‘Illegal mosques, madrasas caused Rs1.1 billion loss’, AFP/File
North America
Isis Threatens To Behead Barack Obama and 'Transform America into a Muslim Province'
ISIS Fans Name Messi Jihadist Emir of Latin America
Is There Really an Islamic Sharia Law Tribunal in Dallas, Texas?
US Says Taliban 'Armed Insurgency', ISIS 'Terrorist' Group
US may lose war against extremists: retired generals
Israel has right to self-defence against Hezbollah: US
India
Urdu Newspaper Editor Arrested over Reprint of Hebdo’s Prophet Cartoon
No Harm If There Is Debate on ‘Secular’ and ‘Socialist’ In Preamble: Union Minister
US Unable To Find Any Indians Fighting For IS
Congress Wants Modi Govt to Take Up Terror with Pakistan
IS Videos Luring Local Sympathisers: Intelligence
Bardhaman blast accused made bombs in Burqa factory
Will reconvert 50 Lakh people to Hinduism, India will remain a Hindu Rashtra: Togadia
Arab World
Mullah Omar Is a Fool and Illiterate Warlord: Al-Baghdadi
Persecuted Christians Join Yazidis in Iraq’s Fight against Isis
Survivors Say Iraqi Forces Watched As Shi’ite Militias Executed 72 Sunnis
Egypt condemns 'acute deterioration of human rights' in Turkey
Takfiri Militants Damage Mosque in Restive Aleppo
Isis 'extends deadline to sunset' for Jordan to save captured pilot Mu'ath al-Kasaseabeh
IS suffers ‘devastating’ blows but biggest fighting still ahead
Iraqi state education increasingly religious
Kuwait arrests online activists 'over Saudi criticism'
Pakistan
‘Illegal Mosques, Madrasas Caused Rs1.1 Billion Loss’
US Drone Strike Kills Seven in North Waziristan
Pakistan Ulema Council Urges Teachers, Leaders, Scholars to Guide Youth
In Pakistan, a charity project points to official tolerance of militants
Altaf alleges Sindh CM of extra-judicial killings of 36 MQM workers
Imran stresses unity against anti-Islam propaganda
Jamaat-e-Islami calls upon govt to fix limit of land holding to wipe out feudalism
Fearing terror attacks, EU air safety agency calls for 'extreme caution' while flying in Pakistan airspace
Nawaz Sharif sings Kashmir tune to buy peace with India
Africa
Saved From Islamic Extremists, Mali Manuscripts Face Damage In New Home
Dozen Killed In Mali Attack
Nigeria accused of failing to act on massacre warnings
Nigeria Torn Asunder as Boko Haram Drive Fuels Caliphate Threat
Nigerian extremists kill and loot at will: villagers
South Asia
Taliban bomb kills 4, attack kills 11 in Afghanistan
Rohingya Refugees Say Traffickers in Malaysia Abuse and Kill
Islamic State sets new deadline for hostage swap
Operations in Pakistan force militants into Afghanistan: report
'Bangladesh failed to prosecute security forces'
Bangladesh Minister: Khaleda will have to face trial
Southeast Asia
Indonesian Cleric says Selfies a Sin under Islamic Law, Criticises Women for Being So 'Shameless'
PAS wants Fatwa Council to declare Perkasa extremist and deviant
Sedition Act drives Malaysia’s freedom ranking down in 2014, says report
Philippines mourns police killed in anti-terror bloodbath
Indonesia ready to execute foreigners after rejecting clemency
Europe
France Releases Online Video to Tackle Jihadist Recruitment
'You Will Die Alone' French Government Warns Would-Be Jihadists
French police question 8-year-old who ‘backed’ Charlie Hebdo attackers
Charlie Hebdo: Growing controversy in UK over freedom of expression limits
UK mosques invite fellow Britons to ease tensions
More quit at top of anti-Islam organisation
Mideast
Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Kidnap Student Protestors
Israel: Hezbollah Not Interested In Escalating Violence
Kobane residents eye return, Kurdish group thanks Turkey
Gülen was planning to return to Turkey like Khomeini returned to Iran: Justice Minister
Report emphasizes Erdoğan’s impact on decline of democracy in Turkey
Iran Condemns Continued Detention of Bahraini Cleric as "Unacceptable"
Israel considers its response after missiles kill two soldiers on border with Lebanon
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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North America
Isis Threatens To Behead Barack Obama and 'Transform America into a Muslim Province'
29 Jan, 2015
An Isis fighter has threatened to behead Barack Obama “in the White House and transform America into a Muslim province” before murdering a Kurdish soldier in a gruesome propaganda video.
The footage, entitled “Bombardment of Peaceful Muslims in the City of Mosul” showed damage from shelling allegedly carried out by Peshmerga forces in the Iraqi city earlier this month before killing the captive in retaliation.
The masked Isis fighter threatened attacks on the US, France, Belgium and the Kurds, claiming that the group’s followers will kill the American and Kurdish presidents as well as detonating car bombs and explosives in European countries that are part of the international coalition fighting against it.
He claims Peshmerga forces “shells the peaceful Muslims of Mosul with American Crusader bombs, and has poisoned dozens of them with asphyxiating gases” as images are shown of damaged buildings, bodies and injured children.
Then the jihadist issues “a message to the entire world” in Kurdish, translated by the Memri Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor.
“This is the fate of anyone who opposes Islam. Know, oh Obama, that we will reach America. Know also that we will cut off your head in the White House and transform America into a Muslim province,” he says.
“And this is my message to France and its sister, Belgium. We advise you that we will come to you with car bombs and explosive charges and we will cut off your heads.”
The fighter then beheads the captive with a knife to cheers from the gathered crowd, threatening to send Kurdish president Masoud Barzani a soldier’s head for every missile the Peshmerga launch.
Isis, which has overrun swathes of Iraq and Syria, has made a number of similar statements since a US-led coalition mounted air strikes against its fighters last year and frequently uses beheading videos as a platform for its propaganda.
As well as the filmed murders of foreign hostages James Foley, David Haines, Alan Henning and most recently, Japanese aid worker Haruna Yukawa, public beheadings have become commonplace in its territories where death is the penalty for numerous unproved “crimes”.
According to the Middle East Media Research Institute (Memri), the video threatening Obama was released by Isis on Monday, two days after heavy Peshmerga shelling and coalition air strikes were reported in its stronghold of Mosul.
It is the largest city controlled by Isis and one of its longest-standing strongholds in Iraq.
On Saturday, news agencies reported an increase in US air strikes around Mosul aiming to disrupt Isis supply routes ahead of an expected operation later this year to re-take it from militants.
Coalition airstrikes hit at least two dozen locations around Mosul, destroying dozens of vehicles, buildings, fighting positions and insurgent units, military officials said.
The US has claimed that the coalition has “halted the momentum” of Isis, which made most of its gains largely unchallenged last year.
No foreign armies have yet sent group troops to fight Islamists in the region as fears increase of more Isis-inspired terror attacks following the Charlie Hebdo massacre, Ottawa shootings, Sydney siege and numerous failed plots in the UK, Belgium and across Europe.
American authorities have launched investigations into reports of civilian casualties reportedly incurred during strikes aimed at Isis in Iraq and Syria but none have yet been confirmed.
Since the strikes began in August, Washington has said it takes reports of civilian casualties seriously but did not acknowledge that it had started formal investigations until earlier this month.
In September, the White House admitted that much-publicised standards imposed by President Obama to prevent civilian deaths in drone strikes did not apply to operations in Syria and Iraq.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-threatens-to-behead-barack-obama-and-transform-america-into-a-muslim-province-10008930.html
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ISIS fans name Messi jihadist emir of Latin America
29 Jan, 2015
It seems that the Argentineans were not the only ones to celebrate Lionel Messi’s goal last week during a World Cup game against Iran.
Alleged supporters of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have created a Facebook page introducing Messi as an “emir of Latin America” and naming him “Abu Mehaddaf al-Arjantini.”
Earlier, the Washington Post reported that ISIS had congratulated the football star on Twitter for defeating their “enemy.”
The Washington Post report was based on a Tweet from an account it described as an ISIS-affiliate. However, upon examining the account and translating its contents, the account (@Daash_News) appears to be an anti-ISIS account, operated most likely by critics of the Jihadist group.
The group took to social media to praise Messi for his last minute goal on June 21, during the Iran-Argentina game.
ISIS is an extremist Sunni terrorist group, while the Iranian team represents the Islamic Republic of Iran, a Shiite state.
Since the beginning of the World Cup, pro-ISIS tweeters, who are very active on social media, have been hijacking the #WorldCup2014 hashtag to promote news of gains in Iraq, according to Agence France-Presse.
Western Muslims are an important target of ISIS’s social media propaganda. The group ensures most of its media productions are translated into as many Western languages as possible.
