The British Muslims Who Want to Live under the Islamic State

Radical Muslims are demanding the security services allow them to leave Britain to live under Sharia law in parts of Syria and Iraq controlled by the Islamic State, so why can't they leave?

Read the short article here

Islamic State: "We Will Take Spain Back"

A tweeted photo of an Islamic State supporter holding the
IS black flag of jihad in front of Aljafería Palace in Zaragoza.

GATESTONE INSTITUTE: Calls to reconquer al-Andalus are becoming more frequent and more strident.

"Clearly Spain forms part of the strategic objectives of global jihad. We are not the only ones but we are in their sights." — Spanish Interior Minister Jorge Fernández Díaz.

Radical Muslims in Spain have launched a social media campaign aimed at generating support for the jihadist group Islamic State [IS].

The campaign involves posters that include images of famous Spanish landmarks and monuments emblazoned with Arabic slogans such as, "We are all the Islamic State" and "Long Live the Islamic State."

One poster includes an image of the medieval Islamic Aljafería Palace in the Spanish city of Zaragoza and the black flag associated with the IS. Another uses an image of the famous La Concha beach in the Basque city of San Sebastián. Yet another includes an image of the statue of Jesus Christ on Monte Urgull in San Sebastián, with the Arabic words "Al-Andalus Country" instead of "Basque Country."

Al-Andalus is the Arabic name given to those parts of Spain, Portugal and France that were occupied by Muslim conquerors (also known as the Moors) from 711 to 1492. As the Basque Country is surrounded by mountains, however, the Moors never succeeded in occupying it. The poster campaign comes after IS jihadists produced a video in which they vow to liberate al-Andalus from non-Muslims and make it part of their new Islamic Caliphate.

The video shows a jihadist speaking in Spanish with a heavy North African accent. He says:

"I say to the entire world as a warning: We are living under the Islamic flag, the Islamic caliphate. We will die for it until we liberate those occupied lands, from Jakarta to Andalusia. And I declare: Spain is the land of our forefathers and we are going to take it back with the power of Allah."

Radical Muslims (and many moderate Muslims) believe that all territories Muslims lost during the Christian Reconquista of Spain still belong to the realm of Islam. They claim that Islamic law gives them the right to return there and re-establish Muslim rule.

In recent years, the return of "occupied" Al-Andalus to the fold of Islam has become an obsession for Muslims of all stripes, and calls to reconquer al-Andalus have become more frequent and more strident.

Commenting on the latest video, Spain's Secretary of State for Security, Francisco Martínez, said Spanish police were remaining "vigilant" in the face of a "grave" jihadist threat. » | Soeren Kern | Sunday, August 17, 2014

Church Launches Bitter Attack on PM's 'Incoherent' Middle East Policy

THE OBSERVER: Bishop of Leeds slams failure over Islamist extremism in scathing letter backed by the archbishop of Canterbury

The Church of England has delivered a withering critique of David Cameron's Middle East policy, describing the government's approach as incoherent, ill-thought-out and determined by "the loudest media voice at any particular time".

The criticisms are made in an extraordinary letter to the prime minister signed by the bishop of Leeds, Nicholas Baines, and written with the support of the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. Seen by the Observer, it describes the UK's foreign policy as so muddled and reactive that it is "difficult to discern the strategic intentions" of the government's approach to the region.

The letter follows widespread claims that Britain and the west have been slow to respond to unfolding events in Iraq as Islamic State, formerly known as Isis, has imposed its bloody rule across northern Iraq and swaths of Syria.

Cameron is taken to task for failing to develop an effective plan to tackle the spread of violent Islamist extremism from Iraq to Nigeria, where the militant group Boko Haram has terrorised the north of the country. "We do not seem to have a coherent or comprehensive approach to Islamic extremism as it is developing across the globe," the bishop writes.

Cameron is accused of turning his back on the suffering of Christians. The letter asks why the plight of religious minorities in Iraq, such as the Yazidis, seems to have taken precedence. It notes that, though the government responded promptly to reports of at least 30,000 Yazidis trapped on Mount Sinjar, the fate of tens of thousands of Iraqi Christians fleeing jihadists from Mosul, Iraq's second city, and elsewhere appears to have "fallen from consciousness".

Baines asks: "Does your government have a coherent response to the plight of these huge numbers of Christians whose plight appears to be less regarded than that of others? Or are we simply reacting to the loudest media voice at any particular time?" He condemns the failure to offer sanctuary to Iraqi Christians driven from their homes: "The French and German governments have already made provision, but there has so far been only silence from the UK government." » | Mark Townsend, home affairs editor | Saturday, August 16, 2014

David Cameron: Isil Poses a Direct and Deadly Threat to Britain

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The poisonous extremism on the march in Iraq and Syria affects us all - and we have no choice but to rise to the challenge, says the Prime Minister

Stability. Security. The peace of mind that comes from being able to get a decent job and provide for your family, in a country that you feel has a good future ahead of it and that treats people fairly. In a nutshell, that is what people in Britain want – and what the Government I lead is dedicated to building.

Britain – our economy, our security, our future – must come first. After a deep and damaging recession, and our involvement in long and difficult conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is hardly surprising that so many people say to me when seeing the tragedies unfolding on their television screens: “Yes, let’s help with aid, but let’s not get any more involved.”

I agree that we should avoid sending armies to fight or occupy. But we need to recognise that the brighter future we long for requires a long-term plan for our security as well as for our economy. True security will only be achieved if we use all our resources – aid, diplomacy, our military prowess – to help bring about a more stable world. Today, when every nation is so immediately interconnected, we cannot turn a blind eye and assume that there will not be a cost for us if we do.

The creation of an extremist caliphate in the heart of Iraq and extending into Syria is not a problem miles away from home. Nor is it a problem that should be defined by a war 10 years ago. It is our concern here and now. Because if we do not act to stem the onslaught of this exceptionally dangerous terrorist movement, it will only grow stronger until it can target us on the streets of Britain. We already know that it has the murderous intent. Indeed, the first Isil-inspired terrorist acts on the continent of Europe have already taken place. Read on and comment » | David Cameron | Friday, August 17, 2014

My comment:

Your reaction to the threat of ISLAM is pathetic, Sir. You do not understand Islam, and nor do you appear to want to. If you and your liberal ilk do not do something drastic about the growth of Islam in this country, we, the indigenous people of these lands, are done for. You talk a good line, but you do damn all about the problem.

I have voted Conservative all of my life, but I fear the time for voting Conservative is over. You have allowed so many immigrants of this persuasion into our country that I fear the country has already been lost to Islam. What was it I read about the most popular name for baby boys is this country? Yes, that's it: It's Muhammad, or one of its variations in spelling.

This country is heading for civil war. Wherever Islam is allowed to put down roots, civil unrest ensues. You and your ilk have a hell of a lot to answer for. You are craven to a man. Please don't expect me to vote Conservative again. It's not going to happen. – © Mark Alexander

This comment appears here also.

John Lewis's New Line, Hijabs to Wear at School: Department Store Signs Contract with Schools in London and Liverpool to Offer Conservative Islamic Clothing

MAIL ONLINE: John Lewis is offering hijab in school uniform department for the first time / Headdress is to be sold in the company's stores in London and Liverpool / Retailer signed contracts with two schools, including Islamia Girls' School / Hijab covers head and chest and is worn by Muslim women after puberty

John Lewis is offering the hijab in its school uniform department for the first time.

