No Info Madrasas Involved In Training of Terrorists: Govt
New Age Islam News Bureau
18 Dec
2014
The Red Cross in Kano distributes relief materials to displaced victims of the Boko Haram violence, at a relief camp in Dawaki, a local government area in Kano, December 16, 2014. (Reuters)
India
• No Info Madrasas Involved In Training of Terrorists: Govt
• Muslims Slam Taliban, Warn Against Extremism
• 3 from MP detained for interaction with @ShamiWitness: Report
• Delhi School Website Defaced By IS, Principal Threatened
• If Pakistan Is Serious About Fighting Terrorism, It Should Hand Over Hafiz • Saeed, Dawood to India: Union Minister
• India Working On Strong Response on Bail to LeT Commander Lakhvi
• Intelligence Agencies Sound Alert Regarding Hafiz Saeed’s Designs to Attack India
Pakistan
• Fresh Air Strikes Kill 57 Terrorists in Tirah: ISPR
• Apologists Will Be Regarded As Terrorists, Allies of Terrorists: Sherry Rehman
• Those Responsible For Massacring Children Deserve No Leniency: Maulana Fazl Ur Rehman
• Massacre of Innocent Children Terrorism, Not Jihad: Hafiz Saeed
• As India mourns with Pakistan, Musharraf blames New Delhi, Kabul
• Execution of six death warrants on the cards in Sindh
• Taliban Attackers Engaged In Sadistic Games with Students
• Death penalty: 17 terrorists to be executed in coming days
Arab World
• ISIL Kills 7 Defectors in Nineveh
• Islamic State Penal Code Promises Crucifixion, Lashing for Unbelievers
• Iraq Kurds Launch Sinjar Offensive, Control 2 Villages near Mosul
• Over 230 bodies found in mass grave in eastern Syria
• Abu Dhabi Security Leader Warns People Not To Be Led Astray By Ideology
• Saudi education sector takes anti-terror stance
• Egyptian civil servant could lose job for promoting Atheist beliefs
• Iraq requests one-year deferral on Gulf War reparations
Africa
• Islamists Kill 32, Kidnap Scores in Nigeria: Officials, Witness
• 54 Nigerian soldiers sentenced to death for mutiny: lawyer
• Jihadists claim 2013 murders of Tunisia secularists
• Islamist call for Algerian author's death stirs outrage
South Asia
• 8 Afghan Army Soldiers Martyred In the Past 24 Hours: MoD
• Afghans Shiite Muslim fighting in Syria alongside regime
• War crimes convict Mobarak appeals against tribunal verdict
Europe
• Derby Imam: 'Anyone with True Understanding of Islam Will Never Turn To Extremism'
• Russian Patriarch: Islamic State ‘Demonizes’ Islam
• U.N. says CIA torture report must spur global action
• Novel on France’s First Muslim Govt Stirs Outcry
• UK soldiers cleared of killing and torturing Iraqi prisoners
Mideast
• Islamophobia A Product of Taliban, ISIL: Erdoğan
• S. Arabia Serving Western States by Surplus Production: Iran's Chief of Staff:
• Netanyahu says Europe 'learned nothing' from Holocaust
• Israel calls Palestinian UN draft a gimmick
• Palestinians set deadline for Israeli occupation
• Houthis consolidate control over Yemen state institutions
North America
• EU should keep sanctions against Hamas: U.S.
• Islamic State using ''unparalleled'' violence, brutality: Study
• U.S. plumber’s truck ends up in Syrian conflict
Australia
• Australian PM Says Cafe Siege 'Horrific Wake-Up Call'
• President of the Islamic Society Slams Sydney Siege Gunman and Calls for Calm
Southeast Asia
• New Approach Needed for Indonesia to End Extremism
• Indonesia Project Sukuk Plan Sees Fivefold Rise: Islamic Finance
• Imported beef safe for Muslims, Jakim says after US ‘Halal’ scare
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/no-info-madrasas-involved-training/d/100565
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India
No Info Madrasas Involved In Training of Terrorists: Govt
Dec 18, 2014
NEW DELHI: Government has no information that madrasas in general are involved in training of terrorists but three seminaries in West Bengal controlled by Bangladeshi migrants have been found to be preaching religious extremism, Rajya Sabha was informed today.
Minister of State for Home Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary said government gets information about various institutions including madrasas from open sources as well as its security and intelligence agencies.
"There is no information with the government that madarsas in general are involved in training of terrorists. However, during investigations into the Burdwan blast case, it has been disclosed that in three madrasas controlled by illegal Bangladeshi migrants, religious extremism and indoctrination was being preached," he said replying a written question.
Replying to another question, Chaudhary said as per available inputs, there is an increase in the number of madrasas in border areas of Rajasthan, especially in Barmer district.
He said there is no report about madrasas in the border areas of Rajasthan indulging in anti-national activities. However, one person connected to a madrasas in Jaisalmer district was arrested for offences relating to Official Secret Act in 2012.
The government has put in place the necessary mechanism to closely monitor the situation and has directed the intelligence agencies and security agencies to keep a watch on all suspicious activities, especially in the border areas, he said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/No-info-madarsas-involved-in-training-of-terrorists-Govt/articleshow/45551763.cms
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Muslims Slam Taliban, Warn Against Extremism
Mohammed Wajihuddin, TNN | Dec 18, 2014
MUMBAI: Outraged at the massacre of schoolchildren in Pakistan, Muslim groups in India have called for universal solidarity against jihadist forces. Condemning the act, community leaders have said Pakistan is paying the price of hobnobbing with extremist elements.
"It is an inhuman act and deserves strong condemnation. Pakistan is paying the price for being soft on extremism. The senseless killing of children confirms that the marauders have lost the right to be called humans. It has shocked the civilized world," said senior community leader Ghulam Pesh imam.
Maulana Athar Ali of the All-India Ulema Association said the perpetrators of the crime cannot be called Muslims. "Avenging (actions) by killing innocent children cannot be justified. The global community should come together and finish off all jihadist and terrorist forces wherever they are based."
Some said the Taliban now stand completely exposed. "They have no mercy, not even for children. They are not the followers of Islam, but the biggest enemies of the faith, in whose name they kill and maim. Killing children is a crime too grave to comprehend and the perpetrators' network needs to be dismantled," said M A Khalid of the All-India Milli Council.
