Islamic extremism

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Obama Must Put Lawless Somalia Back on Agenda

US has treated nation as if it doesn't matter ... just like pre-9/11 Afghanistan

(Newser) - With a government “rotten to the core,” continuing civilian deaths, and burgeoning Islamic extremism that echoes the atmosphere in Afghanistan under the Taliban, it’s time for the US to stop ignoring Somalia, writes Aidan Hartley in Vanity Fair. After two helicopters were shot down there in 1993,...

Saudis Fight Extremism With... Rehab?

Saudis rehabilitate terrorists using ideological approach

(Newser) - 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...

Gaza Camps Offer Arts and Crafts, Not AK-47s

UN hopes its summer camps can hose down extremism in Palestinian territory

(Newser) - 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...

Al-Qaeda Calls for Gaza War
 Al-Qaeda Calls for Gaza War 

Al-Qaeda Calls for Gaza War

Message from Osama's deputy urges attack on 'treacherous regimes'

(Newser) - 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...

Gallup Asks What Muslims Really Think

Most admire the West for technology and human rights

(Newser) - 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
...

Bin Laden Threatens Europe
  Bin Laden Threatens Europe 

Bin Laden Threatens Europe

He says cartoons of Muhammad part of crusade against Islam

(Newser) - 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...

3 Busted in Plot to Bomb US Manila Embassy

Foreigners also targeted UK, Australia, Israel missions

(Newser) - 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,...

Spain Busts 14 Islamic Militants in Terror Plot

Barcelona raids yield bomb materials; attack wasn't imminent

(Newser) - 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...

Bhutto Killing: Deadly Blow to Pakistan Stability

Musharraf blames terrorists for assassination

(Newser) - 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....

Terror Takes Center Stage in Pakistan Vote

Bhutto, Sharif blast Musharraf for rise in extremist attacks

(Newser) - 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...

Saudis Foil Hajj Attack
Saudis Foil Hajj Attack

Saudis Foil Hajj Attack

Militants aiming to disrupt Muslim ritual nabbed

(Newser) - 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."...

Fundamentalists Appeared After First English Bible

Having book in a common tongue allowed readers' own interpretations

(Newser) - 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...

Online Jihad Seeks Western Converts
Online Jihad Seeks Western Converts

Online Jihad Seeks Western Converts

Turning Iraq footage into hip-hop videos is one recruiting tool

(Newser) - 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...

Padilla Guilty of Aiding Terrorism
Padilla Guilty of Aiding Terrorism

Padilla Guilty of Aiding Terrorism

Dirty-bomb suspect faces life after 3-year detention

(Newser) - 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...

In Pakistan, a Birthday Marred by Violence

Nation turns 60 amid bomb attacks and political upheaval

(Newser) - 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...

Musharraf Backs Down From Emergency Rule

Under pressure, ruling general instead moves toward elections

(Newser) - After wide speculation that he would invoke emergency measures to deal with mounting violence and instability, Pakistan's president put out word today that he will stay the course on elections, Reuters reports. Beset by Islamic militants, constitutional challenges and declining poll numbers, Pervez Musharraf was thought to be on the...

Musharraf Bails on Karzai Meeting
Musharraf Bails on Karzai Meeting

Musharraf Bails on Karzai Meeting

Pakistan chief snubs Afghan jirga; US claims 'good reasons'

(Newser) - Pervez Musharraf has backed out of meetings with his Afghan counterpart in an abrupt snub that initially shocked Washington. Musharraf told Hamid Karzai he has other “engagements" at home in Pakistan and can't attend the meeting of tribal leaders intended to discuss military violence. The US is looking into...

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