Photo: Investigations into the Indian module of Islamic State (IS)-inspired Junood-al-Khalifa-e-Hind, is leading a trail to Dubai.
Iraq Shuts Al-Jazeera Bureau for 'Instigating Violence and Sectarianism'
64 Militants Killed In Latest Clearance Operations, Afghanistan MoD Claims
British Extremist Preacher Linked To Lee Rigby Killer Emerges As Head of Islamic State in Somalia
---
India
Funding Trail on India's Islamic State Module Leads to Dubai
IS Recruiter’s First Job for 2008 Ahmedabad Blasts Accused Was Translation of Baghdadi’s Speech
Muslims in India condemn Pakistan's treatment of Kabir Khan
--
Arab World
Iraq Shuts Al-Jazeera Bureau for 'Instigating Violence and Sectarianism'
In Iraq, the Mosul Offensive Is Off To a Slow and Shaky Start
Helmet cam footage shows Islamic State in battlefield chaos
Coalition In-Fighting Threatens the War against ISIS in Iraq
Residents of Iraq's IS-held Fallujah suffer under siege
---
South Asia
64 Militants Killed In Latest Clearance Operations, Afghanistan MoD Claims
Kabul Reacts Towards Taliban Visit to Pakistan, Saying Terror Groups Not Allowed To Travel
President Ghani to receive list of terrorists sentenced to death
Herat Appellate Court Chief shot dead by unknown gunmen
Afghanistan and Russia to create military-technical cooperation committee
--
Africa
British Extremist Preacher Linked To Lee Rigby Killer Emerges As Head of Islamic State In Somalia
Transitional Government to be Formed 'Any Time Now' in South Sudan
--
Mideast
Finnish Author Deported From Turkey for ‘Terror Links’
US Defence Chief Admits Links among PYD, YPG, PKK
One killed in PKK attack in Turkey’s southeast
ISIL fires five mortar shells near Turkish border post
Two rocket projectiles hit Turkey’s Kilis
Israel worries about Isil terrorists on northern border, within 20 miles of town of Safed
Israel exchanges intelligence information with Egypt, Jordan
Turkish Kurd Islamist Rally Stokes Tension
Turkey signs deal to deploy forces in Qatar
---
Europe
UK Muslim Preacher Slams Cameron's 'Racist' Views
UK Muslim Schools Segregates Male, Female Staff
Muslim convert in France refuses to sell clothes to women on weekdays
Italy says uncovers possible plot to attack Rome, arrests suspects
Security guard who tweeted support for Islamic State jailed for five years
--
North America
Kerry: You Don't Have To Be Religious to Be an Islamic Terrorist
US Pentagon Working to 'Take Out' Islamic State's Internet
Sikhs Appear On ‘The Daily Show’ To Combat Islamophobia
Joe Biden Makes Surprise Visit to Iraq, Seeking to Bolster Fight Against ISIS
Indiana Professor Receives Muslim Organization's Interfaith Service Award
Is America Kurdistan's best ally?
--
Southeast Asia
BNPT Investigates IS Recruitment of Migrant Workers
China Asks Indonesia to Deport Detained Uighur Terror Suspect
Philippines president says Abyu Sayyaf terrorists had plotted to kidnap boxing star Manny Pacquiao
--
Pakistan
Parliament Watch: ‘Accountability’ Strains Tense Civil-Military Equation
Pakistan Steps up Islamic Finance In Infrastructure Deals
TV channel team exposes 'poor security' at Sindh Assembly, gets arrested
---
Australia
The Secret Brisbane Mosques Opening Their Doors to Gay Muslims
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
--------
Funding trail on India's Islamic State module leads to Dubai
April 29, 2016
Investigations into the Indian module of Islamic State (IS)-inspired Junood-al-Khalifa-e-Hind, is leading a trail to Dubai.
Bhatkal resident Ismail Abdul Rauf, who was wrongly intercepted by the intelligence agencies at Pune airport recently, may not have been a wannabe IS recruit or a Syria-bound jihadist. His interrogation, however, has given leads to investigators on missing links that could be a part of the large jigsaw puzzle, including the alleged IS fighter Shafi Armar alias Yousuf al Hindi, and how he purportedly funded to raise an Indian-affiliated jihadi group through Dubai.
Known as the mecca of money laundering or hawala operations, Dubai, along with other countries in the Gulf region, houses a large Indian diaspora. Importantly, various armed groups, including the IS, in the ongoing conflict in Syria are funded through a network of private donations, collected from sheikhs, tribal leaders, influential ulemas and Arab diaspora based in Gulf countries. These two factors could be a starting point in unraveling the funding of Junood-al-Khalifa-e-Hind group outside the Indian territory by the Indians living in Gulf.
The trail began in January, soon after the NIA arrested over 20 men in a nationwide crackdown after monitoring their social media activities. The arrested had common links of connection with al Hindi, who investigators believe is based in Syria with the IS group. During the raid at Mudabbir Sheikh’s Mumbra house, the police recovered cash of Rs 1.95 lakh. In his interrogation, Sheikh revealed that the amount was a part of Rs 6.4 lakh he received in two separate transactions through hawala operations facilitated by al Hindi. Sheikh is the only member of Junood Khilafa to have received money from al Hindi to set up the group, organise meetings and help other members logistically to manifest the operations.
He was put in charge of disseminating the funds to the other members based in Maharashtra, Karnataka, UP, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu – now in judicial custody – who never met each other personally, but confessed to have been roped in by al Hindi, NIA officials said.
Last November, Sheikh got the first intimation from al Hindi to receive a hawala transaction under the code name 'Nadeem'. In a few days, he received the sum of Rs 1.6 lakh from a hawala operator in Mumbai’s bustling bazaars adjoining the iconic Crawford market. With the test run of the first transaction successful, Sheikh was told to collect another delivery from another operator in a fortnight. This time the sum was larger, Rs 4.8 lakh.
Between December and January, when they were finally arrested, Sheikh’s cache of Rs 4.72 lakh was distributed upon al Hindi’s orders to various members including Malik Banda alias Mohsin of UP (Rs 3 lakh), Rs 50,000 each to Imran Moazzam Khan of Aurangabad, Mohammad Hussain Khan alias Jameel of Mumbai, Nafees Khan of Hyderabad who also gave a part of the funding to Ashik Ahmed of West Bengal (arrested in March). The money was used for travelling and purchasing mobile phones, laptops, and even clothes.
“The IS-inspired module in India has so far only one form of organised funding through hawala. The main suspect, al Hindi, seems to have thoughtfully picked out roles for each of the members like Sheikh for organising and financing without letting them know what the other was doing. This was obviously done to avoid detection by intelligence agencies and getting caught,” said an NIA official.
