Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Indian Muslims' Experience Can Be Model for Others: Hamid Ansari












Photo: Chairman Council of Islamic Ideology, Maulana Muhammad Khan Sheerani. PHOTO: FILE

CII Chairman and Top Cleric Suggests Using Gold, Silver Currency
1,000 Jihadists from Southeast Asia Travel to Join Islamic State
Lack of Muslim Integration Is European Failure Not the Fault of Islam
India
Indian Experience of Large Muslim Minority Living In Secular Polity Having a Composite Culture
Angry Protesters Besiege Indian Filmmaker Kabir Khan at Karachi Airport
Kashmiri Youth Wave Anti-Islamic State Banners
Muslim Boarding Set Up By Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj to Start Research Centre for Muslim Literature
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Pakistan
CII Chairman and Top Cleric Suggests Using Gold, Silver Currency
Naib Khateeb of Lal Masjid Briefly Held With Three Guns
Pakistan Muslim Body Seeks Tamgha-i-Imtiaz or Slain Sikh Lawmaker
Pakistan helped US get Osama, insists Hersh
US to return smuggled Buddha sculpture to Pakistan
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Southeast Asia
1,000 Jihadists from Southeast Asia Travel to Join Islamic State
Indonesia Calls for Joint Maritime Patrols to Combat Islamic Militants
Abu Sayyaf: Islamist extremists or profiteering criminals?
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Europe
Lack of Muslim Integration Is European Failure Not the Fault of Islam
Austria's Chechens Fight Back Against Lure of ISIS Jihad
ISIS Underground Cells in Europe Grow in Numbers
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Arab World
Two ISIL Emirs Killed in Clashes with Rival Al-Nusra Terrorists in Homs
Syrian Armed Forces Inflict Heavy Casualties on ISIL in Deir Ezzur
Iran Stands Strong against Foreign Decision-Making for Syria
Iran, Uruguay Stress Coordinated, Serious Campaign against Terrorism
ISIL Created to Halt Iran's Growing Power
Tehran, Kabul, New Delhi to Finalize Chabahar Deal Soon
Lebanese Army Arrests 11 ISIL Militants
Iraqi Army Starts Operation to Win Back Strategic Village near Mosul
Pro-Hadi Forces Violate Ceasefire Concurrent with Peace Talks
Syrian Army, NDF Win Back One More Military Base in Damascus Province
ISIL Fails to Prevail over Gov't Forces' Strongholds East of Homs
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Mideast
13 ISIL Militants Killed In Turkish Shelling In Northern Syria
Turkish PM Rules Out Removing Secularism from Constitution
Turkey Parliament President Wants Islamic Constitution
EU calls on Turkey for ‘focused efforts’ on integration of Syrian refugees
Three wounded in PKK attack in Turkey’s east
Turkish minister says US to deploy rocket launchers near Syrian border
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South Asia
ANSF Still Waging Jihad, Defending Afghanistan, Region, World against Terror
Supporters of Terrorism to Suffer More Than Afghanistan Is Suffering, Warns Abdullah
Bangladesh jails two Hindu teachers for insulting Islam
Fear grips Bangladesh’s activist community
Taliban confirm delegation visiting Pakistan to discuss issues of mutual interest
Afghanistan summons Pakistani Ambassador over heavy artillery shelling
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North America
US to Enhance Religious Training at Embassies to ‘Make America Safe
Obama Administration Fails To Screen Syrian Refugees’ Social Media Accounts
US Embassy Warns Citizens In Turkey About ‘Credible’ Terrorist Threats
Muslim Brotherhood Day on Capitol Hill
America’s Muslim Cemetery Builders ‘Flabbergasted’ That Many Americans Oppose Muslim Cemeteries
Muslims for Trump, though few, see past rhetoric, bluster
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Africa
Traditional Quranic Schools Help Sudanese Learn Quran, Eradicate Illiteracy
Mixed Messages Swirl around the Leader Boko Haram, As Contradictory Videos Emerge
Muslim Group, Muslims against Terror, Urges Government ‎ to Declare Fulani Herdsmen Terrorists
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

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Indian Experience of Large Muslim Minority Living In Secular Polity Having a Composite Culture
Apr 26, 2016
Indian Muslims' Experience Can Be Model For Others: Hamid Ansari
April 27, 2016
NEW DELHI:  Vice President Hamid Ansari on Tuesday said the experience of the Indian Muslim minority community living in a secular polity having a composite culture could be a model for others to emulate.
"Thinking minds should look beyond questions of identity and dignity in a defensive mode and explore how both can be furthered in a changing India and a changing world," MrAnsari said, while releasing a book "Fikr" brought out by the National Institute of Faith Leadership.
"The Indian experience of a large Muslim minority living in secular polity having a composite culture could even be a model for others to emulate," he said.
He said the book was an effort to remove widespread prejudices about Islam as a faith and Muslims as a people.
Mr Ansari said he felt "there is a crying need to look at the unexplored or inadequately explored requirements of all segments of the community particularly women, youth, and non-elite sections" who remain trapped in a vicious circle of a culturally defensive posture that hinders self advancement and well being.
"This would necessitate sustained and candid interaction with fellow citizens without a syndrome of superiority or inferiority and can be fruitful only in the actual implementation of the principles of justice, equality and fraternity," he said.
ndtv.com/india-news/indian-muslims-experience-can-be-model-for-others-hamid-ansari-1399793
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CII Chairman and Top cleric suggests using gold, silver currency
By Obaid Abbasi: April 27, 2016
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top Islamic legislative advisory body has suggested abandoning paper currency in favour of gold and silver coins while urging the government to adopt an Islamic economic system.
The proposition came through Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Chairman Maulana Mohammad Sheerani at a seminar organised by the council on Tuesday. The conference was held to discuss the fundamentals of Islamic economy and the current problems facing the country.
“The economic system based on paper currency is not strong enough and silver and gold currency is the more acceptable medium,” believed Sheerani while addressing the participants.
He added the council would start a debate on introducing the silver and gold currency system in the country.
Sheerani, who is also a member of upper house of parliament from the JUI-F, claimed there was a dire need to introduce an international Islamic economic system. “It will be a positive sign when the debate starts internationally,” he said.
