Temperatures Soar in Cyprus … It’s so Hot That Steering Wheels Are Starting to MELT

EPOCH TIMES: The heatwave in Cyprus has sent temperatures up to 57 degrees Celsius, so hot that steering wheels have started to melt.

People have also been advised in the 134 degree Fahrenheit weather not to leave newspapers or other documents on their car dashboards, for fear that they will burst in flames.

Even higher temperatures–63 Celsius, or 145 Fahrenheit–were reported in Nicosia, the capital of the island.

The U.K. Met Office issued a warning to British travelers in or headed to the region, noting that the heatwave is hitting different parts of the Middle East and Mediterranean. » | Zachary Stieber, Epoch Times | Friday, August 7, 2015

“Call Me Caitlyn,” a Documentary

On her very first day as “Caitlyn,” the transgender Olympic champion, formerly known as Bruce, sits down with Buzz Bissinger. Vanity Fair’s short film reveals behind-the-scenes secrets at the magazine, including an interview with editor Graydon Carter on the making of one of the most historic magazine covers—and groundbreaking stories—of our time.

Israeli Government Should Remove Christian Churches, Radical Jewish Leader Says

THE TELEGRAPH: Head of anti-assimilationist group declares churches have no place in Israel and says he "does not cry" over the death of Palestinian toddler in recent arson attack


Read the Telegraph article here | Robert Tait, Jerusalem, video by Quique Kierszenbaum | Friday, August 7, 2015

Maajid Nawaz: As a Former Extremist Who Knew Anjem Choudary, I Fear for the Mentality of British Muslims

THE INDEPENDENT: Like 33 per cent of British Muslims do, I once supported the idea of a caliphate based upon sharia law. But the debate has now become polarised and poisonous

Anjem Choudary, Britain’s loudest Islamist extremist, has finally been remanded in custody, charged under section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000. The charge is related to him sending messages to his 32,000 followers on Facebook, allegedly encouraging people to join Isis. His guilt or innocence is a matter for the courts. What concerns me here is his trajectory.

I first met Anjem in 1994, when I was 17 years old. We were both students of the Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT), which was led in the UK back then by the Syrian firebrand cleric Omar Bakri Muhammad. HT is responsible for first popularising the notion of resurrecting a theocratic caliphate in Muslim-majority countries. At the time, I had been studying at Newham College and was eventually expelled due to my Islamist belligerence. Anjem volunteered as my lawyer, furnishing me with advice on my expulsion.

Later that year, HT organised an international caliphate conference at London’s Wembley Arena, the first and largest of its kind globally. As our fellow HT activists went up and down the country plastering eye-catching bright orange stickers pronouncing The Caliphate - Coming Soon to a Country Near You, Muslims were arriving from all over the world to behold Wembley stadium, packed with 10,000 people cheering in unison for the return of the Caliphate. Those were the days before Isis, even before al-Qaeda, when HT was the most extreme manifestation of this pernicious Islamist ideology in Britain. The British-Muslim scene would never be the same again. » | Maajid Nawaz | Friday, August 7, 2015

Clark Whelton: Playing Dumb About Radical Islam

CITY JOURNAL: Progressives pretend not to understand the motives behind terrorist attacks.

President Obama’s longstanding refusal to say that the U.S. is at war with radical Islam was unaffected by the murder of four Marines and a sailor in Chattanooga. The president described the killer, Mohammad Youssuf Abdulazeez, as “a lone gunman,” while his secretary of defense, Ashton Carter, was apparently mystified by what he termed a “senseless act of violence.” Carter must have been aware of what the press was already reporting, that Abdulazeez had been blogging about radical Islam and showing other signs that his ultimate goal was jihad. Was the SecDef simply playing dumb, or was he following the example of a president who has sidestepped every opportunity to denounce radical Islam by name?

A clue to Obama’s reticence came last February when Homeland Security secretary Jeh Johnson revealed that the president had been asked by Muslim leaders in America to avoid linking Isis with Islam—presumably to prevent a violent Muslim sect from being associated with the religion in whose name it wages war. In April, however, with the al-Qaida massacre of 148 Kenyans who had been targeted for their Christian faith (Obama called it “terrorism”), this dubious excuse lost all credibility. Moreover, Muslim leaders in many countries have denounced radical Islam by name.

The Obama administration was temporizing on radical Islam long before Isis showed up. In 2009, the White House labeled the murder of 13 soldiers at Fort Hood by Nidal Malik Hasan—who shouted “Allahu Akbar” as he pulled the trigger—as “workplace violence.” When Congress asked Hillary Clinton about the attack in Benghazi, which happened on the anniversary of 9/11, the secretary of state played dumb. “Was it because of a protest,” she said, “or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided they’d go kill some Americans?” And so, in the shadow of Chattanooga, the question remains: why won’t Obama denounce radical Islam by name? Read on and comment » | Clark Whelton * | Thursday, August 6, 2015

* Clark Whelton was a speechwriter for New York City mayors Ed Koch and Rudy Giuliani.

