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

Pope Francis: 'About 2%' of Catholic Clergy Paedophiles

Earlier this month the Pope begged forgiveness from victims
of child abusers within the Church

BBC: Pope Francis has been quoted as saying that reliable data indicates that "about 2%" of clergy in the Catholic Church are paedophiles.

The Pope said that abuse of children was like "leprosy" infecting the Church, according to the Italian La Repubblica newspaper.

He vowed to "confront it with the severity it demands".

But a Vatican spokesman said the quotes in the newspaper did not correspond to Pope Francis's exact words.

The BBC's David Willey in Rome says there is often a studied ambiguity in Pope Francis' off-the-cuff statements.

He wants to show a more compassionate attitude towards Church teaching than his predecessors, but this can sometimes cause consternation among his media advisers, our correspondent adds. » | Sunday, July 13, 2014

Dernier rendez-vous à Vienne

leJDD: Les grandes puissances entament aujourd’hui dans la capitale autrichienne la dernière semaine de négociations pour obtenir de Téhéran l’abandon de son programme nucléaire.

"Nos positions ne sont pas convergentes." Les diplomates possèdent définitivement l'art de la litote. Alors que la partie iranienne estime que ce dernier round de tractations est une "occasion unique d'entrer dans l'Histoire", la France estime qu'"aucune des questions principales n'est résolue". Il faut dire que le Guide suprême de la révolution islamique, Ali Khamenei, n'y est pas allé par quatre chemins en réclamant lundi dernier le droit pour l'Iran de posséder d'ici deux à cinq ans 190.000 centrifugeuses d'enrichissement d'uranium afin de pouvoir produire du combustible pour une vingtaine de centrales nucléaires. Le fossé est immense entre "plusieurs centaines" de centrifugeuses, que les grandes puissances sont disposées à concéder à l'Iran, et le chiffre évoqué par l'ayatollah. » | François Clemenceau - Le Journal du Dimanche | dimanche 13 juillet 2014

Staff at Muslim Primary School 'Caught on Camera Describing How Clapping Hands Is Satanic and That Gay People Should Be Stoned to Death'

MAIL ON SUNDAY: Teachers at school 'had discussions about whether music is un-Islamic' / Claims over The Olive School in Blackburn made by Channel 4 Dispatches / It's alleged staff also talked about how ties could be turned into snakes / Officials at school's Islam Trust contacted DfE after learning of allegations

Teachers at a Muslim faith primary have allegedly referred to clapping hands as ‘Satanic’ - and had discussions about whether music in school might be un-Islamic.

Footage was obtained for a Channel 4 documentary at The Olive School - a Muslim faith primary for 600 pupils in Blackburn, run by the Tauheedul Islam Faith, Education and Community Trust.

It is also claimed that footage shows staff talking about how ties could be turned into snakes and that gay people should be stoned to death. The Trust has labelled the discussions as ‘staff room gossip’.

Channel 4 did not say what footage from the school would be aired. Officials at the Trust contacted the Department for Education after learning of the allegations, reported the Blackburn Citizen.

The Trust invited inspectors to visit the school, and the DfE ordered an emergency ‘no notice’ Ofsted inspection last week. The Trust later insisted that this inspection went ‘very well’.

The Trust also confirmed that Dispatches had filmed undercover at the school and promised to act if anything on the film ‘is shown to undermine our progressive vision, ethos and approach’.

A Tauheedul governor said: ‘The Trust’s schools provide a first class education for young people in modern-day Britain… We need to look at what these schools have achieved for their pupils.’

Blackburn MP Jack Straw said: ‘I reserve final judgment until I see the programme. From what I know the allegations are groundless.’ » | Mark Duell and Jo Knowsley | Sunday, July 13, 2014

Extreme Money: Jihadists Selling Oil Seized in Iraq, Syria

The Islamic State, proclaimed by jihadists in parts of Syria and Iraq, is expanding its influence and attracting more volunteers. The extremists are reported by UK media to be raking in around a million dollars a day by selling oil from the facilities they captured in both countries. Some rival rebel groups are now flocking to fill the jihadist ranks. Nevertheless, the United States maintains it can still find a moderate opposition to arm - as Gayane Chichakyan reports.

