Draft:Abu al-Layth al-Tabuki

Abu al-Layth al-Tabuki
name	Abu al-Layth al-Tabuki
Personal details

Abu al-Layth al-Tabuki is one of the Sharia officials of al-Nusra Front who was dismissed from the group due to his positions.

Background

The real name of Abu al-Layth al-Tabuki is "Sultan bin Issa al-Atawi," and he hails from the region of "Tabuk" in Saudi Arabia. He migrated to Syria in the summer of 2013 and immediately joined al-Nusra Front, becoming one of its leaders and religious officials. Some individuals close to al-Tabuki believe that he is a literary figure, a poet, and a member of the "Tabuk Literary Club." However, when news of his joining al-Nusra Front spread, he was expelled from this club.

Administratively and within the organization, al-Tabuki was a member of the Tabuk Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice and served as the representative of "Fahd bin Sultan Abdulaziz", the governor of this region. Regarding his education, it is said that he studied Islamic sciences in the "Qassim" region of Saudi Arabia.

Positions

Al-Tabuki is known as a fierce opponent of the Islamic State organization (ISIS). He has published numerous writings and audio messages on social media platforms such as Twitter, in which he has attacked the Islamic State organization. Although al-Tabuki possesses cultural roots and capabilities in writing literary texts, despite these abilities, he failed to present anything new when addressing his enemies or the enemies of the people of Syria.

Like other spokesmen of al-Nusra Front, he attacks ISIS, referring to them as "Khawarij" and "Mariqun" or describing them with other common epithets.

He also refers to the Assad government as an "Alawite infidel" and Safavid state, attributing dozens of other descriptions to it as well.

Significance of al-Tabuki

The significance of al-Tabuki lies neither in his oratorical power, nor in his combative charisma, nor in anything similar; rather, his importance stems from his affiliation with Saudi Arabia. This was an issue that Abu Mohammad al-Julani urgently needed in organizing the internal affairs of the organization, especially after separating from ISIS.

For al-Nusra Front, al-Tabuki provided important communication channels with Saudi personalities. On the other hand, his passionate and fervent speeches caused those Saudi youths who had come to the "land of battle" to incline toward al-Nusra Front, join it, and fight in its ranks.

Dismissal of al-Tabuki

In August 2014, al-Nusra Front issued a statement dismissing Abu al-Layth al-Tabuki from his position as the religious official of the front. The statement read:

"The Shura Council of the Front in the Eastern Region, after consultations, investigations, hearing complaints, reviewing evidence, and evaluating the Front's judges in recorded meetings, has concluded that Brother Sultan Issa al-Atawi, known as Abu al-Layth al-Tabuki, due to his conduct, opposition to the group's policy, and failure to adhere to it, deserves the following measures:

1. He must be separated from al-Nusra Front; he has no official or media affiliation with this front;
2. After the issuance of this statement, al-Nusra Front bears no responsibility for his actions;
3. He shall be imprisoned for two weeks following his arrest;
4. Until further notice, he is not permitted to move within the Front's bases;
5. His movable and immovable assets under his control shall be frozen until a decision is made regarding them at an appropriate time;
6. Copies of this statement shall be prepared and sent to other branches and bases of the Front."

Al-Atawi's Departure from al-Nusra Front

Despite this statement, al-Atawi delayed announcing his departure from al-Nusra Front for more than two and a half months, until he claimed on his Twitter page that he had left the front due to "religious reasons".