# How come so many nutty Islamists claim to be with Al Queda? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 21, 2012, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-so-many-nutty-islamists-claim-to-be-with-al-queda/616387 "2012-03-21T09:33:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-so-many-nutty-islamists-claim-to-be-with-al-queda/616387/1 "2012-03-21T09:33:25Z")
It seems many small fry have-a-go terrorist groups claim to be with Al Queda. [ul] [li]Why do they do this?[/li][li]Doesn’t Al Queda (if it still has any real power left) get upset? To take the most recent headlines, If I was their leader, I would be rather angry if a guy who murdered two infants and their dad was claiming to represent my organisation.[/li][li]I thought Al Quada was only a single organisation, or can its name be used by different groups. A la the turkish Hezbollah(army of god) is a semi-secular non-violent party, whereas the Lebanese one is a full blown mujihadeen army[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-so-many-nutty-islamists-claim-to-be-with-al-queda/616387/2 "2012-03-21T09:44:51Z")
Well, according to my understanding… > [@Namkcalb](#): > > Why do they do this? Not sure if that’s really a GQ question, but my bet would be that it’s for the reputation if nothing else. Al Qaeda is widely regarded as a serious threat; calling yourself that makes people take you more serously and be more frightened of you than if you just make up some name. > [@Namkcalb](#): > > Doesn’t Al Queda (if it still has any real power left) get upset? To take the most recent headlines, If I was their leader, I would be rather angry if a guy who murdered two infants and their dad was claiming to represent my organisation. If they do it doesn’t much matter; if law enforcement or the military can’t track down someone and arrest/kill them, then Al Qaeda is even less likely to be able to do so. And if they _have_ been tracked down by the authorities, then the _authorities_ will punish them; no need for _Al Qaeda_ to do anything. > [@Namkcalb](#): > > I thought Al Quada was only a single organisation, or can its name be used by different groups. It’s been my understanding it’s as much a brand name as it is an organization. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-so-many-nutty-islamists-claim-to-be-with-al-queda/616387/3 "2012-03-21T10:04:28Z")
Al Qaeda is like Anonymous - anyone an claim to be a member, and no one will contradict them. ---
**Author:** ![skdo23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-so-many-nutty-islamists-claim-to-be-with-al-queda/616387/4 "2012-03-21T15:25:50Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > It seems many small fry have-a-go terrorist groups claim to be with Al Queda. > > Why do they do this? Probably for the same reason that most of the upper middle class white kids in the New England suburb that I live in seem to think that they are affiliated with Los Angeles street gangs. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-so-many-nutty-islamists-claim-to-be-with-al-queda/616387/5 "2012-03-21T15:32:58Z")
[quote=“Namkcalb, post:1, topic:616387”] [li]Why do they do this?[/li][/quote] Makes them seem stronger and more powerful than they are. > [@](#): > > Doesn’t Al Queda (if it still has any real power left) get upset? To take the most recent headlines, If I was their leader, I would be rather angry if a guy who murdered two infants and their dad was claiming to represent my organisation. What are they going to do? Hit them with a trademark infringement suit? Al Queda only recently started caring about their public image, once the US started blaming them – and not Islamists – for their crimes. But there’s no reason for them to say anything: if they deny there’s a connection, who will believe them (remember, the denied having anything to do with 9/11 at first, too)? > [@](#): > > I thought Al Quada was only a single organisation, or can its name be used by different groups. A la the turkish Hezbollah(army of god) is a semi-secular non-violent party, whereas the Lebanese one is a full blown mujihadeen army Again, they haven’t trademarked the name. Bin Ladin’s Al Queda is one organization, but they can’t stop people from using the name unless they want to attack them, which probably isn’t worth their time. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-so-many-nutty-islamists-claim-to-be-with-al-queda/616387/6 "2012-03-21T15:34:03Z")
For fuck’s sake, we’ve been at war with them for over 10 years. You’d think people would know there’s no ‘u’ in al Qaeda. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2012, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-so-many-nutty-islamists-claim-to-be-with-al-queda/616387/7 "2012-03-21T19:17:40Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > For fuck’s sake, we’ve been at war with them for over 10 years. You’d think people would know there’s no ‘u’ in al Qaeda. Maybe the OP is conjugating the Spanish verd “_qodar_” in the 1st person plural. _Yo Quedo Tu Quedas El Queda._ Sometimes confused with _Al Queda_. Yes, I think that’s it! Seriously, though, the others have answered. You don’t have to join Al Qaeda, you just announce you’re part of that group and you seem bigger than you are as a lone actor. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-so-many-nutty-islamists-claim-to-be-with-al-queda/616387/8 "2012-03-22T04:57:09Z")
