If the Bahraini jihadi ideologue Turki al-Bin`ali personifies â??the caliphateâ??s scholar-in-armsâ? for the Islamic State, one would find difficult to name a similar leading figure in al-Qa`idaâ??s ranks. Indeed, although most of the senior jihadi scholars sided with Ayman al-Zawahiri in his conflict with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, none of them actually belong to the organization. While the senior scholars certainly have longstanding ties to both al-Qa`idaâ??s leaders and rank and file and have been instrumental in furthering its agenda and that of its affiliates, they all remain independent from al-Zawahiriâ??s command.
With that said, al-Qa`ida has long strived to promote religious scholars in its ranks, such as Abu Yahya al-Libi and `Atiyyatullah al-Libi, who proved to be major influences in the militant landscape and in jihadi sympathizersâ?? circles. However, a sustained U.S. drone strikes campaign in Pakistanâ??s tribal areas removed these well-known heavyweights.
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