Rauf’s arrest at Pune airport, triggered by a lookout circular issued in a similar phonetically sounding name earlier in April, turned out to be a case of mistaken identity. Rauf, who was travelling to Dubai, was not the IS suspect the NIA was looking for, but his interrogation revealed details that investigators believe join the dots in the funding and hawala transactions.
Rauf had earlier travelled to Dubai 10 months ago to work as a labourer and came into contact with another Bhatkal resident, Ismail Nanda. During the time of their acquaintance, Nanda asked Rauf if he knew any hawala operators in Dubai and the latter gave contact of an operator, Abdullah Umaid. Officials investigating the case said Rauf was later contacted by Nanda and asked to check if 'Nadeem' (code name for Sheikh’s hawala transaction) got the money. Rauf did not know who Mudabbir Sheikh was but it is believed that Nanda used the hawala operator in Dubai, suggested by Rauf, to make the transaction.
Rauf was earlier a suspect in the case, but NIA has now made him a witness and are verifying the information provided by him. The agency is also making use of the mutual legal assistance treaty (MLAT) with Dubai to dig deep into Nanda's identity and find if he facilitated the hawala transactions to India at the behest of al Hindi or any other IS leader. If substantiated, it will take the investigation closer to proving that al Hindi used the IS group’s funds – collected illegally by smuggling and selling oil, antiquities, collecting taxes from population living in its territory, ransom and selling Yezidi women as slaves among other methods – to raise a module in India.
dnaindia.com/india/report-funding-trail-on-india-s-is-module-leads-to-dubai-2207180
--
Iraq shuts Al-Jazeera bureau for 'instigating violence and sectarianism'
28-04, 2016
BAGHDAD - The Iraqi authorities have shut down the Al-Jazeera channel's Baghdad office, accusing Qatar's state-funded TV network of inciting violence and sectarianism.
Iraq's Communications and Media Commission (CMC) sent the Al-Jazeera Media Network a letter informing it of a March 24 decision to withdraw the bureau's licence and close its office for one year.
The letter cited "your continuing violations and offences and persistent media discourse instigating violence and sectarianism."
In a statement issued Wednesday, the Doha-based news network, one of the largest in the region, said that it had not violated regulations or deviated from professional and objective coverage.
Al-Jazeera has repeatedly come under fire from the Iraqi authorities for coverage perceived as too friendly to the Islamic State jihadist group and hostile to the country's Shiite majority.
The network's foreign staff were already unable to enter Iraq because the authorities had made it difficult for them to obtain visas, the network's Iraqi bureau chief Walid Ibrahim told AFP.
The CMC's decision contradicts the Iraqi government's "commitment to guarantee freedom of expression", Al-Jazeera said.
Ziad Ajili, from the Journalistic Freedoms Observatory, condemned the move, saying that the CMC does not have direct authority to close media offices in Iraq.
Iraqi leaders have accused Gulf monarchies of not doing enough to fight IS jihadists and in some cases of directly supporting them.
Qatar is accused by many in Iraq of having intentionally sponsored hardline Sunni groups to counter the expanding influence of Iran and Shiite Islam in the region.
middle-east-online.com/english/?id=76570
--
64 militants killed in latest clearance operations, MoD claims
Fri Apr 29 2016
At least 64 anti-government armed militants were killed in the latest counter-terrorism operations in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said.
According to an operational by MoD, the operations were conducted jointly by the Afghan army, intelligence and police forces, backed by the Afghan Air Force and artillery units.
At least 30 of the militants were killed and 18 others were wounded during the clearance operations in Char Dara district of Kunduz, MoD said.
MoD further added that 3 Pakistani Taliban linked with the Haqqani network were killed during an operation in Khost province and 10 others were killed in Kandahar province.
At least 9 others were killed and 18 more were wounded during an operation in Eshkamesh district of Badakhshan, MoD said, adding that 5 others were killed in Faryab and 9 more were wounded.
The Afghan forces also killed 6 militants in separate operations conducted in Kapisa, Ghazni and Jawzjan provinces, MoD said.
The anti-government armed militant groups have not commented regarding the reports so far.
The Afghan security forces have stepped up counter-terrorism operations amid rampant Taliban-led insurgency across the country which follows as the group announced its spring offensive earlier this month.
khaama.com/64-militants-killed-in-latest-clearance-operations-mod-claims-0783
--
British extremist preacher linked to Lee Rigby killer emerges as head of Islamic State in Somalia
29 APRIL 2016
A British extremist preacher linked to the killers of Drummer Lee Rigby has surfaced in an Islamic State propaganda video as the head of its new franchise in Somalia.
Sheiky Abdulqadir Mumin, who preached at mosques in London, fled to Somalia after being investigated by M15 for radicalising young men with his fiery sermons.
The henna-bearded militant, who burned his British passport on arrival in Somalia, has now re-emerged in a video shot in northern Somalia in which he leads a faction pledging allegiance to Isil's Iraqi leader, Abubakr al-Baghdadi.
In the 15-minute broadcast, he presides over a group of heavily-armed fighters as they raise the black Islamic State flag and perform military drills in a remote mountain area.
Mumin's presence in Somalia is likely alarm British security chiefs, given his alleged record as a recruiter of young Muslim radicals for the cause of violent jihad in Somalia and elsewhere.
The cleric was a visiting speaker at a mosque in London around the time it was attended by Michael Adebolajo, one of the two men jailed for the meat-cleaver murder of Drummer Lee Rigby at Woolwich Arsenal in 2013.
Mohammed Emwazi, the militant better known as Jihadi John, is understood to have occasionally attended the same mosque.
Somali-born Mumin, who arrived in Britain around ten years ago, is also believed to have done "outreach" work on the streets of south-east London, reaching out to troubled youngsters like Adebolajo.
He is understood to have tried to recruit at local "mafrishes" - meeting places where members of the area's Somali community would gather to chew the narcotic qhat leaf.
Both Adebolajo and Emwazi made failed attempts to join extremist groups in Somalia, where Mumin retained strong contacts with radical groups.
In 2010, Mumin also took part in a press conference alongside the ex-Guantanamo Bay prisoner Moazzam Begg for the charity CagePrisoners, which was launching a report criticising Western anti-terror tactics in East Africa.
CagePrisoners's research director, Asim Qureshi, was criticised last year after describing Emwazi as "a beautiful young man" who had been radicalised because of mistreatment by the security services.
In similar fashion, Mumin left Britain for good a few months after his appearance with CagePrisoners, complaining of harrassment by M15.
He then re-appeared in territory controlled by the al-Qaeda allied al-Shabaab group, where he was seen burning his British passport in a crowd of supporters in a mosque and dedicating his life to jihad.
