Bizarre: Al-Qaeda To Emulate YouTube Debates?
Duncan Riley
33 comments »
The second in command of Al-Qaeda has asked for questions to be submitted to the terrorist network which he’ll then answer in an online interview next month.
Ayman al-Zawahri made the offer as part during a video release online where he mocks the British withdrawal of troops from Southern Iraq, claiming that the withdrawal shows that Al-Qaeda is winning.
The format of the questions was not made clear, for example would Al-Qaeda respond to questions submitted by video like the YouTube presidential debates, or should questions be via email only? Who will choose which questions are put forward? Will there be an exit-poll on the responses?
Bizarre.
(via news.com.au)
Al-Qaeda seem to pretty hip with today’s technology.
Next up, Al-Qaeda angel funding for hot startups
LOL I like the subtle text message on the picture.
‘Send me your questions and virgins’ hahaha
Can’t wait to see the screen names used by the submitters.
LOL, make it stop lol, i laughed so hard I grew bladed on my head and became a ROFLcopter.
not funny: “Will there be an exit-poll on the responses?”
Interesting to see Techcrunch doing political stories now
The news link in techcrunch also points at the US mis-propaganda
Captain Hero repeats the mistaken claim that the Taliban refused to handover Bin Laden. The Taliban did in fact agree to handover Bin Laden if the US provided evidence of his guilt. The US refused to do so. The FBI website lists Osama as its most wanted person but does not include the 9/11 attacks as one of his crimes. The FBI have been asked about this and responded that they “have no hard evidence he was involved”. Until such time as people accept the obvious fact that we do not who was behind 9/11 and an independant investigation is held into that day the reasons for the invasion of Afghanistan will remain elusive.
Nick
I see this as more terrorists using Web 2.0 as opposed to straight politics…it’s just that I couldn’t bring myself to write a serious analysis of it
Look at how immature you are. Can’t you just use something else instead of “send me your questions and virgins”?
If they try to do this in real time…..they’ll not only get questions, they might get a smart b-mb coming with the questions.
It appears that Al Qaeda is becoming very savvy on using the Internet for PR.
Sheldon, that is the best placeholder post I’ve seen today on TC.
Personally I think this is a good developement!
fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com
Youtube is once-sided on this issue. They’ll ban users who try to counter fundamentalist propaganda but allow these groups to spread hate. And the push-over kids of America says ‘cool!’
Show off his gun!
They seems need media coverage, I think youtube should ban such videos.
What next, Habbo?
When will Bush junior answer questions why he started a civil war on obsolete evidence in Iraq. Show us the weapons of mass destruction or atlease answer the questions put forward by governments all over the world!
Bizarre
Q: What’s a typical day for you?
A: I get up, eat a frugal breakfast, pray, take a shower, spend fifteen minutes doing my hair and beard, then go to post articles about Facebook on TechCrunch using my pseudonym, Duncan Riley.
Q: Who’s your pick for the US Presidential Electrion?
A: I was going to say Mike Huckabee because he holds beliefs that are even more insane than mine, but I’m now going for Ron Paul. He must be the right candidate if so many people plug him in totally irrelevant threads, musn’t he?
Q: Have you bought a Kindle?
A: Like virtually everyone else in the public eye, Amazon send me a free unit. I can most definitely recommend it to anyone who doesn’t have to pay $400 for it.
Q: Why hasn’t Al-Qaeda launched a serious, attributable terrorist attack on the scale of 9/11, or even the USS Cole, despite all the hype?
A: At the moment we’re all busy playing Team Fortress 2. I like being the Medic. “Zat vas not medizin!” Hahaha!
Q: So is Al-Qaeda not planning any more attacks?
A: Well, I almost started one recently. I started thinking about the decadence of the West, and how they trample over the holy Muslim cities, and massacre Iraqis, and treat women like meat, and I got myself worked up into a real righteous fury, and I was all ready to launch a devastating attack on the West. But then I read a TechCrunch comments thread about a woman who asked to be credited for a photo she took, and I realised that I could never match that level of hatred. So I decided not to bother.
Q: What’s on your iPod?
A: In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate and Merciful, I have everything by the Arctic Monkeys.