"This should be a turning point in the war against terrorism. The US should now intervene and finish off terrorist groups in Pakistan once and for all," said Salim Alware, convenor, All-India Muslim Intellectual Forum, which held a meeting in the city on Wednesday. Condemnation also came from the Urdu press. "This is a cowardly act. The Taliban have claimed they did it to avenge killings in Waziristan. But attacking defenseless, innocent children is purely a cowardly act," commented the Urdu Times.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Muslims-slam-Taliban-warn-against-extremism/articleshow/45555467.cms
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3 from MP detained for interaction with @ShamiWitness: Report
P Naveen,TNN | Dec 18, 2014
BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh counter terrorist group (CTG) and Anti-Terrorist Squad (MPATS) have reportedly rounded up three youths, from Jabalpur district, who followed and interacted with ISIS propaganda Twitter account @ShamiWitness run by Mehdi Masroor Biswas.
The trio, which was picked up from district's Rampur Patel Mohalla on Wednesday night, was among 17,700 followers of Mehdi's Twitter handle.
Though Jabalpur police have feigned ignorance on detention from the region, sources in the state's intelligence unit said that suspects had re-tweeted some of the sensitive posts from the pro-ISIS account operated by Biswas, 24, who was arrested by Bengaluru on charges of waging war against India last week.
IP address of around 50 'objectionable' emails received on Biswas's email id were traced to their computers in Jabalpur by the Bengaluru police who subsequently contacted their MP counterparts for further investigations, said sources.
More than one lakh replies to the tweets of Biswas are being scanned.
Police are also analysing whether any of these followers have anything to do with ISIS or any other jihadi outfits.
Twitter has also been asked to retrieve all data connected to @ShamiWitness, including the deleted messages and replies from its data bank by the police.
Jabalpur Inspector General (IG) Srinivas Rao and MPATS chief Sanjeev Shami, however said no arrest had been made related to @ShamiWitness.
"Some other agency must working on it...not us," said Rao citing 'detentions' could be just a rumour.
But, insiders claim that detainees are being grilled and would be released only after scanning contents of the mail.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/3-from-MP-detained-for-interaction-with-ShamiWitness-Report/articleshow/45561269.cms
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Delhi school website defaced by IS, principal threatened
Dec 18, 2014
New Delhi: A Delhi school principal was threatened over telephone a month after the school's official website was defaced by the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, police said on Wednesday.
Mohit Sharma, the 43-year-old principal of Raja Ram Mohan Roy senior secondary public school, filed a police complaint that he received a threat call from an unknown person on his office landline number Tuesday afternoon.
Sharma told IANS that the call was made just a month after the school's website was defaced by the IS, regarding which he has already registered a complaint.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Vikramjeet Singh told IANS: "The official website of Raja Ram Mohan Roy school was defaced by the IS. The case has been handed over to the cyber cell, but it is yet to confirm if it was a prank by anyone or the IS itself defaced the website."
Asked about the telephonic threat, the police official said they were investigating the matter.
The website was found defaced Nov 15.
Asked about the contents of the defaced web page, Sharma said some sentences were written in Arabic and some in English.
"We are proud of ISIS. We want all Muslims to be free. Muslims of Kashmir should be free. Islam is coming, don't worry," Sharma told IANS, quoting the content.
He said an IS flag was also put on the website.
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/delhi-school-website-defaced-by-is-principal-threatened/518587-3.html
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If Pakistan Is Serious About Fighting Terrorism, It Should Hand Over Hafiz Saeed, Dawood To India: Union Minister
PTI | Dec 18, 2014
NEW DELHI: India on Thursday asked Pakistan to hand over Mumbai terror attack accused Hafiz Saeed and Dawood Ibrahim, who also figures in the country's most wanted list, to it if the neighbouring country is serious about fighting terrorism.
Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu said Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif should seize the opportunity in the wake of terror attack on Peshawar school and take bold steps to combat terrorism.
"If Pakistan is serious in fighting terrorism, it should arrest Hafiz Saeed and Dawood Ibrahim and hand them over to India... I hope Nawaz Sharif will seize this opportunity to take bold steps against terrorism," he told reporters outside Parliament.
Saeed is the "chief promoter" of terrorism in the world, Naidu said, calling him "an enemy of humanity".
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/If-Pakistan-is-serious-about-fighting-terrorism-it-should-hand-over-Hafiz-Saeed-Dawood-to-India-Naidu/articleshow/45558772.cms
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India Working On Strong Response on Bail to LeT Commander Lakhvi
Dec 18, 2014
India is working with its mission in Pakistan to prepare a strong response against granting of bail to LeT commander Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi, one of the masterminds of the 2008 terror attack.
Within hours of an Anti-Terrorism Court in Rawalpindi granting bail to Lakhvi, one the seven Pakistani nationals accused of planning and abetting the Mumbai terror attacks, sources said the government here started working along with its mission in Islamabad on a strong response against the court verdict.
Lakhvi and six others had filed bail applications on Wednesday even as lawyers were observing a strike to condemn the terrorist attack on an army-run school in Peshawar that left 148 people, mostly children, dead.
The FIA (Federal Investigation Agency) prosecutor disagreed with the bail request, however, advocate Rizwan Abbasi, the lawyer representing Lakhvi stood before the court as the bail was approved, the Dawn reported.
Full report at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/india-working-on-strong-response-on-bail-to-let-commander-lakhvi/#sthash.ImSXhi2G.dpuf
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Intelligence Agencies Sound Alert Regarding Hafiz Saeed’s Designs To Attack India
Dec 18, 2014
NEW DELHI: Intelligence agencies have sounded an alert regarding Pakistan-based terror mastermind Hafiz Mohammad Saeed's designs to unleash attacks in India, and blame the same on the Indian security establishment.
The warning, generated by the multi agency centre on Tuesday, flags the possibility of Saeed-led Lashkar e Taiba or Jamaat ud Da’wah targeting two hotel lobbies in the national Capital as well as an unspecified location on the Delhi-Agra highway.
The alert cites Saeed's statements, published in Pakistani newspapers on Tuesday, saying that Indian intelligence agencies would carry out attacks in India, and then blame them on Pakistan's ISI.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Intelligence-agencies-sound-alert-regarding-Hafiz-Saeeds-designs-to-attack-India/articleshow/45552077.cms
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Pakistan
Fresh Air Strikes Kill 57 Terrorists in Tirah: ISPR
Dec 18, 2014
PESHAWAR: In the aftermath of deadly Taliban attack on an army-run school in Peshawar, Pakistan’s military launched 20 air strikes including “dynamic targeting” killing 57 terrorists in Khyber Agency’s Tirah Valley, Army spokesman said on Wednesday.
Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Maj-Gen Asim Bajwa said in a tweet that the fresh operation was launched after yesterday’s tragic incident, in which at least 145 people mostly school children died.
