Franklin Graham: Obama 'Only Knows Islam, and He Has Given a Pass to Islam'

The Rev. Franklin Graham said to a Fox News audience that President Obama is seriously understating the Islam tie to recent acts of terrorism around the world - but no wonder, he "only knows Islam." The context of the discussion was the White House's failure to use the term "radical Islam" when describing Islamic State and…

ISIS Militants Reportedly Burn to Death 45 People in Western Iraqi Town

FOX NEWS: Islamic State militants reportedly have burned to death 45 people in the western Iraqi town of al-Baghdadi on Tuesday, just five miles away from an air base staffed by hundreds of U.S. Marines.

The identities of the victims are not clear, the local police chief told the BBC, but some are believed to be among the security forces that have been clashing with ISIS for control of the town. ISIS fighters reportedly captured most of the town last week.

Col. Qasim Obeidi, pleading for help from the Iraqi government and international community, said a compound that houses families of security personnel and officials is now under siege. » | FoxNews.com | Tuesday, February 17, 2015

WESLEY PRUDEN: Obama Remains Ignorant as Anti-Semitism Makes a Comeback

We're well into the new century, moving swiftly through the second decade of the new millennium, at ease in an era of science, modern medicine and wondrous electronics that our grandparents could not have imagined. (Even our parents don't understand most of it.) So why does 2015 smell like Munich in 1938, reeking of denial, blindness,…

EDITORIAL: Shaming Saudi Arabia into Freeing Blogger Raif Badawi

The example set by the early Americans who met in Philadelphia to write a Constitution for free men continues to be a beacon to "the huddled masses yearning to breathe free," in the words of the poet Emma Lazarus. We, the most fortunate of men and women, sometimes forget the debt everyone owes to the men…

Marie Harf, State Department, on Islamic State: 'Can't Win by Killing Them'

Marie Harf, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, said America can't win against the Islamic State "by killing them" and ought instead to focus on addressing what she claimed was the root problem - their poor economy - and help them get jobs. "We're killing a lot of them, and we're going to keep killing…

'Islamic State's Ambitions in Libya Are a Direct Threat to Europe'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The militant group's plans to use people trafficking boats as a way to Europe's southern flank should not be ignored, writes Charlie Winter

On Sunday, when Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant supporters began circulating a promotional flyer for an upcoming propaganda video, it was clear that it would feature a break from the norm. The image, over which were embossed the words[.]

“A Message Signed in Blood to the Nation of the Cross”, depicted what appeared to be the Mediterranean Sea, its waves discoloured with blood. » | Charlie Winter | Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Islamic State 'Planning to Use Libya as Gateway to Europe'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Exclusive: Jihadists hoping to use Libya as a "gateway" to wage war across the whole of southern Europe, plans by Isil supporters reveal

Islamic State militants are planning a takeover of Libya as a "gateway" to wage war across the whole of southern Europe, letters written by the group's supporters have revealed.

The jihadists hope to flood the north African state with militiamen from Syria and Iraq, who will then sail across the Mediterranean posing as migrants on people trafficking vessels, according to plans seen by Quilliam, the British anti-extremist group.

The fighters would then run amok in southern European cities and also try to attack maritime shipping.

The document is written by an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) propagandist who is believed to be an important online recruiter for the terror in Libya, where security has collapsed in the wake of the revolution that unseated Colonel Gaddafi in 2011. » | Ruth Sherlock, Beirut and Colin Freeman | Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Viktor Orbán: Putin's Man In Hungary?

Examining the government of Viktor Orban in Hungary, which rewrote the country's constitution and caused an uproar over its infringements on democratic principles

Should Islam Be Banned for ‘Defamation’?

THE BLAZE: Soon after Muslim gunmen killed 12 people at Charlie Hebdo offices, which published satirical caricatures of Muslim prophet Muhammad, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)—the “collective voice of the Muslim world” and second largest inter-governmental organization after the United Nations—is again renewing calls for the United Nations to criminalize “blasphemy” against Islam, or what it more ecumenically calls, the “defamation of religions.”

Yet the OIC seems to miss one grand irony: if international laws would ban cartoons, books, and films on the basis that they defame Islam, they would also, by logical extension, have to ban the entire religion of Islam itself—the only religion whose core texts actively and unequivocally defame other religions, including by name.