Despite their loss against Argentina, the Iranian national team still stands a chance of making it to the second round for the first time in history as they face already-eliminated Bosnia on Wednesday
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/variety/2014/06/25/ISIS-invites-Messi-to-join-jihadist-call-after-Iran-defeat-.html
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Is There Really an Islamic Sharia Law Tribunal in Dallas, Texas?
29 Jan, 2015
Users on Twitter and Facebook this week are saying parts of Texas are now under Sharia law, or Islamic law.
The whole thing appears to be an unfounded rumor that was twisted around when conservative news website Breitbart published an article that says, “ISLAMIC TRIBUNAL CONFIRMED IN TEXAS; ATTORNEY CLAIMS ‘IT’S VOLUNTARY.'”
Some users and other blogs went along with the story but apparently misinterpreted its premise.
Breitbart Texas spoke with one of the “judges,” Dr. Taher El-badawi. He said the tribunal operates under Sharia law as a form of “non-binding dispute resolution.” El-badawi said their organization is “a tribunal, not arbitration.” A tribunal is defined by Meriam-Webster’s Dictionary as “a court or forum of justice.” The four Islamic attorneys call themselves “judges” not “arbitrators.”
El-badawi said the tribunal follows Sharia law to resolve civil disputes in family and business matters. He said they also resolve workplace disputes.
In matters of divorce, El-badawi said that “while participation in the tribunal is voluntary, a married couple cannot be considered divorced by the Islamic community unless it is granted by the tribunal.” He compared their divorce, known as “Talaq,” as something similar to the Catholic practice of annulment in that the church does not recognize civil divorce proceedings as ending a marriage.
According to the Islamic Tribunal’s website, it appears to deal mainly with divorce. However, people apparently thought the organization was trying to interpret a Saudi Arabian- or ISIS-style version of Sharia law, complete with executions, restrictions on women, and other forms of punishment.
The Islamic Tribunal, on its website or in the Breitbart report, never said it was trying to overrule existing federal, state, or local laws and replace it with its interpretation of Sharia law.
So yes, while there is a Islamic Tribunal, all American citizens have to adhere to the laws of the U.S. first and foremost. No other entity can supersede that.
A few weeks ago, Facebook said it would attempt to clean up its news feed for users by offering them the ability to report fake news stories or hoaxes.
Hoax-Slayer’s Brett Christensen told Epoch Times that regarding the Facebook change, “I don’t think the changes will backfire as such, but it remains to be seen how effective they are. After all, Facebook is not actually going to delete the fake-news posts. It will just slow their distribution if a lot of people report them as fake news. A lot of people believe and share the stories, so they are not likely to report them anyway.”
“And, despite the false news annotation that Facebook is promising to display on reported posts, many people will likely share them anyway.”
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1227903-is-there-really-sharia-law-in-dallas-texas/
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US says Taliban 'armed insurgency', ISIS 'terrorist' group
PTI | Jan 29, 2015
WASHINGTON: The United States has described the Afghan Taliban as "an armed insurgency", while the Islamic State as a "terrorist" group, drawing a controversial distinction between the two militant organizsations.
"The Taliban is an armed insurgency. ISIS or ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and Levant) is a terrorist group. So we don't make concessions to terrorist groups," White House deputy press secretary Eric Schultz told reporters in response to questions at the daily press briefing on Wednesday.
Asked whether the Jordanian government's decision to swap prisoner with the ISIS was similar to the US trading five Taliban members for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, he said, "As you know, this was highly discussed at the time and prisoner swaps are a traditional end-of-conflict interaction that happens."
"As the war in Afghanistan wound down, we felt like it was the appropriate thing to do. The president's bedrock commitment as commander in chief is to leave no man or woman behind. That s the principle he was operating under," he said.
When asked for a second time whether the Taliban is a terrorist group, Schultz replied, "I don't think that the Taliban, - the Taliban is an armed insurgency."
"This was the winding down of the war in Afghanistan and that's why this arrangement was dealt," he added, referring to the prisoner swap deal with Taliban brokered through Qatar.
Though the US State Department has not designated the Afghan Taliban as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation, it has designated its allies - the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and the Haqqani Network.
The US is offering up to $10 million for information leading to the capture of Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar.
ISIS is an al-Qaida splinter group and it has seized hundreds of square miles in Iraq and Syria, declaring an Islamic Caliphate.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-says-Taliban-armed-insurgency-ISIS-terrorist-group/articleshow/46053065.cms
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US may lose war against extremists: retired generals
29 Jan, 2015
WASHINGTON: US foreign policies have left its allies confused and may cause it to lose the war against extremists in Afghanistan and the Middle East, warn retired American generals.
In a series of testimonies before the new, Republican-dominated Congress, the generals have also suggested keeping US forces in Afghanistan longer than the Obama administration desires.
The new Congress, which took charge earlier this month, may like this argument as the Republicans, who now dominate both the chambers, also share these views.
“America needs a refreshed national security strategy,” Gen. James Mattis, a former commander of US Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Former Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. John Keane argued that the United States should keep its forces in Afghanistan beyond the 2016 deadline imposed by the Obama administration.
“The Afghan National Security Force does not have the capability to deal with that harsh reality” of Afghanistan, he said, while claiming that the Haqqanis still had “safe havens in the east.”
Admiral William Fallon, also a former Centcom chief, criticised US President Barack Obama’s preference for ending wars on a preconceived deadline.
All three argued that instead of taking initiatives, the United States was only reacting to whatever was happening around the world.
“We need to … come out from our reactive crouch and take a firm, strategic stance in defence of our values,” said Gen. Mattis.
He claimed that in Iraq, the United States had a “strategy-free” while in Afghanistan it was busy implanting a pre-conceived deadline.
Gen. Keane argued that drones were not enough for defeating militants in Pakistan and Yemen and airstrikes in Iraq and Syria were not working either.
“We are reduced to a very piecemeal effort,” he said.
“This approach almost certainly guarantees we will be incrementally engaged with one radical group after another with no end in sight.”
Gen. Mattis applauded President Barack Obama for visiting Saudi Arabia this week and for using US influence to help oust Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who had isolated the country’s Sunni minority.
The general claimed that Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Jordan, remained confused about the Obama administration’s policies for their region.
“We’ve disappointed a lot of friends out there, from Abu Dabi to Riyadh, from Tel Aviv to Cairo,” he said.
Gen Keane, who oversaw the initial invasion of Iraq, urged the Obama administration to base their decision on progress on the ground and not on pre-conceived ideas.
The United States, he said, should tackle Islamic ideology in the same way it contained the communism during the Cold War.
A “policy of disengagement”, he argued, would only strengthen extremist groups like the Islamic State and Al Qaeda. Gen. Keane also advised Washington to cement its alliance with forces within the Middle East and other Muslim regions who opposed extremism.
This should be the part of a” comprehensive approach to deal” with Islamic extremism as fighting their war without support from the like-minded people within those regions would not work, he said.
Gen Mattis said that the US needed to get “a very detailed level of understanding” of this problem and urged Washington to be clear about its objectives.
“What is the political objective we’re out to accomplish? Frankly, I don’t know what that is right now,” he said.
“The clarity and commitment of the US can draw in the full commitment of others.”
http://www.dawn.com/news/1160160/us-may-lose-war-against-extremists-retired-generals
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Israel has right to self-defense against Hezbollah: US
January 29, 2015
The United States stood by Israel as it exchanged fire with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon in their most serious clashes in five years.
"We support Israel's legitimate right to self-defense and continue to urge all parties to respect the blue line between Israel and Lebanon," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters.
She added that Washington condemned Hezbollah's shelling of an Israeli military convoy in an Israel occupied border area in which two Israeli soldiers were killed.
The US condemnation came shortly before the UN Security Council was to meet on the crisis in New York.
"We urge all parties to refrain from any action that could escalate the situation," Psaki said, adding Washington was closely monitoring the situation.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/121624/World/Region/Israel-has-right-to-selfdefense-against-Hezbollah-.aspx
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India
Urdu newspaper editor arrested over reprint of Hebdo’s Prophet cartoon
Jan 29, 2015
The editor of an Urdu newspaper was arrested by the Thane Police on Wednesday for printing a controversial cover of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo earlier this month. Shirin Dalvi, the editor of Urdu Daily Avadhnama was held by police on Wednesday and let out on bail by the Thane Court.
“The section in the FIR registered against her is bailable, hence the court granted her bail,” said S M Mundhe, senior inspector, Mumbra police station.
In one of the pages of its January 17 issue, Avadhnama had carried the image of the Charlie Hebdo cover issue produced after the terrorist attack that killed the magazine’s editors.
The cover has resulted in violent protests in several Islamic nations, and after Avadhanama — which has editions in seven cities — printed the image, several readers approached the police in parts of Mumbai and Thane.