He said Army Chief General Raheel Sharif, who is back from a swift visit to Kabul, is reviewing the military operation in the militancy-hit tribal area of Pakistan.
Maj-Gen Bajwa added that the operation was ongoing.
During his visit to Kabul earlier today, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Sharif sought handover of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Mullah Fazlullah, who is wanted for terrorism cases in Pakistan.
The army chief shared classified intelligence details with the Afghan officials and revealed to them that the mastermind behind the Peshawar attack, who was from Afghanistan, was giving directions to the terrorists.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1151436/fresh-air-strikes-kill-57-terrorists-in-tirah-ispr
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Apologists Will Be Regarded As Terrorists, Allies of Terrorists: Sherry Rehman
Dec 18, 2014
PESHAWAR: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Sherry Rehman said Wednesday that if anyone engaged in the apologist narrative when it comes to terrorism and terrorist attacks, they would be considered as terrorists and allies of the terrorists.
Time has come for a decision and anyone who presents justification for acts of terrorism will be regarded as a traitor.
"Whoever is a friend of the terrorists is a traitor," Rehman said addressing media representatives in Peshawar.
Rehman urged that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will not remain the victims and instead become those who will lead the war against terrorists.
PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira said that Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif and Director General Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) Gen Rizwan Akhtar had received a good response from the Afghan government with regards to their assistance for action against a Kunar-based Taliban splinter group which is believed to be behind the Peshawar army school massacre.
He said the war against terror was being fought very bravely but said that the fight only constituted 10 per cent and that the main fight was against the extremist mindset spreading in the country.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1151601/apologists-will-be-regarded-as-terrorists-allies-of-terrorists-sherry-rehman
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Those responsible for massacring children deserve no leniency: Maulana Fazl ur Rehman
Dec 18, 2014
ISLAMABAD – Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazl ur Rehman on Thursday said that the people responsible to orchestrate the attack on Peshawar school on December 16, which led to 141 deaths – 132 out which were innocent defenceless students, do not deserve any leniency.
After the attack, JUI-F chief postponed his visit to Bahrain and reached Islamabad from London. JUI-F Secretary General Maulana Abdul Ghafoor received Fazl at the airport. Talking to the party leaders, JUI-F chief termed Peshawar attack as “national tragedy” adding that the wounds would never be healed. People responsible for the Peshawar massacre must be brought to justice making them an example for others.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/18-Dec-2014/those-responsible-for-massacring-children-deserve-no-leniency-fazl
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Massacre of Innocent Children Terrorism, Not Jihad: Hafiz Saeed
Dec 18, 2014
LAHORE – Jamaat ud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed strongly condemning attack on Army Public School (APC) Peshawar which claimed lives of at least 126 children has said massacre of innocent children in the name of Islam is not Jihad but terrorism instead.
In a statement issued after Peshawar attack, he said that Islam was religion of peace and harmony and never taught us to kill innocent children and women even in the war. He said that this was the coward behaviour by militant attacking innocent children.
The JuD chief said that Islam never preaches terrorism and killing children was not Islam. He said that this was not the time for politics; our leaders should stand side by side leaving their matters behind. Earlier, as many as 126 people were martyred mostly students and some teachers in the horrific incident in Peshawar.
At least five to six militant had entered the school and opened straight fire and killed 126. The militants were also killed in operation of army security personnel.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/national/16-Dec-2014/massacre-of-innocent-children-terrorism-not-jihad-hafiz-saeed
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As India mourns with Pakistan, Musharraf blames New Delhi, Kabul
Dec 18, 2014
KARACHI: As India has made a visibly marked effort to mourn with Pakistan and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condemned the attack in Peshawar in no uncertain terms, former military ruler Pervez Musharraf has in an interview blamed Pakistan’s eastern neighbour and the former Afghan government of Hamid Karzai for the carnage.
In an interview with CNN-IBN, Musharraf, who himself was once a strong proponent of peace with India despite his prior role in the Kargil debacle, said in response to a question: "Do you know who is Maulana Fazlullah? He is the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan commander. He is in Afghanistan. And I am reasonably sure that he was supported by former Karzai government and RAW to carry out terror attacks in Pakistan."
The former president’s comments come as the nation is mourning the deaths of school children and other victims of the Taliban massacre and discussions are underway urging action along with introspection.
Musharraf accused Afghanistan of sheltering Fazlullah, saying the chief of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was “supported by the government of Hamid Karzai”.
He added that Fazlullah was “being supported by RAW to carry out these attacks in Pakistan”.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1151599/peshawar-as-india-mourns-with-pakistan-musharraf-blames-new-delhi-kabul
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Execution of Six Death Warrants on the Cards in Sindh
Dec 18, 2014
KARACHI: With the moratorium on the death penalty in terrorism cases lifted on Wednesday by the government, six convicts whose black warrants have been issued after the rejection of their mercy petitions by the president can be executed any time.
The six prisoners on death row in terrorism cases are militants of banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi Ataullah alias Qasim and Mohammad Azam alias Shareef; Bahram Khan, Shafqat Hussain, Jalal Morejo and Abdul Razzaq Chauhan who had been convicted of assault and murder, according to inspector general for prisons Nusrat Mangan.
In all, the IG prisons said, there were 457 inmates on death row across Sindh.
Of them, 115 convicts were in the Karachi central prison, with appeals of 25 of them pending in the Supreme Court of Pakistan and mercy petitions of nine of them still awaiting presidential decision, he said.
IG Mangan added that out of these cases, black warrants of six inmates on death row had been issued after the rejection of their mercy petitions by the president.
Long-time convicted prisoner on death row, Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s worker Saulat Ali Khan, alias Saulat Mirza, continued to wait for a decision on his mercy petition before the president. In May this year, his brother’s petition in the high court to move him to a Karachi prison was disposed of by the provincial authorities on the pretext that he was moved for security reasons.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1151537/execution-of-six-death-warrants-on-the-cards-in-sindh
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Taliban Attackers Engaged In Sadistic Games with Students
AFP | Dec 18, 2014
PESHAWAR: Taliban gunmen who stormed a school in northwest Pakistan toyed with captive students by suggesting some could be let go before lining them up and gunning them down in front of their classmates, according to a new account by survivors.
Militants rampaged through an army-run school in Peshawar and killed at least 141 people on Tuesday, almost all of them children.
Pakistan was in mourning over the attack, the bloodiest in the nation's history, which brought international condemnation and promises of a stern crackdown by political and military leaders.
Previous accounts by witnesses have indicated a pattern of indiscriminate firing on students with those fortunate enough to survive playing dead while the attackers moved on.
