Friday, July 04, 2014
The Beginning of the End of Obama's Imperial Presidency?
Rove on Obama's Downward Spiral and Voters' Remorse
Saudi Arabia: Sandwiched by Jihadists in Iraq and Yemen
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| Saudi Arabia believes it may be next in the Isis firing line |
Isis, the well-armed and well-funded jihadist army that has seized control of most of western Iraq, is now effectively at the kingdom's doorstep.
Nearly half the 900km (560 mile) Saudi-Iraq border is with Iraq's Anbar province where The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis), now rebranded as simply "The Islamic State", is largely able to move its fighters around at will.
Saudi Arabia may not yet be directly in its sights but officials fear this is only a matter of time.
Isis backlash
Many of its most violent frontline fighters are believed to be Saudi nationals who may eventually come home, radicalised and brutalised by the conflict.
King Abdullah has ordered "all necessary measures to secure the kingdom from terrorist groups or others who might disturb the security of the homeland". » | Frank Gardner | BBC security correspondent | Wednesday, July 02, 2014
Now Google BANS Express Story about George Osborne’s ‘Muslim’ Brother
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| The article detailed how Dr Osborne had converted to Islam to marry his then wife |
Express.co.uk was today informed that an article published about Dr Adam Osborne on December 7, 2009, has been removed from Google’s search listings.
The 300-word piece detailed how the Chancellor’s younger brother, now 38, had converted to Islam in preparation for his marriage to Bangladeshi-born Rahala Noor, his plastic surgeon girlfriend of 14 years.
The article explained he had been studying the Koran and was praying five times a day and had been given the name Mohammed for the ceremony.
The piece, which did not allow reader comments, still exists on Express.co.uk.
However, it does not appear on Google when a user searches for ‘George Osborne, brother, Islam, Express’ or any variation of those terms.
Bizarrely, the original story, which had been broken by the Mail on Sunday in much greater depth the day before, still appears on Google’s results for MailOnline.
Versions of the article by the Daily Mirror, the Independent and other newspapers also still appear. » | Ted Jeory & Dion Dassanayake | Thursday, July 03, 2014
Spanish Royal Family Fraud Case: First Evidence against King Felipe VI's Brother-in-law
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| Inaki Urdangarin, the husband of Princess Cristina, the Spanish king's sister, faces accusations of fraud |
A key suspect in the fraud case that has embarrassed Spain's royal family has given the first direct account of how King Felipe VI's brother-in-law allegedly embezzled millions of euros of public funds.
Marco-Antonio Tejeiro, an accountant, set out his claims in a detailed written statement to the Spanish court where Inaki Urdangarin, the husband of Princess Cristina, the king's sister, faces accusations of fraud.
The scandal, subject of a four-year investigation by a judge in Palma de Mallorca, soured the reign of former King Juan Carlos, who tearfully handed the crown to his son last month.
Mr Urdangarin, 46, a former Olympic handball player, is accused along with a former business partner, Diego Torres, of creaming off €6 million (£4.76 million) in public funds from contracts to stage events that were awarded to Noos, a supposedly non-profit foundation, partly because of his connections.
Mr Tejeiro, who was Noos's accountant, is to receive a lighter sentence for cooperating with prosecutors, according to a court source, [sic] » | By agencies | Thursday, July 03, 2014
Islamic State Seizes Key Oil Fields after Defections from Al-Qaeda Ally
The extremist Sunni jihadist group that declared a caliphate in parts of Syria and Iraq has seized control of one of Syria’s most important oil fields after rebel fighters from other factions switched their allegiance to support it.
In a crucial strategic advance for Islamic State, the organisation that is tearing Iraq apart, anti-government rebels in Syria who had been loyal to the rival Jabhat al-Nusra switched sides - handing over the Al-Omar oilfield, which has the potential to produce up to 75,000 barrels of oil per day.
The development represents a huge step up for the Islamic State in its struggle against al-Nusra, which is backed by al-Qaeda but regards the new grouping as dangerously extremist.
It means that the caliphate proclaimed by the Islamic State now controls a stretch of Syria from the town of Deir al-Zour in the middle of the country to Abukamel on the Iraqi border. Within neighbouring Iraq, to the east, it holds the cities of Mosul and Tikrit, has free rein in Anbar province and is threatening to attack Baghdad. » | Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Thursday, July 03, 2014
Thursday, July 03, 2014
Buyer's Remorse? Poll Says Romney Would Be Better President
Wappnen sich die Saudis gegen die Isis-Krieger?
