Attacking French expats could perhaps work with the Algerian Salafi crowd that they're trying to attract, nurtured on Liberation War tales. Possibly elsewhere too -- bear in mind that they aren't looking to recruit ordinary Mohamed Doe, who is of course horrified by these threats; their only interest is how it plays with people who are already deep into the Salafi fringe.

Spanish, seems plain dumb from a tactical angle -- if anything, they should be overempahsizing how secure Spain can be after pulling out from Iraq, so as to cast it as a real political victory, even if it wasn't.

As for the overall line of thought ... well, they are a sect, a cult far past, say, the Scientology movement in its sheer nuttiness. I'm sure it makes excellent sense in their insulated little world of paranoia and cosmic battles. Take bin Ladin, who has certainly proved himself successful as far as terrorism & media utilization goes -- the fact that he has been heard ranting about how the USA will be plunged into civil war as individual states secede, I think says a lot about their level of political consciousness. They're smart people, and good at what they do, but too out of touch with reality to understand their position fully.

I don't know the logic behind this either. I suppose this is a drive at recruiting Algerians and Moroccans - and the fact that Spain and France are singled out I think isn't so much linked to colonial history as to the special relationship that Morocco and Algeria have with these two countries. France and Spain attract most Algerian and Moroccan illegal migrants, and, in Morocco's case, there's a geographical closeness to Spain - if young unemployed or underpaid young men in Morocco and Algeria have one common dream, it is to settle in France or Spain. The fact that is hard to do so, legally or clandestinely, leads to resentment. It is probably not a coincidence that Tétouan, in Northern Morocco and formerly part of the Spanish occupation zone in Morocco, and still very much hispanophone, is the city in Morocco which has sent most salafi fighters to Iraq. This is just wild speculation on my part, but Al Qaïda might be trying to intensify their recruitment in Morocco and Algeria - and possibly in the maghrebi communities in France and Spain.

As for winning the public opinion in Morocco and Algeria, I think that Al QaÎda is above such petty concerns - they haven't bent over backwards to win Iraqi public opinion, it seems...

And the al Andalus-gimmick is used simply because everyone who's been to school knows about the myth of Islam's golden age - citing al Andalus is actually common fare not only with islamists, but also with secularists & liberals, for different reasons of course.

Well, yes, everyone loves to cite to Al Andalous in a sort of vague, hand waving oh weren't those great times way. Hear it all the time.

But the bloody reconquest part.

The levels of stupid in that.... I guess Alle convinces me. The Cult may actually believe in this tripe.

Reminds me of the breathless Salafi loony tune who used to be my friend (before disappearing, I think for a free trip to the Sahara, but who knows) who would always regale me with bizarre predictions of America or UK or Germany converting soon. All based off of bad math and even worse reasoning.

Well, of course personal interest is the angle here. I believe I do fit most of the profile of their now declared targets. Really tedious this.

(and I used to vacation in Tetouan, very strange city I have to say, not sure if it needed more or less kif)

Targeting Europeans does have the benefit of appealing to those who see them as "crusaders" out to get the Muslim world, as well as tapping old anti-colonial hostility, and most of all I suppose hitting Europeans is a way of keeping oneself in the eye of the world media, showing that one is an International Threat? It does seem to work, sad to say - a local journalist kidnapped or blown up in Iraq, for example, isn't going to get as much attention as a Westerner in the same position.

Reminds me of the breathless Salafi loony tune who used to be my friend (before disappearing, I think for a free trip to the Sahara, but who knows) who would always regale me with bizarre predictions of America or UK or Germany converting soon.

Maybe he was reading Mark Steyn in The Spectator.

The inverse rather I think. Steyn wants to believe the fevered imaginations of the neo-Salfine.