The headdress is to be sold in the company’s stores in London and Liverpool after it signed contracts with two schools – one which was set up to educate Muslim girls and a second that welcomes pupils from all religious communities.

The hijab covers the head and chest and is worn by Muslim women after the onset of puberty as a sign of modesty in the presence of men who are outside their immediate family.

It is different from the niqab, which is a full face veil and has proved divisive in schools and public life, for example if wearers are giving evidence in court.

There has been controversy over whether it is right for girls attending state schools to wear religious dress rather than the standard uniform.

But the fact that a mainstream retailer is starting to stock the hijab alongside blazers and blouses is likely to be welcomed as a breakthrough by Muslim parents who have so far had to rely on specialist shops. » | Sean Poulter, Consumer Affairs Editor | Saturday, August 16, 2014

British 'Jihadist' Describes His Plan to Go to Iraq or Syria to Fight

BBC: The role of a reported 400 British jihadists who have joined fighting in Syria and Iraq has been much highlighted in reports from the region in recent weeks.

But what is the motivation for people, usually revealed to be youngsters with little or no experience of conflict, to leave their homes in British towns and cities to do so?

One British man who is still in the UK has told the BBC in an interview that he feels it is his "obligation" to now go to Iraq or Syria.

We don't know his real name, or where he comes from in the UK, and during our TV interview his face is covered with a bright red scarf.

After he says hello, "Ahmed", as he wants to be known, speaks with purpose. He details why he wants to fight in Iraq or Syria.

"God has commanded for the Muslims to go and fight jihad", he says. (+ video) » | Ed Thomas | North of England Correspondent, BBC News | Friday, August 15, 2014

10,000's of Muslims Convert to Christianity in UK

Thousands convert to christianity - and these are only the ones we know about.

«Die hässliche Fratze des Antisemitismus»

TAGES ANZEIGER: In Europa nimmt der Antisemitismus neue Dimensionen an. Auch Schweizer Juden erhalten deutlich mehr Hassbriefe und werden auf sozialen Medien offen angefeindet.

Französische Juden wandern zu Tausenden nach Israel aus, viele, weil sie die offenen Anfeindungen nicht mehr ertragen. Im letzten Mai sind mit Jobbik (Ungarn) und Goldene Morgenröte (Griechenland) zwei Parteien ins Europaparlament eingezogen, die sich nicht darum bemühen, ihren Judenhass zu kaschieren.

Auch in der Schweiz wird offen gegen Juden gehetzt. Die Stiftung gegen Rassismus und Antisemitismus (GRA) führt seit 22 Jahren eine Chronologie über rassistische und antisemitische Vorfälle, 44 Ereignisse dokumentierte sie seit Jahresbeginn. 9 Anzeigen reichte die GRA in den letzten Monaten ein, unter anderem wegen antisemitischer Äusserungen auf Facebook im Vorfeld einer Kundgebung für Palästina in Zürich. » | Von Felix Schindler | Redaktor Inland | Donnerstag, 14. August 2014

Mark Levin on How ISIS Is a 'Direct Threat' to the US

Aug. 13, 2014 - 7:29 - Radio show host has harsh words for the president

Geert Wilders Warning to Israel

BREITBART.COM: Tom Trento interviews the controversial Mr. Geert Wilders, MP, Netherlands who, who is known as a politicican that stands in support of Israel and against Hamas and Islamic jihad worldwide.

In this interview, Wilders, leader of the Party for Freedom, analyzes both the immediate problem that Israel has with the Hamas and the long-term problem that the West has with the global advance of the so-called Islamic Caliphate.

Moreover, Wilders offers his solutions, which he argues are essential for Western countries to defeat “supremacist Islam.” » | Breitbart TV | Monday, August 11, 2014

The Disturbing Rise of the Islamic State

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: The Islamic State is conquering cities in Syria and Iraq with disturbing frequency and tens of thousands of Christians and Yazidis are fleeing. The US has begun air strikes, but the Islamists are benefiting from instability in both countries.

With the exception of a few birds defying the sweltering midday heat, all is quiet on the front, with Kurdish fighters cowering in the shade of the cliffs. Suddenly, sentence fragments from Friday prayers can be heard on the banks of the Euphrates River. "Gather together ... smash the traitors of the faith!" The words from the preacher, distorted by the amplifiers so loved by the jihadists, sound almost spooky.

Down along the river, the jihadists with the Islamic State (IS) gather together for the next attack. A few hundred meters above on the sparse, sun-drenched hills, the Kurds are sitting, feeling like they've somehow ended up on the set of a horror film.

"What do they want from us," asks one young fighter who only a few weeks ago still worked as a cashier in a supermarket. "These madmen keep on attacking and they continue to come at us even after they've been shot. I hit one of them twice. He only stopped after he was shot in the head. They're insane. They come here to die." » | Katrin Kuntz and Christoph Reuter | Monday, August 11, 2014

Mein Sohn, der Dschihadist

Wenn das Kind Salafist wird
Das Video hier abspielen

'Emir' of Mosul Says Islamic State Has No Fear of US Air Strikes

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Haji Othman tells Italian daily that militant group's advances in Iraq are 'just the beginning' and that the world 'cannot imagine' the strength of its forces

Islamic State’s self-declared “emir” of Mosul says his fighters have no fear of American air strikes and that the world has so far seen just a fraction of the extremist group’s military strength.

Haji Othman, who identifies himself as one of the leaders of the “Islamic caliphate of Mosul”, warned that Christians in northern Iraq must convert to Islam, pay a tax as “non-believers” or face certain death.

Islamic State has made rapid advances in Iraq and is tightening its grip on Syria, where the group now controls around a third of the country.

They have successfully taken on the Syrian army, Kurdish militias and Sunni Muslim tribal forces but bigger military operations are to follow, Haji Othman told Corriere della Sera, one of Italy’s leading dailies.

“This is nothing. We’re just at the beginning. Up until now we’ve used just a small part of the forces that we have at our disposition. You cannot imagine how strong we really are. We have immense power. You’ll be amazed. You won’t be able to defeat us,” he told the newspaper, during a telephone conversation by mobile phone. » | Nick Squires, Rome | Monday, August 11, 2014

Islam Fastest Growing Religion in UK as Churches Decline

While Christian Churches in the UK are struggling to draw people to worship, the Islamic community there is burgeoning. Some Muslim groups are doing all they can to counter fears the rapid growth is a challenge to British traditions.

George Galloway Declares Bradford ‘An Israel-free Zone’ and Warns Away ‘Israeli Tourists’

THE INDEPENDENT: The Respect Party leader and MP for Bradford West said ‘we don’t want Israeli goods, services… or tourists’

George Galloway claims to have “declared Bradford an Israel-free zone”, saying that he wants the city to reject all Israeli goods, services, academics – and even tourists.

Reportedly speaking at a meeting of the Respect Party in Leeds at the weekend, Mr Galloway urged the people of that city “to do the same”.

The MP for Bradford West’s comments were captured on video and posted to YouTube, and have since been met with an angry backlash on Twitter.

