Word: al
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...clear, the town that bears that name has absolutely no relation to the infamous terrorist organization. Al-Qaeda, which means "the base," is named for its position at the foot of a high, rugged mountain range in western Yemen. Still, residents joke that having Al-Qaeda in your passport makes it impossible to get a visa. And in a country better known as Osama bin Laden's ancestral homeland, the site of the U.S.S. Cole bombing in 2000 and, most recently, the alleged training ground for underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the coincidence is lost on no one. (See pictures...
...road from the capital, Sana'a, to the city of Taiz, a bubbly fellow passenger named Habiba leaned over, lifted her veil and invited me - a stranger - to her village to attend her nephew's wedding. Of course, she added with a comforting pat on the shoulder, "not that al-Qaeda...
...weddings, as in most other aspects of life in this deeply conservative country, women are sequestered from men. Inside the house of Habiba's sister, the women of Al-Qaeda were loud and gregarious, donning slinky gowns and makeup for the all-women wedding party and passing out khat, a mildly narcotic leaf that most of the country chews. Like many other Yemenis, they were strongly opposed to U.S. policy in the Middle East, and the political commentary flowed easily as they offered me perfume and sweets and begged me to show them "Western" dancing when the party got going...
...captured in Kandahar by the Americans. Eight years later, she is waiting for President Obama to close the prison and return her husband. Nearly half of the remaining detainees at Guantánamo are Yemeni; their transfers were halted after the failed Christmas Day bombing attempt. Said Ali al-Shihri, one of several former detainees who reportedly returned to terrorism after their release, is now deputy commander of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula...
...morning, as I prepared to leave Al-Qaeda, the female wedding guests showered me with hugs and kisses. "Don't forget me," a 5-year-old named Mona said. One of the groom's brothers offered another suggestion: "Be careful. There are bad people out there...