Dalvi was booked for outraging religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion with malicious intent under Section 295 A of the Indian Penal Code.
Immediately after the January 17 issue came out, the Urdu Patrakar Sangh demanded the arrest of the newspaper’s editor and publisher, while speaking to The Indian Express, Dalvi said that she had made a mistake and that she had no intention of hurting religious sentiments.
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/urdu-newspaper-editor-arrested-over-reprint-of-hebdos-prophet-cartoon/#sthash.UfaZzRAy.dpuf
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No Harm If There Is Debate on ‘Secular’ and ‘Socialist’ In Preamble: Union Minister
Jan 29, 2015
A day after the government found itself on the back foot over a row on a Republic Day advertisement that depicted the Preamble of the Constitution without the words ‘secular’ and ‘socialist’, Union Telecom Minister Ravishankar Prasad hit back at the Congress asking the party whether it thought that Jawaharlal Nehru did not have the understanding of secularism.
“What is the objection in placing some views in a historical perspective? The Preamble, which was used in the advertisement, was the original Preamble and the Constituent Assembly which had prepared it had leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, B R Ambedkar and others. These two words were not there then,” Prasad said.
Cong asks BJP govt to apologise for ad goof-up
“Did Nehru have no understanding of secularism? These words were added during the Emergency. Now what is the harm if there is a debate on it? We have put before the nation the original Preamble,” Prasad added.
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/politics/constitution-ad-row-no-harm-if-there-is-debate-says-ravishankar-prasad/#sthash.pGMIcv4E.dpuf
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US Unable To Find Any Indians Fighting For IS
Jan 29, 2015
The U.S. Department of Defence reportedly does not have any records or intelligence available on the presence of Indian nationals among the ranks of Islamic State, the militant jihadist outfit that has overrun parts of Iraq and Syria since last year.
Answering a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from The Hindu, U.S. Central Command, which is a “theatre-level Unified Combatant Command” of the Pentagon with responsibility for the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia, said that despite an “extensive and careful search for information… responsive records were not located.”
A second FOIA request on this question, filed with the U.S. Defence Intelligence Agency, the principal foreign military espionage agency of the Pentagon, is pending reply.
With Washington taking the lead in the international coalition against IS, also known as Daesh in Arabic, officials have on occasion supplied estimates on the number of foreign fighters from different nations taking up arms for the militants.
Full report at:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/us-unable-to-find-any-indians-fighting-for-is/article6831129.ece
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Congress Wants Modi Govt to Take Up Terror with Pakistan
TNN | Jan 29, 2015
NEW DELHI: A day after the death of an Army colonel and a constable in a terrorist encounter in Jammu & Kashmir, Congress said the activities of Pakistan-exported outlaws in Kashmir are on the rise while terror founts like Hafiz Saeed were roaming freely spouting anti-India venom across the border.
It asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and take up the activities of Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Saeed with Pakistan.
"In 2014 alone, there have been close to 250 such incidents in J&K, whether on international border or along the LoC where over 40 Indian soldiers of various ranks have laid down their lives besides extensive damage to life and property of civilians," AICC spokesman Randeep Surjewala said, paying homage to Colonel MN Rai and Indian soldiers for their supreme sacrifice.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Congress-wants-Modi-govt-to-take-up-terror-with-Pakistan/articleshow/46048932.cms
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IS Videos Luring Local Sympathisers: Intelligence
TNN | Jan 29, 2015
HYDERABAD: With the telecom department unblocking 32 websites, which were earlier banned for posting objectionable content on the banned Islamic State, several videos of militants undergoing training have surfaced on the web.
"It is not just radical speeches or execution of innocent persons by the Islamic State fighters, even training videos pose a serious threat as local sympathisers are getting attracted to the outfit," intelligence officials said, worried about the videos on several popular websites.
The Union government had sent a stern message to the 32 websites to curb IS propaganda in India.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/IS-videos-luring-local-sympathisers-Intelligence/articleshow/46048977.cms
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Bardhaman Blast Accused Made Bombs in Burqa Factory
Deeptiman Tiwary, TNN | Jan 29, 2015
NEW DELHI: The Bardhaman blast accused were not just using madrassas as training centre for terrorists but even assembling bombs in the garb of running burqa (veil) stitching units.
National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday arrested four Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) operatives in connection with the October 2, 2014 blasts. The accused have revealed to NIA that they had set up a burqa stitching unit as a front for assembling bombs in Beldanga, West Bengal. This unit was also being used to recruit people for terror activities and training them.
The accused have been identified as Dalim Sheikh alias Faijul Hoque Sheik, Motiur Rehman alias Noor Alam, Habibur Rehman and Ghiyasuddin Munshi.
"JMB had set up a tailoring unit in which its members used to stitch burqas. This, however, was a front for using the site to assemble bombs. The unit was run by Motiur Rehman, a close associate of Shakil Ghazi who was killed in the October 2 blast. Rehman was also responsible for maintenance of hideouts and recruitment," said an NIA officer.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Bardhaman-blast-accused-made-bombs-in-burqa-factory/articleshow/46048696.cms
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Will reconvert 50 lakh people to Hinduism, India will remain a Hindu Rashtra: Togadia
Jan 29, 2015
VHP’s international working president Praveen Togadia Wednesday said in the next 10 years, at least 50 lakh people would be “reconverted to Hinduism and this country would remain a Hindu rashtra”. He was addressing the second Virat Hindu Sammelan here, in Birbhum district of West Bengal. The district shares border with Jharkhand and is a tribal-dominated area where Christian missionaries are active. “Had there been no conversion, nobody would have ever heard of Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Imam Bukhari. Had there been no conversion, there would have been no need for ghar wapsi,” said Togadia. “India would not have been divided, if there was no conversion. Pakistan and Bangladesh would not have come to existence too. My message to those, who are criticising ghar wapsi — Bring anti-conversion bill, we will support,” he said.
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/will-reconvert-50-lakh-people-to-hinduism-india-will-remain-a-hindu-rashtra-togadia/
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Arab World
Mullah Omar Is a Fool and Illiterate Warlord: Al-Baghdadi
29 Jan, 2015
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) chief Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi has called the Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar a fool and illiterate warlord.
Al-Baghdadi has said that Mullah Omar does not deserve a spiritual or political credibility, according to a report by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty which cited reports by the Times.
The report further added that the ISIS terrorist group has claimed to have more achievements during the past two years while comparing the campaign by the Taliban group in the past ten years.
Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi was declared the head of the new caliphate by ISIS under the name of Caliph Ibrahim. The group demanded allegiance from Muslims around the world and called to swear loyalty to al-Baghdadi.
The announcement, made on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, was described as the “most significant development in international Jihadism since 9/11.”
This comes as there have been concerns regarding growing ISIS influence in Afghanistan and Pakistan comes as a video was released by ISIS over a week ago which purports to show militant leaders who identify themselves as from Afghanistan and Pakistan pledging their support to the Islamic State group.
Full report at:
http://www.khaama.com/mullah-omar-is-a-fool-and-illiterate-warlord-al-baghdadi-says-9291
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Persecuted Christians Join Yazidis in Iraq’s Fight against Isis
29 Jan, 2015
The savage Muslim persecution of Assyrian Christians and Yazidi (Zoroastrian/Hindus) by Sunni Muslims in the Middle East and in Shiite Iran has reached fever-pitch. ISIS has systematically murdered, tortured, captured, and enslaved Yazidi girls and women. They have done likewise to the Assyrians in Syria and Iraq. Iran has persecuted Assyrians as well.
In terms of ISIS in Syria and Iraq: It is important to note that Western-born and Western-raised fighters have joined these barbaric warriors. This is a dangerous phenomenon because these fighters are choosing barbarism over civilization.
Last week, two Yazidi women managed, miraculously, to recently escape their captors. Their information is very valuable. Through them we learn the following:
Jihadists from Australia, who went to fight for ISIS in Syria, captured and enslaved these two Yazidi women, raped them continually, and threatened them with sale into sex slavery or even death if they did not “marry” their rapists. These Australian-born Jihadists had other wives and children who were being indoctrinated into a barbarian Jihadist culture.
Full report at:
http://www.breitbart.com/national-security//01/28/persecuted-christians-join-yazidis-in-iraqs-fight-against-isis/
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Survivors say Iraqi forces watched as Shi’ite militias executed 72 Sunnis
By: Associated Press
January 29, 2015
Survivors tell the same story: they were taken from their homes by men in uniform; heads down and linked together, then led in small groups to a field, made to kneel, and selected to be shot one by one.
Accounts by five witnesses interviewed separately by Reuters provide a picture of alleged executions in the eastern village of Barwanah on Monday, which residents and provincial officials say left at least 72 unarmed Iraqis dead. The witnesses identified the killers as a collection of Shi’ite militias and security force elements.