But Shahnawaz Khan, a 14-year-old who was being treated in a Peshawar hospital for two bullet wounds to his shoulder, said the attackers also engaged in sadistic games.
He said he and his class were in the middle of English grammar lecture when they heard gunshots, though their teacher said it was a first-aid class and the sound could be coming from a demonstration.
Full report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Peshawar-Taliban-attackers-engaged-in-sadistic-games-with-students/articleshow/45559698.cms
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Death Penalty: 17 Terrorists to Be Executed In Coming Days
December 18, 2014
ISLAMABAD: Seventeen convicted terrorists, whose appeals and mercy petitions have been dismissed, will be executed in the next few days, sources in the PM House told The Express Tribune on Thursday.
After Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s decision to lift moratorium on death penalty in militant-related cases, these 17 terrorists will be first to be hanged.
Sources said the premier has been apprised of the first group of militants and that the process will take a few days. “Their death warrants will be issued and their relatives will be called in to have their last meeting with the 17 militants,” sources added.
Out of 17 terrorists, 10 belong to Punjab, six are from Sindh and one is from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Since the 2008 moratorium in Pakistan, only one man was executed in 2012. There are more than 8,000 convicted on death row, however due to the moratorium their executions could not be carried out.
The prime minister removed the moratorium on terror-related cases, but not on other offenses in the wake of December 16 attack on a school in Peshawar which killed at least 141 people, mostly students.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/808810/death-penalty-17-terrorists-to-be-executed-in-coming-days/
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Arab World
ISIL Kills 7 Defectors in Nineveh
Dec 18, 2014
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist group executed seven of its members, who refused to fight with the terrorists anymore, in Nineveh province in Iraq.
''The terrorist organization executed seven of its members for refusing to fight in their ranks in Shura area, South of Mosul,'' an informed source said Tuesday.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13930926000854
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Islamic State Penal Code Promises Crucifixion, Lashing for Unbelievers
Dec 18, 2014
The Islamic State (IS) has published it own penal code, which harshly penalizes actions such as sodomy and blasphemy with punishments including execution, crucifixion, lashing, and the severing of limbs, among other penalties.
IS (also known as ISIL or ISIS) issued the detailed document as a “warning and a reminder to people living under its rule” that any behavior not in accordance with strict Islamic law will be cruelly punished, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), which translated a copy of the penal code posted at a radical online depot known as the Jihadi Media Platform.
Radical militants associated with IS emphasized that they have a “commitment” to enforce the brutal doctrine “vigilantly,” according to MEMRI.
As IS continues to gain strength and devotees, it has staked out bolder and more confrontational policies governing the territory in its control. The release of a formal penal code is a sign that the terror outfit remains committed to regional dominance in the face of ongoing U.S.-led airstrikes.
Full report at:
http://freebeacon.com/national-security/islamic-state-penal-code-promises-crucifixion-lashing-for-unbelievers/
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Iraq Kurds Launch Sinjar Offensive, Control 2 Villages near Mosul
Dec 18, 2014
Kurdish forces launched an operation to retake the town of Sinjar in Northwestern Iraq early on Wednesday, Kurdish security officials said.
If the peshmerga succeed in recapturing the town, it would open up a corridor to Sinjar mountain, where hundreds of minority Ezadis have been besieged by militants since August, World Bulletin reported.
"At 8:00 this morning the ground offensive began to liberate Sinjar town," said one official in the region's Security Council.
Kurdish peshmerga forces took control of two villages from the ISIL, according to another peshmerga source.
The villages are near Mosul in the Erbil province of Northern Iraq,
"The peshmerga forces started their attack at 4 am local time (0100GMT) after airstrikes by the US-led international coalition," Rashid Haji Ali, a Peshmerga commander, told The Anadolu Agency.
ISIL militants were forced to retreat from the two villages, the commander said.
"We are attempting to control all the area around Sinjar mountain," Ali added.
ISIL controls most of the Sinjar, which is 77 miles West of Mosul.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13930926001328
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Over 230 bodies found in mass grave in eastern Syria
Dec 18, 2014
More than 230 bodies of people believed to have been killed by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria militants have been found in a mass grave in Syria's eastern Deir al-Zor province, a group monitoring the country's war said on Wednesday.
The bodies were believed to be members of the al-Sheitaat tribe which had battled ISIS militants, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Their deaths would bring the number of Sheitaat members killed by the ultra-hardline group to over 900.
ISIS militants control all but a few pockets of Deir al-Zor province, which borders territory also under its control in Iraq.
The province's oilfields have been a major source of revenue for the group although its operations have been under pressure since a U.S.-led coalition started launching air strikes against it in Syria in September.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/12/17/Monitor-Over-230-bodies-found-in-mass-grave-in-eastern-Syria.html
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Abu Dhabi Security leader warns people not to be led astray by ideology
Dec 18, 2014
Speaking on the sidelines of the Future Security of the GCC forum in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, Lt Gen Dahi Khalfan Tamim said attempts by hostile forces to flex their muscles in the Arabian Gulf region would be foiled.
“Security in the Gulf will continue to be immune to the events surrounding it,” said Lt Gen Tamim, deputy chairman of police and general security in Dubai. “Individual crimes here and there in Gulf countries don’t mean that there is a real threat to the security and safety of these countries.
“I am confident that the outcomes of the GCC meeting prove that the GCC member states are united and in agreement about the steps and measures to be made to confront the ideologies and risks that surround us,” he said.
Referring to the Reem Island murder this month, he warned that people should be careful and not be led astray by hostile and destructive ideologies that appeared online and on social media.
Full report at:
http://www.thenational.ae/uae/security-leader-warns-people-not-to-be-led-astray-by-ideology
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Saudi education sector takes anti-terror stance
Dec 18, 2014
Schools and universities in the Kingdom have assigned specialized committees to scan the background of all religious and historical studies faculty members before hiring them, Al-Hayat daily reported.
Several private and public universities have fired a number of its faculty members who were proven to belong to an extreme group or support one.
Some schools and universities have stopped hiring foreign teachers of Islamic Studies and replaced them with Saudis. Many have questioned the bias in selecting Islamic Studies teachers but experts say it is the result of Saudization and the fact that there is a profuse number of Saudis in the field of Islamic Studies.
“Anti-terrorism regulations apply to all nationalities. An example of a tragic ending for a teacher is Eman Al-Bugha who was a Syrian teacher at the University of Dammam. She quit her job to join the ISIS [Islamic State of Iraq and Syria] group,” said a source on condition of anonymity.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/features/2014/12/17/Education-sector-takes-anti-terror-stance.html
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Egyptian civil servant could lose job for promoting Atheist beliefs
Dec 18, 2014
An Egyptian school librarian was referred to an administrative court trial on Wednesday for promoting atheist ideas.