According to the religious scholar, there are three economic philosophies: capitalism, communism and Islamic. “The first two are based on human exploitation and their basic objective is to earn and to grow,” he believed. “In the Islamic economic system, however, the basic objective is to protect the human being.”
The seminar was attended by a large number of people as 25 religious scholars were invited to speak on the topic.
The CII chairman said the basic objective of the seminar was to create awareness about Islamic laws.
The gold dinar coin was used throughout much of the Islamic world from the 8th century onwards and survived in parts of Africa until the 19th century. No country, except some parts of Indonesia and Malaysia, use the Islamic currency in the modern world.
tribune.com.pk/story/1092538/top-cleric-suggests-using-gold-silver-currency/
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1,000 Jihadists from Southeast Asia Travel to Join Islamic State
April 26, 2016
Abductions by the ISIS-linked Filipino group Abu Sayyaf have recently prompted Indonesia to call for joint maritime patrols with the Philippines and Malaysia.
“Several countries in Southeast Asia have been anticipating attacks by the so-called Islamic State (IS) group in the region,” notes BBC.
“Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore warned their citizens in 2015 that it was a question of when, rather than if, they would take place and this foresight was sadly proven right with the attack on Jakarta in January this year,” it adds.
Citizens of Indonesia and Malaysia have reportedly formed an official ISIS branch known as Katibah Nusantara Daulah Islamiyah.
“Security experts believe its leaders are trying to fund and encourage attacks across the region,” notes BBC, referring to the wing of the Islamic State, also known as IS. “Over the past year, IS has increased its propaganda efforts in Indonesian, which is similar to Malay, inciting people to join it but also to carry out attacks where they are.”
Authorities in Southeast Asia have reportedly been on alert for foreign jihadists who may travel to the region to share or pick up battlefield knowledge.
“Militant groups in the region are known to work together and fighters sometimes travel to another country to evade arrest in their own,” points out BBC. “South East Asia’s long coastlines and porous borders make it difficult for the authorities to monitor or stop such movement.”
In the last few months, the Philippine army has killed two Malaysians fighting with Abu Sayyaf in the south. Indonesian authorities have arrested four Uighurs from China over links to the Mujahidin Indonesia Timur (MIT) group in Sulawesi, and recently killed two who were fighting with MIT. Militants from Syria, Iraq and Turkey have also been sighted in the region, and arrested in some cases over planned attacks.
The Philippine-based Abu Sayyaf group, which has pledged allegiance to ISIS, recently beheaded one of its foreign hostages after the captive’s government failed to pay a ransom worth millions of dollars.
“Security experts believe competition to lead a potential official IS regional province may spur further attacks,” reports BBC. “IS has acknowledged pledges by some groups in the region but not yet formally declared it a ‘province’ as it has with other areas, such as Boko Haram in Africa, though there are signs it is moving toward doing so.”
gconew.com/world/352688/report-1-000-jihadists-from-southeast-asia-travel-to-join-islamic-state.html
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Lack of Muslim integration is European failure not the fault of Islam
APRIL 26, 2016
From New York in September 2001 to Madrid in March in 2005 to London in July 2005 to Paris in 2015--- attack on Charlie Hebdo--- to Brussels in 2016, leading analysts of West  have made the masses believe that Muslims have failed Europe and they hold Islam responsible.
Flemming Rose, the former culture editor at the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, principally responsible for the September 2005 publication of Prophet Muhammad’s cartoons in the same newspaper, criticized Muslims for failing Europe believing that Europe has granted them rights of freedom of speech, think and selection of government through proper democratic process but they have miserably failed to exercise them properly, owing to their be in line with Islam’s primitive principles which are in clash with whatsoever Europe offers.
While rebutting allegations of being an Islamophobe in the aftermath of Cartoon crisis, he said human rights are supposed to be allotted to humans and curtailing freedom of speech for Islam, which is in fact an ideology, due to Muslim’s opposition is nothing but an idiocy and a step back to Dark Ages. 
Douglas Murray, ironically a proponent of social cohesion,  convinces his compatriots that mosques, in Britain,  preach homicide and prejudice against other religious groups---whereas, all other religious groups strive for respectable social contract---, implying that Islam, and Islam only, desists Muslims from social cohesion.
Then the Swiss ban of minarets on mosques, decided through a referendum in which 57.5 percent of population disapproved of construction of minarets on mosques, drives the narrative of Islam’s incompatibility--- in other words of Muslim as both are used interchangeably in Europe---with Western democracies home even more powerfully. In addition to incompatibility, there was the idea that Islam tended to Islamize, which served well as a useful tool in the campaign of fear-mongering.
Then France’s banning of burqa (face covering) caters to the same purpose of depicting Muslims as different from Europeans. There were three proposed reasons for the ban: first, equality of sex; second, dignity of woman; third, question of security. A misplaced assumption that the wearing of veil is an order of Islam, turned, otherwise trivial cultural issue, into a grand one; rather, peddled as French secularism pitched against restrictive Islam.
After looking at perceptionsof self-proclaimed scholars of Islam--- Rose and Murray--- and Islamophobic policies of states--- Switzerland and France--- we can conclude that, yes, Muslims have made mess of European harmony and homogeneity; that they are denying  enlightenment values the West regards so high. But, it would be, for sure, a very simplistic conclusion of so complex a problem. Let’s see the other side of picture to reach a logical conclusion.
After the end of Second World War, Europe met shortage of labor resulting in further stratification of war-torn economies. All Western countries opened their borders for immigrants from Africa, Middle East and Asia: all overwhelmingly Muslim. The immigrants lagged behind in education, hence, started doing ordinary manual works in corporations. They were reluctant to mingle with the native populations because they were not well-read and tended to go back after earning some money. They settled down in suburbs.
However, the contemporary generation is the third generation of Muslim immigrants in Europe. No, they are not Muslim immigrants now, they are European Muslims and there is European Islam. France is home to more than five million Muslims, Germany to four million and Britain to more than two million. Now, Muslims are not invisible from the cities like Paris, London and Brussels. Muslims are no more confined to slums. Ban on burqa and minarets is indicative of the fact that Muslims are amidst the core of Europe.