Iraqi security and government officials have disputed the accounts, with some saying radical jihadists from Islamic State could have perpetrated the killings. The government said on Wednesday it was opening a probe into the killings. “The prime minister has ordered an urgent investigation and we are awaiting the results,” said Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s spokesman, Rafid Jaboori. “I don’t want to come to any conclusions now. When the results of this investigation come out, we will have a full picture.”
Full report at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/world/middle-east-africa/survivors-say-iraqi-forces-watched-as-shiite-militias-executed-72-sunnis/99/#sthash.6lIq3BP0.dpuf
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Egypt condemns 'acute deterioration of human rights' in Turkey
January 29, 2015
Egypt's ambassador to the United Nations, Amr Ramadan, has expressed his country's concern at "the acute deterioration of human rights in Turkey," state news agency MENA reported.
Ramadan's comment on Tuesday came during the UN Human Rights Council's review of human rights in Turkey.
The Egyptian delegation's statement in Geneva conveyed concerns at "Turkish policies outside its borders that lead to human rights abuses in other countries."
The delegation called on the Turkish government to halt this policy "including political, financial, military and logistical support," a reference to Ankara's hosting of members of the Muslim Brotherhood who fled a crackdown in Egypt.
Cairo and Ankara have witnessed strained relations since the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi last year and open criticism by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who referred to Morsi’s removal as a “coup.”
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/121585/Egypt/Politics-/Egypt-condemns-acute-deterioration-of-human-rights.aspx
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Takfiri Militants Damage Mosque in Restive Aleppo
Jan 29, 2015
Foreign-sponsored Takfiri militants damaged a mosque in Syria’s Northwestern province of Aleppo, as they continue attacking historical sites and holy shrines in the violence-plagued Arab country.
A large section of the Eastern exterior wall of Umayyad Mosque, better known as the Great Mosque, collapsed in the provincial capital, which is located 355 kilometers (220 miles) North of the national capital, Damascus, on Wednesday, when Takfiris blew up a tunnel dug under the holy site, Syria’s official news agency, SANA reported.
On April 24, 2013, Takfiri militants had razed the minaret and the Southern gate of the mosque.
Syria's invaluable cultural heritage is in serious danger as the country’s artifacts are either smuggled across borders or destroyed at the hands of ISIL terrorists.
Foreign-backed Takfiri militants, who are fighting the Syrian government, have launched a systematic campaign to damage and destroy the country’s historic sites in an attempt to erase Syria’s rich cultural heritage.
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13931108001591
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Isis 'extends deadline to sunset' for Jordan to save captured pilot Mu'ath al-Kasaseabeh
29 Jan, 2015
Experts are examining a message believed to be from Isis extending the deadline for Jordan's prisoner-swap release of an Iraqi would-be suicide bomber linked to al-Qaeda until sunset.
The unverified audio message, read by a voice claiming to be Japanese hostage Kenji Goto, was released by the group after Jordan offered the prisoner exchange to Isis militants in order to save a Jordanian air force pilot Isis threatened to kill within 24 hours. The 24-hour deadline expired on Wednesday.
This offer made Jordan the first Arab state to agree to a prisoner and hostage swap with Isis.
The recording demands Jordan presents Sajida al-Rishawi at the Turkish border by sunset on Thursday, or Jordanian pilot Lt Mu'ath al-Kasaseabeh will be killed.
Sajida al-Rishawi was sentenced to death in Jordan for her role in bomb attacks that killed 60 people.
Full report at:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-extends-deadline-to-sunset-for-jordan-to-save-captured-pilot-muath-alkasaseabeh-10009881.html
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IS suffers ‘devastating’ blows but biggest fighting still ahead
29 Jan, 2015
BAGHDAD: The Islamic State group has suffered “devastating” blows in Syria’s Kobane and on several Iraqi fronts, but analysts warn such victories in the fight against the jihadists cannot be replicated everywhere.
Kurdish fighters backed by US-led air strikes this week ousted the IS from most of Kobane, after a four-month battle whose symbolic importance had far outgrown the small Syrian town’s military value.
Simultaneously, Iraqi forces flushed the jihadists out of their last urban bastion in the eastern province of Diyala, further shrinking the borders of their self-proclaimed “caliphate”.
“Kobane shows that intense air strikes concentrated in a small space can succeed in containing IS,” said Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi, a Shillman-Ginsburg fellow at the Philadelphia-based Middle East Forum.
“The air strikes were devastating. IS lost a lot of people in Kobane and they’re not even trying to spin it,” said Patrick Skinner, an analyst with the Soufan Group intelligence consultancy.
In a rare audio message released on Monday, IS spokesman and top leader Abu Mohamed al-Adnani made no reference to Kobane, which both sides had made the nexus of their military efforts.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1160029/is-suffers-devastating-blows-but-biggest-fighting-still-ahead
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Iraqi state education increasingly religious
29 Jan, 2015
BAGHDAD — Lamia Hassan is a science teacher at a primary school in Babil. She explains natural phenomena in religious terms, such as “the science of God” and “the ability of the creator” when teaching topics such as rain and man’s journey to the moon. She told Al-Monitor that she works in accordance with “school directives, which focus on the role of religion in the school curriculum.”
According to Lamia, “Clerics randomly visit the school and give their thoughts about the need to guide the students to abide by the teachings of Islam.” As one result of the religious influence on education in Iraq, the school has segregated boys and girls since 2003. Before 2003, when Saddam Hussein’s regime fell, school segregation was less common. Clerics considered Saddam’s regime secular.
Full report at:
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/01/iraq-state-education-religious-curricula.html#ixzz3QFvOofHV
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Kuwait arrests online activists 'over Saudi criticism'
January 29, 2015
Kuwait authorities have detained several online activists allegedly for comments deemed offensive to Saudi Arabia's late King Abdullah, a rights group and activists said Thursday.
Secret police late Wednesday arrested prominent rights and online activist Mohammad al-Ajmi outside his home for "unknown reasons," the National Committee for Monitoring Violations, an independent rights group of which Ajmi is a member, said on its Twitter account.
Online activists and former MPs said on Twitter that Ajmi was being held for questioning over Tweets he made on Saudi Arabia.
Nawaf al-Hendal, a leading rights activist, said at least four others had been detained by state security for tweets deemed offensive to King Abdullah who died on Friday.
Hendal, currently in Geneva, also said on his Twitter account that arrest warrants have been issued against him and five other tweeters for the same reason.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/121658/World/Region/Kuwait-arrests-online-activists-over-Saudi-critici.aspx
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Pakistan
‘Illegal Mosques, Madrasas Caused Rs1.1 Billion Loss’
29 Jan, 2015
ISLAMABAD: The illegal construction of madressahs and mosques in Islamabad caused a loss of Rs1.1 billion to the public exchequer.
This was disclosed in an audit report of financial affairs of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) for the fiscal year 2012-2013 during the meeting of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday.
According to the report, “about 305 mosques/madressahs had been illegally constructed on CDA land in various sectors of Islamabad.” The audit further observed that 69 madressahs/mosques had encroached upon, on average, 100 square yards each.
Audit says over 300 mosques and madressahs were illegally constructed on CDA land
The audit report observed that it is the CDA’s responsibility to guard its land against encroachers and take possession of land forcefully by removing encroachers and when necessary demolishing the illegally-constructed buildings on the land.
The office of the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) estimated that “this resulted in a loss of Rs1.12 billion”.
PAC chairman Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah referred this para to Departmental Accounts Committee (DAC) for deliberations.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1160127/illegal-mosques-madressahs-caused-rs11-billion-loss
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US drone strike kills seven in North Waziristan
29 Jan, 2015
PESHAWAR: At least seven suspected militants were killed and one other was injured in a US drone strike in the Shawal area of North Waziristan Agency on Wednesday.
Intelligence sources said the US drone fired two missiles on a compound and a vehicle on the border of North and South Waziristan Agency in Shawal valley.
The identity of the militants is yet to be ascertained.
Drone attacks are widely unpopular across Pakistan and according to survey conducted in June last year, 66 per cent of the country's citizens oppose these strikes.
North Waziristan is among Pakistan’s seven tribal districts near the Afghan border which are rife with insurgents and are alleged to be strongholds of Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives, among others.
Pakistan's military in June 2014 had launched an all-out operation, named 'Zarb-i-Azb', against Taliban militants in the region.
The operation was initiated following a brazen militant attack on Karachi's international airport and failure of peace talks between the government and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) negotiators.