Russian View: The Murky Side of Exceptionalism: US Military Footprint All over Arab World
From Prison to Jihad: Islamists Seek Supporters among German Inmates
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| Muslim prison chaplain Husamuddin Meyer visits a jail in Wiesbaden, Germany, several times a week as he attempts to connect with prisoners and prevent them from adopting more extremist forms of Islam, like Salafism. |
The evening sun shines through the barred windows onto the 18 men. They're wearing ruby-colored T-shirts and black pants. Some nudge each other's shoulders out of sheer boredom, while others linger in groups at the corner of the sparse room. The men speak Turkish, Arabic and German. One keeps glancing out the window into the prison yard.
A man with a full beard and violet-colored turban strides before the prisoners, his colorfully striped linen robe flowing behind him. Husamuddin Meyer rolls out his prayer rug and begins to pray. Swaying back and forth, he seems almost to be singing the Arabic verses.
The men stand silently in two rows in front of Meyer, backs straight and eyes staring straight ahead. They then kneel, lowering their heads until their foreheads touch the ground. They repeat this four to five times before chanting, "Allahu akbar," God is great. Meyer gestures with his hand and the prisoners form a semi-circle around him to listen to him telling a story from the Koran. Nobody interrupts.
Meyer is a Muslim chaplain; he wears a beard, a turban and a ring on his finger as prescribed by the Sunna. He also walks with a wooden cane, whose thud announces his arrival when he swiftly makes his way through the prison corridors. He visits the correctional facility in the central German city of Wiesbaden three times each week, where he prays together with Muslim prisoners and provides them with religious counseling.
Meyer is hoping to show the prisoners the path to Allah. More importantly, though, he is seeking to sway the faithful away from more radical interpretations of the Koran. He warns in particular against Salafism, the fundamentalist stream of Islam that is currently enjoying growing popularity among young men. When he discusses the issue, his generally pleasant voice suddenly hardens. "Salafism is like a disease," Meyer says. "Once somebody has it, they start infecting others." » | Lisa Schnell | Wednesday, July 02, 2014
Ermittlungen wegen Bestechung: Franzosen lehnen Rückkehr Sarkozys in die Politik ab
Paris - Nicolas Sarkozy wollte sich eine Rückkehr in die Politik offenhalten, im August oder September sollte es eine Entscheidung geben. Nun haben die Wähler ihre Meinung kundgetan: Fast zwei Drittel der Franzosen lehnen eine Rückkehr des früheren Präsidenten Nicolas Sarkozy ins politische Geschäft ab. » | kes/dpa | Donnerstag, 03. Juli 2014
Der Kalif als Befehlshaber der Gläubigen
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| Hier regierten die Sultane: Blick auf Konstantinopel, die Hauptstadt des Osmanischen Reiches, um 1869. |
Die islamistische Kampf- und Terrororganisation Islamischer Staat versucht weiterhin, nach der Einnahme Mossuls und anderer Städte auf Bagdad vorzurücken und die Hauptstadt des Irak einzunehmen. Sie will die von den Schiiten beherrschte Regierung von Ministerpräsident Nuri al Maliki stürzen und hat jetzt ein „Kalifat“ mit ihrem Anführer Abu Bakr al Bagdadi als „Kalifen“ ausgerufen, das irgendwann einmal den Irak und Syrien umfassen soll.
Nur in einem solchen streng „islamischen“ Gebilde könnten Muslime angemessen leben, behauptet die Terrororganisation und rekurriert dabei auf die islamische Geschichte, wie sie sich seit dem Wirken des Propheten Mohammed (571 bis 632) bis zum Jahre 1924 abgespielt hat - als eine Reihe von sich religiös legitimierenden Herrschaften und Dynastien, von denen die meisten sich in der Tat in der Nachfolge des Propheten sahen, mit mehr oder weniger Berechtigung, und noch dazu in sunnitischen oder schiitischen Varianten. Ihr Gegensatz spielt auch heute wieder eine Rolle, er ist voll entbrannt. » | Von Wolfgang Günter Lerch | Dienstag, 03. Juli 2014
China Bans Ramadan Fasting in Muslim Province
Students and civil servants in China's Muslim northwest have been ordered by the state to avoid taking part in traditional fasting during the Islamic month of Ramadan.
