[Source pp.52-53 of the Arabic text as found at pp.121-125 of William McCants' translation of "The Management of Savagery" by Abu Bakr Naji (Translation funded by the John M. Olin Institute for Strategic Studies at Harvard University).]

Section Nine

Mastering the Security Dimension: Surveillance and Infiltrating Adversaries and Opponents of Every Kind

Our battle is long and still in its beginning. Of course, we receive, by the grace of God, that which has been concealed for us, through divine loving kindness and care, in some of the stages. However, momentous events and their developments indicate the length of the battle. Its length provides an opportunity for infiltrating the adversaries and their fellow travelers and establishing a strong security apparatus that is more supportive of the security of the movement now, and later the state. (We) should infiltrate the police forces, the armies, the different political parties, the newspapers, the Islamic groups, the petroleum companies (as an employee or as an engineer), private security companies, sensitive civil institutions, etc. That actually began several decades ago, but we need to increase it in light of recent developments. Likewise, we may need to infiltrate a single place with more than one member—one member will not know another (member) and vice versa—for different roles or the same role if it requires more than one member.

Several problems will confront us in doing that. Among them is choosing the member who will undertake the infiltration, which must be done with confidence in his ability to safeguard his religion in a field which may be filled with unbelief or things that contradict the sharia, at a time when his personality is not combustible and when he was not previously known to be pious. The meaning is that we sometimes place a Muslim (in the field) who is newly pious and thus the problem increases. However, our present and future circumstances bring to light a phenomenon that solves this problem. This phenomenon is the existence of exuberant youth in large numbers seeking jihad, even hastening the undertaking of jihadi operations and even martyrdom operations, and we can ascertain the veracity of this particular characteristic of the youth from the context of circumstances. Their desire for martyrdom indicates a proper condition of faith; all that is required is instructional polishing within the movement. Naturally, most of them will be directed toward jihadi and training programs (that can) encompass their abilities and their enthusiasm. However, it is possible to divert some of them—when the leaders of groups discerning their qualities and abilities—to work in the security apparatus for infiltrating institutions after it is demonstrated (to the recruits) that this is important and that this role is equal to a martyrdom operation or that it may even end in a martyrdom operation designed to destroy an infiltrated position if it is permissible to destroy it or undertaking a martyrdom operation against some individuals if they are from a class of people that it is permissible to target. Individual educational programs should also be put in place that (teach him) to safeguard his piety without revealing it. Whenever the pressure on him increases on account of his active movement in gathering information, the educational program works in the face of this pressure to raise his level of faith. Frequently, the way of infiltrating and reaching a good center for gathering information requires a long period of time so that he can master his role in the institution which he is infiltrating. In that situation, it is possible to give the freedom of action to the member after giving him a long (educational) program on movement, the particular kind of information that is required, how to compile it and preserve it until the time when it is requested from him or how to communicate it quickly if it is critical information that cannot be delayed.

There is no doubt that when the member communicates the information he gathered several times and the extent of its specificity and veracity becomes apparent, this creates growing confidence in his reliability and capacity, especially since we do not know him very well in the beginning. Therefore, he is also not given anything save the information that he requires and he only knows, under any circumstance, the desired action through a communication agent.

Likewise, perhaps he loses communication with the agent for any reason, such as the martyrdom of that agent or his transfer to another place due to compelling circumstances and the like. In this situation, he must continue his operation until regions of savagery appear which groups of mujahids control. (This operative) then visits them in natural circumstances, such as visiting one of his kin for example, or for business, or in disguise. He then tells the apparent administration to put him in touch with an agent from the security apparatus. If he [the operative] has a secret code which is known, he communicates it to him [the agent]. But if it is not known, he gives the information he has to the agent and awaits the response of the security apparatus in accordance with the nature of the information. Is he to continue gathering information or is he to flee to the region of savagery or is he to undertake a destructive act within the infiltrated place itself or is he to help a group that will be put in touch with him?

In the previous situation, perhaps the appearance of a region of savagery is delayed in the region where the member lives, or close to it, and in which he plays his role. In addition to that, perhaps the situation has become difficult for him; for example, continuing his job may affect his piety or he is on the verge of discovery, and so forth. In this circumstance, he must leave the place of his work and strive to join the mujahids in the mountains or wherever he awaits them in one form or another. Or if the situation becomes easy for him, then let him undertake a destructive act against the place where he works if the destruction is permissible or if it gets rid of one or more enemies there. He then withdraws to a secure place until the time he can join the mujahids.

Naturally, in some circumstances it is possible to infiltrate some places without affecting the work of a member in his position within the military or the missionary branch within the movement or the mujahid group.

With regard to individuals who are trusted for their ability to fend of intellectual doubts and (bodily) desires infiltrating other Islamic groups and even advancing up their ladder of leadership, many different benefits result from that. There are previous successful cases of that. And there is the problematic issue of the taboo of spying on Muslims. How is it possible to collect information on them? I believe that this is permissible against movements which harm the mujahids or interact with the Taghuts. As for infiltrating movements which do not harm the mujahids, this is not done in order to gather information, but rather to proselytize among them and to develop a close relationship with them and to benefit from changing their viewpoints regarding what is in the best interests of the jihad in critical circumstances.

Naturally, all of the previous is a generalization subject to modification. As for the principles which systematize and secure the undertaking of all the previous steps accurately and which deal with other aspects (not least of which is the importance of building security apparatuses, surveillance, and gathering information and, on the other hand, the methods of securing the movement from infiltration), the student must refer to the security reports which issue from the mujahids and also the encyclopedia of security and information gathering which is published within encyclopedias of jihad. He must also refer to the series which is published sequentially in the magazine Mu`askar al-Battar, in addition to general books in libraries if the student can uncover the sharia mistakes which are in them, especially pertaining to methods. (The student) must also be wary of business books which he will spend his time reading without any benefit or learning naïve and incorrect principles.