A talented speaker who is considered to have an impressive grasp of Islamist theology, Mumin initially allied himself to al-Shabaab, which has fought an nine-year-long insurgency against the Somali government, as well as the 2013 Westgate shopping mall attack in Nairobi, which killed 67 people.
After the US killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011, he declared: “We will continue our holy war until we taste death like our brother Osama, or until we are victorious and rule the entire world."
Mumin is understood to have switched allegiance last year to the Islamic State, which has been making efforts to co-opt other jihadist movements around the world, including Boko Haram in Nigeria and the Taliban in Afghanistan.
While al-Shabaab remains powerful in Somalia, it has come under heavy pressure from US drone strikes and Western-backed African Union troops.
Dr Cedric Barnes, Horn of Africa Project Director at the International Crisis Group, told The Telegraph: "Isil's success has grabbed people's imaginations, and I thik with Mumin, switching allegiance to Isil may be a case of personal ambition, a chance to challenge al-Shabaab's dominance.
"Unlike a lot of radical scholars, he is also said to be well-educated - he is the real deal as a preacher and that makes him a bit of a catch."
Mumin is now thought to be holed up in the Galgala hills, a desolate area of keel-shaped mountains and thorny frankincense trees in northern Somalia Puntland region.
Also notorious as a haven for Somali a pirates, its caves are a favourite hiding place for armed groups and hostages.
While he is believed to have no more than a few hundred fighters at most at present, his faction is said to be offering monthly salaries of up to $400, according to the intelligence website IHS Global Insight.
That makes it the highest paying groups in Somalia - an important factor in a land where many fight for pay rather than principle.
According to Somali intelligence sources, he also has some powerful co-defectors from al-Shabaab, including Mohamed Dulyadin, a Kenyan militant believed to have been responsible for last year's attack on Kenya's Garissa University that left 148 dead.
His first broadcast in support of Islamic State was made last October, but was a low-key event via audio tape. By contrast, his new video broadcast appears to have been released by the al-Furat Media Foundation, a well-known outlet for Isil propaganda.
His main worry, now, however, will not just be avoiding US drone attacks. Al-Shabaab still sees itself as a loyal affiliate of al-Qaeda, and has been unleashing its feared secret police, known as the Amniyat, on anyone suspected of defecting to Isil.
telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/29/british-extremist-preacher-linked-to-lee-rigby-killer-emerges-as/
----------
India
Funding trail on India's Islamic State module leads to Dubai
April 29, 2016
Investigations into the Indian module of Islamic State (IS)-inspired Junood-al-Khalifa-e-Hind, is leading a trail to Dubai.
Bhatkal resident Ismail Abdul Rauf, who was wrongly intercepted by the intelligence agencies at Pune airport recently, may not have been a wannabe IS recruit or a Syria-bound jihadist. His interrogation, however, has given leads to investigators on missing links that could be a part of the large jigsaw puzzle, including the alleged IS fighter Shafi Armar alias Yousuf al Hindi, and how he purportedly funded to raise an Indian-affiliated jihadi group through Dubai.
Known as the mecca of money laundering or hawala operations, Dubai, along with other countries in the Gulf region, houses a large Indian diaspora.
Full report at: dnaindia.com/india/report-funding-trail-on-india-s-is-module-leads-to-dubai-2207180
--
IS recruiter’s first job for 2008 Ahmedabad blasts accused was translation of Baghdadi’s speech
April 29, 2016
“SIMI operative” Alamzeb Afridi was living undercover in Bengaluru as AC mechanic when Mohammed Shafi Armar, an Islamic State (IS) recruiter from Bhatkal in Karnataka and believed to be recently “killed” in Syria, asked him to translate a speech of IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Gujarati. Armar would later help Afridi, an accused in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial bombings and the 2014 Bengaluru’s Church Street blast cases, learn bomb-making, according to crime branch officials.
Currently in the custody of the Detection of Crime Branch (DCB), Ahmedabad, in connection with the 2008 blasts, Afridi has told interrogators that he was in touch with one Abdul Khan through Facebook. In the interrogation report (IR), accessed by The Indian Express, Afridi said Khan sent him a link through Kik Messenger on how to make bombs.
Full report at: indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/revelations-by-2008-ahmedabad-blasts-accused-is-recruiters-first-job-for-afridi-was-translation-of-baghdadis-speech-2775430/
--
Muslims in India condemn Pakistan's treatment of Kabir Khan
Thu Apr 28, 2016
When Pakistani Ghazal singer Ghulam Ali was misbehaved with in Mumbai, Indian government duly apologised to the artist and his program was re-scheduled at Varanasi. On the contrary, when Kabir Khan was shown shoes and misbehaved with at Karachi airport, the Pakistan government did not respond at all and is still keeping mum over the issue.
The Muslim community in Agra strongly condemned the misbehaviour with producer-director of the movie Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Kabir Khan, claiming that Pakistan is a country of hatemongers where people have no respect for artists.
They argued that, when Pakistani Ghazal singer Ghulam Ali was misbehaved with in Mumbai, Indian government duly apologised to the artist and his program was re-scheduled at Varanasi. On the contrary, when Kabir Khan was shown shoes and misbehaved with at Karachi airport, the Pakistan government did not respond at all and is still keeping mum over the issue.
Full report at: indiatoday.intoday.in/story/muslims-in-india-condemn-pakistans-treatment-of-kabir-khan/1/654492.html
---
Arab World
Iraq shuts Al-Jazeera bureau for 'instigating violence and sectarianism'
28-04, 2016
BAGHDAD - The Iraqi authorities have shut down the Al-Jazeera channel's Baghdad office, accusing Qatar's state-funded TV network of inciting violence and sectarianism.
Iraq's Communications and Media Commission (CMC) sent the Al-Jazeera Media Network a letter informing it of a March 24 decision to withdraw the bureau's licence and close its office for one year.
The letter cited "your continuing violations and offences and persistent media discourse instigating violence and sectarianism."
In a statement issued Wednesday, the Doha-based news network, one of the largest in the region, said that it had not violated regulations or deviated from professional and objective coverage.
Full report at: middle-east-online.com/english/?id=76570
--
In Iraq, the Mosul offensive is off to a slow and shaky start
29-04,2016
From a sandbagged hilltop outpost here, you can see the front line of the Islamic State in the muddy brown houses of Al-Nasr, a village on the next ridgeline, about a mile-and-a-half west. The Iraqi army was supposed to have captured this target a month ago. But the offensive was repelled.
