You might think that Islamist insurgency and the interim Somali government and free-form terrorist activities were enough to keep the notorious Somali Islamist group Al-Shabaab busy. But apparently not. At a recent conclave, Al-Shabaab bigwigs voted to undergo a major rebranding and possibly marketing campaign.
They’re changing their name from al-Shabaab to Imaarah Islamiyah (Islamic Authority).
Shabaab leader Mukhtaar Robow explained the name change with local media after the announcement was made. “Al-Shabaab means ‘youth’ but many of us, including the leaders, are very old so we want to change the name to Imaarah Islamiya,” said Robow, according to SomaliaReport.com.
