Pope Francis Poses with 'Dialogue for Malvinas' Sign

THE TELEGRAPH: Pope Francis poses with a propaganda sign calling for "dialogue" between Britain and Argentina

Pope Francis has posed with a propaganda poster backing Argentina's call for dialogue with Britain over the Falkland Islands.

The move risked angering residents of both the Falklands and Britain, which has always considered its sovereignty over the islands beyond question.

The Argentine pontiff, who has previously refused to get involved in the disagreement, was visited at the Vatican by an activist from the "Dialogue for Malvinas" campaign.

The activist presented the Pope with a sign reading: "It's time for Argentina and Britain to discuss the Falklands."

Britain and the Falkland Islanders have long rejected calls for dialogue, with the argument that there is nothing to discuss.

The islanders voted overwhelmingly to remain British in a March 2013 referendum. Read on and comment » | Harriet Alexander | Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Donald Trump to the Pope: 'Isil Wants to Get You'

Donald Trump

THE TELEGRAPH: Billionaire Republican frontrunner says he would like to meet Pope Francis but would not tolerate any criticism of capitalism

Donald Trump says he would not allow the Pope to criticise capitalism if they were to meet face to face, and would scare him into silence by reminding him that violent jihadis of the Islamic State want to invade the Vatican.

It was a typically bombastic Trump moment delivered during a wide-ranging interview in which he took on Hillary Clinton, underlined his views on illegal immigrants and said he would allow women to fight in American special forces. » | Rob Crilly, New York | Thursday, August 20, 2015

The Crucial Role of Women within Islamic State

Manchester twins Zahra and Salma Halane travelled to join US
in 2014; they both married IS fighters but were widowed by the
end of the year

BBC: Whitehall officials have told the BBC that contrary to recent announcements, the number of Britons emigrating to Syria to live under Islamic State (IS) rule peaked two years ago. However, the proportion of women among those joining the extremist group has risen dramatically. So what's behind this and what exactly is the IS strategy behind luring women into their ranks? Our Security Correspondent Frank Gardner investigates.

Islamic State, also known as Isis, has a dual attitude to women.

On the one hand it treats those it considers heretics as almost sub-human, as commodities to be traded and given away as rewards to jihadist fighters.

Shocking footage from a modern-day sex-slave market in Mosul, Iraq, shows militants discussing prices for Yazidi girls, captured last year, many of them underage.

At least 2,000 Yazidi women are still being held, only a few have escaped.

'Corner stones'

"They put us up for sale," said one who did recently escape. "Many groups of fighters came to buy. Whatever we did, crying, begging, made no difference."

But on the other hand, IS has big plans for Muslim women who migrate to their territory to play a key role in building the so-called caliphate.

"They want women to join them," says Dr Katherine Brown, an expert in Islamic Studies at King's College London.

"They see women as the corner stones of the new state and they want citizens.

"What is really interesting is that people talk of IS as being a death cult, but that is the opposite of what they are trying to create... they want to create a new state... and they very much want women to join that as part of this utopian politics."

That utopia includes a treatise published in Arabic in February, setting out a code of conduct that harks back 1,400 years.

It is aimed primarily at Arab women in the Gulf states and the wider Middle East and includes passages that are incomprehensible to most people in the West:

"It is considered legitimate for a girl to be married at the age of nine. Most pure girls will be married by 16 or 17, while they are still young and active," the treatise says. » | Frank Gardner, BBC Security correspondent | Thursday, August 20, 2015

Slovakia Refuses to Accept Muslim Migrants

THE TELEGRAPH: Country will refuse entry to Muslims among quota of 200 migrants, on grounds that country has "no mosques", as German mayor threatens to seize private homes to house asylum seekers

Slovakia has said it will not accept any Muslims under an EU scheme to share migrants more evenly between member states.

“We want to help Europe with the migration issue. We could take 800 Muslims but we don't have any mosques in Slovakia so how can Muslims be integrated if they are not going to like it here?” Ivan Metik, an interior ministry spokesman, said.

Slovakia is to host 200 migrants under an EU plan to redistribute 40,000 away from Italy and Greece, which are overwhelmed with the numbers arriving across the Mediterranean.

The Slovakian government said it plans to ask the migrants their religion on arrival.

The European Commission expressed its displeasure at the Slovakian plans. “We act here in the spirit of the treaty, which prevents any form of discrimination,” Annika Breidthardt, a spokesman, said.