The battle for Mosul, about 35 miles north, must begin with the seizure of such Islamic State positions along the Tigris River. But the Iraqi army isn’t ready yet to take a small, well-fortified village such as Al-Nasr. So it’s hard to imagine that Mosul itself could be cleared by the end of the year, as the Obama administration has hoped.
The staging area for the Mosul battle is Makhmour, a few miles south of here. An Iraqi army division has set up its headquarters there, alongside Kurdish peshmerga fighters. U.S. combat advisers are in Makhmour, too, although they weren’t visible Thursday.
“I have limited forces,” says Maj. Gen. Najim Abed al-Jabouri, the Iraqi commander for the Mosul offensive. He has about 5,000 troops but says that he needs a force six times larger and an attack plan that hits Mosul from all sides. The recent political chaos in Baghdad has hurt army morale and made planning more difficult, he says. “We try to move toward the correct way, but the corruption in Iraq is very deep.”
Full report at: washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-mosul-offensive-is-off-to-a-slow-and-shaky-start/2016/04/28/58a3c7a8-0d85-11e6-bfa1-4efa856caf2a_story.html
--
Helmet cam footage shows Islamic State in battlefield chaos
29-04,2016
Islamic State may exult in online portrayals of jihadis sweeping victoriously across Iraqi battlefields, but a camera recovered from the helmet of a dead fighter offers a contrasting picture of chaos and panic in a battle with Kurdish peshmerga.
A fighter named Abu Hajer is shown in footage seized by Peshmerga firing from one of three Islamic State armored cars advancing across a barren plain towards a Kurdish position. His rifle slips and he fires off a shot inside the vehicle.
"Abu Hajer! Stop firing!" shouts Abu Radhwan, the camera in his helmet picking up anguished faces as it swings erratically from views of rifles and munitions on the floor of the armored car to the brown fields and blue sky ahead.
Full report at: reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-idUSKCN0XQ134
--
Coalition In-Fighting Threatens the War Against ISIS in Iraq
29-04,2016
It was just another skirmish in an historically violent part of Iraq that, aside from the few dozen fighters who died, would not normally raise concerns far beyond the township's borders.
But the recent confrontation in the northern Iraqi city of Tuz Khurmatu signals a significantly larger problem facing a central government in Baghdad already on shaky footing as it tries to hold together a political and military coalition it desperately needs to defeat the Islamic State group threat.
Hostilities broke out over the weekend between two groups considered critical components of the ground war. Troops from the predominantly Shiite Muslim militias – known as the popular mobilization units or PMUs – reportedly attacked the home of an officer with the Kurdish fighting force known as the peshmerga, according to media reports. The militiamen claimed they were retaliating against an unprovoked peshmerga attack.
Fighting escalated into Sunday as peshmerga troops launched mortars and Shiite militias lit two of the Kurdish unit's tanks on fire. Iraq's ambassador to the U.S. described the incidents as unfortunate and in an area "where longstanding fault lines exist."
Full report at: usnews.com/news/articles/2016-04-28/coalition-in-fighting-threatens-the-war-against-isis-in-iraq
--
Residents of Iraq's IS-held Fallujah suffer under siege
29-04,2016
BAGHDAD (AP) — Abu Jassim can only afford to provide one meal a day for his seven-member family — usually a stew made of locally grown leafy green vegetables or rice with a small portion of flat bread.
"We are experiencing the agony of starvation for the first time in our life," said Abu Jassim, a 52-year-old grocer and resident of the besieged Islamic State-held city of Fallujah.
In reality, nobody seems to be starving in Fallujah just yet. But medical officials say malnutrition is on the rise and vital medical supplies are running out.
Since August, Iraqi government troops have tightened their grip around Fallujah — under IS control since the early days of 2014 — and have prevented the entry of food and medicine into the city. Those seeking to flee the city have sometimes found themselves trapped by the militants, who seek to retain Fallujah's civilian population as human shields against a full-scale government assault.
Full report at: starnewsonline.com/article/20160429/API/304299918?Title=Residents-of-Iraq-s-IS-held-Fallujah-suffer-under-siege
--
South Asia
64 militants killed in latest clearance operations, MoD claims
Fri Apr 29 2016
At least 64 anti-government armed militants were killed in the latest counter-terrorism operations in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said.
According to an operational by MoD, the operations were conducted jointly by the Afghan army, intelligence and police forces, backed by the Afghan Air Force and artillery units.
At least 30 of the militants were killed and 18 others were wounded during the clearance operations in Char Dara district of Kunduz, MoD said.
MoD further added that 3 Pakistani Taliban linked with the Haqqani network were killed during an operation in Khost province and 10 others were killed in Kandahar province.
Full report at: khaama.com/64-militants-killed-in-latest-clearance-operations-mod-claims-0783
--
Kabul reacts towards Taliban visit to Pakistan, saying terror groups not allowed to travel
Fri Apr 29 2016
ARG Palace AfghanistanKabul has reacted towards the visit by a delegation of Taliban group leaders to Pakistan shortly after the group announced the delegation will hold talks on refugees and border issues with the Pakistani authorities.
A statement by ARG Palace said the visit by Taliban delegation from Qatar to Pakistan is totally vague since the terror groups are not allowed to visit nations.
The statement further added that the delegation recently visited Pakistan and called the purpose behind their visit to focus on refugees and border issues.
Kabul insisted that the majority of the Afghans have been forced to flee the country due to the crimes of the terrorists groups, specifically the Taliban group.
Full report at: khaama.com/kabul-reacts-towards-taliban-visit-to-pakistan-saying-terror-groups-not-allowed-to-travel-0782
--
President Ghani to receive list of terrorists sentenced to death
Thu Apr 28 2016
President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani will receive a list of individuals sentenced to death over terrorists activities, days after President Ghani vowed to implement the judiciary institutions’ verdicts regarding the terror suspects.
Deputy Presidential Palace spokesman Shah Hussain Murtazvi told reporters that President Ghani has ordered the judiciary institutions to further review the cases involving sentences awarded to the individuals for terrorists activities.
Murtazvi further added that the list will be provided to President Ghani today, insisting that the terrorists would be hanged to death once the cases have been reviewed in a bid to ensure fairness in the verdicts.
The decision to review and implement the judiciary institutions’ verdicts regarding the terror suspects was taken days after Kabul was hit by a deadly attack.
Full report at: khaama.com/president-ghani-to-receive-list-of-terrorists-sentenced-to-death-0781
--
Herat Appellate Court Chief shot dead by unknown gunmen
Thu Apr 28 2016
The Appellate Court Chief of western Herat province Samiuddin Rahin was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Herat city this afternoon.
Provincial governor’s spokesman Jilani Farhad confirmed that Mr. Rahin was travelling in his personal car without any security guard when he was shot dead by gunmen riding a vehicle.
