Reformation is under way
There is always a sense of despondency amongst liberal and progressive minded people in Pakistan. Inevitably, most conversations turn to religious extremism and how it plagues Pakistan. All of this is true, but there is no reason to fear that all is lost irrevocably for us. History shows that nations often go through a period […]
Why World Leaders Must Do More to Help Syria’s Children
Once more, a striking image of a vulnerable Syrian child has dominated newspaper front pages and sent emotional shock waves around the world. Omran Daqneesh, a five-year-old boy from Aleppo, was able to break through “audience fatigue” and move millions around the world with footage of him being brought out from under the rubble of […]
ISIS, the “Fish Strategy”
Threats by violent extremists and terrorist groups have been shrinking lately, mainly those by ISIS which has been marking its draconian presence across the world. However, the field regression of this organization will not be the end, especially with the ongoing crises in Syria, Iraq, and other countries that led to its creation along with […]
Businessman pays fines for women who defied France’s ‘burkini ban’
A wealthy businessman has paid fines imposed on three women who defied France’s burkini ban, and also offered to pay for other people charged under the new law. Rachid Nekkaz, a real-estate entrepreneur of Algerian descent, said he personally opposes the burkini and niqab, but believes that within a democracy nobody has the right to […]
Malaysian Rapper Namewee Arrested for ‘Insulting Islam’
Malaysian police have arrested one of the country’s most popular rappers after citizens complained that one of his most recent music videos “insulted Islam.” Authorities detained Wee Meng Chee, known by his stage name Namewee, on Sunday at Kuala Lumpur airport as he returned home from overseas.
WFP: 4.5 million people hungry due to Boko Haram violence in Nigeria
Cape Town (dpa) – The number of Nigerians in need of food aid due to the persistent violence of Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram has almost doubled to 4.5 million in just five months, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned Tuesday. The figure could rise by a further million as early as next month in […]
Muslim extremist pleads guilty in The Hague
Malian citizen Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi’s trial in the International Criminal Court in The Hague is a legal first. He is the first Islamic extremist to appear before the court and he’s the first person to be accused of “destroying cultural artefacts.” It’s also a first in that he’s pleaded guilty. “With deep regret and great […]
Majority of killed in blast at Kurdish wedding in Turkey are children
Istanbul (dpa) – At least 29 of the 51 people killed in a weekend suicide bombing at a wedding in southern Turkey were minors, the Hurriyet newspaper reported Monday. The blast Saturday night targeted a Kurdish wedding in Gaziantep city, near the border with Syria. An additional 69 people were injured, including 17 in critical […]
Terrorism competitions? Al-Qaeda’s Zawahiri Calls on Supporters to Reject ISIS
Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri called on the world’s Muslims to reject the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) and throw their weight behind the Afghan Taliban, in a new video released on Sunday. The leader of one of the world’s largest jihadi groups said that ISIS and his rival leader of the group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, […]
Q&A: Islamic State trying to capitalize on enmity between Kurds, Turkish government
Bloodstains and broken bodies left after Turkey’s deadliest bombing this year cruelly underscore the complex rivalries swirling among the Turkish government, the Sunni militants of the Islamic State and members of Turkey’s largest ethnic minority, the Kurds. The government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has blamed the Islamic State for the devastating attack on a […]