Outside Gaza: Bomb Shelters Set Up Across Israel, Residents Applaud Iron Dome

All that mounting international pressure to end the violence is having no effect on the ground - Israeli leaders are vowing to continue the Gaza offensive. Hamas isn't backing down either - raining more rockets on Israel. Our Middle East correspondent Paula Slier has more from Tel Aviv.

Iraq Crisis: How Saudi Arabia Helped Isis Take Over the North of the Country

Prince Bandar bin Sultan

THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY: World View: A speech by an ex-MI6 boss hints at a plan going back over a decade. In some areas, being Shia is akin to being a Jew in Nazi Germany

How far is Saudi Arabia complicit in the Isis takeover of much of northern Iraq, and is it stoking an escalating Sunni-Shia conflict across the Islamic world? Some time before 9/11, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, once the powerful Saudi ambassador in Washington and head of Saudi intelligence until a few months ago, had a revealing and ominous conversation with the head of the British Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, Sir Richard Dearlove. Prince Bandar told him: "The time is not far off in the Middle East, Richard, when it will be literally 'God help the Shia'. More than a billion Sunnis have simply had enough of them."

The fatal moment predicted by Prince Bandar may now have come for many Shia, with Saudi Arabia playing an important role in bringing it about by supporting the anti-Shia jihad in Iraq and Syria. Since the capture of Mosul by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) on 10 June, Shia women and children have been killed in villages south of Kirkuk, and Shia air force cadets machine-gunned and buried in mass graves near Tikrit.

In Mosul, Shia shrines and mosques have been blown up, and in the nearby Shia Turkoman city of Tal Afar 4,000 houses have been taken over by Isis fighters as "spoils of war". Simply to be identified as Shia or a related sect, such as the Alawites, in Sunni rebel-held parts of Iraq and Syria today, has become as dangerous as being a Jew was in Nazi-controlled parts of Europe in 1940. » | Patrick Cockburn | Sunday July 13, 2014

Killing the Messenger

As censorship increases worldwide, journalists are being attacked, kidnapped and even killed for exposing the truth.

Anne Will: "Islamisten auf dem Vormarsch – Tödliche Gefahr für Deutschland?"

Anne Will, komplette Sendung in HD vom 2.7.14 in der ARD: Die radikalislamische Terrorgruppe ISIS ist weiterhin auf dem Vormarsch, hat jetzt sogar einen Kalifatstaat ausgerufen. Unter den Dschihadisten sind auch Jugendliche aus Deutschland, die vor allem nach Syrien reisen, um im Namen Allahs zu kämpfen. Bundesinnenminister Thomas de Maizière warnte deshalb bei der Vorstellung des Verfassungsschutzberichtes vor einer „konkreten tödlichen Gefahr". …

ISIS Puts Bull’s Eye on Mecca, Medina

WND: 'Allah wills it' declaration puts fear in other Sunni jihadists

WASHINGTON – Now that the Islamic State has issued a declaration that Muslims around the world must adhere to its recently announced caliphate, jihadist fighters say Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia will be the next targets after Jordan.

Sources say the Islamic State, former the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (or Greater Syria), is a rival to Saudi Arabia, even though both are Sunni. However, like the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic State abhors monarchies. The Islamic State is hoping that the Saudi army will revolt against the King and join its caliphate.

The area between Iraq and Jordan, into Saudi Arabia, is mostly desert, allowing the Islamic State to make major inroads into the kingdom before meeting resistance.

Saudi Arabia is aware that it could be the target of the Islamic State and its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the recently announced caliph or leader with the title of Khalifah Ibrahim. Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz recently met with newly elected Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to obtain counter-terrorism assistance if there is an attack on the kingdom.

According to WND sources, Abdullah was accompanied by Prince Bandar bin Sultan, who once was the kingdom’s chief of intelligence and head of the Saudi National Security Council.