According to the footage, which was posted on the Guido Fawkes blog, Mr Galloway told activists: “We have declared Bradford an Israel-free zone.”

He said: “We don’t want any Israeli goods. We don’t want any Israeli services. We don’t want any Israeli academics, coming to the university or the college. » | Adam Withnall | Thursday, August 07, 2014

Iraq Christian Leader: People Are Being Slaughtered

BBC: The UN Security Council has held an emergency meeting on Iraq, after the largest Christian town was seized by Islamic State militants.

Tens of thousands of Iraqi Christians and Yazidis have fled their homes following a warning by the militants to renounce their faiths or face death.

Canon Andrew White, who is the vicar of the only Anglican church in Iraq, says the international community must do more to help Christians and other minorities. He says people are being "slaughtered". (+ BBC video) » | Friday, August 08, 2014

Antisemitism On Rise across Europe 'In Worst Times since the Nazis'

THE GUARDIAN: Experts say attacks go beyond Israel-Palestinian conflict as hate crimes strike fear into Jewish communities

In the space of just one week last month, according to Crif, the umbrella group for France's Jewish organisations, eight synagogues were attacked. One, in the Paris suburb of Sarcelles, was firebombed by a 400-strong mob. A kosher supermarket and pharmacy were smashed and looted; the crowd's chants and banners included "Death to Jews" and "Slit Jews' throats". That same weekend, in the Barbes neighbourhood of the capital, stone-throwing protesters burned Israeli flags: "Israhell", read one banner.

In Germany last month, molotov cocktails were lobbed into the Bergische synagogue in Wuppertal – previously destroyed on Kristallnacht – and a Berlin imam, Abu Bilal Ismail, called on Allah to "destroy the Zionist Jews … Count them and kill them, to the very last one." Bottles were thrown through the window of an antisemitism campaigner in Frankfurt; an elderly Jewish man was beaten up at a pro-Israel rally in Hamburg; an Orthodox Jewish teenager punched in the face in Berlin. In several cities, chants at pro-Palestinian protests compared Israel's actions to the Holocaust; other notable slogans included: "Jew, coward pig, come out and fight alone," and "Hamas, Hamas, Jews to the gas."

Across Europe, the conflict in Gaza is breathing new life into some very old, and very ugly, demons. This is not unusual; police and Jewish civil rights organisations have long observed a noticeable spike in antisemitic incidents each time the Israeli-Palestinian conflict flares. During the three weeks of Israel's Operation Cast Lead in late 2008 and early 2009, France recorded 66 antisemitic incidents, including attacks on Jewish-owned restaurants and synagogues and a sharp increase in anti-Jewish graffiti.But according to academics and Jewish leaders, this time it is different. More than simply a reaction to the conflict, they say, the threats, hate speech and violent attacks feel like the expression of a much deeper and more widespread antisemitism, fuelled by a wide range of factors, that has been growing now for more than a decade.

"These are the worst times since the Nazi era," Dieter Graumann, president of Germany's Central Council of Jews, told the Guardian. "On the streets, you hear things like 'the Jews should be gassed', 'the Jews should be burned' – we haven't had that in Germany for decades. Anyone saying those slogans isn't criticising Israeli politics, it's just pure hatred against Jews: nothing else. And it's not just a German phenomenon. It's an outbreak of hatred against Jews so intense that it's very clear indeed." » | Jon Henley | Thursday, August 07, 2014

'Jihadist' Flag Flown in East London

THE GUARDIAN: Flag flown outside housing estate on Poplar High Street

A black flag with white Arabic writing, similar to those flown by jihadist groups, was flying at the entrance of an east London housing state near Canary Wharf.

In a highly provocative gesture, the emblem was planted on top of the gates of the Will Crooks estate on Poplar High Street, and is surrounded by flags of Palestine and slogans.

The flag bears similar writing to the jihadi flags that have been flown by the extremist group in Iraq and other jihadi groups since the 1990s. When the estate was approached last night, a group of about 20 Asian youths swore at Guardian journalists and told them to leave the area immediately. One youth threatened to smash a camera. » | Rajeev Syal | Thursday, August 07, 2014

Baroness Warsi Was Over-promoted, Incapable and Incompetent

THE SPECTATOR: Farewell then Sayeeda, Baroness Warsi. The most over-promoted, incapable and incompetent minister of recent times has finally done the nation one service and resigned. This morning she announced on Twitter that she can ‘no longer support government policy on Gaza.’ That would be government policy that now includes reviewing all arms export licenses to Israel? Not strong enough for Sayeeda, it would seem.

It was not hard to see this coming. Not just because Warsi’s Twitter activity in recent weeks has mainly consisted of pumping out support for Hamas-run Gaza and berating supporters of Israel for saying things she disagrees with, but also because she has shown a career-long sympathy for Hamas and other Islamic radicals. » | Douglas Murray | Tuesday, August 05, 2014

Polls Show Rising Disapproval of Obama's Job Performance

Aug. 01, 2014 - 5:52 - President's numbers take a dive on foreign policy, immigration

America's Weakness, Part 2

Aug. 05, 2014 - 3:18 - Talking Points 8/5

Part 1 »

Warsi Resignation: An Astonishing Charge Sheet against No 10 over Gaza

THE GUARDIAN: Sayeeda Warsi's sudden departure and biting challenge to David Cameron's policy on Israel may have long-term repercussions for the Conservatives

Sayeeda Warsi's resignation may yet prove to be a passing summer storm. But the vitriolic tone of her attack on David Cameron's policy towards Gaza, and her status as the first Muslim cabinet member, suggests her departure has the potential to inflict both political and moral damage on the Conservatives months before the general election.

More importantly, she may have opened the possibility that longstanding, unequivocal British political support for any Israeli government is now under question.

After all, it is not often a minister leaves government warning that its actions, or silence, are morally indefensible, not in the national interest, liable to foster terrorism in the UK and likely to undermine British influence in the Middle East by failing to be seen to be fair-minded. There was a raw emotional power to her resignation as she set out her anguished reaction to the collapse of hospitals, the death of young children on beaches and the realisation that children the same age as those in her own family were being killed in the Israeli raids.

Few ministers have quit accusing George Osborne of failing to speak out against the flattening of schools and hospitals, or recounting tales of backbenchers in tears at the refusal of David Cameron to condemn Israel. » | Patrick Wintour | Tuesday, August 05, 2014

Baroness Warsi Sparks Tory Rebellion Over Gaza

THE INDEPENDENT: First Muslim cabinet minister slams PM for “morally indefensible” policy

David Cameron was facing mutiny among senior Tory MPs last night as they lined up to condemn his handling of the Gaza crisis and to warn his stance was alienating millions of British Muslims.

The rebellion was triggered by the resignation of Baroness Warsi, the first Muslim cabinet minister, over his refusal to take a tougher stance on the Israeli bombardment during which 1,800 Palestinians have died. Her dramatic departure, in which she warned the Prime Minister’s approach was “detrimental” to the national interest and risked radicalising young Muslims, won plaudits from several former Tory ministers. Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, also appeared to back her.