Statements posted in the past week on websites of schools, government agencies and local party organisations in the Xinjiang region said the ban would protect students' wellbeing and prevent the use of schools and government offices to promote religion, the AP news agency reported on Thursday.
Statements on the websites of local party organisations said members of the officially atheist ruling party should also avoid fasting, although the month of Ramadan, which began at sundown on June 28, is observed by Muslims.
"No teacher can participate in religious activities, instill religious thoughts in students or coerce students into religious activities," said a statement on the website of the "Number 3 Grade School" in Ruoqiang County in Xinjiang. » | Source: Associated Press | Thursday, July 03, 2014
Coffee Shop Attacked in Lebanon for Not Closing during Ramadan
Two unidentified men on a motorcycle threw the bomb at Makiya café whose owner insists on opening his shop for customers who do not observe Ramadan fasting.
Observant Muslims fast from dawn to dusk during Ramadan.
One of the city’s residents, who refused to be named, said that Makiya is one of the cafés in the northern city which opens its doors to non-fasting customers who have chronic diseases, such as diabetes, pressure, kidney and ulcers, pointing out that they are regular customers. » | Nisrine Hatoum, Al Arabiya News | Thursday, July 03, 2014
Pope Francis Makes Exorcisms Official Catholic Practice as Demon-fighting Priests Recognised under Canon Law
The International Association of Exorcists, a group of 250 priests battling the forces of evil across 30 countries, has now had its statutes approved by the Vatican’s Congregation for Clergy, the church’s newspaper L'Osservatore Romano reported.
It gives legal recognition to the performance of an exorcism, and was a cause for joy – according to the head of the association.
The Reverend Francesco Bamonte told L'Osservatore: “Exorcism is a form of charity that benefits those who suffer.” » | Adam Withnall | Thursday, July 03, 2014
Airport Security May Be Tightened Permanently After US Warning – Clegg
A tightening of security at UK airports may remain in place on a permanent basis in the face of a new extremist bomb threat to transatlantic aircraft, Nick Clegg has said as he warned of the dangers posed by a "medieval, violent, revolting ideology".
Speaking after the government announced an increase in airport security amid fears in the US that terrorists in Syria and Yemen were developing explosives that could be smuggled on to planes, the deputy prime minister said the new measures would not be temporary.
"I don't think we should expect this to be a one-off temporary thing," Clegg said on his weekly LBC phone-in. "We have to make sure the checks are there to meet the nature of the new kinds of threats. Whether it is forever – I can't make any predictions. But I don't want people to think that this is just a sort of a blip for a week. This is part of an evolving and constant review about whether the checks keep up with the nature of the threats we face."
Clegg was speaking after US officials told Reuters that security at European airports would be increased following intelligence that al-Qaida operatives in Syria and Yemen had joined forces to develop bombs that could avoid detection and bring down aircraft. The US did not specify which airports or countries would be affected, nor did it say what triggered the extra precautions. Read on and comment » | Nicholas Watt, Josh Halliday and Vikram Dodd | Thursday, July 03, 2014
Saudi Arabia Sends 30,000 Troops to Iraq Border
Saudi Arabia has sent 30,000 troops to reinforce its long northern desert border after Iraqi troops withdrew from the other side, according to reports[.]
Fighters from Islamic State, the jihadist group, and its allies have already seized frontier posts on Iraq's western borders with Syria and Jordan. The southern border with Saudi Arabia, which regards itself as vulnerable to the threat of jihadism, is more than 500 miles long.
Large parts of it are with Anbar province, the centre of Islamic State power in Iraq and now almost entirely under the control either of the group itself or of Sunni Arab tribes that have allied with it.
The last serious incursion into Saudi Arabia also came from Iraq, after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990. Iraqi forces were eventually repelled from the Saudi town of Khafji, the following January, but only after they were attacked from the air by American jets. » | Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Thursday, July 03, 2014
Wednesday, July 02, 2014
Nicolas Sarkozy: Allegations against Me are Grotesque, and the Judges Are Biased
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| Nicolas Sarkozy, centre, is brought in by police for questioning on Tuesday by a judge investigating allegations of corruption. |
To the French right it was political persecution and a plot to undermine Nicolas Sarkozy's eventual return to power. To the left it was the country's justice system doing its job and showing that no man – not even a powerful former president – is above the law.
But on Wednesday night it was Sarkozy's turn to speak after a day in which he was put under formal investigation for allegations of corruption, trafficking influence and receiving information violating professional secrecy.