 Last but not the least, there is a phenomenon of European Muslims’ ideological pivot towards ISIS. In spite of highly-touted toleration on the part of Europeans, Muslims do not only endorse Daaish’s killing of Europeans but actively participate in slitting their necks.
Yes, we will end up that Muslims have failed Europe if we stop here. But, it would be a very superficial conclusion. So, we will not stop here because it would be an intellectual dishonesty.  
First, it is necessary to note there is no inherent clash between Islam and West. Yes, there might be conflicts between Moroccan Islam and Western secularism, between Saudi Arabian Islam and Western secularism. Even this must not be condemned. Multiple factors shape this conflict: ideological nurturing, familial grooming and surrounding climate. With disregard for integration during the budding days of Muslim immigrants, the West, very knowingly, paved a way for this confrontation between local versions of Islam and West. Despite rarely visiting the countries of their forefathers, if Muslim youth divide themselves on identity issue then the problem is with Europe not Muslims or Islam.
Muslims joining ISIS is not a fault of Islam; it is a fault of Europe’s very definition of tolerance. It regarded invisibility of first generation of Muslim immigrants as tolerance. This, indeed, was not tolerance, this was indifference or apathy. Today, it believes if Muslims and Europeans are living peacefully side-by-side then it is tolerance. Even, this modern version of tolerance also falls short of real tolerance. I would put this later version of tolerance under indifference as well.
Tariq Ramadan, influential professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at Oxford, is of the opinion that tolerance means endurance of other’s differences with respect. This is possible only when the majority group of population will mingle with the minority group on all levels: religious, social, cultural and psychological. In other words, this would be respectable civic contact. All the bans, either on burqa or minarets, are vindictive of the fact that Europe has not been able to negotiate differences with Muslims. Once the art of learning differences is learnt, there would be no need of bans and censorships. This is true for Muslims as well in respect of homosexuality, bold-dressing and cartoons of religious figures. Muslims should also learn to respect differences when living in the West. However, I believe the first step should taken by Europe. For all this to happen, Europe has to redefine its definition of tolerance.
Hence, we can conclude that Muslims provide Europe the best opportunity to purge itself of anomalous versions of tolerance and reach real tolerance: respecting others differences with respect. Currently, Europeans are failing Europe as they are betraying its very concept of tolerance.  
nation.com.pk/blogs/26-Apr-2016/lack-of-muslim-integration-is-european-failure-not-the-fault-of-islam
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India
Indian Experience of Large Muslim Minority Living In Secular Polity Having a Composite Culture
Apr 26, 2016
Indian Muslims' Experience Can Be Model For Others: Hamid Ansari
April 27, 2016
NEW DELHI:  Vice President Hamid Ansari on Tuesday said the experience of the Indian Muslim minority community living in a secular polity having a composite culture could be a model for others to emulate.
"Thinking minds should look beyond questions of identity and dignity in a defensive mode and explore how both can be furthered in a changing India and a changing world," MrAnsari said, while releasing a book "Fikr" brought out by the National Institute of Faith Leadership.
"The Indian experience of a large Muslim minority living in secular polity having a composite culture could even be a model for others to emulate," he said.
Full report at: ndtv.com/india-news/indian-muslims-experience-can-be-model-for-others-hamid-ansari-1399793
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Angry protesters besiege Indian filmmaker Kabir Khan at Karachi airport
April 27, 2016
KARACHI: Indian filmmaker Kabir Khan, who also directed blockbuster Bajrangi Bhaijaan that was acclaimed in Pakistan too, faced an awkward situation at Karachi airport when a group of enraged people besieged him in protest against his anti-Pakistan films. Khan was in Karachi for a day-long visit to participate in an event yesterday [Tuesday]. He had to catch a flight for Lahore when he encountered angry protesters at the airport this morning.
As Khan got off his vehicle at Jinnah International Airport Karachi, people encircled him raising slogans against the director.
People kept chanting at Kabir “Make a film on subversive activities of RAW in Pakistan.
He was welcomed with “shame, shame” slogans, implying that the protesters already knew his departure timings.
Full report at: arynews.tv/en/angry-protesters-besiege-indian-kabir-khan-karachi-airport/
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Kashmiri youth wave anti-Islamic State banners
April 27, 2016
In a departure from the past, Kashmiri youth waved banners against the Islamic State last week in Nowhatta, Srinagar -- the same place infamous for waving pro-ISIS flags.
A group of masked men waved the banner on top of a building, showing an IS commander with the outfit's black flag. The banner, written in Urdu, read: "Allah does not permit us to wage jihad against Israel," followed by, "Does Allah allow you to bomb mosques?"
After waving the flag in full sight, they soon disappeared.
This is an unusual incident for downtown Srinagar, which witnesses clashes and stone-pelting incidents almost every Friday.
indiatoday.intoday.in/story/kashmiri-youth-wave-anti-islamic-state-banners/1/652632.html
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Muslim Boarding Set Up By Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj to Start Research Centre for Muslim Literature
Apr 27, 2016
Kolhapur: The Mohamedan Education Society Kolhapur, popularly known as Muslim Boarding, will start a research centre called the Muslim Marathi Sahitya Sanshodhan Kendra for those interested in Muslim literature on Wednesday.
Rajarshri Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj set up Muslim Boarding around 110 years ago. The board aims to educate students from the community. The research centre will be open to students from all universities, who seek reference material or any literature source. The Muslim Boarding will provide over 1,000 reference books and study reports to researchers.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolhapur/Muslim-Boarding-to-start-research-centre-for-literature/articleshow/52003226.cms
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Pakistan
CII Chairman and Top cleric suggests using gold, silver currency
By Obaid Abbasi: April 27, 2016
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top Islamic legislative advisory body has suggested abandoning paper currency in favour of gold and silver coins while urging the government to adopt an Islamic economic system.
The proposition came through Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Chairman Maulana Mohammad Sheerani at a seminar organised by the council on Tuesday. The conference was held to discuss the fundamentals of Islamic economy and the current problems facing the country.
“The economic system based on paper currency is not strong enough and silver and gold currency is the more acceptable medium,” believed Sheerani while addressing the participants.
He added the council would start a debate on introducing the silver and gold currency system in the country.
