ISIS chief asks Muslims to obey him

E-Paper | May 08, 2026

BAGHDAD: The leader of a brutal militant group addressed worshippers in the militant-held Iraqi city of Mosul, ordering Muslims to “obey” him and calling for global jihad, in a video distributed online on Saturday.

The appearance by the hitherto elusive chief of Islamic State of Iraq and Al Sham (ISIS), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, at a mosque in Mosul for Friday prayers marks a significant change for the militant leader whose group has overrun swathes of territory across five provinces north and west of Baghdad.

A video posted on social media showed a portly man clad in a long black robe and a black turban with a long greying beard addressing worshippers at weekly prayers at Al-Nur mosque in central Mosul.

“I am the wali (leader) who presides over you, though I am not the best of you, so if you see that I am right, assist me,” said the man, purportedly Baghdadi.

“If you see that I am wrong, advise me and put me on the right track, and obey me as long as I obey God.”

Read: What ISIS and the 'caliphate' mean for Pakistan

Text superimposed on the video identified the man as “Caliph Ibrahim”, the name Baghdadi has gone by since the group on June 29 declared a “caliphate”.

The video is said to be the first official appearance by Baghdadi.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2014

Our readers are at the heart of everything we do.
Do you have a thought to share or a way we can improve? We’d love to hear it. Reach out to us at feedback@dawn.com.

ISIS

World

Doctors Without Borders says Israel has 'manufactured malnutrition crisis' in Gaza

Countries track passengers of hantavirus-hit cruise ship

Motorbike gunmen kill BJP political aide in India's West Bengal

Debbie

Jul 06, 2014 11:41am

It's hilarious how someone self declares himself to be the leader and imposes his writ on others.

Recommend 0

Ahmed

Jul 06, 2014 11:58am

they let the nurses go, they seem nice.

Recommend 0

Ismael

Jul 06, 2014 01:18pm

The best example of a system run in the history is by the Prophet Muhammad pbuh. As muslims its fard on us to work for the establishment of Khilafah. For it to sustain we should have adequate resources, government structure and military might to counter any security threats. The media propoganda at distorting the image of Caliphate is enormous and we should look to counter it by actually implementing it in Pakistan by peaceful means.

Recommend 0

Sunil

Jul 06, 2014 01:21pm

Next OBL in making.

Recommend 0

NHM

Jul 06, 2014 01:52pm

Recommend 0

Mohammad Farooq

Jul 06, 2014 01:58pm

@Ahmed What about killing people and destroying others sacred places?

Recommend 0

KRana@Seoul

Jul 06, 2014 02:10pm

@Ahmed If they are good, why don't you ask them to rule Pakistan too

Recommend 0

Munawar

Jul 06, 2014 02:10pm

@Ahmed Stockholm syndrome my friend.

Recommend 0

Fazal

Jul 06, 2014 02:14pm

It is time to get rid of corrupt government's in so called Muslim Countries. When leaders are like Maliki, Bashar and Karzai than Al Baghdadi is much better choice.

Recommend 0

Naved

Jul 06, 2014 02:18pm

@Ahmed Brutal killers seem nice to you??? See the full picture, not just a piece.

Recommend 0

Jul 06, 2014 02:25pm

Hello Everybody!!! King Julian has arrived!

Recommend 0

Karachi Wala

Jul 06, 2014 02:47pm

"ISIS chief asks Muslims to obey him" and what about Mullah Omar?

Recommend 0

nasiroski

Jul 06, 2014 03:32pm

@Karachi Wala Why not have a cage match between the two?? WWE reference is finally good for something.

Recommend 0

Dr Dentist

Jul 06, 2014 03:54pm

@Sunil yeah n whos behind it... That is the question!

Recommend 0

KRana@Seoul

Jul 06, 2014 04:05pm

@Dr Dentist Whoever is the behind them, why they are always used by others that is imp question. If you USA was behind OBL same time your establishment is equally responsible

Recommend 0

SYED ZAFAR KAZMI

Jul 06, 2014 04:21pm

@Mohammad Farooq That is the most basic part of being nice

Recommend 0

Amir Khan

Jul 06, 2014 04:24pm

@Ismael Who will be the khalifah in this utopian society if I may ask ?

Recommend 0

Syed

Jul 06, 2014 05:46pm

Question 1, who is he following? This is ridiculous. After killing thousands of innocents. One can imagine what kind of rulers he will be. Islam was not spread through a sword but with great character, kind deeds and love.

Recommend 0

saf

Jul 06, 2014 06:01pm

@Fazal Why don't you go and join him. You might get first hand experience of how nice he is.