The move came more than 15 hours after he was first summoned to a police station on the outskirts of Paris and told he was being held in custody – a first for a former president in modern France.
Three others, Sarkozy's lawyer Thierry Herzog and two magistrates, have also been put under investigation in the case. All deny any wrongdoing.
On Wednesday night, Sarkozy appeared on television for the first time since leaving the Elysée Palace in 2012 to claim the justice system was being used as a "political instrument" against him and to lash out at the magistrates and France's Socialist government.
"In our country, the country of human rights and the right of law, there are things that are being organised … everything is being done to give an image of me that is not the truth. To all those watching and listening, I want to say that I have never betrayed their confidence. I have never committed an act against republican principles or the law," he said.
Wearing a sombre suit and tie, the former president looked tanned and clean-shaven – recent photos showed him with fashionable stubble – and came out fighting, describing the accusations as "grotesque", and accusing the judges of being politically biased and determined to humiliate and destroy him. » | Kim Willsher in Paris | Wednesday, July 02, 2014
The Lemon Seller Now Turkey’s ‘Sultan’
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| Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Emine Erdogan greet AK Party (AKP) members at a meeting where he is named as his party's candidate for the country's first direct presidential election in Ankara on Tuesday. – Reuters |
The religiously devout but charismatic prime minister is now seeking to extend his 11-year domination of Turkey by standing in a presidential election that would make him Turkey’s longest serving ruler since its founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
But the man dubbed the “Sultan” is enduring the most turbulent phase of his career, accused of being an autocrat and lashing out erratically at critics, from former allies to Twitter users.
Months of political turmoil in the wake of the Gezi street protests have cast a shadow over Erdogan, once hailed as an emerging global player after Turkey’s decade of unprecedented growth.
“I am not a dictator. It is not even in my blood,” he said last year.
But as tales of official graft and sleaze spread through social networks, the 60-year-old has become increasingly irritable and combative, branding his critics “traitors” and “terrorists.” » | AFP | Tuesday, July 01, 2014
Australian Jihadist Preacher Musa Cerantonio on His Way to Syria or Iraq
Melbourne-born Musa Cerantonio, regarded internationally as an influential cheerleader for the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, appeared on Twitter early Wednesday morning to heap praise on the group and its announcement of a new Islamic state.
The former Catholic is believed to have been hiding out in the Philippines for months and is reportedly wanted by the Australian Federal Police.
Mr Cerantonio's announcement came as Attorney-General George Brandis confirmed the government was looking at ways to make sure Australians returning from fighting with extremists in the Middle East would not pose a danger at home. (+ video) » | David Wroe | Wednesday, July 02, 2014
Putin verbietet das Fluchen
Wladimir Putin mags offenbar lieber fein - zumindest was den Sprachgebrauch seiner Landsleute betrifft: So ist In [sic] Russland [ist] am Dienstag ein umstrittenes Gesetz in Kraft getreten, das vulgäre Ausdrücke in den Medien, im Theater und in Filmen untersagt. Der Staatspräsident persönlich hatte das Gesetz im Mai dekretiert. » | DiePresse.com | Dienstag, 01. Juli 2014
Nicolas Sarkozy Charged with Corruption
France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy has been charged with corruption and influence peddling, French prosecutors said on Wednesday, a dramatic move in a criminal probe that could wreck his hopes of a political comeback.
The decision came after Mr Sarkozy was questioned for 15 hours, marking the first time a French ex-head of state had been taken into custody in a criminal investigation.
The right-wing leader had been detained at a police station in a Paris suburb in connection with a suspected attempt to illegally influence judicial proceedings in one of a raft of colourful corruption cases he is implicated in.
Mr Sarkozy turned up at the station in Nanterre in a black saloon car with tinted windows at 8:00 am (0600 GMT).
After the lengthy questioning, the former president was taken in the early hours of Wednesday to appear before a judge, where he was charged with corruption and influence peddling, the prosecution said in a statement to AFP.
If convicted of those charges, he could face a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. » | AFP | Wednesday, July 02, 2014
Obama the 'Imperial President'?
Cameron's Ramadan Greetings
When I listened to his message twice over, in a video, one of my friends asked me whether I am memorizing it.
I listened to it a third time also; luckily he wasn’t there to cast another remark!
Cameron said ‘Very best wishes to everyone observing the holy month of Ramadan in the UK and around the globe.’
