Saudis rehabilitate terrorists using ideological approach
New York Times Nov 9, 08 1:12 PM CST
(Newser)
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Saudi Arabia has a particular brand of counter-terrorism: a cozy detention center where captured militants share their feelings, practice art therapy, snack on Twix, rumble on PlayStation, and leave with the prospect of a wife. The retreat, Katherine Zoepf writes in the New York Times magazine, is part of the kingdom’s rehabilitation program for jihadis, often age 18-36.
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UN hopes its summer camps can hose down extremism in Palestinian territory
Christian Science Monitor Sep 4, 08 1:58 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The UN’s Relief and Works Agency is combating extremism in the Gaza Strip with some unconventional weapons: hula hoops, finger-painting, and sports, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The agency runs summer programs in 350 locations for Gaza’s youth in an attempt to counteract Hamas’ militant equivalent, where young Palestinians learn martial arts, train with fake weapons, and are taught religious intolerance.
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Message from Osama's deputy urges attack on 'treacherous regimes'
Associated Press Jun 5, 08 3:04 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Osama bin Laden's deputy has called on Muslims to launch a holy war to break Israel's economic blockade of Gaza, reports AP. The call was issued in an 11-minute al-Qaeda audiotape by Ayman al-Zawahri, marking the anniversary of the loss of Gaza, the West Bank and the Golan Heights in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
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Most admire the West for technology and human rights
Christian Science Monitor May 17, 08 7:19 PM CDT
(Newser)
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What do the world’s Muslims really think? In an astonishing 6-year study, Gallup interviewed 1 billion of them to find out. The vast majority support democracy, political freedoms, and women’s rights, the Christian Science Monitor reports: Most said they admire the West for its technology, hard work, and respect for human rights.
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He says cartoons of Muhammad part of crusade against Islam
Associated Press Mar 19, 08 8:56 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Osama bin Laden threatened Europe today with "severe" retaliation over the publication of cartoons of the prophet Muhammad, the AP reports. The audio recording of bin Laden surfaced on the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war, though he made no mention of it, and a day before the Muslim world celebrates Muhammad's birthday. One expert said the voice appeared to be bin Laden's, but he noted that it had no reference points to show when it was recorded.
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Foreigners also targeted UK, Australia, Israel missions
Associated Press Mar 6, 08 5:42 AM CST
(Newser)
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Authorities in the Philippines have arrested three men from the Middle East who allegedly plotted to bomb the American embassy in Manila. One of the suspects is from Jordan, but their identities remain unknown, reports AP. The three were also targeting the embassies of the United Kingdom, Australia and Israel, officials said.
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Barcelona raids yield bomb materials; attack wasn't imminent
CNN Jan 19, 08 10:28 AM CST
(Newser)
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Spanish authorities toady arrested 14 people—12 Pakistanis and 2 Indians—suspected of planning a terror attack in or near Barcelona. After raiding five homes, officials seized four bomb timers and computer data, CNN reports. “They had taken a step beyond radicalization and were trying to get the means to make explosives,” the interior minister said.
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Musharraf blames terrorists for assassination
BBC Dec 27, 07 1:51 PM CST
(Newser)
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The assassination of Benazir Bhutto deals a devastating setback to hopes for political stability in Pakistan. The death today of the nation's most charismatic opposition leader is likely to trigger an outpouring of anti-government sentiment, political analysts tell the Wall Street Journal, and force postponement of next month's scheduled elections. It raises fears that unrest will trigger declaration of military rule.
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Bhutto, Sharif blast Musharraf for rise in extremist attacks
AFP Dec 26, 07 1:20 PM CST
(Newser)
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Two weeks ahead of elections, Islamic extremism has become a central issue in the intensifying three-way race for control of Pakistan's parliament, AFP reports. Benazir Bhutto yesterday took her campaign to Peshawar, the heart of the troubled northwest, and bashed Pervez Musharraf's handling of the terrorist threat. Militants have promised to disrupt the January 8 polling.
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Militants aiming to disrupt Muslim ritual nabbed
Al Arabiya Dec 22, 07 6:27 AM CST
(Newser)
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As millions of Muslims completed the annual Hajj pilgrimage yesterday, Saudi police said they'd arrested a group that had been planning attacks, Al Arabiya reports. An official said the al-Qaeda suspects, detained at cities across the country, had been intent on disrupting the ritual and causing "security confusion." Mecca itself was not believed to have been the terror plot's target.
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Having book in a common tongue allowed readers' own interpretations
LiveScience Dec 12, 07 2:04 PM CST
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The first English translation of the Bible led to the rise of fundamentalist interpretations of scripture, a Harvard professor writes in a new book. In Burning to Read: English Fundamentalism and its Reformation Opponents, James Simpson writes that once the general public no longer had to rely on clergy to decipher Bible passages, some began interpreting it very literally.
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Turning Iraq footage into hip-hop videos is one recruiting tool
New York Times Oct 15, 07 4:00 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Jihadists have long used the internet to spread their message, but now a growing number of Western-based extremists are tapping into a Western audience by giving the message a pop-culture twist, the Times reports. They act as middlemen, translating newsletters and relaying videos from militant Islamic leaders; they also turn insurgent footage from Iraq into hip-hop videos.
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Dirty-bomb suspect faces life after 3-year detention
Associated Press Aug 16, 07 1:36 PM CDT
(Newser)
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A US District Court convicted Jose Padilla, a US citizen once suspected in a dirty-bomb plot, of conspiring to commit terrorism abroad by providing aid to Islamic extremists. Padilla, a former Guantanamo detainee who became symbolic of the Bush administration's aggressive legal arguments for detaining suspected terrorists, was not charged with the sensational nuclear plot.
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Nation turns 60 amid bomb attacks and political upheaval
Independent (UK) Aug 14, 07 6:26 AM CDT
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Pakistan celebrates the 60th anniversary of its independence today at a moment plagued by violence and shadowed by political uncertainty, the Independent writes. A roadside bomb killed four civilians yesterday near the border with Afghanistan, where the Taliban is allegedly regrouping. Attacks have multiplied since July from tribal areas to Islamabad.
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