Islamic State Seizes Dozens of Syrian Christians in Homs Province

Militant group seeks to establish stronghold in strategic location outside major city of Homs
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: BEIRUT--Islamic State is holding dozens of Christians in the southeastern Syrian province of Homs, Syrian Orthodox community leaders said Friday, after seizing the town of Qaryatain as part of the militant group’s efforts to establish a stronghold outside the major city of Homs.

The seizing of Christians came as Islamic State entered the town of Qaryatain on Wednesday, after attacking Syrian regime checkpoints by detonating three suicide bombs, according to Islamic State media.

The precise number of Christians rounded up in the raid isn’t clear. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based monitoring group, says over 230 were kidnapped, among them 60 Christians. Residents of nearby towns said the numbers kidnapped couldn’t be verified, and some of the victims may be staying in their homes under orders of Islamic State.

“We have no communication with them as land lines and mobile lines are being cut off,” said Bishop Philip Barakat, an Episcopal Vicar in Homs city, the capital of Homs province. » | Dana Ballout and Mohammad Nour Al Akraa | Friday, August 7, 2015

Leading US Democrat Speaks Out against US-Iran Deal

Mr Schumer joins a handful of Jewish Democrat Congress
members who are against the deal

BBC AMERICA: Leading US Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer has announced that he is breaking ranks with President Obama by opposing the Iran nuclear deal.

He said there was a very real risk that Iran would use the agreement to pursue what he called its nefarious goals rather than moderate its approach.

Mr Schumer is the first Democratic Party senator to take such a stand.

Correspondents say his move is a serious blow to the president as he urges Congress to back the deal. » | Friday, August 7, 2015

Viewpoint: ‘Root of All Evil? US Intervention, Not Assad’ – Ron Paul University Director to RT

The US State Department blames the Syrian government for the rise of Islamic State. Meanwhile, America carries out bombings in Syria, launching strikes from a base in Turkey. Daniel McAdams, executive director of Ron Paul University shares his perspective

Geert Wilders Cleared to Visit Australia for Party Launch

THE AUSTRALIAN: The federal government will not prevent Dutch right-wing politician Geert Wilders from visiting Australia to launch a new anti-Islamic political party.

The Australian Electoral Commission on Wednesday approved the registration of the Australian Liberty Alliance, which will launch in Perth on October 20 with Wilders as keynote speaker.

In its manifesto, the party says it stands for “individual liberty, small government, Western values built on Judeo-Christian and humanistic foundations, social fairness and an integrated multi-ethnic society”.

Islam, it says, “uses the religious element as a means to project itself on to non-Islamic societies”, and is unparalleled in having both the doctrinal aspiration and the “economic and demographic muscle to impose itself globally”. » | Monday, August 3, 2015

Canadians Converting to Islam: A Rocky, Complex Road, New Study Finds

OTTAWA CITIZEN: Canadian converts to Islam risk social and religious isolation because of rejection by their families and disinterest from inhospitable mosque communities, a new groundbreaking study is revealing.

“Converts are disconnected from mosque communities usually because they are from a different ethnic background,” said Australian researcher Dr. Scott Flower during a weekend Ottawa workshop on conversion.

Mosques are initially warm and welcoming to converts because conversion is one of their duties, he said.

But the welcome can quickly wear out.

“Most mosques are Pakistani, Turkish, Saudi or whatever, and converts are not being accepted into those communities,” he said. “So they are outsiders. If they are not connecting to the mosque and they lose their families, they are doubly isolated.” » | Chris Cobb, Ottawa Citizen | Friday, July 26, 2015

Chilling Call to Arms for Muslims in Germany to Commit ‘Lone Wolf’ Attacks

BREITBART.COM: A new Islamic State propaganda video, believed to be the first filmed in the German language, has threatened the life of Angela Merkel and called on believers to attack Germany and Austria.

Germany’s Die Welt reports at least two of the Jihadists seen in the film – which includes pronouncements on Jihad and the execution of two prisoners with assault rifles – are European citizens. Abu Omar al-Almani, a German, and Austrian Mohamed Mahmoud both speak in the film, calling on Muslims living in either country to either travel to the Islamic State, or to wage holy war at home.

