Is the general population in Yemen receptive to Al-Qaeda?
In my opinion Yemen has lost a whole generation because of the type of education that was provided through what were called “scientific institutes.” These institutes were religious institutes preaching a salafi and wahabi interpretation, which is extremist and pro jihad. We lost this generation also because this type of school came within a context when North and South Yemen were competing against each other. At the same time, North Yemen and Saudi Arabia were trying to combat the communist ideology of the South of Yemen. So now we have a generation that is more or less formed by the extremist ideology of wahabism. I personally wouldn’t be surprised to see that there is a significant portion of young people who might be sympathetic to the message of Bin Laden. These institutions were closed after 9/11, which was a good step. Nevertheless, what is very surprising is the example of a university like al-Imam. This university is led by Zindani, a well-known Salafia sheikh with connections