VEry bizarre !
I am delighted that Mr. Riley wrote on this and a friend guided me to this site. Al-Zawahiri and the rest of al Qaeda and other extremists of all colors have been far more savvy using the advances in communication technology for their purposes whereas governments have not found effective public diplomacy means to counter the terrorist propaganda.
It is a good question why the U.S. hasn’t been the target of another massive terrorist attack since 9/11. There are many reasons but one of them is clear: just by threatening and dominating the propaganda “war,” these extremists keep their targeted societies’ fears alive.
On this you may want to see:
http://www.terrorismanalysts.c.....;Itemid=54
Some one ask him where Osama is; or cant they find him either?
I don’t understand how Al-Qaeda “leaders” can mock our government and troops when they will not show their faces to the world. Perhaps you are cowards and have someone else do your dirty work.
As many of your fighters have found out we would love to send you to meet Allah but instead of promising them virgins why don’t you tell them where they are really headed. Oh, I am sorry it is not to meet Allah but it is Hell.
Maybe you should trade in your Koran for the Bible.
Have a Merry Christmas
@21
“Al-Zawahiri and the rest of al Qaeda and other extremists of all colors have been far more savvy using the advances in communication technology for their purposes whereas governments have not found effective public diplomacy means to counter the terrorist propaganda.”
Western governments don’t have to do jack shit on the internet, because Western nations dominate the news and blogging realms. Cook up as many conspiracy/propaganda theories as you want, but make no mistake–terrorists are playing on our court here.
“It is a good question why the U.S. hasn’t been the target of another massive terrorist attack since 9/11. There are many reasons but one of them is clear: just by threatening and dominating the propaganda “war,” these extremists keep their targeted societies’ fears alive.”
Or maybe it’s the complete overhaul that Western intelligence agencies experienced after 9/11, matched with significant increases in funding? Guess you’ve missed out on reading about several of the foiled terrorist plots and minor incidents around the world over the past few years…
I was almost too afraid to post this due to the possibility of terrorist retaliation. Wait, no?
Okay, I couldn’t resist:
Social Media Advice for Ayman Al-Zawahiri
Doh! Mistyped the html. One more time:
Social Media Advice for Ayman Zawahiri
might wanna ask him why an admitted pedophile who wrote the sharia laws
makes women less then slaves
OK, I know this is being ridiculed, and I don’t what to be a sourpuss, but why do we even write about these slobs? Terrorists are DISEASED ZOMBIES that thrive off attention like this — you journalists should not allow more of their vile into our civilization than has already been. More diarrhea now? Don’t you realize every time one of you media people posts a story like this YOU ARE EFFECTIVELY LICKING THEIR DIARRHEA ASS?
Terrorists aren’t people. They have no feeling. They are the living dead. They are NOT human. They should be hunted as bushmeat. Then left for beetles and pigeons.
@Randy
To me it seems that you have the exact same mentality and vocabulary as any arbitrary terrorist out there.
No, other terrorists are considered human by other terrorists.
what with the towel you guys were,you in the shower alot
Hello,
Where can I adress my question?
Didnt find any website actually giving the adress, only sites reporting the news .
Thanks,
Francois
My question is to Sheikh Ayman as-Zawahiri.
Islam does not favor altering the mood or mind with drugs. The CIA and thousands of American sodiers have been in Afganistan now for quite some time now. I do not believe in coincindences so tell me this. How has Afganistan produced for two years in a row more opium (heroin) than ever now in the history of mankind. Does our troops help along with intelligence agents? Is this all a cover up and how should the military be proud on the war on drugs? They sure do a good job here in the USA with the war on marijuana and it does not contribute to violence, but they can’t even slow down the opium production which is the #1 revenue for your origination that promotes violence. Also, believe it or not Doctor’s here in the USA give heroin and other forms of it to street users because of their addiction (coincidence, I thank not). But they do not give out marijuana cigerettes. If you start producing marijuana in record amounts for revenue, maybe the USA will start handing out freebies for people who like to smoke marijuana. Please eloborate. There has to be a reason for all of this. I just don’t see how you don’t believe in drugs yet you sell them for revenue for your cause and just the oppisite here in the USA. Thank you.