In referring the case to the court, the administrative prosecution said that it is not acceptable fora civil servant to express his beliefs about God and religion publicly in newspapers and television, especially considering that he works in an educational institution and should be a good example for students.
Ayman Ramzy Botros, a librarian in his early 40’s who was born a Coptic Christian, was transferred by the education minister to an administrative post in May, the court could ultimately terminate his employment in education.
Botros was among a number of non-religious Egyptians who signed an open letter in September 2013 addressing then-interim president Adly Mansour with the demand to be represented in the committee that was commissioned to draft the 2014 constitution.
“As Egyptian citizens we all have citizenship rights including running for elections,” the letter read and claimed that atheists represent a considerableproportion of Egyptian society.
It said Athiests include “academics, students, doctors, artists and writers ho live both inside Egypt and abroad.”
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/118180/Egypt/Politics-/Egyptian-civil-servant-could-lose-job-for-promotin.aspx
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Iraq requests one-year deferral on Gulf War reparations
Dec 18, 2014
Iraq, reeling from low oil prices and war with Islamic State, has requested a one-year deferral of a $4.6 billion reparations payment for destroying Kuwait’s oil facilities during its 1990-91 occupation, a U.N. official said on Wednesday.
Kuwait and major powers on the ruling body of the U.N. Compensation Commission will consider the formal request at a special session in Geneva on Thursday.
“We have a request for a one-year suspension of the requirement to deposit 5 percent of Iraqi oil revenues into the compensation fund,” the official told Reuters.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/12/17/Iraq-requests-one-year-deferral-on-Gulf-War-reparations.html
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Africa
Islamists kill 32, kidnap scores in Nigeria: officials, witness
Dec 18, 2014
Boko Haram militants killed 32 people and kidnapped scores of others in an attack on the village of Gumsuri in the restive northeast, two local officials and a witness said Dec. 18.
The officials, who requested anonymity, said locals were still counting those abducted in the attack Sunday in the remote area but that the figure could pass 100 and included women and children. "After killing our youths, the insurgents have taken away our wives and daughters," said Mukhtar Buba, who fled Gumsuri to the Borno state capital Maiduguri.
Details took four days to emerge because the mobile phone network has largely collapsed in the area roughly 70 kilometres south of Maiduguri, and many of the roads are impassable.
Gamsuri is located on the road that leads to Chibok, where Boko Haram abducted more than 200 girls from a school in April.
One of the local officials said the village had previously been protected against Boko Haram violence by a strong vigilante force, but that they were overpowered in Sunday's attack.
"For the past one year, the insurgents have made several attempts to attack Gumsuri but were resisted by the gallant youths of the village," he told AFP.
It is sad that on Sunday, the village was subdued," he added.
Boko Haram has repeatedly attacked the vigilante forces which have formed across the northeast, describing them as legitimate targets for siding with Nigeria's military.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/islamists-kill-32-kidnap-scores-in-nigeria-officials-witness.aspx?pageID=238&nID=75779&NewsCatID=357
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54 Nigerian soldiers sentenced to death for mutiny: lawyer
Dec 18, 2014
ABUJA: A Nigerian military court sentenced 54 soldiers to death for mutiny after they refused to deploy for an operation against Boko Haram Islamists in the northeast, their lawyer said.
“They sentenced 54 to death and acquitted five,” said prominent human rights lawyer Femi Falana, following a court martial that began on October 15 and was conducted behind closed doors.
Reporters were turned away from the court before the tribunal gave its verdict and military officials were not available for comment afterwards.
In a similar case in September, 12 soldiers were sentenced to death for mutiny after firing on their commanding officer in the northeast city of Maiduguri, where troops are battling against Boko Haram.
Both sentences are subject to approval by top army brass, but there has so far been no indication that senior officers oppose the rulings.
Lack of weapons
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1151606/54-nigerian-soldiers-sentenced-to-death-for-mutiny-lawyer
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Jihadists claim 2013 murders of Tunisia secularists
Dec 18, 2014
Jihadists who have since joined the Islamic State group claimed twin murders of secular politicians that plunged Tunisia into crisis in 2013, in a video posted online Thursday.
"Yes, tyrants, we're the ones who killed Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi," Abou Mouqatel, a militant wanted by the authorities for their murders, said in the video in which he appeared with several others.
Belaid was killed on February 6 last year, while Brahmi was murdered on July 25, in twin attacks blamed by the authorities on the jihadist Ansar al-Sharia group that had not previously been claimed.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/118237/World/Region/Jihadists-claim--murders-of-Tunisia-secularists.aspx
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Islamist call for Algerian author's death stirs outrage
18 December 2014
An Islamist call for author Kamel Daoud to be condemned to death for alleged apostasy has stirred outrage in Algeria, reviving dark memories of the country's brutal civil war.
Salafist activist Abdelfatah Hamadache Ziraoui has called on his Facebook page for authorities to impose the death penalty against the author and to execute him in public.
The call came after Daoud, in an appearance on French television, criticized the relationship between Muslims and their religion.
Ziraoui, who campaigns for bans on alcohol and bathing costumes on the beach, accused the author of apostasy for "waging war on Allah, his prophet, the Koran and the values sacred to Islam."
Contacted by AFP, the author and journalist said he has filed a lawsuit in the western city of Oran against what he termed a death threat.
The case has stirred outrage on social media, with a petition calling for Algerian authorities to take action against “such murder calls which bring back the worst days” of the country's Islamist insurgency of the 1990s when dozens of intellectuals were assassinated.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/12/18/Islamist-call-for-Algerian-author-s-death-stirs-outrage-.html
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South Asia
8 Afghan army soldiers martyred in the past 24 hours
Dec 18, 2014
At least seven Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were martyred in the latest wave of violence across the country.
The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said the Afghan army soldiers were martyred in the past 24 hours but the exact locations of the incident were not been disclosed.
A statement by the Ministry of Defense (MoD) confirmed that the Afghan soldiers were martyred due to Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion.
The anti-government armed militant groups have not commented regarding the incident so far.
The Taliban-led insurgency have been rampant since the group launched it’s summer offensive earlier this year.
Taliban militants and other insurent grouops frequently use Improvised Explosive Device (IED) as the weapon of their choice to target Afghan and coalition security forces.