The offensive has driven out over 800,000 residents from North Waziristan and the army says it has cleared 90 per cent of the tribal region.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1159998/us-drone-strike-kills-seven-in-north-waziristan
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Pakistan Ulema Council urges teachers, leaders, scholars to guide youth
January 29, 2015
LAHORE: Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) Central Chairman Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi has urged teachers, leaders and scholars of all sections of life to play their role for ideological guidance of the youth. Talking to delegations of teachers of several colleges and universities and office bearers of Wafaqul Masajid Pakistan on Wednesday, he said that terrorism and extremist attitude is present everywhere in the society and not only in madaras (religious schools) so it was responsibility of everyone to guide the youth without any discrimination. He said that December 16 incident had united the nation against terrorism and extremism and now it was responsibility of religious and political leadership to direct this unity towards a true direction. He said that seventy percent of madaras presented themselves for audit and eighty percent madaras were registered so linkage of terrorism and extremism with only madars was not right, adding the ideas and thinking which were promoted during past thirty years could not be changed in a day and the nation would have to struggle for the eradication of hatred base thinking unitedly. Ashrafi said it was special obligation of Ulema, intellectuals, thinkers and teachers to provide true guidance to the youth, adding it was truth that youth of the Muslim community was opting extremism due to the untrue guidance.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/29-Jan-2015/puc-urges-teachers-leaders-scholars-to-guide-youth
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In Pakistan, a charity project points to official tolerance of militants
Declan Walsh & Saba Imtiaz, NYT News Service | Jan 29, 2015
KARACHI: Violence and mayhem are the hallmarks of Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistani group that waged the deadly 2008 Mumbai attacks. But this week, the group publicly expanded its operations in an entirely different domain: health care.
On Monday, Lashkar's founder, Hafiz Saeed, inaugurated an ambulance service run by the group's charity wing, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, in the bustling port city of Karachi. Two days later a fleet of gleaming new vans, emblazoned with the charity's distinctive flag and loaded with stretchers still wrapped in plastic, were parked outside the group's Karachi headquarters, waiting to make their first runs to hospitals on this city's often chaotic streets.
The group already operates a similar service in 100 towns and cities across Pakistan, a spokesman for the charity said, and were seeking donations to help fund the new service in Karachi.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/In-Pakistan-a-charity-project-points-to-official-tolerance-of-militants/articleshow/46050498.cms
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Altaf alleges Sindh CM of extra-judicial killings of 36 MQM workers
January 29, 2015
KARACHI - Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain on Thursday blamed Sindh chief minister for the extra-judicial killings of at least 36 MQM’s workers.
MQM chief stated that the MQM activists are being targeted in the name of Karachi operation and that the MQM leadership would always raise their voices against the violence in a peaceful way. He expressed his grief over the extra-judicial killing of Society Sector Incharge Sohail Ahmed and claimed that dozens of workers are still missing. Altaf denounced the performance of Sindh government as no action has been taken to arrest the culprits involved in the murders of 36 members including Sohail Ahmed. “Qaim Ali Shah was busy in terming the mourners as attackers when the corpse of Sohail Ahmed was found”, he said.
MQM chief further complained that Sindh CM and provincial ministers did not even bother to condole the deaths of MQM workers, and vowed to raise their voices peacefully to record protest against violence. On the other hand, MQM Rabita Committee urged chief justice to take suo moto notice on Sohail Ahmed murder case.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/29-Jan-2015/altaf-alleges-sindh-cm-of-extra-judicial-killings-of-36-mqm-workers
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Imran stresses unity against anti-Islam propaganda
January 29, 2015
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said on Wednesday that Islam is a religion of peace and teaches respect for all faiths and that actions of a few fanatics should not be used to defame Islam revered Muslim personalities.
He stressed upon ulema and religious scholars to take responsibility to bring the whole nation at one platform.
Speaking at ulema and mashaikh convention organised by the PTI, he said clerics and religious scholars had not played the role, they were supposed to raise voice against despotism and oppression in society. He felt sorry to note that the name of Islam was being used for sectarian killings and violence and asked over religious scholars to play their role in promoting sectarian harmony and added no one has the right to declare anyone a non-believer.
Imran Khan said the entire nation has to unite against extremism and terrorism.
He added it is need of hour that all religious scholars should play their due role to eradicate the terrorism from this country.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/29-Jan-2015/imran-stresses-unity-against-anti-islam-propaganda
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Jamaat-e-Islami calls upon govt to fix limit of land holding to wipe out feudalism
January 29, 2015
LAHORE – Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq has called upon the government to fix the limit of land holding to wipe out feudalism as was done by India soon after partition.
Addressing a big Kisan convention at Rajowal in Okara on Wednesday, he said that millions of the people in Pakistan did not have a piece of land to raise a shelter while the feudal lords were not aware of the boundaries of their lands. He said that the JI on coming to power would distribute the vast Jagirs the political pharaohs and pundits in the Punjab and Sindh among land less tillers. He said that the agents of the British rulers had got these Jagirs in return for their betrayal of Islam and the nation, as such the poor farmers had a right over these lands.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/28-Jan-2015/siraj-calls-upon-govt-to-fix-limit-of-land-holding-to-wipe-out-feudalism
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Fearing terror attacks, EU air safety agency calls for 'extreme caution' while flying in Pakistan airspace
January 29, 2015
Fearing terror attacks, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) warned airline operators to exercise “extreme caution” while flying over or within Pakistan’s airspace.
“National aviation authorities are reporting an increased risk to flight operation safety due to potential terrorist attacks in Pakistan,” the EASA said.
The European air safety agency recommended planes not to fly below 24,000 feet in the latest safety information bulletin issued on their website.
“The Agency draws the aviation community’s attention to information… That indicate the existence of an increased risk to the safety of international civil flights and airspace restrictions implemented as a consequence,” it added.
Full report at:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/829525/fearing-attacks-eu-air-safety-agency-tells-planes-to-exercise-extreme-caution-in-pakistan-airspace/
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Nawaz Sharif sings Kashmir tune to buy peace with India
TNN | Jan 29, 2015
NEW DELHI: Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif has said he wants normal relations with India on the basis of mutual respect and sovereign equality but added that for the two countries to achieve viable peace, it is important to resolve the issue of Jammu & Kashmir.
"India is an important neighbour for us and we would like to have normal relations with the country on the basis of mutual respect and sovereign equality," Sharif told Pakistan's high commissioner to India Abdul Basit during a meeting with him in Islamabad.
According to the Pakistan high commission, Sharif said it is important that two countries resolve all their outstanding issues including Jammu & Kashmir in order to have viable peace in the region.
India cancelled foreign secretary-level dialogue with Pakistan after Basit held talks with Kashmiri separatists just before the talks in Islamabad in August last year. Since then both countries have maintained that they are willing to engage in a meaningful dialogue provided the other side takes the initiative.
Reacting to Modi-Obama summit outcome, Pakistan had opposed support to India's permanent membership of UNSC and also for its membership of Nuclear Suppliers Group.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Nawaz-Sharif-sings-Kashmir-tune-to-buy-peace-with-India/articleshow/46048874.cms
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Africa
Saved from Islamic extremists, Mali manuscripts face damage in new home
29 Jan, 2015
BAMAKO, Mali – After being spirited away from under the noses of rampaging Islamic extremists, thousands of ancient manuscripts from the fabled city of Timbuktu now face another threat: weather and poor storage conditions in their new location that scholars say could cause permanent damage.
In 2012, Timbuktu and the rest of northern Mali fell under the control of Islamic extremists following a military coup. The turbaned fighters made women hide their faces, forbade the music for which Mali is known and deemed religious buildings and artifacts to be idolatrous.
They took aim at the manuscripts that date back to the 13th century. The camel-skin bound manuscripts reflect the diversity of learning that marked Timbuktu's heyday and cover a vast array of subjects, including astronomy, law, history and philosophy.
Before the al Qaida-linked fighters were pushed from Timbuktu by a French military intervention in 2013, they set ablaze the Ahmed Baba Institute of Higher Learning and Islamic Research, where many of the brittle manuscripts were stored, protected from the harsh Sahara Desert climate. UNESCO estimated that about 4,000 of the manuscripts were destroyed.
Full report at:
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/01/28/saved-from-islamic-extremists-mali-manuscripts-face-damage-in-new-home/
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Dozen killed in Mali attack
January 29, 2015
BAMAKO: An attack overnight in northern Mali by a pro-government armed group including suicide bombers killed a dozen people, security sources said Wednesday.
“GATIA fighters, accompanied by suicide bombers, attacked a rebel Tuareg and anti-government Arab position in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday near the town of Tabankort. There were a dozen deaths in total,” a Western military source told AFP.
“The situation is very volatile, and it is essential to calm the situation,” added the source.
A security source in MINUSMA — the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali — confirmed the deaths, adding that two fighters blew themselves up while a third was killed before he was able to detonate his explosives.
