Al Qaeda Rebranding Itself to Improve Image, Arab Diplomat Says
Published December 14, 2011
Reuters
FILE: In this Jan. 24, 2009. photo, the leader of al Qaeda in Yemen, Nasser al-Wahaishi, second from right, is surrounded by deputies in a rare video posted on the Internet.
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is rebranding itself to try to lose the negative "baggage" associated with the larger terror organization's identity, according to a senior Arab diplomat who says the Yemeni-based group is trying to attract more foreign fighters to its cause.
AQAP is increasingly going by the name "Ansar al Sharia," which means Army of Islamic Law, the diplomat told Fox News.
"After (Usama) bin Laden's death and the Arab Spring, the name (al Qaeda) seems to have negative connotations and baggage," said the diplomat, who would discuss the changes only on condition of anonymity.
The name swap was likened to a similar evolution experienced by al Qaeda in Iraq's military and political wings. The rebranding of AQAP is seen as an effort to create "a big tent" to attract foreign jihadists and give it a greater air of legitimacy as a political movement.
Since al Qaeda leader bin Laden's death in May at the hand of U.S. Navy SEALs, the number of foreign fighters traveling to Pakistan has dropped, but the number heading to Yemen is on an upswing.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/12/14/al-qaeda-rebranding-itself-to-improve-image-arab-diplomat-says/?test=latestnews#ixzz1gYAvmJoK
