The leader of Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, the Sunni insurgent group rampaging across Iraq, called on Muslims on Tuesday to join his fight. “Rush O Muslims to your state. Yes, it is your state,” Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi said. He said that terrorism is a way for Muslims to live honorably and “insist upon your rights.” He also said the world is split between Islam and the forces of “disbelief and hypocrisy,” including the United States, Russia and Jews.
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The statement, described as a Ramadan message, was released by a jihadist website and translated by a media arm of ISIS, which announced over the weekend that it would shorten its name. “The Muslims today have a loud, thundering statement, and possess heavy boots,” the statement said. “They have a statement that will cause the world to hear and understand the meaning of terrorism, and boots that will trample the idol of nationalism, destroy the idol of democracy and uncover its deviant nature.”
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