He said the son of Mr. Rahin who is around 10-year-old was also wounded in the attack but there are no reports regarding his health condition.
A team has been assigned to investigate regarding the attack on Mr. Rahin as no group has far claimed responsibility behind the incident.
Full report at: khaama.com/herat-chief-prosecutor-shot-dead-by-unknown-gunmen-0780
---
Afghanistan and Russia to create military-technical cooperation committee
Thu Apr 28 2016
Afghanistan and Russia military committeeThe Afghan and Russian defense officials have agreed to establish a military-technical cooperation committee in a bid to jointly combat international terrorism.
According to reports, the agreement was reached during a meeting between the acting Afghan defense minister Masoom Stanikzai and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu.
“A number of specific steps and issues have been discussed, such as further training of Afghan servicemen in Russia, the exchange of intelligence, and the creation of a joint committee on military-technical cooperation,” Stanekzai quoted by local media said.
Stanikzai further added that the two countries want to combine their efforts in the fight against the international terrorism.
Full report at: khaama.com/afghanistan-and-russia-to-create-military-technical-cooperation-committee-0779
--
Africa
British extremist preacher linked to Lee Rigby killer emerges as head of Islamic State in Somalia
29 APRIL 2016
A British extremist preacher linked to the killers of Drummer Lee Rigby has surfaced in an Islamic State propaganda video as the head of its new franchise in Somalia.
Sheiky Abdulqadir Mumin, who preached at mosques in London, fled to Somalia after being investigated by M15 for radicalising young men with his fiery sermons.
The henna-bearded militant, who burned his British passport on arrival in Somalia, has now re-emerged in a video shot in northern Somalia in which he leads a faction pledging allegiance to Isil's Iraqi leader, Abubakr al-Baghdadi.
Full report at: telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/29/british-extremist-preacher-linked-to-lee-rigby-killer-emerges-as/
--
Transitional Government to be Formed 'Any Time Now' in South Sudan
28 APRIL 2016
The US would consider imposing sanctions or an arms embargo on South Sudan's leaders if they fail to cooperate in a proposed unity government to end a bloody conflict, a senior official said.
South Sudan erupted into civil war in 2013 when President Salva Kiir sacked his deputy Riek Machar barely two years after it seceded from Sudan.
"We have everything at the table: we are prepared to look at sanctions, we are prepared to look at an arms embargo," said Donald Booth, US special envoy to Sudan and South Sudan on Wednesday.
Full report at: allafrica.com/stories/201604290422.html
----
Mideast
Finnish author deported from Turkey for ‘terror links’
Fri Apr 29 2016
A Finnish woman is set to be deported from Turkey after being detained in the eastern province of Van for alleged “links to terrorism.”
Taina Niemela was taken to the police deportation center on April 28 after an investigation opened upon claims that she attended a funeral of terrorist group members.
Niemela’s deportation comes shortly after Turkish authorities denied the entry of two foreign journalists after they landed at Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport.
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/finnish-author-deported-from-turkey-for-terror-links.aspx?pageID=238&nID=98503&NewsCatID=341
--
US defense chief admits links among PYD, YPG, PKK
28-04,2016
The U.S. defense chief admitted on April 28 that the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its militia force, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), were linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
During testimony before a Senate panel, Ashton Carter said “yes” when asked by Sen. Lindsey Graham whether the PYD and YPG were aligned with the PKK.
Admitting the link between the PKK and PYD, Carter acknowledged that the PKK is a designated terror group by the United States and Turkey but denied Ankara is upset by U.S. air and equipment support to the militant group’s offshoot in Syria.
“It is not at all,” Carter said. “We have extensive consultations with the Turks.”
But Graham contradicted him saying he was recently in Turkey and that the government there was not happy with U.S. support for “a terror group.”
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/us-defense-chief-admits-links-among-pyd-ypg-pkk-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=98499&NewsCatID=358
--
One killed in PKK attack in Turkey’s southeast
Fri Apr 29 2016
A soldier who was heavily wounded during clashes between the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Turkish security forces succumbed to his injuries on April 29 in the southeastern province of Şırnak.
Gendarmerie Specialized Sergeant Turan Çelik was wounded during security operations on April 26.
Çelik was taken to the Gülhane Military Hospital (GATA) in the capital Ankara after he was hit in the head by a bullet.
His funeral was due to be held in the southeastern province of Adıyaman on April 29.
hurriyetdailynews.com/one-killed-in-pkk-attack-in-turkeys-southeast.aspx?pageID=238&nID=98504&NewsCatID=341
--
ISIL fires five mortar shells near Turkish border post
Apr 28, 2016
Five mortar shells targeting a border military post in the Karkamış district of the southeastern province of Gaziantep were fired on April 28 from the Jarabulus province in northern Syria, controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
“One of the artillery shells that landed near the Türkyurdu border military post hit a howitzer stationed on the border. There was minor damage to the howitzer and there were no casualties. ISIL positions were shelled by howitzers following the incident,” Gaziantep Governor Ali Yerlikaya said, adding that three of the shells landed in an empty field.
A small fire also broke out on the roof of the border post but was extinguished by firefighters.
Security sources stated that a group of ISIL militants who were spotted by drones and radars had been killed by Turkish forces.
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/isil-fires-five-mortar-shells-near-turkish-border-post.aspx?pageID=238&nID=98455&NewsCatID=341
--
Two rocket projectiles hit Turkey’s Kilis
Apr 28 2016
Two rocket projectiles fired from the Bab region of northern Syria under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) hit the border province of Kilis on April 29, adding to the latest rocket strikes by the jihadist group in the region.
Two Katyusha rockets exploded in quick succession in a field near the Öncüpınar Kilis motorway at around 6 a.m. creating a crater. No injuries were reported in the incident.
A number of security and health personnel were deployed to the scene following the incident.
Teams made investigations in the field as security measures were taken in the area.
Kilis has experienced intense shelling from ISIL-controlled regions in northern Syria in recent months.
Recently, two Katyushas fired from Syria hit a mosque just 100 meters from the Kilis Governor’s Office, killing two people.
Eighteen people have been killed in rocket attacks since Jan. 18 in Kilis.
hurriyetdailynews.com/two-rocket-projectiles-hit-turkeys-kilis.aspx?pageID=238&nID=98498&NewsCatID=341
--
Israel worries about Isil terrorists on northern border, within 20 miles of town of Safed
28 APRIL 2016
Israel is increasingly concerned about the presence of Isil terrorists on its north-eastern border in the occupied Golan Heights – only 20 miles from the town of Safed.
The Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade has declared allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-styled “caliph” of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil). This group has between 600 and 1,000 fighters within striking range of Israel.
They are located in the southern Syrian Golan Heights, near the triangle where the Israeli, Jordanian and Syrian borders meet. “We are observing and watching them to make sure there are no surprises,” said Major Arye Sharuz Shalicar, an Israeli military spokesman.
One kibbutz is located only two miles from the area where the group’s fighters are said to be stationed; the town of Safed, with a population of 27,000, is only 20 miles away.
Israeli defence officials are worried that this Isil unit may have acquired poisonous gas from Bashar al-Assad’s regime. If the group approaches an “experimental or operational capability with chemical weapons,” then Israel will take action, according to anonymous officials quoted by Channel 10 television.
Full report at: telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/28/israel-worries-about-isil-terrorists-on-northern-border-within-2/
--
Israel exchanges intelligence information with Egypt, Jordan
28 APRIL 2016
Israel exchanges intelligence information with both Egypt and Jordan and there is a high level of cooperation among them in their war against Islamic jihadists, Arabi21 reported yesterday.
Deputy Chief of General Staff Major General Yair Golan said that Tel Aviv is providing intelligence to Egypt and Jordan to counter Islamic jihadists on their lands.
Israeli daily Haaretz reported Golan saying that the Israeli information provided plays a “decisive and basic role in enabling Egypt and Jordan to face the threats of jihadist groups, namely Daesh.”
Full report at: middleeastmonitor.com/20160428-israel-exchanges-intelligence-information-with-egypt-jordan/
--
Turkish Kurd Islamist Rally Stokes Tension
28 APRIL 2016
More than 100,000 people gathered in Diyarbakir, the main city in Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish southeast, last week to mark the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. The gathering was one of the most powerful displays of the rising power of Islamists in the region, which is stoking tensions with the pro-secular Kurdish nationalist movement.
Young and old came from all directions, chanting "God is great" and "Islamic Kurdistan.” It was a powerful show of force by Islamists. Leading Kurdish Islamists and others from elsewhere in the Middle East attended the rally. One of the biggest cheers was given to a Hamas representative.
Full report at: voanews.com/content/turkish-kurd-islamist-rally-stokes-tension/3307373.html
--
Turkey signs deal to deploy forces in Qatar
Apr 28 2016
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has concluded a military agreement that involves the deployment of the Turkish Armed Forces in Qatar, during his official two-day visit to the Gulf nation.
The measure was signed by Defense Minister İsmet Yılmaz and his Qatari counterpart Khalid bin Mohammad al-Attiyah at a ceremony where Davutoğlu and Qatari Interior Minister Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani were also present.
According to reports, the Turkish prime minister is expected to visit the command post of Turkish ground troops in Qatar on April 29.
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-signs-deal-to-deploy-forces-in-qatar.aspx?pageID=238&nID=98488&NewsCatID=510
--
Europe
UK Muslim preacher slams Cameron's 'racist' views
Fri 29 Apr 2016
A London-based Muslim preacher has demanded a formal apology from the British premier for labeling him a ISIL supporter in the parliament in the run-up to the mayoral elections.
In an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency Thursday, Suliman Gani said he was shocked by Prime Minister David Cameron’s allegations, which he described as racist and Islamophobic.
“I could not believe it. I was really, utterly, deeply shocked. How is it possible for such a serious, serious, allegation [can be] made against myself.
“What was even more shocking was being singled out, my name to be mentioned. It is not an ordinary personality, it is the prime minister of the country. That I found it very, very Islamophobic, very racist,” Gani said.
Full report at: worldbulletin.net/world/172134/uk-muslim-preacher-slams-camerons-racist-views
--
UK Muslim schools segregates male, female staff
April 28, 2016
Teachers and other staff at some independent Islamic faith schools in the UK are facing gender-based segregation, prompting the country's schools watchdog to write to the education ministry.
Sir Michael Wilshaw, head of Ofsted, said his inspectors found one independent religious school using dividing screens across the room to segregate men and women.
"I am writing again to report that Her Majesty's Inspectors (HMI) continue to find that staff are being segregated because of their gender in Muslim independent schools," Wilshaw writes in his letter sent yesterday to UK education secretary Nicky Morgan.
It adds that officials who inspected Rabia Girls' and Boys' School in Luton, east England, expressed their concern after the school insisted on "segregating men and women through the use of a dividing screen across the middle of the room" at the initial meeting.
"This meeting was not carried out in a religious setting but in a classroom. HMI also gathered evidence that male and female staff are segregated during whole school staff training sessions.
Full report at: business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/uk-muslim-schools-segregates-male-female-staff-116042801124_1.html
--
Muslim convert in France refuses to sell clothes to women on weekdays
Fri 29 Apr 2016
When Jean-Baptiste Michalon posted a notice on the outside of his general store last year, he hardly imagined that it would create a national outcry.
"Sisters on Saturdays and Sundays only," the note read. Michalon's message to customers in the French city of Bordeaux: Women were welcome only on weekends. Men could shop on weekdays.
On Tuesday, a court fined Michalon $560 for making such a distinction, despite his argument that he had posted the sign to protect his wife, who was also working in the store, and other women.
"We put this in place at the request of the sisters who preferred when my wife was behind the counter. It is a shop where we sell clothes," Michalon, who converted to Islam four years ago, told the French news agency Agence France-Presse last year.
Following the outrage created by his note, the Frenchman closed his store and "admitted it was a blunder and tactless," according to a statement from his lawyer.
Full report at: independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/muslim-convert-in-france-refuses-to-sell-clothes-to-woman-on-weekdays-a7006146.html
--
Italy says uncovers possible plot to attack Rome, arrests suspects
Thu Apr 28, 2016
Italian police issued arrest warrants on Thursday for six people suspected of conspiring to join Islamic State, and court documents said three of them had been discussing possible attacks on the Vatican and the Israeli embassy in Rome.
Four of the suspects - a couple living near Lake Como, a 23-year-old-man and a woman, all of them Moroccans - were detained in Italy on Thursday, Milan prosecutor Maurizio Romanelli told a news conference.
The other two - a Moroccan man and his Italian wife - left Italy last year, traveled to Iraq and Syria and are still on the loose, Romanelli added.
Italy has not suffered the kind of deadly Islamist attacks that hit France and Belgium, but authorities have arrested a number of people suspected of planning assaults.
Transcripts of wire-tapped phone conversations between three of the suspects, contained in the arrest warrant and seen by Reuters, mentioned the possibility of an attack against the Vatican and the Israeli embassy in the Italian capital.