She called for an immediate arms embargo against Israel and said that the Government’s “approach and language during the current crisis in Gaza is morally indefensible”. In a swipe at Mr Cameron, she lamented the sacking of moderate ministers such as Kenneth Clarke in last month’s reshuffle. » | Nigel Morris, Oliver Wright | Tuesday. August 05, 2014

Iran's Supreme Leader Calls for the Destruction of Israel

Jul. 30, 2014 - 2:05 - Iranian opposition groups demand stronger sanctions against Tehran

America’s Weakness

Aug. 04, 2014 - 6:50 - Talking Points 8/4

The History of the Middle East Conflict in 11 Minutes

Obamas 53. Geburtstag: Der lustlose Präsident

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Barack Obama wird 53, doch Grund zum Feiern hat er kaum. Der US-Präsident wirkt amtsmüde, verweigert die politische Führung. Viel Zeit bleibt ihm nicht, um seine Präsidentschaft zu retten.

Am Samstag konnte Barack Obama endlich wieder einen Erfolg feiern. Auf dem Landsitz Camp David gewann seine Herrenrunde ein privates Golf-Turnier gegen eine andere Herrenrunde. Das White House Press Corps meldete, Obama habe "bestes Golfwetter" genossen: "24 Grad und überwiegend sonnig"

Nichts gegen Golf oder gegen Herrenrunden, aber Obama erweckt den Eindruck, als flüchte er vor den Herausforderungen seiner Präsidentschaft. So wie sich die Fotos häufen, die ihn auf Polo- oder Golfplätzen zeigen, häufen sich die ungelösten Probleme seines Landes.

Obama, der an diesem Montag seinen 53. Geburtstag feiert, ist ein müder Präsident geworden. Er wirkt erschöpft, genervt vom Kleinkrieg mit dem politischen Gegner. Zugleich erweckt er den Eindruck, als sei er sich zu fein für das schmutzige Geschäft der Politik. Vieles deute darauf hin, "dass Obama bereits das Handtuch geworfen hat", schrieb der Publizist Joe Klein. » | Ein Kommentar von Markus Feldenkirchen, Washington | Montag, 04. August 2014

Inside Story: Who Can Stop the Islamic State's Advance?

Concern as the Islamic State continues expanding its territories under its control in Iraq.

Islamic State Terrorists Claim First Stake in Lebanon

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The rebel group, which has carved out a vast swathe of territory across Syria and Iraq, launched attack on border town after follower was seized

The jihadists of the Islamic State have seized their first territory inside Lebanon, a long-feared strike that hits at the heart of the country’s uneasy sectarian balance.

A Syrian rebel group which has sworn allegiance to the Islamic State’s leader has set up check-points in the town of Arsal on the two countries’ border, though it has stopped short of declaring it part of the organisation’s “Caliphate”.

Lebanese army troops have moved up to attack the town, firing shells and putting at risk not only the 40,000 local inhabitants but the estimated 120,000 Syrian refugees who have taken shelter there.

The crisis brought a rare show of unity from Lebanon’s competing political factions, with the Sunni prime minister Tammam Salam standing alongside the rest of the cabinet to give a statement. “The attack on Lebanese national dignity will not go unpunished,” he said, calling Islamic State’s behaviour “sick”. » | Carol Malouf in Arsal and Richard Spencer, Middle East correspondent | Monday, August 04, 2014

US Muslim Civil Rights Group Showing Sympathy to Terrorists?

Jul. 24, 2014 - 5:38 - Group's massive letter-writing campaign

Hamas Founder's Son Speaks Out against Terrorist Group

Jul. 30, 2014 - 6:46 - Mosab Hassan Yousef on why it's time to stop the organization

'Jihadist' Books On Sale in French Supermarkets

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Thousands of people complain at works that reportedly call on Muslims to open bomb factories and advertise methods to kill 'sodomists'

Books preaching violent jihad and urging Muslims to set up arms factories are reportedly on sale openly in French supermarkets and bookshops, sparking thousands of complaints and fresh debate over the limits of free speech.

Publishers have defended the works, claiming only a few pages are contentious, while authorities say it would be difficult to ban them.

They can be found on the shelves of supermarkets including Carrefour, one of the world’s biggest retail chains, and Fnac, France’s largest retailer of books, music, DVDs and electronic goods. Some of the works are also available from the website of the online retailer Amazon.

According to Le Figaro newspaper, two petitions demanding they be withdrawn from sale, signed by more than 18,000 people, have been ignored by Carrefour.

“It is not up to the distributor to take a view on the shocking nature of publications,” a representative of the group’s press department said, adding the books “have never been banned”. » | David Chazan in Paris | Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Gutfeld: Obama Fans Writhe as the Dream Dies

Jul. 28, 2014 - 6:26 - It's like a 10-year-old realizing Santa is really his drunk uncle

The Great Marijuana Ruse

Jul. 28, 2014 - 8:29 - Talking Points 7/28

Latino Converts to Islam

Saudi King: Don’t Misuse Islam for Terrorism

AL ARABIYA: Some vested interests are tarnishing the noble image of Islam and using it to perpetuate terrorism across the world, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has warned.

In his Eid Al-Fitr address to the citizens, expatriates and the Muslims worldwide, King Abdullah said the Kingdom has taken several measures to root out the scourge of terrorism and to protect the country’s security and stability.

The Eid, he said, is an occasion to rejoice at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. The King extended his best wishes for the Eid to world Muslims.

“The Muslim Ummah should steadfastly strive to defeat the forces who are maligning the noble and kind image of Islam and harming the believers and their sons,” the King said. » | Saudi Gazette, Jeddah | Monday, July 28, 2014

Anti-Semitism On the March: Europe Braces for Violence

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Fears of violence and anti-Semitism at major protest marches planned in Berlin and other German cities this weekend against Israeli operations in Gaza

European cities are braced for violent clashes this weekend as people take to the streets to protest against Israeli military operations in Gaza.

Thousands of police are being deployed in cities across Europe with Berlin alone deploying 1,500 police officers in a response and authorities in Paris have sought to ban outright marches planned for this weekend.

The protests have triggered warnings that the spectre of anti-Semitism has returned to haunt Europe.

Protesters have attacked synagogues, smashed the windows of Jewish-owned business and torched others, in scenes disturbingly reminiscent of the 1938 Kristallnacht in France. The marchers have chanted “Jews to the gas chambers”, and Jewish people have been attacked on the streets of Berlin.
An 18-year-old Jewish man claimed on Friday he had been punched in the face in an unprovoked attack while wearing a skull cap in the centre of Berlin, in what would be the second such incident in less than a week. » | Justin Huggler, Berlin, and Josie Ensor | Saturday, July 26, 2014

New Dark Age Alert! Gay Saudi Arabian Man Sentenced to Three Years and 450 Lashes for Meeting Men via Twitter

THE INDEPENDENT: The man was arrested after he arranged to meet a man who was in fact an undercover agent for the Saudi Arabian police

A Saudi Arabian man has been sentenced to three years in jail and 450 lashes after he was caught using Twitter to arrange dates with other men.

The 24-year-old man who has not been named, was given his sentence after the court in Medina, Saudi Arabia, found him guilty of “promoting the vice and practice of homosexuality.”

According to a report in the daily Arabic newspaper Al-Watan, the man was arrested following an entrapment ploy by the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (CPVPV).

