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irede123

UK activists call to ban Hezbollah entirely - Europe - News - Arutz Sheva - 0 views

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    "Activists in the UK have launched a campaign to have Hezbollah officially proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the British government. The Israel-Britain Alliance is leading the campaign to have Hezbollah officially proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK government. Nearly 20 different organisations, both Jewish and Christian, have thrown their weight behind the initiative so far."
wmulnea

The Isis economy: Meet the new boss - FT.com - 0 views

  • Iraq’s second city of Mosul looks like a model of success for its new rulers from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
  • But in the back alleys, litter fills the streets. The lights stay on, but only because locals rigged up generators themselves. And under the blare of café televisions, old men grumble about life under Isis’s self-proclaimed caliphate.
  • “We’ve endured international sanctions, poverty, injustice. But it was never worse than it is now.”
  • ...16 more annotations...
  • Abu Ahmed at first welcomed the takeover by Isis,
  • Sunni Muslims in both countries have long felt discriminated against by regimes dominated by rival sects
  • without an economy that gives people a chance to make a living, many say Isis has little more to offer
  • “Compared to past rulers, Isis is a lot easier to deal with. Just don’t piss them off and they leave you alone,” says Mohammed, a trader from Mosul. “If they could only maintain services — then people would support them until the last second.”
  • “They’re operating like something between a mafia, an insurgency and a terror group. Maybe they thought six months ago they were going to function as a state. But they don’t have the personnel or manpower.”
  • the FT found its attempt at state-building has so far failed to win over locals.
  • volunteers handing out sacks of wheat stamped with their black and white seal. They even announced plans to issue a currency,
  • In some cases they say Isis takes credit for systems in place before it seized power. In others, locals say it is stealing the resources of the region it seeks to rule
  • Travellers must stock up on Iraqi dinars to use in Iraq, US dollars for the road and Syrian pounds once they arrive.
  • “I’m against Isis with all my heart,” Mahmoud says. “But I can’t help but admire their cleverness.”
  • Isis struggles to balance its books,
  • services continue to function because of the money Baghdad still pays to former civil servants in Mosul. Isis taxes those employees at up to 50 per cent of their salaries.
  • It is as if Isis is financing itself partly through a pyramid scheme, and this has begun to falter.”
  • Though many now question Isis’s economic management, its military prowess and organisational skills are clear.
  • Isis allows easy movement through its territories to facilitate trade. Trucks passing through are taxed about 10 per cent of the value of their cargo.
  • “I may be a Salafi, but I’m not an idiot,” he jokes.
hkerby2

Syria officially joins UN Chemical Weapons Convention - 0 views

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    Syria officially joined the United Nations convention banning chemical weapons, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The treaty requires all countries that join it to eliminate their chemical weapons, including stocks and related facilities. Syria is the 190th country to join the OPCW.
irede123

The War Between Hezbollah and ISIS in Lebanon - 0 views

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    Recognized as a terrorist organisation by most, Hezbollah has been at war with ISIS.
mkulach

Egypt welcomes US Congress draft legislation to label Brotherhood 'terrorist group' - 0 views

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    On Wednesday, a Republican-led House Committee approved the legislation designating the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation. Sunday 28 Febuary 2016 Egypt was welcomed by the United States Congress Judiciary Committee to label the Muslim Brotherhood a "foreign terrorist organisation." This would also mean to non US citizens with any affiliation with the Brotherhood inability to enter the US as well.
mportie

Two new cyber-espionage groups targeting ISPs inside Iran - 0 views

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    Cadelle and Chafer, the name of these groups, engage in cyber espionage using backdoors to target political activists and dissidents. These cyber groups have infiltrated over 100 systems of airlines, telecommunications and other organisations, mainly in the Middle East.
nicolet1189

Ignorant jihadis 'have bought into fantasy fuelled by social media' | World news | The ... - 0 views

  • boys aged between 10 and 20 who had been radicalised by the Taliban.
  • They all told the same story, sa
  • “They all had impoverished backgrounds, they were illiterate, their families had been approached by the Taliban and were coerced into abandoning their children, they were lambs to the slaughter,” she said.
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • Those from the west are naive and lack imagination, they are chasing a fictional dream, and they often have barely any knowledge of what Islam is.”
  • The book aspiring Isis militants most commonly ordered online before taking off to Syria was Islam for Dummies, she said.
  • “What Isis has done, and they have exceed al-Qaida in this, is take really spectacular control of the narrative of their organisation while sharing that story through masterful use of all mechanisms of the media,” she said
  • propaganda and recruitment videos spreading the jihadi message w
  • Ten years ago, it was difficult to access and acquire videos like the beheadings we have seen unless you were part of an inner circle, but now this material is mainstream, you can access it just by opening Twitter,”
  • “If you are a young person with limited imagination, a limited sense of self, and you are uninclined to engage with your neighbours, friends and a pluralistic society, you are very easily seduced. You’re like a blank canvas.”
  • Differentiating between Islam and Islamism
  • Islamism promotes explicit totalitarianism and the belief that Islam historically had incredible global and geopolitical glory that should be restored through violence, jihadism and barbarity
diamond03