He continued that ‘This is an incredibly special time of year for Muslims at home and abroad; a time for charity, for contemplation and community.’
He acknowledged that British Muslims are the top charity givers in the country ahead of all other faiths.
‘Charity is one of the things that Islam is all about. Here in Britain, Muslims are our biggest donors – they give more to charity than any other faith group’ Cameron stressed. » | S.H.Moulana, Riyadh | Monday, June 30, 2014
Tuesday, July 01, 2014
ISIS Reaches 'Ultimate Goal' of Caliphate
European Court Upholds French Full Veil Ban
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| There are calls beyond France too for public wearing of the niqab to be banned |
A case was brought by a 24-year-old French woman, who argued that the ban on wearing the veil in public violated her freedom of religion and expression.
French law says nobody can wear in a public space clothing intended to conceal the face. The penalty for doing so can be a 150-euro fine (£120; $205).
The 2010 law came in under former conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy.
A breach of the ban can also mean a wearer having to undergo citizenship instruction. » | Tuesday, July 01, 2014
EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS: French ban on the wearing in public of clothing designed to conceal one’s face does not breach the Convention »
French Ex-President Sarkozy Held Over Influence Claims
Mr Sarkozy is being held at Nanterre, near Paris, in an unprecedented step against a former president.
Mr Sarkozy is being questioned about whether he sought inside information from a judge concerning an investigation into campaign funding.
The latest developments are seen as a blow to Mr Sarkozy's attempts to challenge for the presidency in 2017.
Investigators are trying to find out whether Mr Sarkozy, 59, who was president from 2007 to 2012, had promised a prestigious role in Monaco to a high-ranking judge, Gilbert Azibert, in exchange for information about an investigation into alleged illegal campaign funding.
They are looking into claims that Mr Sarkozy was warned his phone was being bugged as part of the funding probe.
Mr Azibert, one of the most senior judges at the court of appeal, was called in for questioning on Monday. Another judge, Patrick Sassoust, was also questioned, as was Mr Sarkozy's lawyer Thierry Herzog. (+ video) » | Tuesday, July 01, 2014
ISIS Leader Calls On Muslims in Ramadan Message to Build 'Islamic State'
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| ISIS militants near the central Iraqi city of Tikrit. |
AP - The leader of the extremist group that has swept over much of northern Syria and Iraq called on Muslims Tuesday to immigrate to the territory his group has seized to help build an Islamic state.
The 19-minute audiotape from Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi comes two days after his organization, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria unilaterally declared the establishment of an Islamic state, or caliphate, in the land it controls. It also proclaimed al-Baghdadi the caliph, and demanded that all Muslims around the world pledge allegiance to him.
In his first remarks since that bold declaration, al-Baghdadi urged Muslims to come build their caliphate. He made a special appeal to those with practical skills — scholars, judges, doctors, engineers and people with military and administrative expertise — to come "answer the dire need of the Muslims for them."
He also called on jihadi fighters to escalate fighting in the holy month of Ramadan, which began on Sunday. "In this virtuous month or in any other month, there is no deed better than jihad in the path of Allah, so take advantage of this opportunity and walk the path of you righteous predecessors," he said. "So to arms, to arms, soldiers of the Islamic, fight, fight." » | Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Sinan Salaheddin | Tuesday, July 01, 2014
Terrorchef ruft Muslime weltweit zur Einwanderung in sein Kalifat auf
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| Dschihadisten-Chef Baghdadi: Aufruf an alle Muslime zur Rache |
Bagdad - Mit einer 19-minütigen Audiobotschaft richtet sich ISIS-Chef Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi an alle Muslime weltweit: Der Dschihadist fordert sie auf, in die von der Miliz "Islamischer Staat im Irak und in Syrien" (ISIS) eroberten Gebiete zu kommen und beim Aufbau eines islamischen Staats zu helfen. "Muslime, eilt in euren Staat. Ja, es ist euer Staat", rief Baghdadi.
Der Führer der militanten Gruppe wandte sich vor allem an Studenten, Richter, Doktoren, Ingenieure und Menschen mit militärischer und administrativer Expertise. Er rief nach Rache für alles, was Muslimen angetan worden sei. Er rief Kämpfer auf, sich zu rächen. Es gebe in diesem "gesegneten Monat" nichts Besseres, "als den Wandel zu umarmen", sagte Baghdadi in der Botschaft, die online abrufbar ist, und rief zum Dschihad auf. » | vek/AP/Reuters | Dienstag, 01. Juli 2014
'No Place to Hide': Iraq's Christians Face ISIS Slaughter as Country Disintegrates
New Dark Age Alert! Isis Baghdadi Calls for Muslims to Fight until Rome Is Conquered
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed leader of the Islamic State stretching across Iraq and Syria, has vowed to lead the conquest of Rome as he called on Muslims to immigrate to his new land to fight under its banner around the globe.
