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Al Qaida tries to reach broader audience
Al Qaida has invited journalists to send questions to its No. 2 figure, Ayman Al Zawahiri, in the first such offer by the increasingly media-savvy terror network to "interview" one of its leaders since 9/11 attacks.
- AP
- Published: 09:41 December 20, 2007
- Ayman Al Zawahiri will apparently answer questions sent in to jihadist websites
- Image Credit: AP
Cairo: Al Qaida has invited journalists to send questions to its No. 2 figure, Ayman Al Zawahiri, in the first such offer by the increasingly media-savvy terror network to "interview" one of its leaders since 9/11 attacks.
The invitation is a new twist in Al Qaida's campaign to reach a broader audience, and represents an attempt by Al Zawahiri to present himself as a sophisticated leader rather than a mass murderer.
"I think their media capability is sophisticated as ever," said Bruce Hoffman, a terrorism expert and professor at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. "It shows how this group with 7th century ideology is exploiting 21st century media capabilities."
The advertisement, issued by the group's media arm Al Sahab on a militant website, invites "individuals, agencies and all media" to submit written questions for Al Zawahiri by sending them to the web forums where Al Sahab traditionally posts its messages.
Al Sahab asked the forums to send it the questions "with no changes or substitutions, no matter whether they agree or disagree [with the question]".
Deadline
It said it would take questions until January 16, after which Al Zawahiri would answer them "as much as he is able and at the soonest possible occasion". It did not say whether his answers would come in writing, video or audiotape.
The authenticity of the invitation, first posted on Sunday, could not be independently confirmed. But it was posted with the logo of Al Sahab and the style of graphics and calligraphy it traditionally uses, along with a photo of Al Zawahiri. The advertisement appeared on several web sites that Al Sahab officially uses for issuing messages.
Osama Bin Laden and Al Zawahiri have given a few interviews to western and Arabic press since they first rose to prominence in the 1990s. But neither has been interviewed since the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent US invasion of Afghanistan. They are believed to be in the lawless regions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Experts said the invitation was the first time that such a high-ranking Al Qaida leader had made such an appeal. Other smaller militant groups have solicited questions before, including an arm of Al Qaida in Saudi Arabia, which answered a variety of questions a few years ago, said Ben Venzke, the head of IntelCenter, a US counterterrorism centre that monitors militant message traffic.
"We've never seen Al Sahab do this so this would be a very new development in terms of their messaging. They're choosing to do this with Al Zawahiri. It puts even greater prominence to it," he said.
In recent year, Al Zawahiri has emerged as Al Qaida's most prominent spokesman. He has appeared in at least 16 videos and audiotapes this year, compared to four for Bin Laden.
As a whole, the terror network's messaging has dramatically increased this year, with Al Sahab issuing more than 90 videos in 2007, more than the total number for all three previous years, according to IntelCenter.
In the most recent, issued on Tuesday, Abu Laith Al Libi, a Libyan Al Qaida commander in Afghanistan who also releases frequent messages, lectured on the duty of Muslims to join the battle against the "devil".
The videos have grown more sophisticated in targeting their international audience. Videos are always subtitled in English, and messages this year from Bin Laden and Al Zawahiri focusing on Pakistan and Afghanistan have been dubbed in the local languages, Urdu and Pashtu.
Videos and audiotapes have also had a faster turnaround, referring sometimes to events that occurred only days earlier.
Your comments
I would like to ask Ayman al-Zawahiri, why he feels that religiouswars are necessary? Why do you waste your life thinking about what comes next - surely it is more logical to live in the now?
Anthony
Beverley,UK
Posted: December 20, 2007, 15:05
Do you feel that the greedy
Empire of America will eventually crumble even without
foreign interference?
Franz
Perth,Australia
Posted: December 20, 2007, 14:32
Yes, We , Western people, would like to know really why you are fighting and for which reason motivate you? It is a basic questions that a lot of people would like to have answer.
Francis
Vancouver,Canada
Posted: December 20, 2007, 14:02
Dear Mr. Zawahiri,
When are you going to destroy America?
Fahad
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: December 20, 2007, 13:52
Where is Mr. Laden?
Babloo
Dubai,UAE
Posted: December 20, 2007, 13:49
My question to Mr. Ayman Al Zawahiri is that, what is the inner foundation of your group and what are its objectives. What can you say about the involvement of your group to all considered terroristic act committed to mankind and civilized nation. What are your intetnsion and motives. Is uprising your only solution?
Ren
Manila,Philippines
Posted: December 20, 2007, 13:03
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