Recommend 0

Jul 06, 2014 06:03pm

I doubt these guys are even Muslims. They stink like dirty foreign investment. The so called terrorist groups seem to be more of a franchise.

Recommend 0

asif

Jul 06, 2014 06:44pm

The US is ignoring this group because the Kurds will keep the oil safe. This is another alqaeda, they should be destroyed now. Extremism must be rejected and eliminated even if they are not an immediate threat.

Recommend 0

Mohammad Kumbo

Jul 07, 2014 12:15am

Wonder when our President and PM are going to present their credentials to Caliph Ibrahim for his approval.

Recommend 0

Ali

Jul 07, 2014 12:34am

@Ahmed but they set the churches on fire too hmmm...

Recommend 0

Ali

Jul 07, 2014 12:37am

@Fazal The leaders you mentioned are certainly better than Saddam or the Taliban/Alqeda, before them.

Recommend 0

Khalid

Jul 07, 2014 12:49am

Muslims?. Which ones does he mean?. The ones with green turbans or the ones with white turbans?. Did he mean Dubandi? Does that include Shias?, Sunnis?, Ismailis?. This twisted person should be captured and tried for making the Muslims around the world look stupid.

Recommend 0

Haris

Jul 07, 2014 12:50am

@Ahmed afcorse they will, part of their funding is from India.

Recommend 0

True Pakistani

Jul 07, 2014 01:55am

@NHM ... keep this advice for your self.. One day, this will happen my dear..

Recommend 0

True Pakistani

Jul 07, 2014 01:57am

@Sunil ... you should laud them.. they left Indian nurses without any harm.. just think, if these nurses got stuck somewhere in India then happens with them ???? This is called character !!!! If someone has done good than u should appreciate them...

Recommend 0

Yusuf

Jul 07, 2014 02:36am

@Ismael wow u seems to be an expert on a system that ran 1600 years back...i guess everything was just perfect then.....

Recommend 0

Bea

Jul 07, 2014 03:16am

Obey him who is he kidding? this lunatic need help urgently. it seems he has been smoking to much pot.

Recommend 0

Jul 07, 2014 04:25am

@Ismael If a caliphate is sanctioned by Allah, why the need for a military?

Recommend 0

Jul 07, 2014 04:29am

@Syed So why does the misconception persist throughout the world? How are you going to convince -- with evidence that can be substantiated -- most of the non-Islamic world of this??

Recommend 0

Mustafa

Jul 07, 2014 05:05am

@Ismael Call it Khalifa, Ameer, Imam , president or prime minister, can just 30% of Muslims agree on any one person or even method of choosing such a leader? I don't believe 30% of Pakistanis have ever voted for any one leader except of course the Quaid, let alone all Muslims.

Recommend 0

oldboy

Jul 07, 2014 06:44am

We are ready to obey and surrender if that brings peace in the world , i doesnt matter who rules as long as their is peace, brotherhood and prosperity in the world.

Recommend 0

SYED ADNAN SHAFQAT

Jul 07, 2014 11:57am

@Sunil who created OBL and who got him disappeared ? All diversion tools for international conspiracies !

Recommend 0

yussouf m mir

Jul 08, 2014 02:46am

EXTREMIST DO NOT LAST LONG

Recommend 0

SMQ Zaman

Jul 08, 2014 03:54am

The Times of India reported today via Breitbart: Four questions ISIS uses to tell Sunni from Shia When the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) conquers a new village, one chore the terrorists have to go through is to decide whom in the village to let live, and whom to torture, rape, mutilate and kill. Since ISIS is devoted to exterminating apostate Shia Muslims, making that decision requires figuring out whether each citizen is Shia or Sunni. According to reports that are coming out of Iraq, the ISIS terrorists ask four questions to determine whom to kill: "What's your name?" Some names are more likely to be Shia. "What's your address?" Shias often live in enclaves in the village being conquered. "How do you pray?" Shias and Sunnis have slightly different hand and arm positions during praying. "What music do you like?" Even the ringtone on a person's telephone might be a clue. People can easily get tripped up if they try to lie. Others refuse to lie about their faith. Times of India This is one of th reasons why Dr Yusef al-Qaradawi, Al-Azhar, the Saudi Ulema's and even the Free Syrian Army have declared ISIS's Caliphate as null and void!

Recommend 0

Branded Content

Indus Cloud Limited, Indus DC REIT and UBL form strategic partnership to accelerate Pakistan’s digital infrastructure and cloud adoption

This collaboration marks a significant step toward strengthening the country’s digital backbone and locally hosted cloud services for enterprises and public sector organisations.