Baghdadi, who holds a PhD in Islamic studies, said Muslims were being targetted and killed from China to Indonesia. Speaking as the first Caliph, or commander of the Islamic faithful since the dissolution of the Ottoman empire, he called on Muslims to rally to his pan-Islamic state.
"Those who can immigrate to the Islamic State should immigrate, as immigration to the house of Islam is a duty," he said in an audio recording released on a website used by the group formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham.
"Rush O Muslims to your state. It is your state. Syria is not for Syrians and Iraq is not for Iraqis. The land is for the Muslims, all Muslims.
"This is my advice to you. If you hold to it you will conquer Rome and own the world, if Allah wills." » Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Tuesday, July 01, 2014
Nazi 'Perfect Aryan' Poster Child Was Jewish
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| Hessy Taft recently presented the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Israel with a Nazi magazine featuring her baby photograph on the front cover, and told the story of how she became an unlikely poster child for the Third Reich |
When Hessy Taft was six months old, she was a poster child for the Nazis. Her photograph was chosen as the image of the ideal Aryan baby, and distributed in party propaganda. But what the Nazis didn’t know was that their perfect baby was really Jewish.
“I can laugh about it now,” the 80-year-old Professor Taft told Germany’s Bild newspaper in an interview. “But if the Nazis had known who I really was, I wouldn’t be alive.”
Prof Taft recently presented the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Israel with a Nazi magazine featuring her baby photograph on the front cover, and told the story of how she became an unlikely poster child for the Third Reich.
Her parents, Jacob and Pauline Levinsons, both talented singers, moved to Berlin from Latvia to pursue careers in classical music in 1928, only to find themselves caught up in the Nazis’ rise to power.
Her father lost his job at an opera company because he was Jewish, and had to find work as a door-to-door salesman.
In 1935, with the city rife with anti-semitic attacks, Pauline Levinsons took her six-month-old daughter Hessy to a well-known Berlin photographer to have her baby photograph taken.
A few months later, she was horrified to find her daughter’s picture on the front cover of Sonne ins Hause, a major Nazi family magazine. » | Justin Huggler, Berlin | Tuesday, July 01, 2014
Ich war Hitlers Propaganda-Baby »
The ISIS Map of the World: Militants Outline Chilling Five-year Plan for Global Domination as They Declare Formation of Caliphate - and Change Their Name to the Islamic State
ISIS has formally declared the establishment of a caliphate, or Islamic state, in the vast stretches of the Middle East that have fallen under its control, and has outlined a vision to expand into Europe.
The announcement was described as the 'most significant development in international jihadism since 9/11'.
Upon declaring a caliphate, the Sunni militants - whose brutality in attempting to establish control in Iraq and Syria has been branded too extreme even by Al Qaeda - demanded allegiance from Muslims around the world.
With brutal efficiency, ISIS has carved out a large chunk of territory that has effectively erased the border between Iraq and Syria and laid the foundations of its proto-state.
The announcement, made on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, could trigger a wave of infighting among Sunni extremist factions that have until now formed a loose rebel alliance.
A spokesman for ISIS declared the group's chief, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as the leader of the new caliphate, or Islamic state, and called on Muslims everywhere, not just those in areas under the organization's control, to swear loyalty to him.
'The legality of all emirates, groups, states and organizations becomes null by the expansion of the caliph's authority and the arrival of its troops to their areas,' said Abu Mohammed al-Adnani.
'Listen to your caliph and obey him. Support your state, which grows every day,' he added in an audio statement posted online. Read on and comment » | John Hall | Published: Monday, June 30, 2014 | Updated: Tuesday, July 01, 2014
Inside Story: 'Islamic Caliphate': Blessing or Threat?
Tony Blair Raises Spectre That Returning British Jihadists ‘Could Use Kenya Terror Tactics’ To Disrupt UK
Tony Blair has raised the spectre that “battle-hardened” British jihadists returning from the Middle East could wreak the same sort of havoc as Islamic terrorists have inflicted in Kenya by targetting the tourism industry.