According to security officials, the Afghan army deaths stands at 4 service members daily on average which is mainly caused due to improvised explosive device (IED) attacks.
http://www.khaama.com/8-afghan-army-soldiers-martyred-in-the-past-24-hours-mod-9147
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Afghans fighting in Syria alongside regime
Dec 18, 2014
Shiite Muslim militiamen from Afghanistan have been fighting in Syria for months alongside President Bashar al-Assad’s troops, a monitoring group said.
Afghanistan is home to a Sunni Muslim majority but nearly one-fifth of the population is Shiite, mainly Farsi-speakers and from the Hazara ethnic group.
“Shiite Afghan militiamen have been fighting for several months alongside Bashar al-Assad’s army, especially around Shiite religious sites in Sayyida Zeinab” near Damascus, said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.
“They later started fighting alongside loyalist troops all over Syria, especially in the northern province of Aleppo,” he told AFP.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/12/17/Afghans-fighting-in-Syria-alongside-regime-monitor.html
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War crimes convict Mobarak appeals against tribunal verdict
Ahmed Zayeef
Dec 18, 2014
War crimes convict Mobarak Hossain has appealed to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court against the death sentence handed down to him by the International Crimes Tribunal.
Mobarak's lawyer Joynal Abedin Tuhin filed the petition on Thursday afternoon.
Mobarak's another lawyer Tariqul Islam cofirmed about the petition to the Dhaka Tribune.
The defence sought to argue 77 points in its 82-page petition. They also submitted 780 pages of documents regarding the case.
Mobarak Hossain, former Awami League leader from Brahmanbaria has been sentenced to death for committing crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War on November 24.
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2014/dec/18/mobarak-appeals-against-tribunal-verdict#sthash.JifcBJHn.dpuf
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Europe
Derby Imam: 'Anyone with true understanding of Islam will never turn to extremism'
Dec 18, 2014
“ANYBODY who has a true understanding of Islam and Islamic knowledge can never turn to extremism. I am 100% certain of that.”
Those are the words of Qazi Abdul Mateen, one of the Imams at Jamia Mosque, which is working to tackle extremism in Derby.
The Normanton mosque’s work includes:
Giving 1,000 children who it gives weekly Islamic Studies tuition to a clear understanding of the religion.
Its teachers getting social media training so they can provide counter arguments to extremist messages online.
Taking new converts under their wing so they are not tempted towards extremism.
The Mosque committee is also not allowing collections for Syria on the grounds that they cannot be sure where the cash would go.
Full report at:
http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/Derby-Imam-true-understanding-Islam-turn/story-25729533-detail/story.html#ixzz3MF7EI1d7
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Russian patriarch: Islamic State ‘demonizes’ Islam
Dec 18, 2014
During a recent meeting in Moscow with Turkey’s leading Muslim cleric, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church made comments about the Islamic State and the persecution of Christians.
“I cannot stop thinking that the Arab Spring and the emergence of radical Islamic paramilitary forces and their public executions of people-- all this is aimed at demonizing Islam in the eyes of global public opinion,” said Patriarch Kirill, according to an Interfax news agency report.
“Churches are being demolished, and Christians are being either killed or forced to convert into Islam, or sold into slavery, or forced to pay some special tax.” In Europe, he added, there are “numerous examples of people being discriminated just because they publicly display their Christian piety.”
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=23539
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U.N. says CIA torture report must spur global action
18 December 2014
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said a U.S. Senate report detailing brutal CIA interrogations of terror detainees should spur a global discussion on how the international community can stamp out torture, according to the Associated Press.
The U.N. chief said at a news conference Wednesday that the report shows torture is still taking place in many parts of the world.
Ban also said more must be done in 2015 “to counter extremism and the rise of far-right political parties that target minorities, migrants and in particular Muslims.”
Ban commended the release of the Senate Intelligence Committee report, which details techniques from simulated drowning to improvised enemas.
U.S. President Barack Obama has described the techniques as torture, though others disagree.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2014/12/18/U-N-chief-U-S-torture-report-must-spur-global-action-.html
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Novel on France’s First Muslim Govt Stirs Outcry
18 December 2014
His new book has not even been released but Michel Houellebecq -- one of France’s most provocative and widely translated writers -- is already attracting comment with his latest novel ”Submission" in which he imagines a France in 2022 under Muslim rule.
To be published on January 7,”Soumission" is the sixth novel by the author of “The Map and the Territory", which won France’s top literary prize, the Prix Goncourt, in 2010.
Set amid political turmoil in 2022, the story begins with the far-right National Front (FN) about to take power from current president Francois Hollande.
But when a fictional Muslim Brotherhood party, supported by an alliance of three parties from the both the left and the right, beats FN leader Marine le Pen in a second round of voting, the way is cleared for the country’s first Muslim government led by President Mohammed Ben Abbes.
Full report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/life-style/entertainment/2014/12/18/Novel-on-France-s-first-Muslim-government-stirs-outcry.html
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UK soldiers cleared of killing and torturing Iraqi prisoners
Dec 18, 2014
LONDON // British soldiers have been cleared of both torturing and killing Iraqi prisoners after a 2004 battle in southern Iraq that left 28 insurgents dead.
A five-year inquiry by Thayne Forbes, a retired judge, found that some of the interrogation techniques used on the nine prisoners taken after the battle “amounted to a form of ill-treatment,” but not torture.
One technique involved leaving the subject blindfolded while banging a tent peg on a desk to make a frightening sound, and blowing on the back of his neck.
Prisoners were also kept awake before interrogation, unnecessarily blindfolded and subjected to excessively harsh questioning.
Mr Forbes also criticised soldiers for posing with their prisoners at the end of the battle for what he described as “singularly tasteless” photos that had been taken as “trophies.”
The inquiry was ordered by Britain’s previous Labour government in 2009 after five of the prisoners and the relatives of one of those who died in the battle, Hamid Al Sweady, sued UK authorities.
They alleged that Al Sweady was murdered after being taken prisoner.
But Mr Forbes rejected that allegation in a report published on Wednesday.
“There were some instances of ill-treatment by the British military, but these were relatively minor when compared with the original very serious allegations,” Mr Forbes said.
All the most serious allegations, he went on, “have been found to be wholly without foundation and entirely the product of deliberate lies, reckless speculation and ingrained hostility.”
Full report at:
http://www.thenational.ae/world/europe/uk-soldiers-cleared-of-killing-and-torturing-iraqi-prisoners
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Mideast
Islamophobia a product of Taliban, ISIL: Erdoğan
Dec 18, 2014
The Taliban and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) are to blame for paving the way for Islamophobia in the world, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said.