Near his end days, Bin Laden was concerned that the Al Qaeda brand had been destroyed: Bin Laden ruminated about “mistakes” and “miscalculations” by affiliates in Iraq and elsewhere that had killed Muslims, even in mosques. He told Atiyah to warn every emir, or regional leader, to avoid these “unnecessary civilian casualties,” which were hurting the organization. “Making these mistakes is a great issue,” he stressed, arguing that spilling “Muslim blood” had resulted in “the alienation of most of the nation [of Islam] from the [Mujaheddin].” Local al-Qaeda leaders should “apologize and be held responsible for what happened.” Bin Laden also criticized subordinates for linking their operations to local grievances rather than the overarching Muslim cause of Palestine. Worse, the shift away from the “War on Terror” rhetoric by the Obama administration took its toll: The al-Qaeda brand had become a problem, bin Laden explained, because Obama administration officials “have largely stopped using the phrase ‘the war on terror’ in the context of not wanting to provoke Muslims,” and instead promoted a war against al-Qaeda. The organization’s full name was “Qaeda al-Jihad,” bin Laden noted, but in its shorthand version, “this name reduces the feeling of Muslims that we belong to them.” He proposed 10 alternatives “that would not easily be shortened to a word that does not represent us.” His first recommendation was “Taifat al-tawhid wal-jihad,” or Monotheism and Jihad Group. That’s from Ignatious at [WAPO](http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-bin-laden-plot-to-kill-president-obama/2012/03/16/gIQAwN5RGS_print.html). As Kevin Drum says, “[Rebranding is that last refuge of the failed CEO](http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2012/03/rebranding-last-refuge-terrorists)”. The war on terror rhetoric certainly ginned up the masses during US elections, but ending it poisoned Bin Laden’s efforts in the Middle East to assert a War of Civilizations. By the time the Arab Spring rolled in, Al Qaeda were non-players. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-so-many-nutty-islamists-claim-to-be-with-al-queda/616387/9 "2012-03-23T00:19:03Z")
@Measure for Measure - Good post. [Rant] Why can’t the press stop refering to them as Al Qaeda, it’s a lone nut with a few guns. [/RANT] ---
**Author:** ![PrettyVacant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@PrettyVacant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PrettyVacant)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-so-many-nutty-islamists-claim-to-be-with-al-queda/616387/10 "2012-03-23T01:05:06Z")
> [@](#): > > How come so many nutty Islamists claim to be with Al Queda? From what I can see there’s a similar problem with the Republican Party. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-so-many-nutty-islamists-claim-to-be-with-al-queda/616387/11 "2012-03-23T01:49:26Z")
> [@PrettyVacant](#): > > From what I can see there’s a similar problem with the Republican Party. I wish they were just lone nuts with a few guns… (okay, I know it’s not appropriate for GQ, but I couldn’t pass that one off) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-so-many-nutty-islamists-claim-to-be-with-al-queda/616387/12 "2012-03-23T03:45:14Z")
I’m guessing it benefits both sides. The small nutty Islamist group benefits by being associated with a major outfit like al Qaeda. Al Qaeda benefits because all of these small groups claiming allegiance make al Qaeda look more powerful than it would otherwise be. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-so-many-nutty-islamists-claim-to-be-with-al-queda/616387/13 "2012-03-23T13:57:59Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > For fuck’s sake, we’ve been at war with them for over 10 years. You’d think people would know there’s no ‘u’ in al Qaeda. I blame the romanization system that thinks that using a Q without a U is not going to cause this problem. And I’m not exactly sure why they deserve the respect necessary for people to care whether you spell the name right. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-so-many-nutty-islamists-claim-to-be-with-al-queda/616387/14 "2012-03-23T14:07:20Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > And I’m not exactly sure why they deserve the respect necessary for people to care whether you spell the name right. I say the same thing about Hittla and the Narzee party. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-so-many-nutty-islamists-claim-to-be-with-al-queda/616387/15 "2012-03-23T14:08:13Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > It seems many small fry have-a-go terrorist groups claim to be with Al Queda. > Why do they do this? > [@skdo23](#): > > Probably for the same reason that most of the upper middle class white kids in the New England suburb that I live in seem to think that they are affiliated with Los Angeles street gangs. Same reason why most of the nutbars in the USA claim to be ex-navy-seal or CIA. (Did you notice the word “nutbar”?) When you are bragging and self-promoting, what sounds better? “I am a wannabe” or “I am a member of a killer elite”? I suspect when these sorts of idiots show up in Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Iraq, the real Al Qeda guys roll their eyes and hope these guys are dumb enough to be talked into being suicide bombers… ---
**Author:** ![newcomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e5b9ba/32.png) [@newcomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcomer)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-so-many-nutty-islamists-claim-to-be-with-al-queda/616387/16 "2012-03-23T14:19:43Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > Near his end days, Bin Laden was concerned that the Al Qaeda brand had been destroyed: Bin Laden ruminated about “mistakes” and “miscalculations” by affiliates in Iraq and elsewhere that had killed Muslims, even in mosques. He told Atiyah to warn every emir, or regional leader, to avoid these “unnecessary civilian casualties,” which were hurting the organization. > > “Making these mistakes is a great issue,” he stressed, arguing that spilling “Muslim blood” had resulted in “the alienation of most of the nation [of Islam] from the [Mujaheddin].” Local al-Qaeda leaders should “apologize and be held responsible for what happened.” > > Bin Laden also criticized subordinates for linking their operations to local grievances rather than **the overarching Muslim cause of Palestine**. Worse, the shift away from the “War on Terror” rhetoric by the Obama