Abdullah Azzam
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Abdullah Azzam
Abdullah Azzam was a Palestinian-Jordanian who worked with Osama bin Laden in establishing the Afghan Services Bureau (MAK) -- the precursor to Al Qaeda. Azzam had extensive influence on bin Laden's thinking, and helping formulate the jihad doctrine.
Background
Azzam was born in 1941 in Salat al-Harithis, a Palestinian village. At an early age, Azzam joined Muslim Brotherhood. He attended Damascus University (Syria), where he studied shariah (Islamic law). Azzam continued his studies at al-Azhar University in Cairo, where he was pursuing a doctorate in Islamic jurisprudence, as well as teaching. Azzam also spent time at King Abdul-Aziz University, but was expelled for Islamic activism.[1]
Mujahidin
In 1967, Azzam took part in resistance against Israel. Soon after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Azzam went to Pakistan. In 1984, Azzam and bin Laden established the Afghan Services Bureau (MAK) which helped coordinate Arabs joining the mujahidin in Afghanistan, resisting the Soviets.[1]
Towards the end of the 1980s, as the Soviets were retreating in defeat, bin Laden and Azzam had discussions about the future of MAK and what to do with the mujahidin force that had built up. Osama and Azzam both wanted to use the force as a "rapid reaction force" to defend oppressed Muslims around the world. He wanted to train the Egyptian mujahidin in terrorist tactics; Azzam strongly disagreed with this approach, issuing a fatwa saying that it would violate Islamic law. Azzam reiterated the hadith that orders Muslims not to kill any women or children.[2]
Death
On November 24, 1989, soon after bin Laden and Azzam split, Azzam was killed in Peshawar, Pakistan. Azzam and his two sons were travelling to Jummah (Friday prayer) when a remote-control activated bomb detonated and killed them. It is not known for certain if Osama was behind this, but thought unlikely. Nonetheless, Osama was free to take full control of MAK, laying groundwork for Al Qaeda.