Posing as a potential suitor online, members of the CPVPV arranged to meet the now convicted man for a date.

When the man arrived at the designated meeting place, he was greeted by an undercover agent and a number of other officers from the CPVPV.

He was then arrested and his phone was confiscated.

According to authorities, a search of the phone revealed “indecent images” and other incriminating evidence that apparently proved his “homosexuality”. » | Jack Simpson | Friday, July 25, 2014

Iraq: Isis Warns Women to Wear Full Veil or Face Punishment

'Anyone who is not committed to this duty and is motivated by
glamour will be subject to accountability.'

THE GUARDIAN: Sunni insurgents issue guidelines in mosques on how clothes should be worn to prevent women 'from falling into vulgarity'

Islamic State (Isis), the al-Qaida offshoot that seized large swathes of northern Iraq last month, has warned women in the city of Mosul to wear full-face veils or risk severe punishment.

The Sunni insurgents, who have declared a caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria and have threatened to march on Baghdad, also listed guidelines on how veils and clothes should be worn, part of a campaign to violently impose their radical brand of Islam.

"The conditions imposed on her clothes and grooming was only to end the pretext of debauchery resulting from grooming and overdressing," the group said in a statement.

"This is not a restriction on her freedom but to prevent her from falling into humiliation and vulgarity or to be a theatre for the eyes of those who are looking."

A cleric in Mosul told Reuters that Isis gunmen had shown up at his mosque and ordered him to read their warning on loudspeakers when worshipers gather.

"Anyone who is not committed to this duty and is motivated by glamour will be subject to accountability and severe punishment to protect society from harm and to maintain the necessities of religion and protect it from debauchery," Isis said. » | Reuters in Baghdad | Friday, July 25, 2014

Krauthammer: Obama Has Defended Muslims, Where Is He On Christian Persecution?

Read the short article on Real Clear Politics here | Posted by Ian Schwartz | Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Gaza Conflict: France Criticises 'Anti-Semitic' Riot

BBC: French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has condemned "anti-Semitic" violence that broke out during a protest against Israel's action in Gaza.

Jewish-owned businesses and a synagogue were targeted in the suburb of Sarcelles, just outside Paris.

Shops were looted and 18 people were arrested as youths went on the rampage during Sunday's protest, which had been banned by authorities.

The mayor of Sarcelles said the Jewish community was in fear.

Such an outpouring of violence had never been seen in the suburb before, he said.

Roger Cukierman, head of the umbrella group Crif that represents French Jewish organisations, said Jews were not just afraid, they were anguished.

"What's happened in the past few days is terrible. They're shouting 'Death to the Jews' and attacking synagogues. It's completely out of control", he said. » | Monday, July 21, 2014

George Galloway Is a Muslim Now

Comment with George Galloway: How Should the ISIS Threat Be Confronted?

George Galloway Discussing ISIS

La persécution des chrétiens d'Irak est un "crime contre l'humanité"

LE POINT: Le secrétaire général de l'ONU Ban Ki-moon s'alarme des persécutions des chrétiens de Mossoul par les djihadistes de l'État islamique.

Ban Ki-moon, secrétaire général de l'ONU, a affirmé dimanche que la persécution des chrétiens de Mossoul (Irak) par les djihadistes de l'État islamique (EI) pouvait être considérée comme un crime contre l'humanité. Au moment où des centaines de familles chrétiennes fuient Mossoul après un ultimatum de l'EI, Ban Ki-moon a "condamné de la manière le plus ferme possible la persécution systématique des minorités en Irak par l'État islamique et les groupes armés qui lui sont liés". Dans un communiqué de l'ONU, Ban Ki-moon se déclare "particulièrement troublé par les informations sur des menaces contre les chrétiens à Mossoul". Ban Ki-moon "réaffirme que les attaques systématiques contre des civils en raison de leur origine ethnique ou de leur appartenance religieuse peuvent constituer un crime contre l'humanité dont les auteurs doivent rendre des comptes", ajoute le communiqué de l'ONU. » | Source AFP | lundi 21 juillet 2014

George Galloway Replies to Tony Blair on ISIS and Iraq – In The Now – Russia Today – June 16, 2014

George Galloway replies to Tony Blair on ISIS

Inside Story: Cyprus Divided - 40 Years On

Sunday marks the 40th anniversary of the division of Cyprus, hopes of reunification remain dim.

Jihadists Seize Ancient Iraqi Monastery and Expel Monks

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Islamic State fighters order monks to leave fourth-century monastery after issuing ultimatum to Christians to leave, convert, die or pay protection money, local residents say

Jihadist militants have taken over a monastery in northern Iraq, one of the country's best-known Christian landmarks, and expelled its resident monks, a cleric and residents said Monday.

Islamic State (IS) fighters stormed Mar (Saint) Behnam, a fourth-century monastery run by the Syriac Catholic church near the predominantly Christian town of Qaraqosh, on Sunday, the sources said.

"You have no place here anymore, you have to leave immediately," a member of the Syriac clergy quoted the Sunni militants as telling the monastery's residents.

He said the monks pleaded to be allowed to save some of the monastery's relics but the fighters refused and ordered them to leave on foot with nothing but their clothes.

Christian residents from the area told AFP the monks walked several miles along a deserted road and were eventually picked up by Kurdish peshmerga fighters who drove them to Qaraqosh. » | AFP | Monday, July 21, 2014

Christians Lie and Wives Must Have Sex or Go to Hell, Trojan Horse Pupils Told

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Inquiry commissioned by Birmingham City Council reveals details of religious extremism in 13 schools

Children were taught that all Christians are liars and attempts were made to introduce Sharia law in classrooms as part of an alleged 'Trojan Horse' takeover plot of Birmingham schools, an inquiry has found.

The inquiry commissioned by Birmingham City Council found evidence of religious extremism in 13 schools as school governors and teachers tried to promote and enforce radical Islamic values.

Schools put up posters warning children that if they didn't pray they would "go to hell", Christmas was cancelled and girls were taught that women who refused to have sex with their husbands would be "punished" by angels "from dusk to dawn".

The report found that the extremism went unchecked because the council "disastrously" prioritised community cohesion over "doing what is right".

It concluded that there was a "determined effort" by "manipulative" governors to introduce "unacceptable" practices, "undermine" head teachers and deny students a broad and balanced education. » | Steven Swinford, Senior Political Correspondent | Friday, July 18, 2014

Bolivia Becomes First Nation to Legalise Child Labour from Age 10

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Bolivia says law reflects reality in country where 1 million children regularly work, but activists complain it will increase poverty and contravenes United Nations conventions

Alicia weaves through El Alto's stalled traffic under a blazing sun, hawking colourful woven flowers to grumpy drivers and lovers. With luck, the 12-year-old and her mother will together muster £10 by day's end, all the while keeping watch over her younger brother and sister, ages 8 and 6.

"It is difficult for my mother to sell alone because she has to look after my siblings," said Alicia, who normally goes to school in the afternoon but is using her vacation to help her mother by working the entire day. As her siblings sleep, her mother knits the flowers that Alicia sells.