Drawing attention to the recent Taliban attack in Peshawar that killed 130 children, ISIL violence in Iraq and Syria, Erdoğan said there could be "no such Islam."
“There is no such Islam. Islam is peace. You are casting a shadow on Islam,” Erdoğan said at a rally in Central Turkey on Dec. 17, at an event to inaugurate a high-speed train between Konya and Istanbul.
“Islamophobia in the world started because of you,” he said, addressing the violent jihadist organizations, adding that people do not kill defenseless people in Islam.
The president stated that Turkey has and will continue to cooperate with Pakistan, which is determined in its struggle against terrorism.
“I hope this painful incident will lead some countries in the region and the whole world once more to see the dark face of terror,” he said.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/islamophobia-a-product-of-taliban-isil-erdogan.aspx?pageID=238&nID=75772&NewsCatID=338
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S. Arabia Serving Western States by Surplus Production: Iran's Chief of Staff:
Dec 18, 2014
Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Hassan Firouzabadi blasted Saudi Arabia for serving the western countries' interests by producing excessive oil.
"By increasing oil production, Saudi Arabia assured the US and the West, which represent the world's big capital holders, that they will not be restricted for supplying fuel and on the other hand by decreasing the oil prices, it laid financial pressure on the regional countries which are fighting the ISIL terrorists," Firouzabadi said in Tehran on Wednesday.
He voiced regret that the regional countries have sustained $500bln worth of losses due to the increasing crude output by Saudi Arabia and its pro-ISIL allies, adding that Riyadh has strengthened the western states' financial system with a $300bln gift.
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13930926001451
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Netanyahu says Europe 'learned nothing' from Holocaust
Dec 18, 2014
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Europeans appeared to have learned nothing from the Holocaust, after an EU court ordered the removal of Hamas from its terror blacklist.
"In Luxemburg the European court removed Hamas from the list of terrorist organisations, Hamas that has committed countless war crimes and countless terror acts," Netanyahu's office quoted him as saying.
"It seems that too many in Europe, on whose soil six million Jews were slaughtered, have learned nothing."
"But we in Israel, we've learned. We'll continue to defend our people and our state against the forces of terror and tyranny and hypocrisy," he said at the start of a meeting with US Republican Senator-elect Joni Ernst.
Full report at:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/118182/World/Region/-Netanyahu-says-Europe-learned-nothing-from-Holoca.aspx
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Israel calls Palestinian UN draft a gimmick
Dec 18, 2014
Israel's foreign minister on Dec. 18 described as a gimmick a Palestinian-proposed U.N. Security Council draft resolution that calls for a peace deal within a year and an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories by the end of 2017.
"Certainly this will not hasten an agreement because without Israel's consent, nothing will change," Avigdor Lieberman said in a statement.
The draft resolution was formally submitted by Jordan to the 15-member council on Wednesday, which means it could be put to a vote as soon as 24 hours later, but it does not guarantee it will happen. Some drafts have never been voted on. [ID: nL1N0U2055]
Lieberman said the unilateral move at the United Nations, which followed the collapse in April of U.S.-brokered talks on Palestinian statehood, would only deepen the decades-old conflict.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/israel-calls-palestinian-un-draft-a-gimmick.aspx?pageID=238&nID=75780&NewsCatID=352
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Palestinians set deadline for Israeli occupation
Dec 18, 2014
NITED NATIONS: Israel suffered back-to-back diplomatic setbacks in Europe on Wednesday, while the Palestinians at the United Nations set a deadline for an Israeli withdrawal from lands captured nearly 50 years ago by the end of 2017.
In Geneva, the international community delivered a stinging rebuke to Israel's settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, saying the practice violates Israel's responsibilities as an occupying power.
The declaration adopted by the conference of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which governs the rules of war and military occupation, emphasised a prohibition on colonising occupied land and insisted that international humanitarian law be obeyed in areas affected by the conflict between Israel and Palestinians.
It called for “all serious violations” to be investigated and those responsible for breaches to be brought to justice.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1151611/palestinians-set-deadline-for-israeli-occupation
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Houthis consolidate control over Yemen state institutions
Dec 18, 2014
SANAA: Yemen’s Houthi movement sacked top managers of the country’s second largest port and the main oil company on Wednesday, staff said, in the latest move by the Huthis group to consolidate its hold on state institutions.
The Houthis, who became the de facto power in Yemen in September when they captured the capital Sanaa, portray their move as a revolution against corruption and embezzlement which they say was emptying state coffers.
Officials at Hodeida port said Houthi fighters on Wednesday blocked the director of the facility, Yemen’s main Red Sea harbour where most of the country’s food imports arrive, with a view to replacing him.
“The staff were so angry that they walked out in a demonstration and closed off the port,” a port official said by telephone.
Full report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1151506/houthis-consolidate-control-over-yemen-state-institutions
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North America
EU should keep sanctions against Hamas: U.S.
18 December 2014
The United States on Wednesday urged the European Union to keep up its sanctions against Hamas, saying there was “no change” in US policy.
“We will continue to work closely with the European Union on Hamas-related issues. We believe that the EU should maintain its terrorism sanctions on Hamas,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
The United States was studying a ruling by an EU court ordering that the Palestinian militant group be removed from an EU blacklist, she told reporters.
“The U.S. position on Hamas has not changed; Hamas is a designated foreign terrorist organization,” she told reporters.
The EU insisted that it too still viewed Hamas as a terrorist group, saying the ruling by the General Court of the European Union was based on a technicality and that it might appeal the decision.
“Hamas continues to engage in terrorist activity and has demonstrated its intentions during this summer’s conflicts with Israel,” Psaki added.
“It fired thousands of rockets into Israeli civilian areas and attempted to infiltrate Israel through tunnels that extended into Israel.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/12/18/EU-should-keep-sanctions-against-Hamas-U-S-.html
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Islamic State using ''unparalleled'' violence, brutality: Study
Dec 18, 2014
New York: The Islamic State (IS) Sunni terror group uses unparalleled violence and brutality in its quest to achieve primacy over rival Shia Muslims and facilitate restoration of an Islamic Caliphate, says a study, co-authored by two retired FBI agents.
The group uses extreme violence and brutality against anyone it perceives as a threat to its goal, said the authors, noting that gratuitous violence has become the organisation`s "brand".
The most defining characteristic of IS "is its proclivity to use extreme violence against anyone whom it perceives to be a threat to its continued expansion. It makes little distinction between combatants or civilians, men or women," co-authors Thomas Neer and Mary Ellen O`Toole noted.