Full report at: tribune.com.pk/story/1092538/top-cleric-suggests-using-gold-silver-currency/
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Naib Khateeb of Lal Masjid Briefly Held With Three Guns
Apr 27, 2016
ISLAMABAD: A cleric of Lal Masjid and 54 other people were arrested during an operation jointly conducted by security agencies, Rangers and the capital police in the rural area of the capital on Tuesday.
However, the cleric was later released on a personal surety.
The police said Amir Siddiqi, the Naib Khateeb of Lal Masjid, was taken into custody after three Kalashnikovs were recovered from his possession during the search of a religious seminary located near the Bhara Kahu police station. The police said the seminary was being operated by Mr Siddiqi on the premises of a private school.
When the cleric failed to produce the licences of the weapons, he was shifted to the police station. After a few hours, however, some locals came to the police station with the licences. The police kept the licences for verification and released the cleric.
Full report at: dawn.com/news/1254661/cleric-briefly-held-with-three-guns
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Pakistan Muslim Body Seeks Tamgha-i-Imtiaz or Slain Sikh Lawmaker
26th April 2016
ISLAMABAD: In an unusual move, a prominent Muslim organisation whose members include clerics and Islamic scholars has sought Pakistan's one of the top civilian awards 'Tamgha-i-Imtiaz' for slain Sikh lawmaker Sardar Soran Singh.
At a meeting organised here yesterday by Pakistan Ulema Council to pay homage to the services of Singh, its chairman Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi highlighted the struggle the prominent lawmaker made for interfaith harmony and elimination of terrorism in the country, the Dawn reported.
"We demand that the government announce 'Tamgha-i-Imtiaz' to Singh," Ashrafi said, as he condemned the killing.
Full report at: newindianexpress.com/world/Pakistan-Muslim-Body-Seeks-Tamgha-i-Imtiaz-or-Slain-Sikh-Lawmaker/2016/04/26/article3401405.ece
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Pakistan helped US get Osama, insists Hersh
Wed Apr 27 2016
WASHINGTON: “More than ever,” says legendary US investigative journalist Seymour Hersh when asked if he still believes Pakistan helped the United States get Osama bin Laden (OBL).
When the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist first made this claim in an article published last year, it shook Washington and forced the White House to reject the story as false. Major US media outlets also rejected his claim as incorrect.
But Mr Hersh repeated the claim in his new book, “The Killing of Osama bin Laden,” published this week, insisting that he was right.
In an interview to Dawn on Tuesday, Mr Hersh said that since last year he had seen new evidence that cemented his belief that the official US account of how OBL was found in his compound and killed was deceptive.
Full report at: dawn.com/news/1254693/pakistan-helped-us-get-osama-insists-hersh
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US to return smuggled Buddha sculpture to Pakistan
By APP Published: April 27, 2016
A Buddha sculpture that was smuggled from Swat to the United States in 1980s will be returned to Pakistan on Thursday.
The rare sculpture is worth more than $1.1 million, a private news channel reported.
A ceremony pertaining to the return of the smuggled unique figure is going to be organised in District Attorney General Office in New York’s (NY) Manhattan on Thursday.
The statue was exhibited at an art exhibition in New York for sale.
Last year, customs officials held a passenger with a Gandhara-era artefact from Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA).
Full report at: tribune.com.pk/story/1092990/us-to-return-smuggled-buddha-sculpture-to-pakistan/
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Southeast Asia
1,000 Jihadists from Southeast Asia Travel to Join Islamic State
April 26, 2016
Abductions by the ISIS-linked Filipino group Abu Sayyaf have recently prompted Indonesia to call for joint maritime patrols with the Philippines and Malaysia.
“Several countries in Southeast Asia have been anticipating attacks by the so-called Islamic State (IS) group in the region,” notes BBC.
“Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore warned their citizens in 2015 that it was a question of when, rather than if, they would take place and this foresight was sadly proven right with the attack on Jakarta in January this year,” it adds.
Citizens of Indonesia and Malaysia have reportedly formed an official ISIS branch known as Katibah Nusantara Daulah Islamiyah.
Full report at: gconew.com/world/352688/report-1-000-jihadists-from-southeast-asia-travel-to-join-islamic-state.html
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Indonesia Calls for Joint Maritime Patrols to Combat Islamic Militants
April 26, 2016
Indonesia on Tuesday proposed launching joint maritime patrols with Malaysia and the Philippines to counter an Islamic extremist group that beheaded a Canadian hostage a day earlier.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s call for greater cooperation in maritime security follows a surge in piracy and kidnappings of local seafarers and Westerners by Abu Sayyaf. The extremist group, which claims ties to Islamic State, has defied decades of attempts by the U.S.-backed Philippine military to eradicate it.
“We can’t let this continue,” the Indonesian leader said, announcing a meeting of the three countries’ foreign ministers and top military commanders this week in Jakarta.
He said they would try to establish combined patrols of the Sulu Sea and other southern Philippine waters where Abu Sayyaf operates.
The governments of the Philippines and Malaysia didn’t immediately comment on the proposal. The countries each conduct patrols of their own territorial waters but haven’t carried out joint patrols before.
Full report at: wsj.com/articles/indonesia-calls-for-joint-maritime-patrols-to-combat-islamic-militants-1461672113
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Abu Sayyaf: Islamist extremists or profiteering criminals?
April 26, 2016
Hong Kong (CNN)Philippines-based Islamist extremist group Abu Sayyaf has made international headlines with the kidnapping and subsequent killing of Canadian John Ridsdel, whose remains were found the day after a ransom demand deadline expired.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed Monday to work with the Philippines and international partners "to pursue those responsible for this heinous act and to bring them to justice."
Who are Abu Sayyaf militants?
Abu Sayyaf is a violent extremist group that split from established Philippines separatist movement Moro National Liberation Front in 1991. It was formed by Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani, who trained in the Middle East and reportedly met with al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
The Philippines is a predominantly Catholic country, but the south has historically had a large Muslim population. Abu Sayyaf's stated aim is to establish an independent Islamic state on the southern island of Mindanao.