Abdullah made the move after finally realizing that Bandar’s strategy of financing and providing weapons to jihadist fighters in Syria could backfire on the kingdom, with various jihadist groups fighting among each other on the side of the Syrian opposition. Moreover, the approach was not bringing down the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. » | E Michael Maloof | Wednesday, July 02, 2014

This Is the Promise of Allah »

Sarah Palin Calls for Barack Obama to Be Impeached and Removed from White House

Sarah Palin has called for Obama to be impeached and
removed from office

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Unelected matron saint of the Tea Party compares America to "a battered wife" that can no longer [take] her husband's abuse

Sarah Palin has taken her vitriolic criticism of President Barack Obama to a new level, calling for him to be impeached and removed from office.

The former governor of Alaska compared America to "a battered wife" that could no longer take any more of her husband's abuse.

Mrs Palin said "the last straw" was Mr Obama's decision to take executive action to change America's immigration system after reforms stalled in the face of opposition from Republicans in Congress.

"It’s time to impeach; and on behalf of American workers and legal immigrants of all backgrounds, we should vehemently oppose any politician on the left or right who would hesitate in voting for articles of impeachment," she wrote. » | Raf Sanchez, Washington | Wednesday June 09, 2014

Saudi Arabia's Secret Uprising

Secret Uprising: The growing Saudi protest movement that's been hidden from the world.

Uncut Chronicles: ISIS/ISIL Forges Bloody Caliphate in Iraq (RAW Timeline)

Radical Sunni militants of Al-Qaeda offshoot, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS/ISIL) are advancing and capturing cities in the north of Iraq. The jihadists have declared the capture of the capital Baghdad as their top priority objective.

France Proposes Anti-terrorist Travel Bans

BBC: The French government has proposed six-month travel bans to stop citizens travelling to Syria and Iraq to fight alongside Islamist militants.

A new offence of creating an "individual terrorist enterprise", designed to counter the threat of "lone wolves", would also be established.

Government officials say that two or three young Muslims leave France every day to join Islamist groups abroad.

There are fears they will eventually pose a threat to France itself.

A French citizen arrested for the killing of four people at the Brussels Jewish Museum in May, Mehdi Nemmouche, had returned from Syria, after being radicalised in prison.

Another French-born jihadist, Mohamed Merah, killed seven people in Toulouse in 2012 before being shot by police. His victims were three paratroopers as well as three children and a teacher at a Jewish school.

EU counter-terrorism coordinator Gille de Kerchove announced on Tuesday that interior ministers from nine countries had adopted an action plan to identify people travelling to Syria and stop them falling into terrorism on their return.

The countries that signed up to the plan are Belgium, France, Germany, the UK, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands » | Wednesday, June 09, 2014

'Mohammed Raghead' – The Name the FBI Were Giving to Muslim-American 'Joe Bloggs'

THE INDEPENDENT: Newly-published documents leaked by Edward Snowden provide the first proof of individual citizens being monitored by US spy agency

The US government spied on thousands of law-abiding Muslim-Americans including top US lawyers and academics according to newly-published documents provided by NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden.

The monitoring was authorized under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a law intended to target individuals involved in international terrorism, espionage or sabotage.

The leaked documents published by The Intercept include a list of 7,485 email addresses monitored between 2002 and 2008. Five of the emails identified by journalists have been described as leading “highly public, outwardly exemplary lives”.

A document dating from 2006 from the same cache of files instructed intelligence agency staff how to properly record the identity of those under surveillance and used the fake name of “Mohammed Raghead” as an example. » | James Vincent | Wednesday, July 09, 2014

Juncker Would Let Britain Take Back Powers While Staying In EU – Report

Jean-Claude Juncker would let Britain take back powers from
the EU without leaving the union, according to leaked comments.

THE GUARDIAN: Next president of European commission says EU needs UK and Westminster can negotiate a 'recovery of competences'

Jean-Claude Juncker has insisted he will not seek to block British efforts to claw back powers from Brussels despite David Cameron's failed bid to prevent him becoming president of the European commission.

Juncker said any proposals from Westminster would be "taken under consideration", stressing that he wanted the UK to stay in the EU.

The comments could provide some reassurance to Cameron, who had warned fellow European leaders that installing the former Luxembourg premier in the key post risked scotching attempts to reform.

The prime minister has pledged a renegotiation of Britain's membership terms followed by an in-out referendum in 2017 if the Tories are in power.

