MIR ALI, Pakistan (SNN) - In a surprise move, Osama bin Laden has announced that he and Ayman al-Zawahri plan to wed in one months time. "I am a gay Muslim," he announced in a newly released video, proudly displaying his engagement ring. "I want to show my support for my brothers and sisters in California. Stay strong!"
Seriously, though, you'd think that the folks at As-Sahab would know better than to use such an effeminate color scheme. I realize that this particular tape was intended primarily for an Arab audience, but they must have known that it would reach the West as well, and that it is difficult to terrorize somebody when your communiqués look like advertisements for Mattel's new Jihadi Barbie. They're usually a pretty professional outfit; I'm not sure what went wrong this time.
Regarding the message's actual content, the focus on Palestine is consistent with what appears to be a trend by al-Qaeda to portray itself as a more mainstream terrorist organization, dedicated to defending Muslims from their wicked oppressors, rather than as a bunch of frothing psychopaths out to destroy civilization. I doubt that this represents an actual change in priorities, but the Iraq debacle has forced al-Qaeda to accept that it has a major PR problem. It remains to be seen how effective this rebranding will be.
1 comment:
Well, in all fairness, the "gangsta" rappers do wear... um, well... flamboyant apparel. I guess some think that if they can get away with wear purple or pink in the hood, they have to be respected.
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