Full report at: reuters.com/article/us-italy-security-idUSKCN0XP13S
--
Security guard who tweeted support for Islamic State jailed for five years
Fri 29 Apr 2016
A security guard who glorified Islamic State and the September 11 terrorists has been jailed for five years.
Mohammed Moshin Ameen, from London, admitted to using Twitter to encouraging acts of terrorism and inviting support for Islamic State.
The court heard between March and October last year, he used 42 different Twitter profiles to send 8,000 messages, of which 250 were found to be extreme.
The 23-year-old became radicalised after falling in with well-known radical figures within the community, including some who went on to be convicted of terror offences, the court heard.
He exchanged views on Islamic ideology with Sydney teenage terrorist Farhad Jabar, discussing their shared desire to travel to IS territory.
Ameen first came to the attention of authorities in December 2013 when it was believed he might try to go to IS-held territory.
Full report at: itv.com/news/2016-04-29/security-guard-who-tweeted-support-for-islamic-state-jailed-for-five-years/
--
North America
KERRY: YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE RELIGIOUS TO BE AN ISLAMIC TERRORIST
29 April 2016
Ladies and gentlemen, the Secretary of State of the United States.
John Kerry stopped by the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University to address the role of religion and terrorism offering groundbreaking ideas such as, "The more we understand religion and the better able we are as a result to be able to engage religious actors, the more effective our diplomacy will be in advancing the interests and values of our people."
But Kerry warned, "Disclaimer: It is absolutely true the State Department is a secular institution and that, from its founding, the United States has maintained a formal separation, obviously, between church and state, and nothing that we’re doing seeks to or does cross any of those lines. This means that in our foreign policy, we don’t advocate on behalf of any particular set of religious beliefs or express a preference for one faith over another – or even for religious belief over non-belief."
That must be why the entire administration is constantly promoting Islam to the point of Obama telling the head of NASA that his main mission is Muslim self-esteem. But this is followed by boilerplate screeds about how wonderful Islam is, how wrong it is to criticize many Muslims for the actions of a tiny minority and how we're beating ISIS. Which he insists on calling Daesh.
Full report at: frontpagemag.com/point/262663/kerry-you-dont-have-be-religious-be-islamic-daniel-greenfield
--
US Pentagon Working to 'Take Out' Islamic State's Internet
29 April 2016
The US military's secretive Cyber Command (Cybercom) is working to destroy the Islamic State group's Internet connections and leave the jihadists in a state of "virtual isolation," Pentagon chiefs said Thursday.
In what he described as the command's "first major combat operation," Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Cybercom is playing an important role in the US-led military operation against the IS group in Iraq and Syria.
"The objectives there are to interrupt ISIL command and control, interrupt its ability to move money around, interrupt its ability to tyrannize and control population, interrupt its ability to recruit externally," Carter told lawmakers at a Senate Armed Services Committee meeting, using an acronym for the IS group.
Full report at: gadgets.ndtv.com/internet/news/us-pentagon-working-to-take-out-islamic-states-internet-831656
--
SIKHS APPEAR ON ‘THE DAILY SHOW’ TO COMBAT ISLAMOPHOBIA
29 April 2016
The Daily Show is an American late-night talk and news satire TV program. It is aired on Comedy Central each Monday through Thursday. Hasan Minhaj is an American actor, comedian, and a senior correspondent on The Daily Show. As part of his show, he did a street interview to find out if the Americans know about the Sikh religion. He showed a few Americans he randomly met on the street, the picture of a Sikh, a bird, a binocular, and children playing hide and seek, and asked them to point out the Sikh. Most of them failed to identify the Sikh. Sikhs Appear on ‘The Daily Show’ to Combat Islamophobia TWEET THIS The same has been the case in a survey commissioned by the National Sikh Campaign (NSC), in 2014. The problem with this scenario is that most of the Americans who have no idea who the Sikhs are, assume that they are Muslims. In their ignorance, they treat a Sikh person the same way they treat a Muslim person, with extreme prejudice and hatred. Of course, not all Americans are Islamophobes. The above statement only refers to those Americans with anti-Muslim sentiments.
Full report at: worldreligionnews.com/religion-news/sikhs-appear-on-the-daily-show-to-combat-islamophobia
--
Joe Biden Makes Surprise Visit to Iraq, Seeking to Bolster Fight Against ISIS
APRIL 28, 2016
BAGHDAD — In an unannounced visit shrouded in secrecy, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. came to Iraq on Thursday for the first time in almost five years, hoping to help a weak prime minister and bolster the military campaign against the Islamic State.
The intense security and clandestine nature of the trip reflected the challenges Iraq still faces 13 years after the United States-led invasion. Mr. Biden arrived for the visit, which was under discussion for months, at a moment when the country’s political leadership is mired in yet another crisis.
Mr. Biden planned to urge the Iraqis to put the good of their nation above sectarian, regional or personal interests as the country confronts a constellation of threats: militarily, from the extremists of the Islamic State; economically, from low oil prices; and politically, from the stalemate between Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Parliament over Mr. Abadi’s efforts to reconstitute his cabinet.
After arriving at the American Embassy by helicopter, Mr. Biden was driven to the nearby Government Palace to meet Mr. Abadi.
Full report at: nytimes.com/2016/04/29/world/middleeast/iraq-joe-biden-visit.html
--
Indiana Professor Receives Muslim Organization's Interfaith Service Award
Thu Apr 28, 2016
John Andrew Morrow, a professor of foreign languages at Ivy Tech Community College Northeast in Fort Wayne and a Muslim scholar and cleric, recently was presented with the Interfaith Service Award by the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) for his efforts to encourage interfaith dialogue and cooperation.
The award was presented April 15 during the Sunni-Shiite Summit held in Washington, D.C. Sunni and Shia are the major subgroups within the Islamic faith. ISNA is the largest Muslim organization in North America.
Full report at: news-sentinel.com/news/local/Local-professor-receives-Muslim-organization-s-interfaith-service-award
--
Is America Kurdistan's best ally?
29 April 2016
WASHINGTON, United States—The United States, a familiar rescuer of the Kurdistan Region, is helping the region to get out of its financial crisis.
Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter announced last week the US will send $415m to help cover the needs of the Kurdish Peshmerga who are fighting the Islamic State (ISIS).
From now on, the Pentagon says, the Peshmerga will receive monthly financial aid.
This allowance does not of course fulfill the financial needs of Kurdistan, which spends nearly a billion dollars a month. But it does help the Kurds to continue their fight against the Islamic States’ terror.
Full report at: rudaw.net/english/world/28042016
--
Pakistan
Parliament Watch: ‘Accountability’ Strains Tense Civil-Military Equation
29-04, 2016
Following Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif’s call for across-the-board accountability, the complex civil-military relationship is in the spotlight once again.