According to a leaked recording reported in the Daily Telegraph, Juncker told MEPs at a meeting in Brussels: "I would like Britain to stay as an active constructive member of the European Union. If Britain puts forward a proposal it will be taken under consideration.

"I am not in principle saying that no kind of repatriation can take place. If Westminster wants to recover competences, OK. If the others agree it shall be done." Read on and comment » | Agencies in London | Wednesday, July 09, 2014

European Jihadi: The Danish Gangster Who Joined the Syrian Frontline

Gangster and drug dealer Abderrozak Benarabe, or Big A as he's known on the streets of Copenhagen, made a deal with God that if his brother was delivered from cancer he would redeem his criminal ways and go to fight jihad in Syria alongside his fellow foreign fighters and child soldiers under 16. Director Nagieb Khaja followed Big A from his gang in Denmark into brutally-intense battle on the jihadi frontline in Syria and back to Copenhagen to amass and smuggle supplies to the fighters across the Greek-Turkish border


WARNING: This film contains scenes of death and injury in battle and testimony from the family of an alleged victim of torture. Some viewers may find these scenes upsetting

Battle to Establish Islamic State across Iraq and Syria

THE INDEPENDENT: The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant now controls vast stretch of land

Islamic fundamentalists have opened new fronts in their battle to establish an Islamic state across Iraq and Syria as they launch attacks in cities which were previously under the control of the Baghdad government.

A multi-pronged assault across central and northern Iraq in the past four days shows that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) has taken over from the al-Qa’ida organisation founded by Osama bin Laden as the most powerful and effective extreme jihadi group in the world.

Isis now controls or can operate with impunity in a great stretch of territory in western Iraq and eastern Syria, making it militarily the most successful jihadi movement ever.

Led since 2010 by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, also known as Abu Dua, it has proved itself even more violent and sectarian than what US officials call the “core” al-Qa’ida, led by Ayman al-Zawahiri, who is based in Pakistan. Isis is highly fanatical, killing Shia Muslims and Christians whenever possible, as well as militarily efficient and under tight direction by top leaders.

In Iraq in the past four days, it has fought its way into the northern capital of Mosul, sent a column of its fighters into the central city of Samarra and taken over Iraq’s largest university at Ramadi, in the west of the country. In addition, it launched devastating bombings targeting Shia civilians in Baghdad that killed at least 52 people.

The creation of a sort of proto-Caliphate by extreme jihadis in northern Syria and Iraq is provoking fears in surrounding countries such as Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey that they will become targets of battle-hardened Sunni fighters. » | Patrick Cockburn | Amman | Monday, July 09, 2014

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Emerges from Shadows to Rally Islamist Followers

THE GUARDIAN: Most wanted man in Middle East lays down challenge not only to Baghdad and the west but also jilted mothership al-Qaida


For a man so mysterious that there are only two known photographs of him, it was a brazen public debut. The most wanted man in the Middle East, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is also one of the most elusive, an evanescent figure behind the Islamist insurrection sweeping the Syrian and Iraqi interior.

And yet according to jihadist websites at the weekend, here he was on video openly rallying the adepts of the new Islamic state he had just pronounced in the largest city that his fighters had taken. Clad in black robes that invoked a distant, almost mythical phase of Islamic history, Baghdadi gave a half-hour sermon during Friday prayers in Mosul and led worship inside one of the most important Islamic sites in Iraq in open defiance of the US intelligence officials who have put a $10m bounty on his head.

In doing so, he laid down a challenge not only to the authorities in Baghdad and the foreign powers that want stability in the country, but to the radical Islamist mothership from which the Isis movement broke – al-Qaida, and its current leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Those present at the grand mosque in Mosul had no idea who would be preaching on Friday. But as the bearded figure made his entrance, he was introduced to them simply as "your new caliph Ibrahim".

"I am not better than you or more virtuous than you," Baghdadi says in the video. "If you see me on the right path, help me. If you see me on the wrong path, advise me and halt me. And obey me as far as I obey God." » | Martin Chulov in Baghdad | Sunday, July 06, 2014

Islamic State Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Addresses Muslims in Mosul

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Notoriously secretive head of the organisation formerly known as Isis comes out of hiding to lead Friday prayers as "Caliph Ibrahim"


Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, emerged from the shadows to lead Friday prayers at Mosul’s Great Mosque, calling on the world’s Muslims to “obey” him as the head of the caliphate declared by the Sunni jihadist group.