While most of the world is trying to diminish child labour, Bolivia has become the first nation to legalise it from age 10. Congress approved the legislation early this month, and Vice President Alvaro Garcia signed it into law on Thursday in the absence of President Evo Morales, who was travelling.

The bill's sponsors say lowering the minimum work age from 14 simply acknowledges a reality: many poor families in Bolivia have no other choice than for their kids to work. The bill offers working children safeguards, they say. » | Agencies | Saturday, July 19, 2014

'Radical Muslims On The March' - Hannity Investigation - Fox News

Epic Sean Hannity studio audience Special featuring Brigitte Gabriel, Pamela Geller, Jamie Glazov, KT McFarland, and Todd Starnes as they address the extremely controversial issue of the affect radical Muslims are having upon the rest of the world.

Muslims Attack Jews in Paris Synagogue

TOWNHALL.COM: This week, Islamic protestors surrounded a synagogue in Paris. Islamists threw rocks, and several tried to enter the synagogue with bats, chairs, an axe, and other weapons. One hundred and fifty Jews were trapped inside.

Ten thousand Muslims were protesting, in Paris, regarding Israel’s response to Hamas; a terrorist organization targeting the Israeli population with rockets and drones. The Muslims converged on the Don Isaac Abravanel Synagogue, and began chanting “Slaughter the Jews,” “Death to Jews” and “Hitler was right.” 10,000 Muslims vs. 150 Jews inside for a service were the odds of the day.

As if that were not enough intolerance, the Muslims attacked the synagogue.

The incident was partially caught on tape. » | Larry Provost | Saturday, July 19, 2014

What a New Islamic Caliphate Means for Christians, the West

Read the article here | CBN News | Tuesday, June 27, 2014

Convert, Pay Tax, Or Die, Islamic State Warns Christians

Islamic insurgents in Mosul are consolidating control over
the civilians, warning any Christians remaining in the
city to agree to certain terms – or face death.

THE GUARDIAN: Insurgents issue ultimatum to Iraq's dwindling Christian population to abide by 'dhimma' contract or face the sword

Islamist insurgents have issued an ultimatum to northern Iraq's dwindling Christian population to either convert to Islam, pay a religious levy or face death, according to a statement issued by the Islamic State (Isis) and distributed in the militant-controlled city of Mosul. The al-Qaida offshoot that led last month's lightning assault to capture swathes of northern Iraq said the ruling would come into effect on Saturday.

In the statement, Isis said Christians who wanted to remain in the "caliphate" declared earlier this month in parts of Iraq and Syria must agree to abide by terms of a "dhimma" contract – a historic practice under which non-Muslims were protected in Muslim lands in return for a special levy known as "jizya". "We offer them three choices: Islam; the dhimma contract – involving payment of jizya; if they refuse this they will have nothing but the sword," the announcement said.

A resident of Mosul said the statement, issued in the name of the Islamic State in Iraq's northern province of Nineveh, had been distributed on Thursday and read out in mosques. It said that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, which the group has now named Caliph Ibrahim, had set a Saturday deadline for Christians who did not want to stay and live under those terms to "leave the borders of the Islamic Caliphate". "After this date, there is nothing between us and them but the sword," it said. Read on and comment » | Reuters | Friday, July 18, 2014

How 'Caliph' Baghdadi Aimed His Sermon at the Muslim Devout

The Western media focused on Ibrahim al-Baghdadi's wristwatch. But to relig[i]ous Muslims, the symbolism of his speech was carefully chosen, and clear

Read and comment on the Telegraph article here | Ed Hussain | Friday, July 18, 2014

Woman Helps Over 1,000 Belgian[s] Converts to Islam

WORLD BULLETIN: 'Prejudices stem from not being introduced to real Islam properly,' said Veronique Cools, a 25-year-old Belgian convert to Islam.

Veronique Cools, a 25-year-old Belgian convert to Islam, has has helped over 1,000 people who have accepted Islam in the past 8 years.

Cools, who accepted Islam herself at a very young age after being influenced by her Muslim friends and researching into the religion, turned her home into an Islamic center for Belgian Muslims seeking to learn more about their religion. » | World Bulletin/News Desk | Saturday, July 12, 2014

Muslim Cleric Says Islam Sees No Distinction Between Combatants and Civilians, So Killing American Women and Children Is Fine

THE BLAZE: A radical Muslim cleric in Sudan with a history of incendiary statements against the U.S. now says that under Islam there is no distinction between combatant and civilian and thus American women and children are fair game for militant attacks.

“In its war with the infidels, Islam recognizes no distinction between regular armies and civilians,” said Sudanese cleric Muhammad Al-Jazouli at his Friday sermon, citing a fatwa, or religious ruling.

The Middle East Media Research Institute found video of the sermon and posted translated excerpts online.

In the sermon, Al-Jazouli said he had been “overjoyed” to hear of one particular hadith, that is, a tradition related to the prophet Mohammed.

Al-Jazouli quoted a statement once conveyed to the prophet Mohammed that when Muslims would attack “the polytheists at night, women and children would be harmed.” » | Sharona Schwartz | Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Is This the Wife of Iraq's New Islamist Overlord?

Image from a video of a woman believed to be Saja al-Dulaimi,
the wife of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: First pictures emerge of Saja Hamid al-Dulaimi, said to be the spouse of Islamic State ruler Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

He is the world's most feared Islamic terrorist, carving out a new Middle East 'caliphate' through a combination of medieval butchery and stunning military success.

But until now, the wife of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the head of the Islamic State, has remained largely out of the public eye.

A photo has now emerged online purporting to show Saja Hamid al-Dulaimi – the woman whose husband now controls vast swathes of Syria and western Iraq after his forces routed government troops in a lightening eastern advance over recent weeks.

Although the provenance of the picture is unclear, it shows a youthful-looking woman draped in a black headscarf and gazing purposefully into the distance. » | Alastair Beach | Thursday, July 17, 2014

Tesco Apologises after Muslim Checkout Worker Refused to Sell Customer Ham and Wine because It Was Ramadan

MAIL ONLINE: Mother-of-three tried to buy items during shopping trip in north London / Employee said he couldn't sell them as he was fasting for religious festival / The customer was instead forced to use the self-service checkouts / She told worker he should be serving people not turning them away / Firm apologises to customer but refuses to condemn worker's actions

Tesco has issued an apology after a Muslim worker refused to sell a customer ham and wine because of Ramadan.

Mother-of-three Julie Cottle went into her local store to stock up, but was left stunned when a checkout employee insisted he couldn't serve her.

Muslims worldwide are currently fasting for Ramadan - the holy ninth month of the Islamic calendar where devotees abstain from eating and drinking during daylight hours. » | Richard Spillett | Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Syria Conflict: Isis Marches Further into Syria Tipping the Balance of Power in the Civil War

THE INDEPENDENT: While international attention has been focused on the situation in Gaza, the self-styled caliphate has been spreading deeper into the country armed with tanks and artillery seized in Iraq

Isis fighters have captured much of eastern Syria in the past few days while international attention has been focused on the Israeli bombardment of Gaza. Using tanks and artillery seized in Iraq, it has taken almost all of oil-rich Deir Ezzor province and is battling to crush the resistance of the Syrian Kurds.