administration took its toll: The al-Qaeda brand had become a problem, bin Laden explained, because Obama administration officials “have largely stopped using the phrase ‘the war on terror’ in the context of not wanting to provoke Muslims,” and instead promoted a war against al-Qaeda. The organization’s full name was “Qaeda al-Jihad,” bin Laden noted, but in its shorthand version, “this name reduces the feeling of Muslims that we belong to them.” He proposed 10 alternatives “that would not easily be shortened to a word that does not represent us.” His first recommendation was “Taifat al-tawhid wal-jihad,” or Monotheism and Jihad Group. That’s from Ignatious at [WAPO](http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-bin-laden-plot-to-kill-president-obama/2012/03/16/gIQAwN5RGS_print.html). As Kevin Drum says, “[Rebranding is that last refuge of the failed CEO](http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2012/03/rebranding-last-refuge-terrorists)”. The war on terror rhetoric certainly ginned up the masses during US elections, but ending it poisoned Bin Laden’s efforts in the Middle East to assert a War of Civilizations. By the time the Arab Spring rolled in, Al Qaeda were non-players. :rolleyes: \*\*\*From the article: \*U.S. analysts don’t see evidence that these plots have materialized. “The organization lacks the ability to plan, organize and execute complex, catastrophic attacks, but the threat persists,” says a senior administration analyst who has carefully reviewed the documents. \* \*The garbled syntax of bin Laden’s communications may result from their being dictated to several of his wives, according to the U.S. analyst. And his rambling laundry list of recommendations illustrates the problems of communicating with subordinates when it could take several months to receive an answer. The al-Qaeda leader had a “great fear of irrelevance,” the analyst believes. \* \*\*\* And you got to love this BS on Palestine: \*Bin Laden also criticized subordinates for linking their operations to local grievances rather than the overarching Muslim cause of Palestine. He chided his affiliate in Yemen for saying an operation was a response to U.S. bombing there. He even scolded the organizers of the spectacular December 2009 suicide attack on the CIA base in Khost, Afghanistan, for describing it as revenge for the killing of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud. “It was necessary to discuss Palestine first,” lectured bin Laden. \* \*\*\* Personal fav: \*Bin Laden and his aides hoped for big terrorist operations to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001. They also had elaborate media plans. Adam Gadahn, a U.S.-born media adviser, even discussed in a message to his boss what would be the best television outlets for a bin Laden anniversary video. “It should be sent for example to ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN and maybe PBS and VOA. As for Fox News let her die in her anger,” Gadahn wrote. At another point, he said of the networks: “From a professional point of view, they are all on one level — except [Fox News] channel, which falls into the abyss as you know, and lacks objectivity, too.” What an unintended boost for Fox, which can now boast that it is al-Qaeda’s least favorite network.\* Now, this is real funny. Made up, but funny as hell. I mean, really?! Bin Laden had Media adviser who pokes fun at Fox News? Story like that got to be true 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-so-many-nutty-islamists-claim-to-be-with-al-queda/616387/17 "2012-03-23T14:30:59Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > [ul][li]Doesn’t Al Queda (if it still has any real power left) get upset? To take the most recent headlines, If I was their leader, I would be rather angry if a guy who murdered two infants and their dad was claiming to represent my organisation.[/li][li]I thought Al Quada was only a single organisation, or can its name be used by different groups. A la the turkish Hezbollah(army of god) is a semi-secular non-violent party, whereas the Lebanese one is a full blown mujihadeen army[/li][/ul] Al Qaida is not a legal entity in any country where it exists. It has no legal means of enforcing use of its name. It has no official apparatus that can enforce rules. A group of terrorists in Afghanistan started calling itself Al Qaida, and after it had some success, other people started using its name. Who’s going to stop them? Al Qaida isn’t a country or a corporation. It has no overarching lines of authority or broad enforcement capabilities. Besides that, it is advantageous for them for people to get the impression that Al Qaida is a large, wide-reaching entity. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-so-many-nutty-islamists-claim-to-be-with-al-queda/616387/18 "2012-03-23T16:23:12Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Al Qaeda is like Anonymous - anyone an claim to be a member, and no one will contradict them. Interesting. Are there any known formal membership criteria for Al Qaeda (e.g. J. Random Muslim Terrorist applied for formal membership in Al Qaeda in 2005 but he was rejected because he could not recite enough of the Quran and failed the explosives knowledge test), or a known list of “Official Members” somewhere? I know that Communist Parties were, and to some extent still are, rather scrupulous in establishing and updating their official member lists, and issuing ID cards (e.g. a “red card”). Is there anything remotely resembling this with respect to Al Qaeda or any other Islamic terror group? E.g. when they found Bin Laden, did he have an “Al Qaeda Member” card in his pocket? Obviously, if you know any information that cannot be revealed because it is classified, do not do so. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-come-so-many-nutty-islamists-claim-to-be-with-al-queda/616387/19 "2012-03-23T16:43:36Z")
Of course there is is no official membership list, criteria, or identification cards