Al-Qaida Magazine Draws Attention, But Few Fans

Ever since it appeared on the Web several weeks ago, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula's Inspire magazine has been the subject of intense scrutiny by U.S. intelligence officials. Inspire is a 67-page glossy online publication that appears to have been published by al-Qaida's increasingly aggressive arm in Yemen.

Yet for all of the attention the magazine has received in the Western media, it hasn't seemed to get much traction with the very audience it is supposed to attract: aspiring violent jihadists. Law enforcement officials say they can't remember when a media offering from al-Qaida has ever been the subject of so much discussion.
The magazine, they claim, is different because of how very American it seems to be. It is written in colloquial English. It has jazzy headlines and articles that would seem mainstream — if they weren't about terrorism.