The former Prime Minister was talking to Yahoo News about the dangers faced by Western countries from their returning citizens who have trained and fought in Iraq and Syria.
“The important thing to realise is that they are our citizens so we cannot stop them coming back,” Mr Blair told interviewer Katie Couric when asked about fears that terrorists with Western passports could smuggle new undetectable bombs on to planes.
“We don’t know where they have been, but they will come back into our country, they have got the right to be in our country. And there are two things that worry me about this[:] » | Philip Sherwell, New York | Tuesday, July 01, 2014
Cameron Kicked EU's Van Rompuy Out of Number 10 after Furious Row over Staging a Vote on Who Gets Brussels Job
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| The two men clashed after Mr van Rompuy refused to guarantee allowing a vote on the appointment of Jean-Claude Juncker as President of the European Commission |
Furious David Cameron kicked EU president Herman van Rompuy out of Downing Street after clashing over Brussels jobs, Downing Street confirmed today.
The Prime Minister called a dramatic halt to talks on making Jean-Claude Juncker the new President of the European Commission.
When Mr van Rompuy refused to guarantee a vote of all 28 EU leaders, Mr Cameron declared there is ‘no point in continuing this meeting’ and showed him the door.
Moments after the extraordinary snub, Mr van Rompuy left Number 10, saying nothing to waiting reporters.
The meeting was held ahead of a summit on Friday, where Mr Cameron was to argue against giving Mr Juncker the job. » | Matt Chorley, MailOnline Political Editor | Monday, June 30, 2014
Monday, June 30, 2014
Australia: Radio Star Dropped for Calling Prophet Muhammad a Paedophile
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| Michael Smith |
A Sydney radio presenter has been told he will not be filling in a guest slot on 2GB after he called the prophet Muhammad a paedophile. The former 2UE presenter Michael Smith made the comments on Thursday during his regular guest spot with 2GB host Ben Fordham. Smith was discussing the recent controversy about a talk the Festival of Dangerous Ideas had booked, and later cancelled, with a Muslim activist, titled “Honour killings are morally justified”. » | Australian Associated Press | Sunday, June 29, 2014
Michael Smith: Why I won’t be on 2GB on Monday » | Saturday, June 28, 2014
Michael Smith News.com »
ISIS Crisis Has More Chaos to Spare
The name has been on everyone’s lips recently. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has catalogued some truly stunning military victories in the last few weeks, threatening the very existence of Iraq and Syria through its dream of uniting the two (and other countries) into a greater Islamic Caliphate in the Middle East.
Most disturbingly, their extreme show of force was completely unexpected, a difficult feat to accomplish under the watchful eyes of the West, but one that was repeated by the ISIS attack Wednesday on Iraq’s largest air force base.
This second surprise attack came as experts were predicting that the group would begin to consolidate its control over territory already captured, instead of trying to extend its military (of only several thousand fighters) any further, raising the question of how far ISIS will get.
The Levant, stretching from Iraq in the East to Israel, Lebanon, and even Cyprus in the West, marks ISIS’ territorial claims. Can they realistically capture all that land?
The answer, in all likelihood, is no. Absolutely not. So much would have to be accomplished in such a short time by such a small group that the possibility is relatively inconceivable.
However, the gains already made by ISIS along with the stagnation and lack of political will in the West means that this crisis is far from over. Chaos and brutality has yet to abdicate their throne in the Middle East and these forces will have far reaching impacts on politics, fundamentally changing the way the modern world views humanity, terrorism, the role of the UN and the US, and the very nature of warfare. » | John-Michael Kibrick | Sunday, June 29, 2014
European Rights Court to Rule on French Burqa Ban
The 24-year-old university graduate has requested anonymity because of concern over the reaction to her lawsuit in France, where the law banning full-face veils in public spaces was approved in 2010 under former president Nicolas Sarkozy and has been fully backed by the current Socialist government.
The woman, identified only by her initials S.A.S., and her British legal team are seeking to persuade the European Court of Human Rights to categorize the French law as essentially discriminatory.
The defendant — who also has family in Britain’s second city of Birmingham — argues that the ban violates her rights to freedom of religion, expression and assembly, and is also discriminatory.
She is a “perfect French citizen with university education,” her British lawyer Tony Muman told the European court at a hearing last year. “She speaks of her country with passion... She is a patriot,” Muman had said. » | Yann Ollivier | AFP | Monday, June 30, 2014
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