GATIA is the commonly-used name for the pro-government Imghad and Allies Tuareg Self-Defense Group.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/world/news/696221
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Nigeria accused of failing to act on massacre warnings
29 Jan, 2015
Amnesty International has said that Nigeria's military top brass were warned of Boko Haram attacks on the northeast towns of Baga and Monguno this month but failed to take action.
The January 3 massacre in Baga reportedly killed hundreds of people, if not more, and destroyed thousands of homes, while the takeover of Monguno last weekend was seen as a major setback for the security forces.
The UK-based human-rights organisation said on Wednesday that it received information from senior military officers and other sources indicating that defence officials were told about Boko Haram's plans to attack both towns but did not act on requests to send reinforcements.
"It is clear from this evidence that Nigeria's military leadership woefully and repeatedly failed in their duty to protect civilians of Baga and Monguno despite repeated warnings about an impending threat posed by Boko Haram," Netsanet Belay, Amnesty International's Africa director, said.
Full report at:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2015/01/nigeria-accused-failing-act-massacre-warnings-150129031006946.html
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Nigeria Torn Asunder as Boko Haram Drive Fuels Caliphate Threat
29 Jan, 2015
(Bloomberg) -- Islamist fighters have declared a caliphate in northeastern Nigeria that’s the size of Belgium. Whether the region becomes autonomous or not, the damage has been done.
As Nigeria prepares to hold general elections next month, Boko Haram is expanding a six-year campaign to impose its strict version of Islamic law on a region around Nigeria’s northeast and spilling into neighboring Chad and Cameroon. While it has failed to capture the Borno state’s capital, Maiduguri, the state emergency agency said this month that its officials can’t travel to 20 of 27 local government areas in Borno.
If Boko Haram maintains its hold, “we would have a divided Nigerian state, where you have a multiplicity of leaders like what is happening in Libya,” Bawa Abdullahi Wase, a security analyst and associate at the Network for Justice, said by phone from the capital, Abuja. Boko Haram fighters ride around in pickup trucks wielding rocket-propelled grenade launchers, weapons taken from Libyan armories after the fall of Muammar Qaddafi, he said.
Full report at:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-01-28/nigeria-torn-asunder-as-boko-haram-drive-fuels-caliphate-threat
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Nigerian extremists kill and loot at will: villagers
29 Jan, 2015
YOLA: Islamic extremists are rampaging through villages in north-eastern Nigeria, killing, burning and looting with no troops protecting civilians, fleeing villagers said on Wednesday.
More than 40 people have been killed in seven villages in Adamawa state this week, according to resident Emmanuel Kwache.
“They slaughtered people like rams and they burned down our houses after looting food,” Kwache said.
“There’s no presence of troops, some residents are hiding on top of hills, while those that could not run were abducted, particularly youths and women”.
State legislator Adamu Kamale said he has appealed in vain for troops since the attacks began on Friday. On Monday the militants moved into Michika town, he said.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1160153/nigerian-extremists-kill-and-loot-at-will-villagers
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South Asia
Taliban Bomb Kills 4, Attack Kills 11 In Afghanistan
Jan 29, 2015
Afghan officials say a roadside bombing in the country’s east killed four people, including a policeman, while a Taliban attack on a checkpoint the previous night left 11 dead.
Spokesman Sarhadi Zwak in eastern Laghman province says the roadside bombing took place in the provincial capital of Mihtarlam on Thursday morning.
Mohammad Ali Ahmadi, deputy governor in central Ghazni province, says Taliban insurgents attacked a checkpoint in Andar district on Wednesday night, killing 11 members of a pro-government militia and wounding six.
Ahmadi says six insurgents were killed and seven were wounded in the attack.
Deputy police Chief Asadullha Ensafi says insurgents had inside information from one of their own who had infiltrated the volunteer militia last year.
In a message, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack.
http://indianexpress.com/article/world/asia/taliban-bomb-kills-4-attack-kills-11-in-afghanistan/#sthash.dvY7UL5e.dpuf
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Rohingya Refugees Say Traffickers in Malaysia Abuse and Kill
29 Jan, 2015
Bukit Mertajam, Malaysia. Abbul Kassim, a Rohingya asylum seeker, was snatched from his home in the northern Malaysian state of Penang on Jan. 12. The next morning, his beaten and bloodied body was found.
That day, police moved on the 40-year-old’s alleged killers. Raiding a house in the neighbouring state of Kedah, they rescued 17 Rohingya migrants being held against their will, according to a statement by Penang police.
Eight alleged traffickers from Malaysia, Myanmar and Bangladesh were arrested.
The murder of Abul Kassim casts rare light on what Rohingya activists say is widespread abuse by human traffickers in Malaysia, who are willing to use extreme methods to protect their lucrative but illegal business.
Abul Kassim regularly supplied police with information on the activities of traffickers, said Abdul Hamid, president of the Kuala Lumpur-based Rohingya Society in Malaysia.
Since 2012, more than 100,000 stateless Rohingya Muslims have fled violence and poverty in Myanmar. Most travel in traffickers’ boats to Thailand, where they are held by traffickers in squalid jungle camps before a ransom is paid.
Full report at:
http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/international/rohingya-refugees-say-traffickers-malaysia-abuse-kill/
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Islamic State sets new deadline for hostage swap
29 Jan, 2015
An audio message purportedly from a Japanese journalist being held by Islamic State militants said a Jordanian air force pilot also held by the group would be killed unless an Iraqi female prisoner in Jordan was released by sunset on Thursday.
The message appeared to postpone a previous deadline set on Tuesday in which the journalist, Kenji Goto, said he would be killed within 24 hours if the Iraqi was not freed.
The latest audio recording, which could not be verified by Reuters, was posted on YouTube early on Thursday. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference that chances were high it was Goto's voice in the recording.
"I am Kenji Goto. This is a voice message I've been told to send to you. If Sajida al-Rishawi is not ready for exchange for my life at the Turkish border by Thursday sunset 29th of January Mosul (Iraq) time, the Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasaesbeh will be killed immediately," the voice in the recording says.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/world/article/islamic-state-sets-new-deadline-for-hostage-swap#sthash.eyGFcMPu.dpuf
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Operations in Pakistan force militants into Afghanistan: report
29 Jan, 2015
Operations being conducted by Pakistan's military in North Waziristan and Khyber tribal regions have forced al Qaeda, Islamic State (IS) and Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) to move into Afghanistan, a Wall Street Journal report quotes Afghan officials and locals as saying.
At least 400 IMU and al Qaeda-affiliated families crossed into Afghanistan last month, who now live in the homes of locals in lawless parts of the country, Afghan officials say.
Haji Abdul Azizi, a tribal elder from Helmand province’s Sangin district, tell WSJ that he hosted a family of Arabic speakers for a night who claimed to be IS loyalists.
"They were six men, seven women and two children, some of whom spoke Pashto", according to Azizi, who added that the "women of the group were armed and took turns keeping watch on each other during the night".
The newcomers try to enforce their own brand of Islam which clashes with local traditions, he added.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1160199/operations-in-pakistan-force-militants-into-afghanistan-report
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'Bangladesh failed to prosecute security forces'
29 Jan, 2015
The Bangladesh government has failed to prosecute security forces for serious abuses including killings, disappearances, and arbitrary arrests, Human Rights Watch said in its World Report 2015.
The report, released on Thursday, said: “Government forces committed serious abuses both leading up to and after the January 2014 general election, while members of opposition parties engaged in violent and indiscriminate attacks to impose economic blockades and to enforce a boycott of the January polls.”
In the 656-page world report, its 25th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 90 countries.
Human Rights Watch also pointed to chronic rights issues that remain a concern in Bangladesh. Child marriage persists as a serious problem.
Conditions for the Rohingya refugee population from Myanmar remained critical with the government making dire threats about forcibly returning them. International humanitarian groups continued to report difficulty of access to the Rohingya refugee camps.
Full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/2015/jan/29/bangladesh-failed-prosecute-security-forces#sthash.JBfbKzrY.dpuf
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Bangladesh Minister: Khaleda will have to face trial
29 Jan, 2015
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed yesterday warned BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia that she would have to face trial for her directives to create sabotage in the name of a movement.
“You [Khaleda] will be charged with crimes against humanity as per the charter of the United Nations, if you do not stop the nationwide terror. Your trial for the crimes will also be held in the people’s court,” he said.
Tofail, also an advisory council member of the Awami League, made the remarks while addressing a rally organised by Jatiya Sramik League at Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital.
He pointed out to Khaleda that no one in the world had realised their demand by resorting to terrorism and militant acts in the past. “You will not be able to do such a thing this time as well.