Full report at: edition.cnn.com/2016/04/26/asia/abu-sayyaf-explainer-philippines/index.html
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Europe
Lack of Muslim integration is European failure not the fault of Islam
APRIL 26, 2016
From New York in September 2001 to Madrid in March in 2005 to London in July 2005 to Paris in 2015--- attack on Charlie Hebdo--- to Brussels in 2016, leading analysts of West  have made the masses believe that Muslims have failed Europe and they hold Islam responsible.
Flemming Rose, the former culture editor at the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, principally responsible for the September 2005 publication of Prophet Muhammad’s cartoons in the same newspaper, criticized Muslims for failing Europe believing that Europe has granted them rights of freedom of speech, think and selection of government through proper democratic process but they have miserably failed to exercise them properly, owing to their be in line with Islam’s primitive principles which are in clash with whatsoever Europe offers.
While rebutting allegations of being an Islamophobe in the aftermath of Cartoon crisis, he said human rights are supposed to be allotted to humans and curtailing freedom of speech for Islam, which is in fact an ideology, due to Muslim’s opposition is nothing but an idiocy and a step back to Dark Ages. 
Full report at: nation.com.pk/blogs/26-Apr-2016/lack-of-muslim-integration-is-european-failure-not-the-fault-of-islam
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Austria's Chechens Fight Back Against Lure of ISIS Jihad
27 April 2016
Over the past three years, 270 Austrians have gone to fight with so-called Islamic State (IS) and other rebel groups.
Austria is second only to Belgium in the number of foreign jihadists per capita who have left a European Union country to fight in Syria and Iraq.
More than half of them were of Chechen origin. But, in recent months, efforts by the government and by the community mean that fewer are setting off for the Middle East.
On a Vienna housing estate, a martial arts class is underway.
The boys, who come from Austria's marginalised Chechen community, are learning Latar Do, a new form of martial arts.
Full report at: bbc.com/news/world-europe-36130204
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ISIS Underground Cells in Europe Grow in Numbers
26 April 2016
United States Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told reporters Monday that the Islamic State has clandestine cells in multiple European countries. The comments came after Obama finished an international trip where he called on European nations to help more in the fight against the Islamic State.
According to CNN, Clapper “said that ISIS has clandestine cells in the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy” and that they have the potential to carry out attacks similar to those in Brussels in March.
Full report at: heavy.com/news/2016/04/islamic-state-underground-terrorist-cells-europe-european-union-germany-italy-united-kingdom-england-numbers/
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Arab World
Two ISIL Emirs Killed in Clashes with Rival Al-Nusra Terrorists in Homs
Wed Apr 27, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Al-Nusra Front announced on its social media pages that the group's members engaged in heavy fighting with ISIL rivals and killed two senior field commanders of them in Homs province.
"Rafed Taha and his associate Aber al-Aswad were killed in al-Nusra Fronts' ambush in the Northern part of Homs," the terrorist group claimed, adding, "Taha was the commander of Liwa Osoud al-Islam affiliated to the ISIL and was killed near Deir Ful in Homs."
Recent victories of the pro-government forces against the terrorists groups across Homs province, including liberation of Quaryatayn and Palmyra have widen gaps among the terrorist groups in Central battlefield of Syria.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950208000611
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Syrian Armed Forces Inflict Heavy Casualties on ISIL in Deir Ezzur
Wed Apr 27, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian Army troops repelled ISIL's attack on the government forces' positions in two different fronts and killed or wounded scores of them.
The ISIL attempts to prevail over the pro-government forces' strongholds near the village of Jafreh and the strategic Deir Ezzur airbase were fended off by the strong defense of the Syrian soldiers.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950208000547
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Iran Stands Strong against Foreign Decision-Making for Syria
Wed Apr 27, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian underlined that the fate of the Syrian people shouldn’t be decided by foreign actors in New York or Vienna.
"Iran, Russia, China, Lebanon and Egypt believe that the Syrian people should decide about the country's future. This decision shouldn’t be taken in New York or Vienna, with or without Bashar al-Assad," Amir Abdollahian said on Wednesday, addressing the Iranian university students and professors in Tehran.
Stressing that Iran attaches great importance to Syria's national unity and territorial integrity, he said that also if the political process in Syria leads to elections, Bashar al-Assad should surely be entitled to the right to be a nominee in the voting.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950208000712
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Iran, Uruguay Stress Coordinated, Serious Campaign against Terrorism
Wed Apr 27, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri and his Uruguayan counterpart Raul Sendic Rodriguez issued a statement in Tehran which underlines their firm determination to cooperate in fighting against terrorism seriously.
In the joint statement issued after Jahangiri and Rodriguez's joint press conference in Tehran on Tuesday, the two officials underscored that campaign against terrorism needs coordinated fight in all forms.
They also condemned all forms of violent extremism which endangers the regional and international peace and security, and stressed the two countries' commitment to the UN charter's goals and principles.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950208000491
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ISIL Created to Halt Iran's Growing Power
Wed Apr 27, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Ground Force Commander Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan underlined that the ISIL and other terrorist groups were created by the US and its allies to stop Iran from growing into a big power.
"The Americans haven’t just come to the region to control Iraq and the region's oil resources, rather they have come to prevent the emergence of a power pole but they couldn’t attack Iran which is its center while they pursued this goal," Pourdastan said, addressing a ceremony in Tehran on Wednesday.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950208000276
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Tehran, Kabul, New Delhi to Finalize Chabahar Deal Soon
Wed Apr 27, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Afghanistan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai said Tehran, Kabul, and New Delhi are going to finalize the deal on the development of Iran’s Chabahar port very soon.
Speaking to reporters at the Heart of Asia Conference in New Delhi on Wednesday, Karzai said the joint project is an important step towards promoting trade and investment ties among the three countries.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950208000753
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Lebanese Army Arrests 11 ISIL Militants
Wed Apr 27, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Lebanese Army arrested 11 ISIL militants who have posed themselves as refugees in Northern Lebanon, local media reported on Wednesday.
local media reported the militants were arrested in Bshirri in Northern Lebanon after officials received several tips from locals about their affiliation with the terrorist group.
The news of these arrests in Bshirri was later confirmed by the Lebanese Ministry of Defense.
According to a security source, the militants who are Syrian nationals, have now been transferred to the relevant authorities to be further interrogated.
