rob kall: Tell me.. from your latest article, it appears that Muslims have a choice between loyalty to Islam or to Democracy-- that they cannot have both. Is this your observation, or also your opinion?
mohamed al Azaki: look, this is my observation, but the results and expectations in the article was my clear opinion based on tangible facts and information from many sources.
The article doesn't reflect my status, and doesn't mean that I'm extremist Muslim or that sympathizing with al-Qaeda, not at all.
I have also extremist Muslim friends claiming sympathy for al-Qaeda in many Arab countries. Well, I will not talk about those extremists because their positions - from the start of entering democracy into their world - were clear and strict towards refusing the democracy.
In fact, after adopting and living with the democracy system by moderate Muslim groups for approximately 15 years, the majority of moderate Muslims - yes I confirm this word "majority" - are now agreeing that Democracy was just an American trick aiming to destroy Islam principles and turn them into secularists due to the clear contradiction between Islam and democracy that backed by the US.
Of course, this is not happening in Yemen alone, but this is a voice of the Arab public, Arab streets in Yemen, Jordan, Egypt, particularly in Iraq and Palestine according to many programs, analysis and interviews made by the widespread Arab Al-Jazeera satellite television channel .
rob kall: It would be interesting to hear their perspectives and points of view.
Regarding your current article-- it does appear, from the article that you may approve of jihad.
You might want to add a comment that these are your observation. Or you may frighten some of your embassy friends.
mohamed al Azaki: As I have said, I'm just a Journalist and researcher on Islamic militants in which I must to write what I see and hear from the majority, not from the minority. And, of course, I'm not approving of Jihad, I rather try to convey their voices, ideas and intentions to the world; because the western and American media dislike paying attention towards them, on the contrary those media hear to the close friends and play the same role that Bush's administration plays, forgetting what the US government call it "enemies or terrorists."
rob kall: I want to be careful, because sometimes, in translation, the wrong message can be created unintentionally.
mohamed al Azaki: Mr. Kall, I think the good and neutral journalist is the journalist who sees and hears from both, friends and enemies...because the hearing just only from one side is a clear fraud and deception. I think you and others have the right to oppose someone's opinion, but it's not fair to force people to accept your opinion.
rob kall: Of course.
mohamed al Azaki: There is a difference between a man lives in the battlefield testing soldiers, and a man sits down in his office watching TV or reading magazine and then hailing the false victory of democracy or the fake triumph of Bush's war against terrorists.
When I say Jihad is coming, I say it according to the latest developments in Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine that show the increasing of extremists and terrorists and the fast growing of their power, in addition to the strong sympathy and reaction in the other Arab and Muslim countries. Well, as Al-Jazeera's veteran journalist, Yousri Foudah, always likes - in his weekly TV programme - to comment on the sympathy and reactions of Muslim youths in different Arab states by calling them "Real fighters are coming".
rob kall: Real fighters?
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