Full report at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/politics/2015/jan/29/tofail-khaleda-will-have-face-trial#sthash.pJASMfyC.dpuf
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Southeast Asia
Indonesian Cleric says Selfies a Sin under Islamic Law, Criticises Women for Being So 'Shameless'
29 Jan, 2015
A Muslim cleric has declared selfies sinful, claiming that those who take them are succumbing to pride, ostentation and arrogance.
Popular Indonesian cleric Felix Siauw posted a series of tweets explaining why selfies should be avoided – but reserved most of his exasperation for women, who he said were being ‘shameless’ and ‘unpure’.
Siauw, who has over a million Twitter followers, wrote: ‘These days many Muslim women take selfies without shame. There are usually nine frames in one photo with facial poses that are just – My Goodness – where’s the purity in women?’
He also said that because selfie-takers are desperate for social media views, they’re being ostentatious, and because taking a selfie makes people feel ‘cooler’, we’ve ‘fallen into the worst sin of all – arrogance’.
However, there was a huge Twitter backlash against his messages by Indonesians. Hundreds have posted selfies on the social media site using the hashtag # Selfie4Siauw, Quartz reported.
Full report at:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2928368/Muslim-cleric-declares-selfies-sin-Islamic-law-criticises-women-particular-shameless.html#ixzz3QFwChbP8
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PAS wants Fatwa Council to declare Perkasa extremist and deviant
29 Jan, 2015
PAS has urged the National Fatwa Council to issue an edict declaring Malay rights group Perkasa extremist and deviant following their aggressive act of trespassing on the Datum Jelatek project site in Keramat on Sunday.
The Islamist party's central committee member Khalid Samad said the group's actions had tarnished the image of Malays and Islam and were against the religion.
"I want the Fatwa Council to issue a fatwa that Perkasa is an extremist and deviant NGO, which contradicts the teachings in the Quran and Sunnah.
"This is to protect the image of Islam and ensure people like them don't continue to tarnish it," he said at a press conference in Shah Alam today.
Khalid added that the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) and Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) needed to make a stand on issues perpetuated by Perkasa that threatened racial harmony on the basis that such actions were against Islam.
"I know Perkasa is an Islamic group.
"So if what they are doing is right, the Fatwa Council must say so, and if they are wrong, say they are wrong," he said.
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/pas-wants-fatwa-council-to-declare-perkasa-extremist-and-deviant#sthash.1Hxe1BZm.dpuf
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Sedition Act drives Malaysia’s freedom ranking down in 2014, says report
29 Jan, 2015
Freedom in Malaysia took a dip in 2014 due to Putrajaya's use of the Sedition Act to silence dissent, a report by the US-based Freedom House said.
Malaysia was also ranked as "partly free" in the annual Freedom in the World global report, with the 2015 edition titled "Discarding Democracy: Return to the Iron Fist" (pic).
The report also noted the government's persecution of minority groups such as Shia Muslims and transgenders.
"Malaysia received a downward trend arrow due to the government’s use of the Sedition Act to intimidate political opponents, an increase in arrests and harassment of Shia Muslims and transgender Malaysians, and more extensive use of defamation laws to silence independent or critical voices," said the report, which was posted online.
On a ranking of one to seven, with the smaller numbers representing greater degrees of freedom, Malaysia was given four points and in comparison, Indonesia got three and was also ranked "partly free".
Neighbouring countries Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos were ranked "not free".
The annual report focuses on political and civil liberties and its scores are based on answers to questions derived largely from the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Freedom House noted that worldwide, overall freedom had increased since 1984 but had plateaued recently.
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/sedition-act-drives-malaysias-freedom-ranking-down-in-2014-says-report#sthash.dxaZZpxD.dpuf
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Philippines mourns police killed in anti-terror bloodbath
29 Jan, 2015
A long, slow procession of coffins draped in the Philippine flag poured out of military transport planes in Manila today, as the country mourned dozens of policemen killed in a botched anti-terror operation.
Marching to muted drums, uniformed commandos bore the numbered coffins of comrades brought home from the southern island of Mindanao, the scene of the worst loss of life by the country's police or troops in recent memory.
President Benigno Aquino has declared tomorrow a day of mourning for the 44 men slaughtered in a cornfield Sunday when their top-secret mission – to catch or kill one of the world's most wanted Islamist militants – went badly wrong.
The killings have sparked growing calls for retribution. Analysts warn this threatens a peace process aimed at ending the decades-long armed conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives in impoverished Muslim regions of the mainly Catholic Philippines.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/world/article/philippines-mourns-police-killed-in-anti-terror-bloodbath#sthash.k6cdTbPh.dpuf
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Indonesia ready to execute foreigners after rejecting clemency
29 Jan, 2015
Indonesia is ready to execute seven foreign drug convicts on death row after their appeals for presidential clemency were rejected, an official said, in a move certain to set Jakarta on a collision course with international allies.
They include two Australian leaders of the "Bali Nine" drug-smuggling gang, who have been on death row for almost a decade. The pair lost their appeals in December and earlier this month.
A spokesman for the attorney-general's office revealed late Wednesday that a further five foreigners, from countries including France, Brazil, Nigeria and Ghana, have also lost their appeals.
Four Indonesians – only one of them convicted of drugs offences – had also lost their bid for clemency.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/world/article/indonesia-ready-to-execute-foreigners-after-rejecting-clemency#sthash.ho52G6e0.dpuf
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Europe
France releases online video to tackle jihadist recruitment
29 Jan, 2015
The French government has released an online video designed to steer young people away from joining militant groups in the Middle East.
The two-minute video features hard-hitting scenes of conflict and execution.
It is part of French efforts to stop the recruitment of more youngsters, often via the internet.
More than 1,000 French residents have joined extremist groups to fight in Syria or Iraq or are planning to do so.
The release comes three weeks after attacks by home-grown jihadists in Paris in which 17 people were killed.
The video uses images familiar from jihadist websites such as scenes of jubilant fighters celebrating in Syria or Iraq.
'Hell on earth'
But the scenes of war-time camaraderie and moral victory are interspersed with darker images, showing a different side to the conflicts there.
The BBC's Lucy Williamson reports on the video released by the French government
Black and white footage of men being crucified, thrown over a cliff and dragged along behind a truck are overlaid with government messages, warning of "hell on earth".
Far from helping Syrian children, the video tells viewers they will be complicit in the murder of civilians and die alone, far from home.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31031846
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'You will die alone' French government warns would-be jihadists
Jan 29, 2015
PARIS: "You will discover hell on earth, and will die alone" — that is the stark message from the French government in a new social media campaign aimed at discouraging would-be jihadists.
The first video to appear on www.stop-djihadisme.gouv.fr features a series of typical promises made by jihadist recruiters, followed by an opposing view from the government — all against a graphic backdrop of crucifixions, headless corpses and bodies being thrown into pits.
"They tell you, 'Join us and come help the children of Syria,'" the text reads over images from wars in the Middle East. "In reality you will be complicit in the massacre of civilians."
Others are directed towards women. "They tell you: 'Come start a family with one of our heroes.' In reality you will raise your children in war and terror."
The website is an attempt by the French government to counter the sophisticated recruiting efforts of jihadist groups, that have helped encourage hundreds of its citizens to leave for Syria and Iraq in recent years.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/You-will-die-alone-French-government-warns-would-be-jihadists/articleshow/46046650.cms
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French police question 8-year-old who ‘backed’ Charlie Hebdo attackers
Jan 29, 2015
An eight-year-old boy from the south of France who claimed to support the men who attacked the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo was detained and questioned by police for defending terrorism.
Fabienne Lewandowski, deputy director for public security in the Alpes-Maritimes region, said on Thursday that the boy declared “I am with the terrorists” and refused to take part in the national minute of silence for the victims. The storming of the newspaper offices left 12 people dead and launched three days of terror in the Paris region that killed a total of 20 people, including the gunmen.
A lawyer for the child says the decision to question the child at a police station shows a “collective hysteria.” Dozens of people have been arrested and accused of defending terrorism since the attacks.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/french-police-question-8yearold-who-backed-charlie-hebdo-attackers/article6834318.ece
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Charlie Hebdo: Growing controversy in UK over freedom of expression limits
January 29, 2015
Thousands of British people have appealed to their government to define the limits of freedom of speech and expression.
The UK Muslim community supported the appeal, amid anger at the UK prime minister’s remarks on the “right to offend religion.”
In a petition to the Ministry of Justice, more than 25,000 people say they “want a legal, binding definition of the term: freedom of speech and expression."
A ministry spokeswoman told Ahram Online the UK is committed to freedom of expression as a signatory to the European Convention of Human Rights, which also makes clear that this right also carries duties and responsibilities.
“What are the boundaries? What is right, what is wrong? What will get me arrested, what is my right?” the petition asked.
The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) supported the petition.
