Al-Qaeda in Yemen is hosting quiz competitions where an AK-47 is the grand prize

A quiz contest with an AK-47 assault rifle as the grand prize – this is the new strategy adopted by terror outfit al-Qaeda in Yemen to recruit fighters.

"Name three articles of the [Yemeni] constitution which contradict Islamic Law," read one of the questions in the quiz sheet that was distributed throughout the southwestern city of Taiz, residents told Reuters.

Militants from the Yemeni branch of al-Qaeda are advertising the competition by putting up posters around the city. They are reportedly taking advantage of the build-up to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan - beginning in the last week of May– and using the quiz as a platform to spread their radical interpretation of Islam.

Another question from the same quiz sheet read: "Any person who follows a law other than Islamic law is an infidel who must be killed. List three (scriptural) references for this."

The terror outfit has announced tempting prizes for the winners of the contest in an apparent move to attract maximum participation. The first prize is an AK-47 rifle, the second is a motorcycle and the third prize is a laptop. Additional prizes include a pistol and a cash prize of 20,000 Yemeni rial (£62.15, $80.06).

The quiz sheets do not give details about where to submit the entries, but locals told the news agency that militant offices are well known by the residents in the area.

Al-Qaeda in Yemen was one of the most active terror networks in the country until a major offensive launched by the government in 2010. A US-led coalition backed the Yemeni government in the crackdown as part of their global war against terrorism. The offensive caused severe damage to the jihadist group, but it still is active in the Arab Peninsula.