While it is legal to prioritise Christians who are at extra risk of persecution because of their religion, turning away Muslims because there are no mosques would be discriminatory and of dubious legality, according to one EU source. » | Matthew Holehouse, Brussels, and Justin Huggler, Berlin | Wednesday, August 19, 2015

IS-Extremisten köpfen Chef-Archäologen von Palmyra

DIE WELT: 50 Jahre war Palmyra sein Leben. Jetzt hat der IS den Chef-Archäologen der antiken Ruinenstadt in Syrien geköpft und Bilder seines enthaupteten Leichnams veröffentlicht. Ein "Omen", so die Behörden.

Die Terrormiliz Islamischer Staat (IS) hat nach Angaben des staatlichen Leiters für Antiquitäten, Mamoun Abdul Karim, den 82-jährigen Chef-Archäologen der antiken Wüstenstadt Palmyra in Syrien geköpft. Khaled Asaad hatte seit mehr als 50 Jahren die Forschungsarbeiten an den Ruinen des Unesco-Welterbes geleitet.

Nach Angaben seiner Familie wurde er vor über einem Monat von den Dschihadisten verschleppt. Zur Machtdemonstration wurde sein enthaupteter Leichnam an einer Straßenkreuzung der Stadt zur Schau gestellt und ein Foto davon im Internet veröffentlicht. » | Reuters/rct | Mittwoch, 19. August 2015

Left for Dead: Afghan Translator 'Abandoned' by UK Killed Trying to Escape Taliban

An Afghan military translator, who served with British forces during the occupation, has been killed while attempting to flee the country after being refused asylum in the UK, media outlets report

‘It’s a Real Massacre, But the World Is Silent’: Up to 200 People Killed by ISIS in Sirte, Libya

ISIS takes full control of the city of Sirte, Libya. The situation is desperate, local residents report

Who Is to Blame for ISIS? Jibes Heat Up US Presidential Election

ISIS Message to America: ‘We Will Not Stop Fighting Till We Put the Black Flag on the White House

Germany to Receive 750,000 Asylum Seekers This Year, Reports Claim

THE GUARDIAN: Sources put numbers arriving in Germany far higher than previously expected, as UN warns it and Sweden are bearing brunt of migrant crisis

The number of people seeking asylum in Germany is predicted to soar to 750,000 this year according to reports, amid warnings by the United Nations that it and Sweden are unfairly bearing the brunt of Europe’s refugee burden.

Government sources told the business daily Handelsblatt the figures, which are due to be released by the interior minister, Thomas de Maizière, on Wednesday, are far higher than previously expected.

The leak came as the EU’s border agency, Frontex, said 107,500 migrants were detected at its frontiers last month, three times as many as in July 2014. » | Kate Connolly in Berlin | Tuesday, August 18, 2015

From Islamic Extremism to Peace in Christ

Ibrahim's journey and testimony

Muhammad Really Is the Single Most Popular Boys’ Name in England and Wales

THE SPECTATOR: Why doesn’t the Office of National Statistics want us to know that Mohammed is the most popular boys’ name in England and Wales? Yesterday, it put out its annual survey of the top 10 baby’s names. In 2014, it reported, the most popular boys’ names were Oliver, Jack and Harry. This contrasts somewhat with a similar survey by the website BabyCentre last December which claimed that the most popular boys’ name was now Mohammed. » | Ross Clark | Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Muslim Drag Queens: Stars of Channel 4 Show Brave Death Threats to Appear in Film

THE INDEPENDENT: 'There is a whole community that is living in Britain which is hidden - now is the time to come out'

“I’m gay, I’m Muslim, I’m a drag queen, I’m British and Pakistani,” said Asif Quraishi, Britain’s first out and proud Muslim drag queen who performs under the glamorous alter ego, Asifa Lahore. “People say these things shouldn’t fit together but hey, here I am.”

Now Quaraishi and his fellow artistes have been promised police protection amid fears that a Channel 4 documentary shining a spotlight on the “hidden” community of gay British Asians could provoke a violent response.

Quraishi, 33, from Southall, West London, performs a provocative act in which he strips off a Burka and has received death threats from fellow Muslims.

The winner of the LGBT award at Attitude magazine’s Pride ceremony, Quraishi estimates that there are 150 drag queens across Britain who, are devout Muslims, like himself.

The documentary, Muslim Drag Queens, broadcast on 24 August, follows three members of a largely clandestine gay Asian community who are challenging taboos within Islam through their embrace of cross-dressing exhibitionism. » | Adam Sherwin | Media Correspondent | Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Isil Calls On Supporters to Fight 'Traitor' Turkey

The Turkish-speaking jihadist, flanked by two others, accuses
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan of permitting the U.S.
to "bombard the people of Islam"

THE TELEGRAPH: Call to arms in Islamic State video comes after Ankara allied itself with Washington against the extremist group

Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil) has publicly called on its supporters to attack Turkey for the first time, after Ankara allied itself with Washington against the jihadist group.

