Look Who's on Al Qaeda's Most-Wanted List

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Al Qaeda has published the latest issue of its jihadist recruitment magazine Inspire, which includes a handy, up-to-date list of all the people they hate the most. Published under the heading, "Wanted: Dead Or Alive for Crimes Against Islam," the magazine includes the nine men and two people they've targeted as their biggest enemies. In case you're not clear on what they want, exactly, the list also includes an image of one of the wanted, Koran-hating pastor Terry Jones, being shot in the head. Beneath that is the caption, "Yes We Can: A Bullet A Day Keeps the Infidel Away."

Not subtle.

More than half the names on the list (a couple of which are misspelled) are related to various cartoon controversies that date back to 2005, when the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published cartoons mocking the Prophet Mohammed. It also include two famous Dutch politicians who have been openly critical of Islam, the man who spread the notorious "Innocence of Islam" video, Jones, and of course, Salman Rushdie. 

If you're noticing a common theme, it's that these are not people who have killed Muslims or even waged war on al Qaeda directly. No, the greatest crime imaginable is insulting the Prophet Mohammed, which most—if not all—of these people would gladly admit to being guilty of. Presidents Obama and Bush will have to wait their turn.

Here's the full list, with background.

Geert Wilders: Founder of the Dutch "Party for Freedom"; has been quoted as saying "I don't hate Muslims, I hate Islam."

Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Somali-born Dutch activist and politician; has written that "We are at war with Islam," not just "radical Islam" and it must be defeated; married to British historian Niall Ferguson (though that's probably not related)

Morris Sadek: Egyptian-American Coptic Christian; he spread the anti-Islam video "Innocence of Muslims" that sparked violent protests in several Muslim countries.

Carsten Juste & Flemming Rose: Editor-in-chief and cultural editors at Jyllands-Posten when the paper chose to publish cartoons mocking Mohammed.

Kurt Westergaard: Cartoonist who contributed to the Jyllands-Posten controversy; his turban-as-bomb drawing became the most famous of the cartoons.

Lars Vilks: Dutch cartoonist who published his own Mohammed drawings more than a year after the Jyllands-Posten incident.

Molly Norris: American cartoonist who proposed "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" as a protest against both censorship and the idea that images of Mohtammed should be forbidden.

Stephane Charbonnier: Editor of Charlie Hedbo, a French satirical magazine that has published several mocking images of Mohammed on its cover (and got its office firebombed as a result.)

Terry Jones: Florida preacher who has burned Korans in protest of Islam.

Salman Rushdie: The Satanic Verses, etc.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.