Egypt receives 300 recommendations in UN human rights review - Daily News Egypt - 0 views

  • Egypt has been provide
  • with 300 recommendations by the United Nations Human Rights Council
  • recommendations relating to the controversial Protest and NGO Laws, media freedoms, freedom of association, the use of the death penalty, and women’s rights.
  • ...18 more annotations...
  • Egypt received 165 recommendations following its first review in 2010.
  • Seven Egyptian NGOs refused to participate in the UN UPR, citing a fear of reprisals by the Egyptian government.
  • in line with provisions set out in the constitution and “international norms”.
  • 20 recommendations that dealt with the status of civil society organisations in Egypt and called for a revision of the current law
  • 13 times among the 300 recommendations, with calls to amend the law and “bring it in line with international standards
  • Egypt was urged to ratify international conventions on the death penalty.
  • no international consensus on the death penalty
  • Iceland read “Ensure thorough, independent and impartial investigations into the mass killings in [Rabaa Al-Adaweya] Square in 2013 and hold the perpetrators accountable
  • ies” still have death as a punishment within their criminal justice systems.
  • 50 countr
  • The US also recommended that Egypt “release those detained solely for exercising rights to freedom of expression or for membership in a political group, and ensure remaining detainees full fair trial guarantees on an individual level”.
  • included recommendations to tackle corruption, human trafficking, the promotion of human rights, and investment in education for young people.
  • UN human rights representatives
  • not to participate in the review.
  • decided
  • “the appalling deterioration in the state of human rights in Egypt”.
  • “reconsider its policies and orientation before Egypt slides into an abyss of unremitting terrorism and political violence”.
  • Egypt has until March 2015 to respond to the recommendations
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    Egypt received 300 recommendation to review their human rights. The list also stated they wanted to tackle corruption, human trafficking, and human rights. Egypt has until March 2015 to respond. 
diamond03

Human Rights Watch calls for anti-FGM measures in Egypt | FIGO - 0 views

  • Human Rights Watch calls for anti-FGM measures in Egypt
  • “take clear action
  • an end in the country.
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • doctor and the fathe
  • doctor was charged with conducting the practice, he insisted that it was for medical purposes and not simply as a form of FGM.
  • first ever FGM trial
  • , the organisation said that significant steps need to be taken to enforce the laws
  • , 13-year-old Sohair al-Batea’s father was charged with
  • HRW says that existing laws need to be enforced properly with the help of greater commitment from local authorities in particula
  • “The authorities must send a clear message to the police, prosecution and the courts on investigating and prosecuting those who perform FGM
  • Rothna Begum
  • for HRW.Posted by Paul Robertson Other relevant links
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    It is clear that Egypt needs to take greeter actions in ensuring FGM is completely banned. Rothna Begum is a women's rights researcher who focuses on the Middle East and Africa. The doctor claims to have done the procedure other medical purposes other than FGM. 
malbasr

Profile: Egypt's militant Ansar Beit al-Maqdis group - 0 views

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    Al-Qaeda-inspired militant organisation Ansar Beit al-Maqdis (Champions of Jerusalem) has claimed responsibility for the 24 January bomb attack on the police headquarters in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. Initially, the group was known for launching attacks on Israeli targets and interests, but after the ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, it has started directing its violence against the Egyptian army and police.
fcastro2

Turkish forces raise flag on Syrian territory - Daily News Egypt - 0 views

  • urkish forces entered Syrian territories and advanced to the outskirts of Aleppo Saturday to transport the buried remains of the founder of the Ottoman Empire, Suleyman Shah.
  • Ashma village, on which the forces planted Turkish flag and claimed authority
  • was threatened in March 2014 by the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) as the radical militant organisation demanded that Turkey lowers its flag and withdraws troops guarding the site.
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  • A soldier was killed in the operation, as far as the international coalition to combat ISIS knows, although it didn’t see clashes,
  • After the Turkish forces transported the remains, they destroyed all the buildings in the site to “prevent abuse of the site
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    After the retrieval of the historical tomb, Turkish forces raised the Turkish flag in the village the tomb was transferred to. Syrian forces felt this as a bit of a threat and so relations between the two governments remain tense. 
nicolet1189

BBC News - Can Iraqi militants be kept off social media sites? - 0 views

  • co-ordinated hashtag campaigns to get its content trending on Twitter.
  • The Iraqi government responded by blocking social media sites and, in some provinces, barring access to the internet entirely.
  • But some of the most active Islamist social media accounts are still live,
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  • n Twitter using military pseudonyms,
  • The BBC spoke to a number of social networks, all of which said they did not actively monitor their sites for content promoting terrorism, but rather responded to requests from governments and individuals to remove offending material.
  • r Twitter said the company would remove a reported post that violated its rules.
  • Twitter's terms ban threats of violence and the "furtherance of illegal activities" on the site.
  • Many of the militants on Twitter redirect users to their Kik accounts.
  • Ask.fm, a
  • One Ask.fm account offered advice on how to join Isis fighters in Iraq, as well as what weapons one could expect to be equipped with on arrival.
  • Facebook and YouTube, have been more successful in removing extreme content.
  • rminated any account registered by a member of a foreign terrorist organisation - as designated by the US secretary of state - and used in an official capacity to further its interests.
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    Interesting article about challenges social media companies face in preventing and deactivating accounts with content or users linked to terrorist organizations such as ISIS.
diamond03