Full report at:
http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/islamic-state-using-unparalleled-violence-brutality-study_1516726.html
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U.S. plumber’s truck ends up in Syrian conflict
Dec 18, 2014
A Texas plumber got a shock when photos of his old work vehicle surfaced on social media showing the truck being used as an anti-aircraft gun carrier by an extremist group in Syria.
Mark Oberholtzer, from Texas City, Texas, told the Galveston Daily News that he has been flooded with phone calls – and threats – after pictures of a Ford F250 he used to own surfaced on microblogging site Twitter being used as a vehicle of war by Islamist militant group Ansar al-Deen Front.
Oberholtzer, who has run his Mark-1 Plumbing business for the past three decades, said that he had traded in the vehicle at a car dealership in October last year.
“How it ended up in Syria, I’ll never know,” he said.
The image has since caused a stir in the local community. By Tuesday afternoon, Oberholtzer said he had received about a thousand calls and faxes about the image – some of them being “really ugly.”
At the time of publicatoin, Al Arabiya News was not able to reach Mark-1 Plumbing.
Users of social media were quick to poke fun at the firm’s unintentional endorsement of the Syria-based militant group.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/variety/2014/12/17/U-S-plumber-s-truck-ends-up-as-battle-vehicle-in-Syria.html
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Australia
Australian PM says cafe siege 'horrific wake-up call'
Dec 18, 2014
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Dec. 18 admitted Sydney's cafe siege was "a horrific wake-up call" as details emerged of the final minutes of the standoff which left the gunman and two hostages dead.
Abbott has ordered an urgent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy and why deranged self-styled Islamic cleric Man Haron Monis was not under surveillance given his history of extremism and violence.
The Iranian-born 50-year-old was on bail for a string of charges, including sexual offences and abetting the murder of his ex-wife.
"This has been a horrific wake-up call," Abbott told Macquarie Radio when asked if this was an incident waiting to happen, amid criticism that various authorities failed to act to take Monis off the streets.
"The tragedy is that this has happened. I mean, this was an atrocity, it may well have been a preventable atrocity, and that's why this swift and thorough review is so important," he said.
Monis, who was well known to authorities but was not on any counter-terror watchlists, took 17 people hostage at a cafe in the heart of Sydney on Monday, unfurling an Islamic flag during a 16-hour siege.
Full report at:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/australian-pm-says-cafe-siege-horrific-wake-up-call.aspx?pageID=238&nID=75777&NewsCatID=359
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President of the Islamic Society Slams Sydney Siege Gunman and Calls for Calm
Dec 18, 2014
The president of the Islamic Society of Manly-Warringah has slammed Sydney siege gunman Man Haron Monis as a “disgrace to our religion” and is worried his barbaric behaviour could give other Muslims a bad name and make them targets of hate crimes.
But Faris Bawazier, who heads the 300-strong congregation that worships at the Dee Why Mosque, has taken heart from a telephone call from a North Narrabeen woman offering her sympathy and volunteering to turn up at the mosque to show her support.
“She called wanting to come down to the mosque with her family,” Mr Bawazier said.
He also offered condolences to the families of the hostages killed on behalf of the Islamic State and said the gunman was a criminal lone agent.
Full report at:
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/northern-beaches/faris-bawazier-president-of-the-islamic-society-of-manly-warringah-slams-siege-gunman-and-calls-for-calm/story-fngr8hax-1227159772444
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Southeast Asia
New Approach Needed for Indonesia to End Extremism
Dec 18, 2014
Jakarta. Analysts have identified failures within the Indonesian government’s deradicalization program, deeming it responsible for the continued flow of Indonesians traveling to Syria to join the Islamic State, and sympathy that continues to grow for the extremist group in the archipelago.
Intelligence and terrorism observer Dynno Chresbon on Tuesday cited the arrest of 12 Indonesian nationals — including four women and five minors — by the Malaysian authorities last week as they allegedly attempted to travel to Syria via Malaysia.
He said Malaysia was able to stop the group while Indonesia was not — the 12 Indonesians had been able to pass through Indonesian immigration checkpoints — because the former was in possession of a database that maps militant networks and groups in the region, including suspected members.
“That database allows them to capture suspected militants planning to go to Syria, including those coming from Indonesia,” Dynno told the Jakarta Globe. “Malaysia and Singapore have such databases, while Indonesia misses out because it doesn’t have one.”
Full report at:
http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/new-approach-needed-for-indonesia-to-end-extremism/
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Indonesia Project Sukuk Plan Sees Fivefold Rise: Islamic Finance
Dec 18, 2014
Indonesia is ramping up financing for new President Joko Widodo’s $439 billion development program, planning an almost fivefold increase in sales of project sukuk.
The government is seeking to raise 7.14 trillion rupiah ($568 million) from notes that will fund particular construction ventures next year, compared with 1.5 trillion rupiah this year, Suminto, Islamic financing director at the debt management office, said in a Dec. 12 interview in Jakarta. That will help finance its estimated spending of about 5,519 trillion rupiah from 2015 to 2019 to build roads, railways and power plants.
Indonesia is diversifying its sukuk to help increase Shariah-compliant banking assets as a share of the total from 4.7 percent, less than a fifth of Malaysia’s. The Southeast Asian nation can absorb the new supply as there’s not enough local Islamic investments to satisfy demand, so the currency’s 3 percent slide this year won’t deter buyers, according to Amanah Capital Group Ltd.
Full report at:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-18/indonesia-project-sukuk-plan-sees-fivefold-rise-islamic-finance.html
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Imported beef safe for Muslims, Jakim says after US ‘halal’ scare
DECEMBER 18, 2014
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 18 — Malaysia’s federal Islamic religious authority assured Muslims here today they need not fear eating haram imported beef, saying that the country does not receive goods from a US company recently charged over non-compliance of halal standards.
Hakimah Mohd Yusoff, director of the Malaysian Islamic Development Department’s halal hub division, clarified that Iowa-based Midamar Corporation is not an exporter certified by the local regulators.
The US firm came under fire for flouting Islamic religious practices in its sale of beef worth at least US$4.9 million (RM17.11 million) to Malaysia and other countries, according to a report yesterday.
“Only plants approved and listed by DVS are allowed to export to Malaysia… Midamar Corporation’s processing plants are not part of the export firms authorised by DVS and hence, it is not allowed to export meat into Malaysia,” Hakimah said in a statement, using the abbreviation for the Department of Veterinary Services.
Full report at:
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/imported-beef-safe-for-muslims-jakim-says-after-us-halal-scare#sthash.sFvHiRho.dpuf
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/no-info-madrasas-involved-training/d/100565