhammad Asem al-Maqdisi is the assumed name of Isam Mohammad Tahir al-BarqawiAbu Muhammad al-Maqdisi or more fully Abu Muhammad Asem al-Maqdisi (أبو محمد عصام المقدسي) is the assumed name of Isam Mohammad Tahir al-BarqawiAbu Muhammad al-Maqdisi or more...
, and appeared on the Tawhed website which is run by Maqdisi's organisation on behalf of al-Qaeda.