The well-timed dismissal of six army officers – including one Lt-General and a Major-General – on charges of corruption, is being seen by many defence and political analysts as a move directed at pressuring the civilian side to act.
The military’s checkmate move came after the release of the Panama Papers, which revealed that the prime minister’s three children – two sons and a daughter — own offshore companies in the British Virgin Islands.
Following the political storm that erupted once news of the offshore companies became public, the army chief’s statement calling for across-the-board accountability is said to have strained ties between the civil and military establishments. No longer was it possible for anyone to claim that both sides had reached an understanding of sorts to not interfere in each other’s domains.
Full report at: dawn.com/news/1255138/parliament-watch-accountability-strains-tense-civ-mil-equation?preview
--
PAKISTAN STEPS UP ISLAMIC FINANCE IN INFRASTRUCTURE DEALS
29-04,2016
Abu Dhabi—Pakistan is stepping up its use of Sharia-compliant financing to fund infrastructure deals, which could help to promote the use of longer-term transactions in Islamic finance. Islamic deals are backed by specific assets, which makes them convenient for infrastructure projects. But traditionally, Islamic bonds and loans have shorter tenors – often around five years – than their conventional equivalents.
This is partly because Islamic markets are generally not as deep and liquid, and products are not as standardised. Also, Islamic banks mostly hold short-term deposits on their books. This month, however, Pakistani banks arranged 100 billion rupees ($955 million) worth of 10-year Islamic bonds (Sukuk) for a hydropower plant, the largest infrastructure deal to use Islamic financing in the country. Opportunities for similar deals are growing with $45 billion worth of domestic infrastructure projects planned by Pakistan’s government under an initiative dubbed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), agreed between the states in 2014.
Full report at: pakobserver.net/2016/04/29/pakistan-steps-up-islamic-finance-in-infrastructure-deals/
--
TV channel team exposes 'poor security' at Sindh Assembly, gets arrested
29-04,2016
KARACHI: A private television channel's team was arrested from Sindh Assembly premises on Friday after a team member took a gun inside the house apparently in order to expose substandard security arrangements at the building.
A team member concealed the weapon in his clothing and entered the house. Once inside, he presented the weapon before the speaker, shocking lawmakers.
Sindh Assembly opposition leaders were critical of the provincial government and those responsible for the building's security. Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani demanded an inquiry into the matter.
Full report at: dawn.com/news/1255210/tv-channel-team-exposes-poor-security-at-sindh-assembly-gets-arrested
--
Southeast Asia
BNPT investigates IS recruitment of migrant workers
Apr 29, 2016
The National Counterterrorism Agency ( BNPT ) is investigating widespread information of a “significant increase” in the number of Indonesian citizens working in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan who have become supporters of the Islamic State ( IS ) terror group.
“Until today, we do not yet have accurate information about it. We are still investigating it,” BNPT head Comr. Gen. Tito Karnavian said as quoted by Antara news agency in Beijing on Wednesday evening, local time.
News reports earlier revealed that IS was approaching Indonesian workers in Hong Kong to join the extremist group. A domestic worker from Indonesia told local newspaper Oriental Daily News that many workers from Indonesia had received leaflets about IS recruitment.
Asia One reported on Tuesday that in the leaflets IS claimed the Indonesians would be employed in Xinjiang, China. It was not clear what kind of jobs the group would offer, however.
Full report at: thejakartapost.com/news/2016/04/29/bnpt-investigates-is-recruitment-of-migrant-workers.html
--
China asks Indonesia to deport detained Uighur terror suspect
28 Apr 2016
JAKARTA — China has asked Indonesia to deport a suspected Uighur terrorist detained here since December and alleged to have links with Islamic State, authorities said Thursday.
"There was indeed a request from the Chinese embassy to deport a Uighur terrorist suspect currently under police detention," Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said in a media briefing.
"We will see later whether we can meet their request after knowing his nationality," he said.
The man, identified as Alli, was arrested by counterterrorism police in December for allegedly planning to launch terrorist attacks during Christmas and New Year celebrations.
They said he had spent two months in Indonesian prior to his arrest before which time he was in Thailand and Malaysia.
Earlier this month, the Indonesian government turned down a request from China to exchange a fugitive Indonesian tycoon for four Uighurs currently serving six-year jail terms each for terrorism-related convictions.
Full report at: bangkokpost.com/news/asean/951749/china-asks-indonesia-to-deport-detained-uighur-terror-suspect
--
Philippines president says Abyu Sayyaf terrorists had plotted to kidnap boxing star Manny Pacquiao
Thursday, 28 April, 2016
A terrorist group in the Philippines that beheaded a Canadian this week had designs on kidnapping Manny Pacquiao, said President Benigno Aquino III, who added there was an assassination plot perhaps aimed at him, too.
Abu Sayyaf militants reportedly also wanted to explode bombs in metropolitan Manila to try to get funding from Islamic State, but the plans were uncovered and troops have reduced the group’s ability to inflict harm.
Though Aquino has forged a peace pact with a larger Muslim rebel group, he said there is no possibility of engaging in talks with Abu Sayyaf, which is accused of beheading Canadian John Ridsdel on Monday in southern Sulu province.
Full report at: scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1939449/philippines-president-says-abyu-sayyaf-terrorists-had
--
Australia
The Secret Brisbane Mosques Opening Their Doors to Gay Muslims
29 APRIL 2016
Damir Ahmetovic prays five times a day and describes himself as a devout Muslim. But he no longer attends his local Brisbane mosque for fear of vilification.
"The wider Muslim community is not aware that I am gay and I keep away from them," Mr Ahmetovic said. "I've made a choice to limit my contact with them. It's a self protection mechanism, I don't want judgment, hostility and negative responses to who I am."
The 31-year-old Bosnian national came out to his family a decade ago, an experience he says was fraught with difficulty. His father, who initially rejected him, said he would accept his son only if he kept his sexuality quiet.
Mr Ahmetovic said he knows "quite a few" gay Muslims in Brisbane but says they have rejected their faith since coming out.
Full report at: abc.net.au/news/2016-04-29/secret-mosques-doors-lgbti-muslims/7341142
New Age Islam,
Islam Online,
Islamic Website,
African Muslim News,
Arab World News,
South Asia News,
Indian Muslim News,
World Muslim News,
Womens in Islam,
Islamic Feminism,
Arab Women,
Womens In Arab,
Islamphobia in America,
Muslim Women in West,
Islam Women and Feminism, Moderate Islam,
Moderate Muslims,
Progressive Islam,
Progressive Muslims,
Liberal Islam,
Liberal Muslims, Islamic World News