To understand this, consider what “defamation” means. Typical dictionary-definitions include “to blacken another’s reputation” and “false or unjustified injury of the good reputation of another, as by slander or libel.” In Muslim usage, defamation simply means anything that insults or offends Islamic sensibilities.

However, to gain traction among the international community, the OIC cynically maintains that such laws should protect all religions from defamation, not just Islam (even as Muslim governments ban churches, destroy crucifixes, and burn Bibles). Disingenuous or not, the OIC’s wording suggests that any expression that “slanders” the religious sentiments of others should be banned. » | Raymond Ibrahim | Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Double-layered Veils and Despair … Women Describe Life under Isis

Veiled women sit on a bench in Raqqa in March last year. Women
are now instructed to wear double-layered veils, loose abaya and gloves.

THE GUARDIAN: Islamic State has imposed a strict dress code in areas it controls in Iraq and Syria, with punishments of fines or beatings for those who do not comply

Women living under Islamic State’s control in Iraq and Syria are facing increasingly harsh restrictions on movement and dress, which are rigorously enforced by religious police and are leading to resentment and despair among moderate Muslims.

Residents of Mosul, Raqqa and Deir el-Zour have told the Guardian in interviews conducted by phone and Skype that women are forced to be accompanied by a male guardian, known as a mahram, at all times, and are compelled to wear double-layered veils, loose abayas and gloves.

Their testimonies follow the publication this month of an Isis “manifesto” to clarify the “realities of life and the hallowed existence of women in the Islamic State”. It said that girls could be married from the age of nine, and that women should only leave the house in exceptional circumstances and should remain “hidden and veiled”. » | Mona Mahmood | Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Franklin Graham: 'Imagine the Outcry' If Christians Beheaded 21 Muslims

The Rev. Franklin Graham laments what he believes is a religious double standard following the public's response to a brutal five-minute video purporting to show Islamic State militants beheading more than 20 Egyptian Christians. "Can you imagine the outcry if 21 Muslims had been beheaded by Christians?" he asked in a Facebook post Monday. "Where is…

Copenhagen Shooting: Denmark Holds Mass Memorial and Rally to Honour Victims

Tens of thousands gather at torch-lit memorials across the country after two men are charged with helping suspected Islamist gunman obtain weapons and evade police

Read the Telegraph article here | David Chazan and Julian Isherwood in Copenhagen | Monday, February 16, 2015

Maroc: deux journalistes français en tournage expulsés du pays

L’EXPRESS: Deux journalistes français ont été arrêtés dimanche soir à Rabat et expulsés du Maroc alors qu'ils réalisaient un documentaire pour France 3 sur l'économie du pays. Leur matériel a également été saisi.

Peu après la visite de Bernard Cazeneuve, l'affaire fait désordre. Deux journalistes de l'agence Premières Lignes sont revenus en France ce lundi après avoir été expulsés du Maroc, raconte FranceTVInfo. Jean-Louis Perez et Pierre Chautard, qui réalisaient un documentaire pour France 3, ont été interpellés dimanche 15 février dans les locaux d'une association à Rabat et priés de quitter le pays, pour avoir travaillé sans autorisation du ministère de la Culture et de la Communication. » | Par LExpress.fr avec AFP | lundi 16 février 2015

Les cimetières juifs, cibles récurrentes des profanateurs

Lire la suite ice »

Comment l'"État islamique" s'est installé aux portes de l'Europe

LE POINT: En décapitant 20 coptes égyptiens en Libye, les djihadistes mettent brutalement en lumière les territoires qu'ils contrôlent dans le nord de l'Afrique.

"Aujourd'hui, nous sommes au sud de Rome, sur la terre musulmane de la Libye." Couteau à la main, le djihadiste assène son message de haine à la caméra. Derrière lui, une vingtaine d'hommes en combinaison orange, alignés sur une plage les mains menottées, viennent d'être décapités sans pitié. Ces vingt Égyptiens coptes (de confession chrétienne), enlevés le mois dernier en Libye, sont les dernières victimes en date de l'organisation État islamique (EI). Et leurs bourreaux de signer, par cette vidéo atroce, le coup le plus retentissant de l'EI en dehors des frontières de leur califat autoproclamé en Irak et en Syrie.