The notoriously secretive jihadi, who has never before been seen in public, chose the first Friday prayer service of Ramadan to make an audacious display of power in the city that the Sunni Islamists have now controlled for three weeks.

Speaking from the balcony in his new incarnation as self-anointed “Caliph Ibrahim”, al-Baghdadi announced himself as “the leader who presides over you”, urging Muslims to join him and "make jihad" for the sake of Allah.

Under his direction, the Islamic world would be returned to “dignity, might, rights and leadership”, he said.

“I am the wali (leader) who presides over you, though I am not the best of you, so if you see that I am right, assist me,” he said, dressed in a black turban and robe reminiscent of the last caliphs to rule from Baghdad.

“If you see that I am wrong, advise me and put me on the right track, and obey me as long as I obey God in you.”

Al-Baghdadi hailed the jihadi “victory” which he said had restored the caliphate after centuries. » | Hannah Strange | Saturday, July 05, 2014

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Cardiff Mosque Where Isis Recruits Worshipped Says Don't Blame Us

THE GUARDIAN: Al-Manar centre denies that visiting preachers may have prompted two men to leave for Syria and join the terror group

The mosque in Cardiff that two young men attended before they left for Syria and appeared in an extremist recruitment video has denied having anything to do with their radicalisation – and instead claimed they could have been inspired by images in the mainstream media.

Reacting in detail for the first time, the Al-Manar centre in the Welsh capital denied that visiting preachers may have prompted the men to leave for Syria and join the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis) terror group.

In a statement released to the Guardian and ITN, the Al-Manar centre said it did not control those who attended for prayers and officials would have sought to dissuade the men from leaving for Syria if they had known they were going.

The centre's denial came as more than 100 Islamic prayer leaders from various denominations of Islam signed a letter calling on British Muslims not to travel to Iraq or Syria to fight. » | Steven Morris | Friday, July 04, 2014

Obama Celebrates Ramadan Month, Plans to Host Islamic Dinner at White House

CHRISTIAN NEWS: WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry have both released statements to celebrate the Islamic month of Ramadan, as the administration prepares for the annual Iftar dinner at the White House.

To commemorate the beginning of Ramadan, the White House released a statement from President Obama on Friday. In the statement, the President pays tribute to Muslims across the world and describes Ramadan as a “blessed month” and a “sacred time.”

“Here in the United States,” Obama wrote, “we are grateful to the many Muslim American organizations, individuals, and businesses that are devoted to creating opportunity for all by working to reduce income inequality and poverty, not only through their charitable efforts, but also through their initiatives to empower students, workers and families with the education, skills and health care they deserve.”

“At a moment when too many people around the world continue to suffer from senseless conflict and violence,” Obama continued, “this sacred time reminds us of our common obligations to pursue justice and peace and to uphold the dignity of every human being.”

Likewise, Secretary of State John Kerry praised the Ramadan tradition in a statement released Friday, wishing Muslims “a peaceful Ramadan and joyful month.”

“Across the globe, Muslims will assemble and celebrate a rich tradition with fasting and prayer, as generations have done every year since the time of the Prophet Muhammad,” Kerry stated. “Here in America, Muslims will commemorate Ramadan in ways that reflect the great diversity of our country and the spirit of community that binds us together.” » | Garrett Haley | Tuesday, July 01, 2014

Hate-preacher Anjem Choudary’s Oslo Ally Calls Homosexuality ‘A Nasty, Cruel Disease’

BREITBART.COM: A Norwegian Islamist extremist with links to Anjem Choudary, the London-based hate preacher who wants to establish an Islamic state in Britain, has launched a Facebook campaign against the Europride festival in Oslo this week.

The Local reports that Ubaydullah Hussain was linked earlier this year with Egzon Avdyli, a 25-year-old from Oslo who was reported killed fighting in Syria with jihadist forces.

