DAILY SCOPE: CHICHANI from Pastries to Throne

Local Editor

NEWSPAPERS HEADLINES:

AL-AKHBAR:

Muslim Scholars Committee Adopts Demands of Terrorists
Mediators or Kidnappers?

Abu Ali Chichani: A Pastries Chef who Became Emir in the "Islamic State"

AN-NAHAR:

200 Days for Lebanon Without President of State
No official mandate for "Muslim Scholars Committee"

ASSAFIR:
Captured Military Soldiers Case before Uneven Ceilings for Swap

THE DAILYSTAR:

Lebanon Formally Arrests ISIS Chief's Ex-wife Dulaimi

For the 200th day in a row, Lebanon's presidential seat remains empty. Also, the case of the abducted soldiers remains static, with the Muslim Scholars Committee seemingly adopting the demands of the kidnappers. Lebanon formally arrested Tuesday the ex-wife of "ISIL" chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi over terrorism-related charges, as the Muslim Scholars Committee announced that the government was ready to accept a swap deal to win the freedom of 25 servicemen captured by "jihadis".

Al-Akhbar newspaper published on Wednesday an interview it had conducted with the former pastries chef, who became ‘Emir' or prince in the so-called Islamic state. Following is the article translated into English:

Al-Akhbar newspaper: Abu Ali Chichani: A Pastries Chef who Became Emir in the Islamic State

By Redwan Mortada

As soon as the arrest of Ola al-Akili (22 years old), wife of Anas Sharkas aka Abu Ali al-Chichani was declared, her husband lost his mind. He shortly appeared in a video on Youtube, in which he threatened Lebanon and its army soldiers, as well as the ‘Rafida [rejectors'] women and children'. Who is this man?! How effective is he on ground and how serious are his threats?

Al-Akhbar newspaper had met with Chichani two months ago, in the rocky outskirts of Arsal located between Lebanon and Syria. In a video-recorded interview, Chichani told the paper his story starting with the events of Quseir, reaching Qalamoun and paying pledge to the so-called ‘Islamic State'. He also spoke about his work in Lebanon and joining ‘Jihad' and his project to establish a Caliphate based on Prophetic course and beliefs.

During the Qusair battles, Anas Sharkas led a group of fighters called the ‘detachment of Islamic Shield' before it started to be known as Chichani detachment made up of 30 fighters who were situated in the outskirts in an area known as Mira Valley.

Sharkas presents himself saying: "my nickname is Abu Ali Chichani, I am Caucasian who was residing in Qusair city before it was controlled by the Rafidi agnostics. I am proud to be a Syrian of Chechen origin.

Chichani returns to flashbacks dating back to the beginning of the Syrian war. He told al-Akhbar: "My first participations were with the beginning of the Syrian crisis in Damascus, where a protest took place against a police officer of the Bashar apostate police who hit a civilian and people revolted against that. During that phase, the countries of the region Egypt, Libya and Tunisia were broiling under the so-called Arab Spring, but we in Syria call it the Islamic Caliphate God willing."
He adds "I started speaking to myself about starting Jihad in Syria, so I left Lebanon were I worked as a pastries chef and headed to Syria."

Was his return [to Syria] to demand freedom? To this question Chichani answers "God Forbid! What freedom are you talking about! This is Jihad. We were not slaves to demand freedom, those who demand freedom are the slaves sold by their masters. We are only slaves to Allah and he is our master. The freedom of the ‘nude' is not our freedom. These are of the signs of apocalypse the Prophet spoke about. After seeing our children and women being humiliated and assaulted, and after we provided blood and bodies for the sake of Allah and raising his words, we demand a multicultural and civil state in which the Shia and Christian live with us side by side?! Oh God no this will never be! I swear we have come to slaughter them, we will not sleep and never be at ease until we kill every Kafir [apostate] in Syria."

He assured "Our goal is to bring the Sharia of Allah into practice, we will not deviate from this path until we die for this cause or set the rules of Allah in this country and establish an Islamic state based on the prophetic teachings."

He called on what he called the Muslim ‘Syrian oppressed people' to unite together and ask help from Allah and be patient, as God supports those who are patient, because the condition for achieving victory is based on the Quranic verse "If ye will aid (the cause of) Allah, He will aid you," {Surat Muhamad verse 7}.

Chichani payed pledge to the ‘Islamic State', but he assures he is at one distance from the strife taking place among the brothers in the North, the state, and the Nusra front. He further said "If the State asks for my soul I will give it to them, if they ask for my blood I give them that too for nothing in return because they are the carriers of the banner of monotheism and rule within the guidelines of Allah. If the Nusra fronts asks for my soul and blood I will grant it to them as well. I present myself as sacrifice, my body and soul as a gift so that the two sides would unite under the emblem of Islam. And I ask Allah to lift off this strife."
As for the so-called ‘Free Syrian Army', Chichani said "only if they declare loyalty to us and join us, then they are safe from our swords."
On question "What about Lebanon and Hizbullah?" he answered "Hizbullah?! I ask God to take revenge. This party has taken Iran as a God, has entered Syria to kill its men and assault its women," adding "its battle in Syria has revealed that its bias to Shias only. As for the Lebanese government, if we think positively about it then its not worth being in authority and if we think negatively about it we can say it is a lackey to Hizbullah."

Answering a question on whether there is an intention to intervene in Lebanon, Chichani answers "Yes God willing and with his help, I call on all the Mujahideen to move to Lebanon to break Hizbullah because it is fighting here [in Syria]. They have come here to kill our women and children, while their women and children enjoy security and stability."

What about Palestine? He answered "Palestine is the beloved of the soul, we do not wager on our religion and our biggest enemy is "Israel", and before this revolution and this jihad was established our dream was to liberate al-Aqsa, but now fighting the apostates is the priority and not the Jews."

And how do you see the Gulf regimes? Chichani to this questions replied "I told you we do not support anyone but Allah the Exalted, and I get what you mean! Those who do not rule by the Sharia of Allah are apostates whoever they are even if it were my father or brother. Those fighting for the sake of the Islamic Caliphate or the Islamic State and my beloved brothers, anyone else outside the sphere of this thought, I will kill even if it were my father!"