The ISIL terrorists have been present along the Syria-Lebanon border, especially in Jaroud region, since several months ago.
Earlier this month, the Lebanese army pounded the terrorists' military positions in al-Qalamoun region near the border with Syria with artillery and mortar shells.
en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950208000740
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Iraqi Army Starts Operation to Win Back Strategic Village Near Mosul
Wed Apr 27, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iraqi army started a fresh round of operations to in the Southern parts of the city of Mosul in Nineveh province to seize back a strategic village there.
"This operation kicked off on Wednesday morning with the aim of winning back the al-Nasr village and heavy clashes are underway now," the Arabic-language media outlets quoted an Iraqi army commander as saying on Wednesday.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950208000608
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Pro-Hadi Forces Violate Ceasefire Concurrent with Peace Talks
Wed Apr 27, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Yemeni popular forces underlined that the militias loyal to former fugitive President Mansour Hadi have violated the truce in Yemen as the peace negotiations are underway in Kuwait.
"Pro-Hadi militias and the terrorist groups pounded several military positions of the Yemeni army in the town of Sarvah in the Western part of Ma'rib province," Ansarullah senior commander Ali al-Zeidi told FNA on Wednesday.
He noted that Anasrullah's military centers in Jabal Hilat and al-Rabi'a were also hit by Hadi's supporters.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950208000497
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Syrian Army, NDF Win Back One More Military Base in Damascus Province
Wed Apr 27, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian soldiers and the National Defense Forces' joint heavy offensives pushed the terrorist groups back from more positions in the Northeastern part of Damascus province and took control of an important military base in the region.
The Syrian government forces continued their advances against the Takfiri terrorists near Dumeir airbase and captured Badr Brigade Base after hours of non-stop battle with the militants.
The terrorist groups left behind tens of the dead and wounded members and pulled back the remaining pockets of their forces from the battlefield in order to find safer shelters.
The Syrian army and the NDF stormed the terrorists' strongholds from the Southern side of Dumeir airbase and took control over several checkpoints before reaching to the Northern side of Bader Brigade Base.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950208000748
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ISIL Fails to Prevail over Gov't Forces' Strongholds East of Homs
Wed Apr 27, 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian Army troop and popular forces, backed up by Russian choppers, repelled the ISIL offensives on government forces' lines of defense in the Northwestern side of Palmyra (Tadmur) and forced them to retreat from the battlefield.
The ISIL assaults on the pro-government forces' positions near Antar mountain were fended off by the Syrian soldiers and the National Defense Forces, who enjoyed the very good fire coverage of the Russian combat helicopters.
The ISIL fled the battlefield and deployed forces in Murbet al-Hassan mountain after leaving behind scores of the dead and wounded members and damaged military equipment.
In relevant developments on Tuesday, the Russian and Syrian Air Forces targeted positions and oil facilities of the ISIL in the Eastern parts of Homs province, slowing down the terrorist group's military-supplying movements.
The ISIL strongholds in surroundings of al-Sukhneh, oil well of Arak and Oil Pumping Station of T3 in the Eastern part of the ancient city of Palmyra came under the heavy air attacks of the Syrian and Russian air fleet.
The ISIL suffered a heavy death toll in the attacks and their military hardware sustained major damage in the strikes.
The ISIL-held oil well of Arak and Station T3 destroyed badly and are out of service now.
en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950208000679
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Mideast
13 ISIL militants killed in Turkish shelling in northern Syria
Wed Apr 27, 2016
Thirteen Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants were killed on April 26 when Turkish artillery units shelled a building in the Duwaibik region to the north of Aleppo, in addition to 11 other militants killed in shellings, military sources have said.
The building used by ISIL militants collapsed, killing 13 militants inside and injuring another seven. Around 150 Katyusha rocket projectiles stored on the ground floor of the building were also destroyed.
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/13-isil-militants-killed-in-turkish-shelling-in-northern-syria.aspx?pageID=238&nID=98393&NewsCatID=352
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Turkish PM rules out removing secularism from constitution
Wed Apr 27, 2016
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet DavutoÄŸlu has ruled out any considerations of removing secularism from the constitution in comments on Parliamentary Speaker Ä°smail Kahraman’s remarks on the issue.
“The state’s characteristics are not an issue of debate for us. The principle of secularism will stay in the new constitution,” DavutoÄŸlu said in a party meeting on April 27.
Parliament Speaker Kahraman sparked outrage late on April 25 by suggesting that the principle of secularism “must be removed” from Turkey’s constitution, as even members of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) voiced disagreement.
hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-pm-rules-out-removing-secularism-from-constitution.aspx?pageID=238&nID=98397&NewsCatID=338
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Turkey Parliament President Wants Islamic Consitution
Wed Apr 27, 2016
Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of President Tayyip Erdogan may want to end the Turkish separation of Islam and state.
One of the key founding elements of modern Turkey as created by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1923 was secularism enshrined in law and the constitution.
The legacy of the young Turks could be ended in the near future as Turkish Parliament President Ismail Kahraman of the AKP has called for the abolition of secularism in the Turkish constitution, Spiegel Online reports.
Kahraman said, “we are a Muslim country. As a consequence we must have a religious constitution”, and along with other leading members of the AKP denounced the idea of a secular Turkish state saying, “secularism must no longer play a role in the new constitution.” Kahraman is the head of the Turkish parliament and within that role he has the ability to decide what the shape of the new Turkish constitution will look like.
The AKP has been pushing for a new constitution to replace the one created after the latest military coup, in 1980.
Full report at: breitbart.com/london/2016/04/27/turkey-parliament-president-wants-islamic-consitution/
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EU calls on Turkey for ‘focused efforts’ on integration of Syrian refugees
Wed Apr 27, 2016
In a clear acknowledgment of the generations-long and multi-layered impact of the presence of millions of Syrian refugees in Turkey, the EU’s executive arm has urged Ankara to concentrate its efforts on measures to help better integrate Syrians into Turkish society.
During a visit to southeastern border province of Åžanlıurfa on April 26, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn underlined that after five years of conflict in Turkey’s neighbor, it is time for Ankara to focus on schooling Syrian children and improving the Turkish language skills of Syrian refugees regardless of their age.
