So, “al-Hashemi al-Qurashi” are his kids? What does the “al-” mean?
Al-Hashemi means that he is a Hashemite - an Arab descendant of the family/clan of the Prophet Muhammed.
Al-Qurashi means that he is a member of the Quraysh Tribe - the larger tribe that Muhammed belonged to. The Hashemites were a clan within that Tribe, during Muhammed’s time.
“What does the “al-” mean?”
“The”
al Queda and ISIS members use a Nom de Guerre, rather than their actual names. Usually it will end with their Country of origin, like al Amriki (the American), or al Masri (the Egyptian).
In this case of the new ISIS Emir (or Caliph), they instead tout the kind of pedigree that has traditionally supported claims to leadership among Arab muslims (like the Hashemite Family that rules Jordan today).
Al as in THE