La création d'une branche de l'EI en Libye date du 31 octobre dernier, date à laquelle la milice du Conseil consultatif de la jeunesse islamique a prêté allégeance à Abou Bakr al-Baghadi, "calife" de l'organisation djihadiste. "Le groupe a été créé début 2014, après le retour au pays de djihadistes libyens qui avaient combattu en Syrie, pour étendre le califat", explique Romain Caillet, chercheur et consultant sur les questions islamistes au cabinet NGC Consulting. "Il répondait ainsi aux consignes de l'EI, qui a appelé les musulmans européens et africains à émigrer en Libye, un territoire plus proche de chez eux" que l'Irak ou la Syrie. » | Par Armin Arefi | lundi 16 février 2015

Talentierter Thai-Boxer, Ex-Häftling und Antisemit

TAGES ANZEIGER: Zwei Tage nach den Anschlägen von Kopenhagen erschliesst sich langsam die Persönlichkeit des Attentäters. Eine Übersicht zu den Terrorakten in Dänemark und die offenen Fragen.

Die dänischen Medien berichten laufend über den Attentäter von Kopenhagen, es werden immer mehr Details über dessen Lebensgeschichte bekannt. Demnach war der 22-jährige Omar Abdel Hamid al-Hussein ein kickboxender Einzelgänger, der wegen mehrerer Gewalttaten bereits der Polizei bekannt gewesen war. Beispielsweise war er 2013 in eine Messerstecherei verwickelt. Bestätigt ist auch, dass er in Dänemark geboren wurde und im Bandenmilieu aufgefallen war. Der junge Mann palästinensischer Abstammung wurde erst vor zwei Wochen aus dem Gefängnis entlassen, wo er wegen eines Messerangriffs in der S-Bahn einsass. Al-Hussein habe Palästina als zweite Heimat betrachtet und sich sehr für die Palästinenser engagiert, heisst es in Medienberichten. Die Zeitung «Ekstra Bladet» sprach mit Schulkollegen des Attentäters, der eine Erwachsenenbildung absolviert hatte. Einer seiner Freunde sagte dem Blatt: «Er hatte keine Angst offen zu sagen, dass er Juden hasse.» Von Zeugen wird er auch als hitzköpfiger Antisemit beschrieben. Laut anderen Weggefährten galt der 22-Jährige als talentierter Thai-Boxer. » | Vincenzo Capodici | Redaktor Ausland | Montag, 16. Februar 2015

Frankreichs Juden in Angst

Jüdische Gegend in Paris

DIE PRESSE: Antisemitische Übergriffe eskalieren in jüngster Zeit vor allem in Frankreich. Eine Haupttriebkraft dahinter ist Rache: Vor allem Islamisten wollen so die Leiden der Palästinenser vergelten.

Kein Monat vergeht in Frankreich ohne erschreckende Übergriffe auf Juden und ihren Alltag. Es vergeht auch keine Woche ohne beschwörende Äußerungen der Politiker: Sie rufen das Land händeringend auf, sich vereint dem Antisemitismus entgegenzustellen - es müsse ein "Ruck" durch die Nation gehen. Unter den Juden wachsen unterdessen die Angst und der Wunsch, nach Israel auszuwandern.

Immer wieder lockt auch Israels Regierungschef Benjamin Netanyahu sie an: Nach jedem größeren Zwischenfall lädt er sie ein, Frankreich nun den Rücken zu kehren. Das akzeptiert Staatschef Francois [sic] Hollande nicht.

"Nein zum Antisemitismus, dem Krebs unserer Gesellschaft." So hieß es im Dezember als Antwort auf den "Horror von Creteil": Vermummte und bewaffnete Männer hatten in dem Pariser Vorort bewusst ein jüdisches Paar tyrannisiert und ausgeraubt. Die Frau wurde vergewaltigt. Schon damals versprach Innenminister Bernard Cazeneuve, den Kampf gegen den Rassismus und Antisemitismus zur "nationalen Sache" zu machen und die Juden zu schützen. » | DiePresse.com | Montag, 16. Februar 2015

Jews Face Renewed Doubt Over Their Future in Europe

People lay flowers outside a synagogue where an attack took
place in Copenhagen, Feb. 15, 2015.