“When there is peace, there is opportunity for prosperity. Prosperity means jobs and perspectives. Prosperity gives people a hope to stay in their region,” Hahn told reporters during a visit to a refugee camp managed by Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) in Harran, Åžanlıurfa.
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/eu-calls-on-turkey-for-focused-efforts-on-integration-of-syrian-refugees.aspx?pageID=238&nID=98378&NewsCatID=351
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Three wounded in PKK attack in Turkey’s east
Wed Apr 27, 2016
Three soldiers were wounded in an attack by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants in the eastern province of Van early on April 27.
The militants attacked an armored army vehicle on patrol with home-made explosives, after the rocket they launched missed the vehicle at around 5 a.m.
The vehicle was damaged as a result of the attack, while the wounded soldiers were taken to the Van Training and Research Hospital.
Reinforcements have been sent to the scene and an operation has been launched to catch the militants who staged the attack.
hurriyetdailynews.com/three-wounded-in-pkk-attack-in-turkeys-east.aspx?pageID=238&nID=98395&NewsCatID=509
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Turkish minister says US to deploy rocket launchers near Syrian border
26 Apr 2016
ISTANBUL: The United States will deploy a rocket launcher system in Turkey near the border with a part of Syria held by Islamic State, Turkey's foreign minister was quoted as saying on Tuesday.
Mevlut Cavusoglu was quoted by the Haberturk newspaper as saying that the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) would arrive in May near a part of southeastern Turkey that has repeatedly been hit by rocket fire from Syria.
A senior U.S. military official confirmed the matter was under discussion but declined to comment further.
The deployment is part of a strategy to seal off an area around the Syrian town of Manbij, which could deprive Islamic State fighters of a logistical route they have used to bring in supplies and foreign recruits.
Full report at: channelnewsasia.com/news/world/us-to-deploy-rocket/2733296.html
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South Asia
ANSF still waging Jihad, defending Afghanistan, region, world against terror
Wed Apr 27 2016
The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) are still waging Jihad as they defend the country, region and the world against the menace of terror, President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani said.
In his remarks during the commemoration of 24th anniversary of Mujahideen’s victory against the Soviet-backed Communist regime, President Ghani said “The war that murderers and smugglers wage on us is not Jihad at all.”
He called on religious clerics to speak against the wrong actions of the terror groups, urging the anti-government armed militant groups to renounce violence and join peace process.
President Ghani further added that Afghanistan is not favoring war but will stand against those willing to pursue violence.
Full report at: khaama.com/ansf-still-waging-jihad-defending-afghanistan-region-world-against-terror-ghani-0770
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Supporters of terrorism to suffer more than Afghanistan is suffering, warns Abdullah
Wed Apr 27 2016
Abdullah AbdullahThe Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah warned that the countries supporting terrorism will suffer more than Afghanistan is suffering from the menace of terror unless they change their strategy and policies to refrain from support and sponsorship of terrorism as a political tool.
In his speech during a gathering to mark the 24th anniversary of Mujahideen’s victory against the Soviet-backed Communist regime in Afghanistan, Abdullah said there is no difference between good and bad terrorists, insisting that there is also no difference between the terror groups and the countries supporting them.
Full report at: khaama.com/supporters-of-terrorism-to-suffer-more-than-afghanistan-is-suffering-warns-abdullah-0768
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Bangladesh jails two Hindu teachers for insulting Islam
Apr 27, 2016
DHAKA: A court has jailed two teachers in southern Bangladesh for making derogatory comments about Islam and Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).
Magistrate Anwar Parvez told The Associated Press the case began when students at Hijla High School in Bagerhat district complained that the assistant teacher of a science class on Sunday dismissed the Holy Quran as the word of Allah and said there was no heaven.
Parvez said Tuesday that a mob including students, parents and villagers attacked the teachers who belonged to a small Hindu community with sticks, forcing them to lock themselves in a room until police intervened.
The magistrate said the assistant teacher pleaded guilty to publicly insulting a religion, and both he and the school's head teacher were then sentenced to six months behind bars.
dawn.com/news/1254740/bangladesh-jails-two-hindu-teachers-for-insulting-islam
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Fear grips Bangladesh’s activist community
Apr 26, 2016
Attackers hacked to death three people this week —a university professor in Rajshahi and two gay rights activist in Dhaka.
A series of recent attacks on secularists, bloggers, publishers and gay rights activists in Bangladesh, allegedly by Islamist radicals, has sent a worrying signal to the country’s free thinkers.
Attackers hacked to death three people this week —a university professor in Rajshahi and two gay rights activist in Dhaka.
Full report at: thehindu.com/news/international/fear-grips-bangladeshs-activist-community/article8524684.ece
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Taliban confirm delegation visiting Pakistan to discuss issues of mutual interest
Wed Apr 27 2016
The Afghan Taliban group has confirmed that a delegation consisting high level representatives of the group is currently visiting Pakistan to discuss the issues of mutual interest.
A spokesman for the Taliban’s political office in Qatar Mohammad Naeem told “The esteemed leader of Islamic Emirate (the Taliban) has instructed the delegation to discuss issues regarding Afghan refugees, some recent problems related to (Afghan) border provinces of Helmand, Nangarhar and Paktia.”
Full report at: khaama.com/taliban-confirm-delegation-visiting-pakistan-to-discuss-issues-of-mutual-interest-0771
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Afghanistan summons Pakistani Ambassador over heavy artillery shelling
Tue Apr 26 2016
The Pakistani Ambassador to Afghanistan Syed Abrar Hussain was summoned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan (MoFA) over heavy artillery shelling by Pakistan in eastern Nangarhar province.
According to a statement by MoFA, a formal protest was lodged regarding the shelling by handing over an official Memo of the Afghan government to the Pakistani Ambassador.
The statement further added that the deputy minister in administrative affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Nasir Ahmad Andisha said the shelling left one Afghan border police soldier martyred and two others wounded.
Full report at: khaama.com/afghanistan-summons-pakistani-ambassador-over-heavy-artillery-shelling-0766
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North America
US to Enhance Religious Training at Embassies to ‘Make America Safe
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump called for banning Muslims from entering the United States in the wake of a terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California until their identities are properly established.