Calling on Muslims to become ‘lone wolf’ killers Mohamed Mahmoud, who was jailed for four years for terrorism offences in Germany but escaped to the Islamic world says: “My brothers and sisters, either you come here and join the Mujahideen, or you lead the jihad in Germany and Austria. You do not need much, just take a large knife and kill every unbeliever. They are like dogs!”. » | Oliver Lane | Thursday, August 6, 2015

DIE WELT: IS droht Merkel und Deutschland in Mord-Video: Die Terrorgruppe Islamischer Staat hat erstmals ein Video nur auf Deutsch veröffentlicht. Die Fanatiker töten zwei Männer, rufen Muslime zum Mord an "Ungläubigen" auf und drohen Kanzlerin Merkel. » | Von Florian Flade |Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Islamic State Claims Suicide Bombing at Saudi Arabian Mosque

THE GUARDIAN: Ten members of emergency services and three mosque workers killed when bomber detonated vest during noon prayers in Asir

The Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in a Saudi Arabian mosque that killed at least 13 people, including 10 members of a Saudi special forces unit, the latest in a spate of such attacks in the Gulf kingdom.

Isis said in a statement circulated on social media that it had targeted the men because they enabled the rule of Saudi Arabia’s monarchs and their western backers, and because they allegedly tortured Isis sympathisers.

The group pledged further attacks in the Arab world, and boasted of its ability to pierce Saudi security measures.

“We bring evil tidings to the Arab tyrants in the coming days, God willing,” the statement said. » | Kareem Shaheen in Beirut | Thursday, August 6, 2015

Obama Foresees 'Another War in Middle East' without Iran Deal

President Barack Obama has warned that without the Iran nuclear deal, there will be another war in the Middle East. He said that those who voted for the War in Iraq are now opposing diplomacy with Iran

Obama’s speech »

ISIS Threatens to Execute Croatian Abducted in Egypt: Video

STRAITS TIMES: CAIRO (AFP) - Egypt’s affiliate of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group threatened Wednesday to execute a Croatian kidnapped in Cairo last month within 48 hours if Muslim women jailed in Egypt are not freed.

The man is the first foreigner to be abducted and threatened with death by militants in Egypt since an Islamist insurgency erupted two years ago.

In a video posted online by the militants, the Croatian identifies himself as Tomislav Salopek working for French company CGG, and appears kneeling at the feet of a hooded man holding a knife.

Reading from a sheet of paper, he says he will be executed within 48 hours if Egypt’s government fails to release Muslim women held in prisons.

Salopek, wearing an orange jumpsuit, did not say when the countdown began.

He said he was abducted on July 22 by the Sinai Province group, ISIS' Egyptian affiliate based in the Sinai Peninsula.

Formerly known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, the group changed its name when it pledged allegiance to ISIS in November. » | Wednesday, August 5, 2015

President Obama Speaking at American University, Washington DC

President Barack Obama spoke on the campus of American University in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, speaking against the Iraq War and referencing former President John F. Kennedy, who spoke at the university in 1963.

National Geographic: The Jesus Mysteries

Preacher Anjem Choudary Charged with Encouraging Support for Islamic State

THE GUARDIAN: Choudary, 48, and another man, Mohammed Rahman, 31, both facing charges of inviting support for proscribed organisation in lectures published online

Radical preacher Anjem Choudary has been charged with encouraging support for Islamic State, Scotland Yard has said.

Choudary, 48, of Ilford, faces a charge of inviting support for a proscribed organisation, namely Isis.

It is alleged he committed the offence between 29 June 2014 and 6 March 2015.

Another man, Mohammed Rahman, 31, faces the same charge.

Choudary will appear at Westminster magistrates court at 2pm on Wednesday.

It is alleged Choudary and Rahman publicised support for Islamic State (Isis) through lectures published online. » | Jamie Grierson and Shiv Malik | Wednesday, August 5, 2015

A Must Watch! The Oiling of America

New Dark Age Alert! Video Shows Saadi Gaddafi Being Beaten in Libya Jail

THE TELEGRAPH: Son of longtime dictator in undated video showing abuse of detainees in Tripoli prison, which human rights groups say raises questions over interrogation methods

Saadi Gaddafi, the son of Libya’s longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi, has appeared in a video showing prisoner abuse inside a Libyan jail.

Throughout the nine-minute long video, the 42-year-old sits hunched and blindfolded as he listens to the screams of other detainees being beaten in a back room. At the end of the film, Mr Gaddafi’s jailers ask him if he would rather be beaten on his feet or on his buttocks.

“What kind of a question is this? My feet,” the dictator’s son responds. His legs are then strapped to a metal contraption, and he too is hit.

The video, published on Sunday by news site Clear News, appears to have been filmed inside the al-Hadba corrections facility in the Libyan capital Tripoli. Libya’s state prosecutor said on Monday that his office was seeking to identify the guards shown in the video. » | Louisa Loveluck | Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Barbaric ISIS a Real Threat to US, Says Presidential Candidate Jeb Bush

Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush says the US must do more to combat Islamic State. 'We've let our guard down,' he said at a forum in New Hampshire, broadcast on C-SPAN, at which Republican presidential candidates tested their messages ahead of the first official debate on Thursday