Russian Warships in Mediterranean Prompt Fears Among Syrian Rebels
Source: Time By Jared Malsin / Istanbul As rebels hope to hold onto their half of Aleppo A fleet of eight Russian warships that entered the Mediterranean on October 26 […]
Turkey’s case against Muslim cleric has merit: US official
Source: Associated Press By MARIA DANILOVA FILE – In this July 17, 2016 file photo, Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen speaks to members of the… Read more WASHINGTON (AP) — A senior State Department official said Monday that Turkey’s contention that a Pennsylvania-based Muslim cleric and his followers were involved in […]
A new use for Saddam Hussein’s palace
Source: BBC By Husna Haq 1 November 2016 When Yazan Fadhli introduces himself to people and mentions that he’s from Iraq, his homeland conjures questions about the Islamic State, sectarian […]
Mosul battle: Iraqi forces near city’s eastern outskirts
Source: BBC Iraqi special forces are now less than 1.5km from the eastern outskirts of Mosul and are preparing to enter the city held by Islamic State fighters. Hundreds of Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) troops entered Bazwaya, the last village before the city limits, after launching a dawn assault on Monday. […]
Iran death penalty: Justice minister calls for fewer executions
Source: BBC Iran’s justice minister is looking for an “effective punishment” for criminals instead of execution, according to local media. Mostafa Pourmohammadi said he thought the number of capital crimes […]
A baroness in the British Parliament is suspended for anti-Semitism
Source: RNS By Lauren Markoe Lauren Markoe has been a national reporter for RNS since 2011. Previously she covered government and politics as a daily reporter at the Charlotte Observer and The State (Columbia, S.C.) (RNS) The event hosted by Baroness Jenny Tonge in the British Parliament, live-streamed on Facebook, […]
Mosul Iraq battle: ‘Tens of thousands of civilians’ used as IS human shields
Source: BBC Islamic State (IS) militants have abducted tens of thousands of civilians from around the Iraqi city of Mosul to use as human shields, the UN says. The group […]
Restorers lift the lid on Jesus’s tomb in Jerusalem
Source: The Guardian By Restoration work takes place on the tomb of Jesus in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Photograph: Oded Balilty/AP Harriet Sherwood Religion correspondent The […]
Sakharov prize: Yazidi women win EU freedom prize
Source: BBC Two Yazidi women who escaped sexual enslavement by so-called Islamic State (IS) in Iraq have won Europe’s top human rights award, the Sakharov prize. Nadia Murad Basee and Lamiya Aji Bashar were among thousands of Yazidi girls and women abducted by IS militants and forced into sexual slavery […]
Extremists ‘shave beards’ as pressure builds on Mosul
Source: ET “They had trimmed their beards and changed their clothes,” the former businessman said. “They must be scared… they are also probably preparing to escape the city.”Residents and military officials said many Islamic State fighters had relocated from eastern Mosul to their traditional bastions on the western bank of […]
Iraq’s parliament passes law banning alcohol
Source: The Guardian Iraq’s parliament has passed a law forbidding the import, production or selling of alcoholic beverages in a surprise move that angered many in the country’s Christian community […]
Mosul battle: Hundreds treated over toxic fumes in Iraq
Source: BBC Hundreds of people in Iraq are being treated for the effects of toxic gases after a sulphur plant was set alight in fighting with so-called Islamic State. The […]
A post-crisis order is possible in the Middle East
İBRAHIM KALIN@ikalin1 Published October 7, 2016 Strong and wise political leadership is needed to end self-destructive wars and conflicts in Muslim countries and protect them from external intervention and manipulations A number of deep-rooted problems are ravaging the Middle East and the larger Muslim world. It is as if the Muslim […]
Islamic State attacks Kirkuk as Iraqi forces push on Mosul
Reuters International OCT 21, 2016 Iraqi army gather after the liberation of a village from Islamic State militants, south of Mosul, during an operation to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, October 21, 2016. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudan (reuters_tickers) By Michael Georgy QAYYARA, Iraq (Reuters) – Islamic State launched a […]
Lebanon is a sectarian nation, yet it has avoided civil war while the Middle East burns – here’s why
Reconstructed after the civil war, the army is the only totally non-sectarian force in the country. It’s also the only institution that still works. Without it, conflict may yet have reignited Robert Fisk in Beirut @indyvoices 132 comments ‘The identity of Lebanon is sectarian’: Hezbollah supporters demonstrate against the Lebanese Government, […]
Religion News: Site of supposed death of Moses reopened to public
Source: Herald News After nearly a decade of renovations, a popular pilgrimage site for Jews, Christians and Muslims alike has been reopened in the Holy Land. Located on Mount Nebo […]
Refugee Exodus From Mosul Begins
Source: The Daily Beast Nearly 1,000 civilians have fled the besieged city of Mosul, crossing the border into Syria, in the first known large group that’s been able to escape since Iraq began trying to liberate its second-largest metro area from control by the Islamic State terror group. More than […]
Battle for Mosul: Operation to retake Iraqi city from IS begins
Source: BBC An Iraqi operation to recapture the city of Mosul, the last major stronghold of the so-called Islamic State (IS) in the country, has started. Artillery began firing on […]
Russia and the West: Where did it all go wrong?
Source: BBC By Jonathan Marcus Diplomatic correspondent It is hard to imagine a period since the end of the Cold War when relations between Russia and the United States have been […]
In the Arab world, sectarianism is real, sects are not
Source: Aljazeera Analysis of Arab societies through sectarianism does not grasp the complex dynamics of identity politics in the region. Rima Majed Most analysts writing about the Arab world are […]