The call comes after Prime Minster David Cameron disagreed with the Pope’s comments on freedom to insult religion.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/121558/World/International/Charlie-Hebdo-Growing-controversy-in-UK-over-freed.aspx
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UK mosques invite fellow Britons to ease tensions
29 January 2015
British mosques are to throw their doors open to the general public, it was announced, in a bid to reach out to fellow citizens following “tensions around terrorism.”
The Muslim Council of Britain umbrella group said it would be organizing #VisitMyMosque day on Sunday, where Islamic places of worship will share tea and cakes, answer questions about the faith and give an insight into the daily goings-on at a mosque.
“Mosques will also be inviting inter-faith leaders as well, and all will be invited to come together to demonstrate unity and solidarity during what has been a tense time for faith communities,” the MCB said.
“#VisitMyMosque day is part of a national initiative by Muslims to reach out to fellow Britons following tensions around terrorism.”
Some 15 mosques in England were among the first to confirm their participation in the idea.
The initiative comes three weeks after the attacks in Paris, perpetrated by Islamist extremists, which left 17 people dead.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2015/01/29/UK-mosques-launch-VisitMyMosque-initiative-.html
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More quit at top of anti-Islam organisation
29 Jan, 2015
BERLIN: There’s more trouble at the top for a German organisation protesting the perceived “Islamisation” of Europe.
The PEGIDA organisation said on its Facebook page on Wednesday that spokeswoman Kathrin Oertel has resigned after receiving threats, while board member Thomas Tallacker has stepped down for work reasons. Organiser Bernd-Volker Lincke told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung he and two others have also resigned. Last week, PEGIDA co-founder Lutz Bachmann quit after online posts surfaced in which he used derogatory language to refer to refugees and posed looking like Adolf Hitler. “Under these circumstances, I couldn’t take part any longer,” Lincke was quoted as saying.
PEGIDA has held weekly anti-Islam rallies in the city of Dresden. After peaking with about 25,000 in attendance, recent rallies have been attracting smaller numbers.Two weeks ago, the organisation cancelled a planned rally after police said a terror threat had been directed against the organiser. On Wednesday, the organisation said it would also cancel the rally planned for next Monday due to the lack of leadership.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1160132/more-quit-at-top-of-anti-islam-organisation
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Mideast
Yemen’s Houthi rebels kidnap student protestors
29 January 2015
Armed members of Yemen’s Houthi rebels kidnapped a number of student protestors at Sanaa University on Thursday, Al Arabiya News Channel’s correspondent reported.
The armed men also beat the students as demonstrations against the militia group continued in the country’s capital, the correspondent added.
Earlier, the Houthis made arrests for the third time this week to prevent another rally in Sanaa against their tightening grip on the capital, witnesses told Agence France-Presse.
They said the militiamen also used batons against the demonstrators, a number of whom were injured.
“No to confessionalism,” the protesters chanted before being forced to abandon a planned march through the center of Sanaa.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/01/29/Houthis-kidnap-beat-student-protestors-in-Sanaa.html
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Israel: Hezbollah not interested in escalating violence
29 January 2015
Israel said on Thursday it received a message from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah that it was backing away from further violence, a day after the worst deadly clashes in years erupted along the border.
The Israel-Lebanon frontier, where two Israeli soldiers and a Spanish peacekeeper were killed in an exchange of fire between Hezbollah and Israel, appeared quiet early on Thursday.
Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said Israel had received a message from a U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon that Hezbollah was not interested in further escalation.
“Indeed, a message was received,” he said. “There are lines of coordination between us and Lebanon via UNIFIL (the U.N. force) and such a message was indeed received from Lebanon.”
In Beirut, Hezbollah officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
“I can’t say whether the events are behind us,” Yaalon added in a separate radio interview. “Until the area completely calms down, the Israel Defense Forces will remain prepared and ready.”
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/01/29/Israel-Hezbollah-not-interested-in-escalating-violence.html
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Kobane residents eye return, Kurdish group thanks Turkey
Jan 29, 2015
As Kobane residents, some 200,000 who fled to Turkey due to the attacks of jihadist militants, await returning to the war-torn city after the 134th day of clashes, a senior leader of the Kurdish forces has thanked Turkey for its efforts.
“We thank everyone, Turkey in particular, for their support in Kobane,” said Enver Muslim, a senior official of the Democratic Union Party (PYD). The Turkish government views the PYD with deep suspicion because of its ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). “Everyone has a share in this success,” Muslim said, adding that they would start working on the return of the residents soon. Kurdish officials in Kobane plan to make a call for the return of the displaced people by spring, as the town has vastly been destroyed and is facing water and utility problems, Doğan News Agency reported yesterday.
The ferocious battle for the Syrian border town has wrought massive destruction, according to journalists who arrived in the town, starting from Jan. 27.
Kobane streets, now patrolled by members of the People’s Defense Forces (YPG) and the Women’s Defense Forces (YPJ), the armed branches of the PYD, with barely a civilian in sight, were a mass of rubble and gutted buildings, Agence France-Presse quoted its journalists as saying.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/kobane-residents-eye-return-kurdish-group-thanks-turkey.aspx?pageID=238&nID=77594&NewsCatID=352
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Gülen was planning to return to Turkey like Khomeini returned to Iran: Justice minister
Jan 29, 2015
Fethullah Gülen, a self-exiled religious leader in the United States, was planning to return to Turkey in the same way that Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran in 1979, if the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) had not started to struggle against it, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ has said.
“If there had been no Dec. 17 [corruption probe], or if it had been delayed and the Turkish people had failed to realize the power of this structure within Turkey, then Fethullah Gülen would have returned from Pennsylvania to Turkey just like Khomeini returned to Iran. Looking from this perspective, Dec. 17 was the day when Turkey said ‘no’ to such a transformation. The state and all its institutions have taken positions accordingly as they realized the danger,” Bozdağ told Anadolu Agency Jan. 28.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/gulen-was-planning-to-return-to-turkey-like-khomeini-returned-to-iran-justice-minister-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=77568&NewsCatID=338
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Report emphasizes Erdoğan’s impact on decline of democracy in Turkey
Jan 29, 2015
The state of freedom in 2014 worsened significantly in many parts of the world, U.S. think-tank Freedom House’s annual report has said, emphasizing the impact President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has had on the decline of democracy in Turkey.
“Turkey drifted much further from democratic norms, with longtime prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan rising to the presidency and overseeing government attempts to quash corruption cases against his allies and associates. The media and judiciary both faced greater interference by the executive and legislative branches, including a series of raids and arrests targeting media outlets affiliated with Erdoğan’s political enemies,” the report said.
Turkey is counted among the countries which moved back in terms of democracy in 2014, despite being economically powerful or regionally influential, along with Azerbaijan, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Russia, Thailand and Venezuela.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/report-emphasizes-erdogans-impact-on-decline-of-democracy-in-turkey-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=77604&NewsCatID=339
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Iran Condemns Continued Detention of Bahraini Cleric as "Unacceptable"
Jan 29, 2015
The Iranian foreign ministry deplored the continued detention of Bahrain's Opposition Leader Sheikh Ali Salman by the Al-Khalifa regime, and called on Manama to show flexibility.
"We announce once again that we condemn the detention of protesters, leaders of different Islamic groups and political communities and declare again that continued detention of Sheikh Ali Salman and the blocked activity of a lawful society (Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society) in the country is not acceptable," Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham told reporters in her weekly press conference in Tehran on Wednesday.
"We hope that the Bahraini government will deal with this issue with more flexibility, and that political talks will become possible in Bahrain," she added.
Stressing that the current security approach is not beneficial to the Bahraini people and government, Afkham said, "We hope that they will hear the protestors' voice and give a logical response to these voices and demands."
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13931108000757
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Israel considers its response after missiles kill two soldiers on border with Lebanon
29 Jan, 2015
Civilians on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border are bracing for the worst as Israel weighed up its response to a Hezbollah missile attack over the border which killed two soldiers.
“Those behind the attack today will pay the full price,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said as he launched consultations over a possible response, according to Reuters.
The missile strike on an Israeli army patrol in the Mount Dov and disputed Shebaa Farms border area this morning, which also left seven soldiers wounded, was the most serious border incident since a war nine years ago. Hezbollah claimed it as retaliation for an Israeli airstrike inside Syrian territory 10 days ago which killed senior Hezbollah fighters and an Iranian general.
In response, Israel launched artillery assaults on Hezbollah positions. A Spanish UN peacekeeper was killed along the border in southern Lebanon. The incident has raised fears of a full-blown conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, although both sides may have an interest in avoiding war, with the upcoming elections a deterrent for Netanyahu, and Hezbollah stretched by its involvement in fighting in Syria.
Full report at:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/hezbollah-convoy-attack-israel-considers-its-response-after-missiles-kill-two-soldiers-on-border-with-lebanon-10009339.html
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