TIME: Denmark's synagogue attack is the latest in a series across Europe

Denmark will do everything it can to protect Jews, said its Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt to reporters Monday. But across town, the thousands of bouquets that had been laid at the gates of a synagogue where a gunman killed a Jewish man at the weekend were a painful reminder that they hadn’t been protected enough. Here and across Europe, the attack added to a growing fear among Jews that the continent was once again not safe for them.

About 80 people were celebrating a bar mitzvah at the synagogue on the central Copenhagen street of Krystalgade in the early hours of Feb. 15 when Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussain shot and killed synagogue member Dan Uzan, who was guarding the entrance to the building. Earlier El-Hussain had killed one and injured three at a meeting on freedom of expression organized by Lars Vilks, a cartoonist who had depicted the Prophet Mohammed as a dog.

Coming so soon after a similar attack in Paris, in which two gunmen killed cartoonists and editors at the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, while another killed five in two other incidents, the Copenhagen events have sharply undermined the small Danish Jewish community’s already deteriorating sense of security.

“It’s terrifying,” says Marianne Isaksen, a member of the congregation where Dan Uzan was killed. She and her husband Alf, both in their 70s, knew Uzan, and had come out to Krystalgade to commiserate with other synagogue members and pay their respects. “We knew things were getting worse, but we never thought it could happen here.” » | Lisa Abend | Copenhagen | Monday, February 16, 2015

Documentary: Jew-hatred and Anti-Semitism in Malmö, Sweden

Why Are They Converting to Islam?

BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS: The Islamic conversion phenomenon includes thousands in Europe, the USA, Australia and even Israel. A small number of converts goes one step further – quite a large step – and joins the Jihad in Syria and Iraq. What make them do it?

One of the things that worries the West is the fact that hundreds and maybe even thousands of young Europeans are converting to Islam, and some of them are joining terror groups and ISIS and returning to promote Jihad against the society in which they were born, raised and educated. The security problem posed by these young people is a serious one, because if they hide their cultural identity, it is extremely difficult for Western security forces to identify them and their evil intentions. This article will attempt to clarify the reasons that impel these young people to convert to Islam and join terrorist organizations.

The sources for this article are recordings made by the converts themselves, and the words they used, written here, are for the most part unedited direct quotations.

Many of the converts are convinced that Islam is a religion of peace, love, affection and friendship, based on the generous hospitality and warm welcome they receive from the Moslem friends in their new social milieu. In many instances, a young person born into an individualistic, cold and alienating society finds that Muslim society provides – at college, university or community center – a warm embrace, a good word, encouragement and help, things that are lacking in the society from which he stems. The phenomenon is most striking in the case of those who grew up in dysfunctional families or divorced homes, whose parents are alcoholics, drug addicts, violent and abusive, or parents who take advantage of their offspring and did not give their children a suitable emotional framework and model for building a normative, productive life.

The convert sees his step as a mature one based on the right of an individual to determine his own religious and cultural identity, even if the family and society he is abandoning disagree. Sometimes converting to Islam is a form of parental rebellion. Often, the convert is spurned by his family and surrounding society for his decision, but the hostility felt towards Islam by his former environment actually results in his having more confidence in the need for his conversion. Anything said against conversion to Islam is interpreted as unjustified racism and baseless Islamophobia.

The Islamic convert is told by Muslims that Islam respects the prophets of its mother religions, Judaism and Christianity, is in favor of faith in He Who dwells on High, believes in the Day of Judgment, in reward and punishment, good deeds and avoiding evil. He is convinced that Islam is a legitimate religion as valid as Judaism and Christianity, so if his parents are Jewish or Christian, why can’t he become Muslim? He sees a good many positive and productive Muslims who benefit their society and its economy, who have integrated into the environment in which he was raised, so why not emulate them? Most Muslims are not terrorists, so neither he nor anyone should find his joining them in the least problematic. » | Dr. Mordechai Kedar * | Sunday, February 15, 2015

* Dr. Mordechai Kedar is a senior lecturer in the Department of Arabic at Bar-Ilan University. He served in IDF Military Intelligence for 25 years, specializing in Arab political discourse, Arab mass media, Islamic groups and the Syrian domestic arena.