Tag Archives: Islamic State

The head of UNESCO warned that Archeological sites in Syria are being looted “on an industrial scale,” with proceeds being used to fund Islamic State extremist. Irina Bokova the Director-General of UNESCO said, “Satellite imagery shows that archeological sites in Syria are dotted by thousands of illegal excavations… that show there is looting on an industrial scale,” “Limiting the trafficking in …

Amnesty International  The full extent of the horror that has unfolded across Iraq over the past year is revealed in an interactive story map published by Amnesty International today, detailing the plight of Iraqi civilians caught in a deadly spiral of horrific crimes by the armed group calling itself the Islamic State (IS) and brutal revenge attacks by the now …

Suicide bombers belong to Islamic state have attacked two mosques in Sanaa. More than 140 have been killed and more than 350 have been wounded . Victims were attending Friday weekly prayers at mosques when the four bombers attacked the Badr mosque in Alsafeya District in central Sanaa  and Al-Hashosh mosque in Algiraf District . These mosques are known to …

By Juan Cole The revelation by the Washington Post’s Adam Goldman and Ellen Nakashima that the car-bomb assassination of Hizbullah commando Imad Mughniyah in Damascus in 2008 was a joint CIA/ Israeli Mossad operation comes at an awkward time for Washington. The administration of George W. Bush did not target Mughniyah because of his alleged involvement of past actions against …

Extremist group Islamic State (IS) on Thursday released a defiant audio clip of Chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi after air strikes sparked rumors that he was killed or wounded. In the 17-minute clip, a man implied to be the IS leader vowed that the group will continue to expand in the region despite the international aerial campaign, and that it will …

When Islam was at its strongest, it was also at its most open-minded By Gerard Russell – Onfaith Ours is the oldest religion in the world,” said the Mandaean high priest to me in 2006, when we met during my diplomatic posting to Baghdad. He did indeed turn out to be the religious leader of an ancient people whose traditions …

by Sheema Khan  As Canada heads to war for six months or more in Iraq (and perhaps Syria), Canadian Muslims will once again feel under the microscope. As with the 1991 Persian Gulf war, and in the years after the 9/11 attacks, this community will bear the burden of suspicion, discrimination and possible recrimination. Acts of violent extremism committed overseas, …

In June, this reporter traveled to Israel and Palestine with a Sabeel delegation of individuals from the United States and Canada to explore the religious and political climate of the Holy Land. This article is the first in a series that will examine our findings and reflections. As Iraq and Syria disintegrate, the world watches with great trepidation. The group …

Several senior Islamic scholars and Imams have written an open letter to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of extremist group Islamic State (IS), spelling out how the actions of the Islamic State (IS) are forbidden under Islamic scripture and Islamic law. In the letter several scholars explain the teachings of the Quran and the Hadiths of the Prophet Mohammed must …

Elite Iraqi soldiers supported by US jets battled extremist forces near capital city Baghdad on Wednesday as Washington plans its strategy for expanded operations against the Islamic State (IS). US President Barack Obama prepared to meet with US military commanders and take crucial decisions in his strategy against the IS while trying to stay true to his promise of not …