Al-Qaeda has an image problem. So to improve its PR in its campaign to take over Syria, the terrorist organization has started holding church-social type events, including picnics for families, tug-of-war games, and ice cream eating contests. Al-Qaeda is circulating videos of these family-friendly activities, replacing the old videos of public executions.
From Loveday Morris, Al-Qaeda tries to soften image with ice cream – The Washington Post.
The jovial tug o’ war and children’s ice-cream-eating contest wouldn’t look out of place at any town fair. But the family festivities in the battle-scarred Syrian city of Aleppo had a surprising organizer: al-Qaeda.
The media arm of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, an al-Qaeda affiliate, has been churning out videos featuring community gatherings in Syria during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan as the group battles to win hearts and minds. It is a far cry from the organization’s usual fare of video offerings, which includes public executions.