Al-Qaeda eyes support through AK-47 contest

JEDDAH: In a desperate attempt to gain supporters, Al-Qaeda just started handing out quiz sheets to Yemenis with prizes ranging from an AK-47 assault rifle to computers, according to Yemeni media and locals.
Coinciding with the holy month of Ramadan, people normally see supermarket posters in the streets, however, it is not the case in the Yemeni city of Taiz.
The contest was announced by the militants through poster advertising, the rather unusually contentious prizes attached with a number of questions related to the organization’s version of Islam.
Group members were seen encouraging residents to pick their copy of the quiz to win the prize.
The questions listed in the sheet read: “Name three articles of the (Yemeni) constitution which contradict Islamic Law?”
“Any person who follows a law other than Islamic law is an infidel who must be killed. List three (scriptural) references for this,” the other question reads.
The first place prize was a Chinese-made AK-47, while the second prize was a motorcycle and a laptop for third place.
The rest of the prizes varied from a pistol and cash prizes of 20,000 Yemeni Riyals ($80).
As to where entries should be submitted, Al-Qaeda’s offices and gathering places are well-known for the locals.
Al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen is commonly referred to as Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), and is currently taking advantage of the chaos in Yemen to further nourish its position in the rural southern regions.