In a video issued on Monday, an Isil spokesman calls Turkish president Recep Tayep Erdogan a "tyrant traitor" and exhorts its followers inside the country to rise up “wherever they are and however they can” against the government.

In the video, entitled “A Message to Turkey”, Isil accuses Mr Erdogan of being allied to the “American Crusaders, the caretakers of the Jews,” and the “criminal atheists” of the Kurdish militant faction the Kurdistan Workers’ Union, or PKK. » | Nabih Bulos | Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Belgian Fruit Syrup Faces Boycott Calls over Halal Labelling

THE TELEGRAPH: Move by Belgian syrup factory to enter Islamic markets sparks protests and a row over national identity

A fruit syrup that has been a staple of Belgian kitchens for generations is at the centre of a row over national identity, after its manufacturers applied for ‘halal’ certification.

The makers of Sirop de Liège, a molasses made of stewed apples, dates and pears and known by its distinctive blue and green pot, face a bitter backlash after they sought to tap into overseas Islamic markets.

The Siroperie Meurens, the family business that has been boiling fruit to the same recipe since 1902, faces calls for a boycott and has been inundated with online abuse since it announced the move.

Securing ‘halal’ certification would help the firm to target markets such as Indonesia and Egypt, at a time when the European fruit industry is under pressure due to sanctions on Russia that have halted food exports.

The move would confirm to Muslim consumers that the sticky brown syrup, which is eaten with bread and pancakes, or used as an ingredient in meatball sauces, does not contain pork gelatine. The recipe would stay the same, as would the labelling, the firm said. » | Matthew Holehouse, Brussels | Monday, August 17, 2015

LA MEUSE: Trahison, appel au boycott: rien ne va plus pour le sirop de Liège depuis l'annonce de la certification halal du produit de tradition : Nous vous l’annoncions ce week-end: le sirop de Liège de chez Meurens est désormais certifié «halal». Un label qui va permettre à la siroperie d’Aubel d’augmenter ses exportations. Seulement voilà, pour certains, il s’agit là d’une véritable trahison et la nouvelle a déchaîné les passions sur les réseaux sociaux. » | K. Wuyard | mardi 11 août 2015

Another Bush Invasion of Iraq? US Presidential Candidate Jeb Says Use Troops to Fight ISIS

The former Florida said the US must be prepared to send
ground troops to tackle ISIS

DAILY EXPRESS: REPUBLICAN presidential candidate Jeb Bush has signalled he would support further military interventions in Iraq to defeat Islamic State.

The brother of former president George W Bush said the US may need to send more ground troops into the country to defeat militants fighting for the terror group - also known as ISIS.

In his first speech on foreign policy since launching his bid for the White House, Mr Bush attacked President Barack Obama for allowing the fanatical regime to take hold in the Middle East.

He said: "Who can seriously argue that America and our friends are safer today than in 2009, when the president and Secretary Clinton - the storied 'team of rivals' - took office?"

The 62-year-old former Florida governor blasted Hillary Clinton for standing by as the "hard-won victory by American and allied forces was thrown away".

He added: "ISIS grew while the United States disengaged from the Middle East and ignored the threat. » | Tom Batchelor | Wednesday, August 13, 2015

Lavrov: Ousting Assad Militarily Equals ISIS Taking Over Syria

The ousting of President Bashar Assad by force would only lead to ISIS seizing power in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned, adding that Islamic State can only be defeated if all forces who are battling it unite

Isil Claim to Have Beheaded Croatian Hostage in Egypt

THE TELEGRAPH: Tomislav Salopek, 31, was kidnapped in the early hours of July 22 as his car left Cairo

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) loyalists appear to have murdered their first western hostage in Egypt.

Tomislav Salopek, 31, was kidnapped in the early hours of July 22 as his car left Cairo. He reappeared last week in a video released by the extremist group.

On Wednesday, a photograph showing what appeared to be Mr Salopek’s body was circulating on the social media accounts of Isil loyalists. The image could not immediately be verified.

The Isil-affiliated group, known as Sinai Province, had set a 48-hour deadline last Wednesday for Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to release female Muslim prisoners, warning that they would kill Mr Salopek if their demands were not met.

Isil sympathisers shared the macabre countdown on social media as the deadline expired. Several accounts carried images of knives alongside the message: “Croatia participated in the war with the Islamic State”. » | Louisa Loveluck | Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Historical Discrepancy of Quran in Geography and Times - Jay Smith

Jay Smith has been researching for many years about Islam. He found that there is some fundamental issues in terms of reliability of Quran and geographical different direction early period of Islam.

Tom Holland on the Quran

Tom Holland - Author, "In the Shadow of the Sword".