Following reports of Avdyli’s death, Hussain declared him a martyr in a Facebook post. Included in the post was a picture of Avdyli and Hussain standing on each side of Choudary. » | M. E. Synon | Tuesday, June 27, 2014

Exclusive: Norwegian Govt. Could Request Extradition of UK Islamist Anjem Choudary »

Threat to Diggers*

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Australia's most notorious jihadists fighting in Iraq have issued a macabre threat to Australian soldiers as their ranks were bolstered by a Melbourne-born preacher who has joined their new "caliphate".

Underscoring the deep concern the Abbott government has expressed in recent weeks about Australians involved with extremist groups, two prominent jihadists fighting with the al-Qaeda splinter group the Islamic State took to Twitter to issue fresh threats.

Mohamed Elomar, a former boxer from Sydney who has been implicated in executions of unarmed Iraqis, posted on the social media site a distressing picture of what appears to be a captured Iraqi soldier who has been beaten and is about to be executed.

The accompanying message states: "Look at the end of these Iraqi maliki dogs bunch of girls can't wait to see a Australian soldier cyring (sic) saying bakia."

"Bakia" means "he cries" in Arabic and "maliki" refers to the Shiite-led Iraqi government of Nouri al-Maliki, the fervent enemy of the Sunni extremists who have swept through northern Iraq in recent weeks. » | David Wroe | National Security Correspondent | Friday, July 05, 2014

* Digger is a military slang term for soldiers from Australia and New Zealand. [Source: Wikipedia]

US Terror Threat: Britain Turning 'Blind Eye' to Extremists, Warn American Analysts

American security and political experts are warning that jihadists
in Iraq and Syria will return to Europe with their newly-acquired
terror training

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Britain has been too relaxed about the threat to transatlantic flights from Islamist terrorists, a series of America-based security experts, political analysts and academics warn

The threat by terrorists to blow up airliners travelling to the United States has been ignored for too long by Britain, a series of American-based analysts have said.

American officials on Wednesday publicly demanded enhanced security for airports in Europe and the Middle East which have direct flights to the US. They did not say whether they had intelligence about a specific plot, but their actions suggested alarm, and a Homeland Security Department official said the request was "based on real-time intelligence".

On Friday, France announced that it was stepping up security checks at its airports, in response to the US warning.

But many American security and political experts said that Britain had turned a blind eye to the threat for too long.

"British governments have allowed indoctrination centres in mosques and cultural centres, they have turned a blind eye to recruitment operations and they have asserted the rights of those who want to impose sharia rule in their own areas," said Frank Gaffney, former assistant secretary of defence under President Ronald Reagan.

"They have embraced extremists who are just as determined to overthrow us by professed peaceful means as violent jihadists.

"This has inexorably led to a situation where any good jihadist calculates that it is time to wage violent struggle." » | Philip Sherwell, New York, David Millward in Maine and Harriet Alexander | Friday, July 04, 2014

Happy Independence Day!

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my American visitors a VERY HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY

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British Jihadi: I Won't Return to UK until Black Flag Flies over Buckingham Palace

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Jihadist says he doesn't want to come back to what he has left behind in Britain because it is 'just pure evil', says Abu Osama who is fighting with jihadists in Syria

A British man who claims he is fighting with jihadists in Syria has said he would not return to the UK until "the black flag of Islam" flies over Buckingham Palace and Downing Street.

The man, who called himself Abu Osama, said he had received military training, including how to build bombs and shoot weapons, during his time in Syria.

Speaking with a West Yorkshire accent in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, he described the 7/7 London bombers as “heroic lions”, claiming "there is nothing in Britain - it is just pure evil".

Osama said he was fighting with the extremist Al-Nusra Front, linked to Al-Qaeda. However the BBC said his claims had not been “officially verified”.

The man told presenter Nicky Campbell: "I have no intention of coming back to Britain, because I have come to revive the Islamic Khilafah [the Arabic term for the creation of a caliphate].

"I don't want to come back to what I have left behind.

"If and when I come back to Britain it will be when this Khilafah - this Islamic state - comes to conquer Britain and I come to raise the black flag of Islam over Downing Street, over Buckingham Palace, over Tower Bridge and over Big Ben." » | Raziye Akkoc | Friday, July 04, 2014

Man calls for 'black flag of Islam' over Buckingham Palace »