Abdullah Yusuf Azzam was a Salafi jihadist, a Palestinian scholar, and theologian of Sunni Islam.
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Abdullah Yusuf Azzam was a Salafi jihadist, a Palestinian scholar, and theologian of Sunni Islam.
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Abdullah Azzam is described by most of his biographers as being exceptionally intelligent as a child.
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Abdullah Azzam liked to read, excelled in class, and studied topics above his grade level.
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Abdullah Azzam became more interested in Islamic studies and started a study group in his village.
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Abdullah Azzam was sent to the village of Adir, near the town of Kerak in central Jordan.
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Abdullah Azzam graduated with highest honors in 1966, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Sharia.
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In Jordan, Abdullah Azzam participated in paramilitary operations against the Israeli occupation but became disillusioned with the secular and provincial nature of the Palestinian resistance coalition held together under the umbrella of the Palestine Liberation Organization and led by Yasser Arafat.
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In Egypt Abdullah Azzam continued his studies at the prestigious Al-Azhar University, getting a PhD in Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence in 1973, while being acquainted during his stay with the ideas of Sayyid Qutb.
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Abdullah Azzam completed his 600-page doctoral thesis in around 16 months.
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Abdullah Azzam took a position as lecturer at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he remained until 1979.
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Abdullah Azzam was known as Shaikh Abdullah due to his seniority and his aspirations to become UH NSU.
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In 1988, Abdullah Azzam convinced Ahmed Khadr to raise funds for an alleged new charity named al-Tahaddi, based in Peshawar.
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Abdullah Azzam granted Khadr a letter of commendation to take back to Canadian mosques, calling for donations.
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Abdullah Azzam frequently joined Afghan militias and international Muslim units as they battled the Soviet Union's forces in Afghanistan.
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Abdullah Azzam sought to unify elements of the resistance by resolving conflicts between mujahideen commanders and he became an inspirational figure among the Afghan resistance and freedom-fighting Muslims worldwide for his passionate attachment to jihad against foreign occupation.
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Abdullah Azzam inspired young Muslims with stories of miraculous deeds, mujahideen who defeated vast columns of Soviet troops virtually single-handed, who had been run over by tanks but survived, who were shot but unscathed by bullets.
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Abdullah Azzam radicalized El Sayyid Nosair, the man responsible for the assassination of Meir Kahane in 1990.
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Abdullah Azzam initially supported Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin in the war, but after meeting Ahmad Shah Massoud in the Panjshir Valley switched his preference to Jamiat-e-Islami.
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Abdullah Azzam has been criticized for justifying the killing of civilians deemed mushrikeen in jihad, telling followers that:.
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Abdullah Azzam built a scholarly, ideological and practical paramilitary infrastructure for the globalization of Islamist movements that had previously focused on separate national, revolutionary and liberation struggles.
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Abdullah Azzam believed the natural place to continue the jihad was his birthplace, Palestine.
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Abdullah Azzam planned to train brigades of Hamas fighters in Afghanistan, who would then return to carry on the battle against Israel.
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Abdullah Azzam is thought to have had influence on jihadists such as al-Qaeda with the third stage of his "four-stage process of jihad".
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