Isis is establishing dominance over the opposition to Syria’s President, Bashar al-Assad, as other rebel groups flee or pledge allegiance to the caliphate declared by the Isis leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, after the capture of Mosul on 10 June. On Monday, the jihadists took over the rebel held half of Deir Ezzor on the Euphrates river, raising their black flag over the city and executing the rebel commander from Jabhat al-Nusra, the al-Qa’ida affiliate that was previously in control.

The recent Isis advances in Syria, following victories in Iraq last month, are altering the balance of power in the whole region. The opposition military forces not aligned with the Syrian government or Isis are being squeezed out of existence, making obsolete the US, British, Saudi and Turkish policy of backing groups hostile to both Assad and Isis. » | Patrick Cockburn | Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Edward Snowden Should Not Face Trial, Says UN Human Rights Commissioner

THE GUARDIAN: Navi Pillay says of former NSA contractor: 'those who disclose human rights violations should be protected'

The United Nations's top human rights official has suggested that the United States should abandon its efforts to prosecute Edward Snowden, saying his revelations of massive state surveillance had been in the public interest.

The UN high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, credited Snowden, a former US National Security Agency contractor, with opening a global debate that has led to calls for the curtailing of state powers to snoop on citizens online and store their data.

"Those who disclose human rights violations should be protected: we need them," Pillay told a news conference. Read on and comment » | Reuters in Geneva | Wesnesday, July 16, 2014

Andrew Grice: Cameron’s New Cabinet of Eurosceptics Will Push Us towards EU Exit Door

THE INDEPENDENT: Reshuffle also opens way for Conservative manifesto pledge to pull Britain out of European Convention on Human Rights

Although the headlines are about the demotion of Michael Gove and the promotion of women, Europe is the thread that runs through David Cameron’s wide-ranging reshuffle. We now have a Foreign Secretary in Philip Hammond who has said he would vote to leave the EU unless substantial powers are returned to Britain ahead of the in/out referendum planned for 2017. It is a significant appointment that will send shivers down the spines of some Foreign Office officials.

Although William Hague, the outgoing Foreign Secretary, insisted that Mr Hammond held the same view on Europe as Mr Cameron and himself, his promotion could mark another step towards the EU exit door.

The reshuffle also opens the way for a Conservative manifesto pledge to pull Britain out of the European Convention on Human Rights. Liberal-minded ministers opposed to such a drastic move – Dominic Grieve, who had a pivotal role as Attorney General, Kenneth Clarke and Damian Green – have lost their jobs. Jeremy Wright, the new Attorney General, is a loyalist centre-right figure who will not rock the boat. The Liberal Democrats blocked Tory plans for a “British Bill of Rights” to replace Labour’s Human Rights Act, which incorporated the Convention into UK law. » | Andrew Grice | Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Rove: Obama's 'Lack of Self-awareness' Is 'Amazing'

Jul. 10, 2014 - 8:06 - Former Bush senior adviser blasts Obama as 'not a serious president,' calls his claim that he isn't interested in photo-ops a 'stupid moment,' dismisses his request for $3.7B for the immigration crisis as 'not a serious proposal, not a serious number'

'Obama's Mid East Policies Disastrous, He's Weakened & Withdrawing' – Political Scientist

The US has a disastrous history of intervention in foreign conflicts, and as the Obama administration tries to disengage, it leaves behind the chaos of poorly thought out foreign policies. Is the US ideology-driven approach the reason for its failures overseas? And what are the prospects for cooperation between Russia and the US in an environment of growing Russophobia and anti-Americanism? Oksana is joined by Dr Robert Freedman, Visiting Professor of Political Science at Johns Hopkins University, to engage these issues.

From Citizens to Suspects: Cameron Pledges £800m on Nation's Cyber Intelligence

British PM David Cameron is determined to continue spying as usual and announces he needs extra £800 million to boost cyber-spying, despite the beginning of UK spy agency GCHQ tribunal on mass surveillance. Would Cameron be able to convince British citizens mass surveillance is for their own good? RT's Polly Boiko reports.

Netanyahu: Two-state Solution Impossible, Israel on Frontlines of Jihad

JIHAD WATCH: This is, as far as I know, the first public acknowledgment by any world leader that a “Palestinian” state would like become just another jihad base for new attacks against Israel, just as Gaza did. It is good that Israel has such a clear-sighted leader in these difficult days, but noteworthy that this rather obvious truth is so obscure and so seldom articulated. Is Barack Obama really so naive as to think that a “Palestinian” state would result in peace, or would he like to see the advent of another jihad base against Israel? Read on and comment » | Robert Spencer | Sunday, July 13, 2014

The Caliphate Returns

BENDIGO ADVERTISER: “Listen to your caliph and obey him. Support your state, which grows every day,” said Abu Mohamed al-Adnani, announcing the rebirth of the Caliphate in the broad territory between Aleppo in northern Syria and Diyala province in eastern Iraq.

The Sunni Muslim organisation that conquered almost half of Iraq in early June has changed its name.

Before, it was ISIS, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Now it wishes to be known simply as the “Islamic State” – for there can only be one such state, and it should include everywhere that Muslims have ever ruled.

ISIS propagandists have even produced a map showing the ultimate borders that their Islamic State lays claim to.

Spain and Portugal will be part of it, because they were ruled by Muslim conquerors during much of the Middle Ages.

All of India except the southern tip should be under the rule of the Caliph for the same reason.

Serbia, Croatia and Hungary must be part of the Islamic State, for the Ottomans once conquered all the Balkans. Plus half of Africa, and Indonesia, and even southwestern Siberia. » | Gwynne Dyer | Monday, July 14, 2014

Church of England General Synod Backs Women Bishops

BBC: The Church of England has voted to allow women to become bishops for first time in its history.

The General Synod gave final approval to legislation introducing the change by the required two-thirds majority.

The previous vote in 2012 was backed by the Houses of Bishops and Clergy but blocked by traditionalist lay members.

The Archbishop of York asked for the result to be met "with restraint and sensitivity" but there was a flurry of cheers when it was announced. » | Monday, July 14, 2014

Caliphate Attracts Women from the West

THE AUSTRALIAN: LATE last month the mother of Salma and Zahra Halane discovered her twins had gone — and taken their passports. The 16-year-old sisters had hoped to become doctors, but ran away to join the so-called caliphate established by the Islamic State in parts of Iraq and Syria. Police believe they followed their older brother.

Why would two intelligent British girls join a medieval religious sect in an unknown country? Some answers lie online.

Thousands of Western-born Muslims have become radicalised through internet preachers or through social media. So far this has been mainly a male phenomenon, but experts say Islamic State “fangirls” are taking on a more active recruiting role, urging young women to help build a civil society within the caliphate. Up to 40 “fangirls” are active at a time on social media, according to the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence at King’s College London.

Women who have gone to the jihad “set-up on Tumblr, Facebook and Instagram and answer questions such as ‘What’s life like out there?’ or ‘Are you seeing any fighting?’ They say they’re making house or getting married and trying to establish a community network inside the Islamic State.” » | Eleanor Mills | The Australian | Monday, July 14, 2014

Devil Vows Taken Out Of Christening Services as Church of England Aims to Widen Appeal

THE INDEPENDENT: The devil is no longer in the detail of baptism vows

All mention of the devil has been taken out of Christening services by the Church of England in a bid to appeal to more people.