"We are striving to enhance our training with the goal of having people in every single one of our more than 240 embassies and consulates who can engage knowledgeably with religious actors," Kerry stated on Tuesday. "I believe this effort is… necessary in today’s world to help make America safe."
Full report at: sputniknews.com/us/20160427/1038673345/us-embassies--religious-training.html
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Obama administration fails to screen Syrian refugees’ social media accounts
April 26, 2016
The Obama administration isn’t vetting the social media profiles of all Syrian refugees despite promises made last year after the San Bernardino terrorist attack, which exposed holes in the U.S. immigration screening process.
Concerns over refugee screening spurred Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, a Republican, on Tuesday to cancel his state’s cooperation with federal authorities trying to resettle Syrians.
It was another blow to the administration’s attempts to reach President Obama’s goal of accepting 10,000 Syrians this fiscal year.
With a little more than five months left in the fiscal year, the government is 8,370 refugees short of its goal. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill say they fear the administration will reduce screening even more to speed up the process. To meet the president’s target, immigration officials would have to approve about 75 applications every workday for the rest of the fiscal year — nearly seven times the average so far.
Full report at: washingtontimes.com/news/2016/apr/26/obama-administration-fails-to-screen-syrian-refuge/
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US Embassy warns citizens in Turkey about ‘credible’ terrorist threats
April/27/2016
The United States warned its citizens in Turkey on April 26 about “credible” terrorist threats to tourist areas in the country.
Turkey has been hit by four suicide bombings already this year, most recently in Istanbul last month. Two of the bombings have been blamed on Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), while Kurdish militants have claimed responsibility for the other two.
“The U.S. government continues to receive credible indications that terrorist groups are seeking opportunities to attack popular tourist destinations throughout Turkey,” the Embassy in Ankara said in a statement emailed to U.S. citizens.
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/us-embassy-warns-citizens-in-turkey-about-credible-terrorist-threats.aspx?pageID=238&nID=98390&NewsCatID=341
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Muslim Brotherhood Day on Capitol Hill
April/27/2016
On Monday, April 18, legislators’ offices were visited by individuals associated with a group unknown to most lawmakers: The United States Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO). In the interest of helping members of the U.S. Congress understand precisely who their interlocutors are, permit a brief introduction: The USCMO is the latest in a long series of front organizations associated with, and working to advance, the agenda of the Muslim Brotherhood in the United States.
Full report at: aim.org/guest-column/muslim-brotherhood-day-on-capitol-hill/
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America’s Muslim Cemetery Builders ‘Flabbergasted’ That Many Americans Oppose Muslim Cemeteries
April/27/2016
Cemetery developers are running into vigorous opposition across the United States as they seek to establish burial places for Muslims who leave this vale of tears.
The politics of Muslim cemeteries have sprung up recently in Dudley, Mass. (pop.: 11,390); Walpole, Mass. (pop.: 24,070); Farmington, Minnesota (pop.: 21,086); Carlisle, Pennsylvania (pop.: 18,916); and Farmersville, Texas (pop.: 3,301), reports the Associated Press.
Those 5 towns in 4 states have little in common — except, perhaps, that they range in size from small to tiny.
Full report at: dailycaller.com/2016/04/26/some-americans-really-want-to-avoid-muslim-cemeteries/
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Muslims for Trump, though few, see past rhetoric, bluster
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
As a Donald Trump supporter, Nedal Tamer feels he's in the minority among Muslim-Americans, comfortable with his choice yet somewhat confounded that he doesn't have more company.
Small numbers of Muslims find comfort, not concern, in Trump's strong stance on immigrants. They see it as proof that the Republican presidential front-runner could better contain extremists than other candidates.
"People have the wrong idea, even Arabs and Muslims," said Tamer, 40, who works in real estate and construction and lives in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, which is known for its large Arab and Muslim population. "I like the fact that he's a little nuts. He's got the good heart, he cares about America."
Full report at: myajc.com/news/news/muslims-trump-though-few-see-past-rhetoric-bluster/nrCBn/
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Africa
Traditional Quranic Schools Help Sudanese Learn Quran, Eradicate Illiteracy
April 27, 2016
Traditional Quranic schools are attracting thousands of students from across Sudan to learn the Quran and acquire religious teaching.
Locally known as khalwas, these schools are playing an important role in eradicating illiteracy and promoting religious education in a country where Muslims make up the majority of the population.
Khalwas in Sudan's western province of Darfur, however, retain a special reputation.
At these khalwas, children study and memorize the Quran, read and write Arabic and study Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence).
Full report at: worldbulletin.net/news/172045/khalwas-help-sudanese-learn-quran-eradicate-illiteracy
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Mixed messages swirl around the leader of Boko Haram, as contradictory videos emerge
Wednesday, 27 April, 2016
A week after Abubakar Shekau, the enigmatic leader of Boko Haram, appeared in a grainy, seven-minute YouTube video and declared, “For me, the end has come,” the Nigerian militant group released a second video that seemed to say the opposite.
The difference between the two videos was striking. The first one, released on March 24, was of low quality and featured a melancholy Shekau thanking his followers for their dedication but declining to issue any of his customary threats against the Nigerian government. Unsurprisingly, it inspired premature claims that he had surrendered or was preparing to abdicate leadership. The second video, released on April 1, was as slickly produced as it was unambiguous about the group’s intention to continue fighting.
“You should know that there is no truce, there is no negotiations, there is no surrender,” says a masked man who explicitly confirms that Shekau remains in charge. (Shekau does not appear in the video.) “This war between us will not stop.”
Full report at: scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/1938944/mixed-messages-swirl-around-leader-nigerias-boko-haram
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Muslim Group, Muslims against Terror, Urges Government ‎ to Declare Fulani Herdsmen Terrorists
26 April, 2016
An Islamic organisation, Muslims against Terror, has called on the Federal Government to declare Fulani animal herders involved the killing of farmers around the country terrorists and insurgents. The call was contained in a statement issued by the organisation.
Signed by Dr. Ahmad Amadi Jnr., the statement called for unrestrained condemnation of the herders' violent activities. ‎
Full report at: saharareporters.com/2016/04/26/muslim-group-urges-fg%E2%80%8E-declare-fulani-herdsmen-terrorists


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