In the current wording, parents vow to “reject the devil and all rebellion against God”, “renounce the deceit and corruption of evil” and “repent of the sins that separate us from God and neighbour”.

But the alternative text agreed by the General Synod only asks them to “turn away from sin” and “reject evil”.

In the meeting at the University of York on Sunday, the members were told the change was popular with parents and families during pilots in churches across the country.

The simplified service aims to appeal to people with no religious background as membership of the Church of England continues to decline. » | Lizzie Dearden | Monday, July 14, 2014

Bashar al-Assad Is West's Ally against Isis Extremists, Says Syria

THE GUARDIAN: Backing rebel groups in Syrian conflict has backfired on Europe, claims Syria's vice foreign minister

Syria is determined to "eliminate" the Sunni extremist group Isis, according to a senior minister, who urged western countries to recognise "new realities" by joining the battle against terrorism and ending their support for rebels trying to overthrow president Bashar al-Assad.

"The only way to resolve the situation is to work with president Assad," Faisal Mekdad, Syria's vice foreign minister, told the Guardian. Mekdad said that "many countries" were now seeking security cooperation with Damascus, but "security matters could not be separated from the political cooperation". Read on and comment » | Ian Black in Damascus | Monday, July 14, 2014

Isis Defector Speaks of Life inside Brutal Jihadist Group

Isis-led Sunni rebels have seized large swathes of north-western
Iraq and Syria

BBC: An "Islamic caliphate" has been declared in the Middle East and the group behind it, Isis, has now rebranded itself simply "the Islamic State". Panorama has spoken to a defector about life inside the feared jihadist group.

Isis is not an organisation it is easy to leave. We met a man who had - and he was terrified of the consequences. "The brutality of Isis terrifies everyone," he said. "My family, my cousins, my siblings are all still there. I fear for them. If they can't reach me, they will reach my family."

He was nervous, agreeing to record an interview only after several hours of discussion, over customary tiny glasses of scalding hot, sweet tea. He would talk to us only if we would not reveal his identity. He wrapped himself in a keffiyeh for our camera and we promised not to use his name.

He summed up the jihadists' tactics like this: "If you're against me, then you'll be killed. If you're with me, you work with me. You submit to my will and obey me, under my power in all matters." » | Paul Wood | BBC Panorama | Monday, July 14, 2014

Edward Snowden Condemns Britain's Emergency Surveillance Bill

THE GUARDIAN: Exclusive: NSA whistleblower says it 'defies belief' that bill must be rushed through after government ignored issue for a year

The NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has condemned the new surveillance bill being pushed through the UK's parliament this week, expressing concern about the speed at which it is being done, lack of public debate, fear-mongering and what he described as increased powers of intrusion.

In an exclusive interview with the Guardian in Moscow, Snowden said it was very unusual for a public body to pass an emergency law such as this in circumstances other than a time of total war. "I mean we don't have bombs falling. We don't have U-boats in the harbour."

Suddenly it is a priority, he said, after the government had ignored it for an entire year. "It defies belief."

He found the urgency with which the British government was moving extraordinary and said it mirrored a similar move in the US in 2007 when the Bush administration was forced to introduce legislation, the Protect America Act, citing the same concerns about terrorist threats and the NSA losing cooperation from telecom and internet companies. (+ video) » | Ewen MacAskill | Sunday, July 13, 2014

Religious Violence in the Arab World Is Likely to Get Worse

THE DAILY STAR (LEBANON): The recent declaration of a caliphate by the militant group the Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) is an unprecedented event in modern times. Regardless of how it turns out, one thing is clear: violent jihadism is now an entrenched feature of the Arab political landscape.

Not since the Turkish Republic abolished the Ottoman caliphate in 1924 has any Muslim group in control of territory made such a bid.

Even Al-Qaeda and the Taliban have limited their demands to the creation of statelets (emirates), which they hope will eventually coalesce into a caliphate.

This hesitation can be explained, at least partly, by the fact that neither Osama bin Laden nor Mullah Omar (the Taliban’s leader) can fulfill the conditions for being a caliph, one of which is proof of descent from the Prophet Mohammad’s tribe, the Quraysh. The new caliphal claimant, the Islamic State’s emir Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, can.

As conceived in Islamic political thought, a caliphate, unlike a conventional nation-state, is not subject to fixed borders. Instead, it is focused on defending and expanding the dominion of the Muslim faith through jihad, or armed struggle.

The statement which announced the new caliphate, entitled “This is the Promise of Allah,” was issued on the first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, and lays out a radical vision for reconfiguring the Arab world. » | Bernard Haykel & Cole Bunzell | Yje Daily Star | Saturday, July 12, 2014

The Caliphate Threat

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: Why ISIS's rise should worry Americans

As Americans know well by now, a violent Muslim extremist group has overrun Tikrit, Mosul and other northern Iraqi territory liberated at great cost by U.S. and Iraqi troops and has proclaimed the founding of an Islamic state in much of northeastern Syria and large portions of Iraq.

Its leader, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, has proclaimed himself the emir of a caliphate - recreating the Islamic state that once stretched over much of the Islamic world. The group has already set about changing its name from ISIS - the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria - to simply the Islamic State.

Is this the final ending for our struggle in Iraq, and does it portend the outcome in Afghanistan? Was it avoidable? The historical evidence suggests that far from the climax, this thrust by ISIS looks like a coming attraction. And yes, it was avoidable.

Restoring the caliphate has been on the list of things to do for Islamists virtually from the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1916. It was then that two European diplomats - Mark Sykes of Great Britain and Francois George Picot of France - drafted what was initially a secret agreement that drew the boundaries of the countries of the current Middle East that became reality after World War I. Islamists regard the Sykes-Picot Agreement as a boil on the face of Islam, and have made every effort to eradicate those boundaries and to unite Muslims under the banner of their religion and the rule of Sharia law.

ISIS itself is a split-off from Al Qaeda, and differs from its parent only as to how to achieve the goal. Al Qaeda says that jihad, or holy war, must come first; ISIS has leaped ahead to proclaim the caliphate even as it wages war. » | Michael B. Mukasey | New York Daily News | Sunday, July 13, 2014

Möglicher Amtsverzicht: Merkel-Vertraute erwarten freiwilligen Rücktritt der Kanzlerin

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Eine mögliche Wahlniederlage soll nicht über ihre Zukunft entscheiden: Angela Merkel ist nach SPIEGEL-Informationen entschlossen, als erste deutsche Regierungschefin seit 1949 eines Tages freiwillig aus dem Amt zu scheiden.

Berlin - Sie will entscheiden, auch über ihren eigenen Abgang: Nach Einschätzung mehrerer Kabinettsmitglieder und hochrangiger Unionspolitiker ist Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel entschlossen, als erste deutsche Regierungschefin seit 1949 freiwillig aus dem Amt zu scheiden und nicht auf eine Wahlniederlage oder eine parteiinterne Ablösung zu warten. Das berichtet der SPIEGEL unter Berufung auf Partei- und Regierungskreise. (Die ganze Geschichte lesen Sie hier im aktuellen SPIEGEL.) » | Sonntag, 13. Juli 2014