BBC News - Egypt: Deadly risks, but female genital mutilation persists - 0 views

  • youngster was frighten
  • female genital mutilation (FGM). She did not survive it
  • small farming communit
  • ...46 more annotations...
  • r lived and died
  • bedrock of faith and tradition
  • Both play a role in perpetuating FGM
  • It has been outlawed since 2008
  • religious duty
  • highest prevalence rates in the world.
  • Over 90%
  • under 50 have experienced it, according to government figures.
  • removal of all or part of the external genitalia
  • promoting chastity.
  • still widely practised in Egyp
  • girls aged between nine and 13
  • young as six,
  • unconfirmed reports of newborns being subjected to it.
  • "It is God's will
  • asked if it was right to subject Suhair to FGM
  • "Yes of course,
  • People here are used to i
  • circumcision, girls are full of lust
  • Hidden death toll
  • "We were four sisters, and we were circumcised in one day
  • Afterwards they gave us food and drinks."
  • Gypsies used to carry out the circumcisions, she told us, placing dust and salt on the wounds
  • 70% of FGM procedures in Egypt.
  • "It's perceived as being safer, but no-one learns how to do this at medical school. We should definitely assume more girls are dying as Suhair did,
  • his is a form of violence against children”
  • private clinic in his home.
  • dozen procedures carried out there every day.
  • enied performing FGM on Suhair and said he had only treated her for genital warts.
  • Dr Halawa on trial, together with Suhair's father, who brought her to his clinic
  • FGM is hard to quash
  • "The case has started a debate among the liberal-minded," said Mohamed Ismail, who works for a local women's rights organisation.
  • A thousand or so girls were circumcised after she died."
  • plans to have the curly-haired infant circumcised, by a doctor, when she reaches her teens
  • "In the past there was ignorance,
  • brought barbers to their homes to circumcise girls.
  • we are more modern
  • Campaigners warn that it will take more than one prosecution to spare other girls. More on This Story
  • they just turn up at the doctor's office with their daughters.
  • This is a form of violence against children,"
  • "It's an irreversible act. There are mental and physical scars that stay with the girl for a lifetime."
  • only one opponent of FGM in Suhair's village
  • "It's a very bad thing for girls," said Amira. "There's no need for it. It's wrong because it's dangerous."
  • he problem is the mentality of the farmers."
  • still easy to arrange.
  • Egypt: Deadly risks, but female genital mutilation persists
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    The article mentions an ogling trial about FGM. A young girl Suhair died during the procedure. Outlawed in 2008, FGM continues to happen.
aacosta8

Tunisian cyber activists take on Egyptian cause - 0 views

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    ocial media played in organising the uprising in Tunisia, and now, activists there are focusing their technical skills on helping anti-government protesters in Egypt. Tunisian hackers say they will attack website belonging to the Egyptian government in solidarity with the pro-democracy activists protesting there.
csherro2

What exactly does al-Qaeda want? - 0 views

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    Modern Islamic militancy is varied and complex. Al-Qaeda is as much an ideology or a set of values as a single organisation led by a single leader. The values and ideas, the 'wants', of militants are very varied. Recent Islamic militants have shown many different motivations.
mcooka

Schooling in a crisis: the case of Syrian refugees in Turkey - ODI HPN - 0 views

  • The Syrian civil war has created one of the largest and most intense episodes of human suffering of the early twenty-first century.
  • 387,883, with 200,039 living in government camps and 164,143 living in rented apartments
  • Turkey’s efforts to meet the needs of refugees have been spearheaded by the Afet ve Acil Durum Yonetimi Baskanligi
  • ...36 more annotations...
  • majority of refugees are women and, especially, children; of the 200,000 refugees in Turkish camps, about 60% are children.
  • t was left to him to find tents, wooden flooring, carpets and paving bricks, desks, chairs, drawing boards, teaching aids and, of course, textbooks
  • urkish Red Crescent
  • acquired through AFAD channels a
  • egging
  • he result
  • ten large tents with floors
  • drawing boards
  • electricity
  • computer projectors.
  • limate control consisted of large fans
  • he pre-school director in Islahiye Camp used empty office and storage space in the warehouse to house five rooms full of loud young children
  • preschools enjoyed the largest proportion of age-group participation.
  • camp schools are administered by Turks
  • curricula are not recognised or sanctioned by the Turkish education authorities, and so licenced Turkish teachers cannot be assigned to them.
  • amp education directors rely heavily on volunteers from among the refugees themselves
  • time and instruction with the children is often inconsistent
  • not be able to teach in Arabic
  • There is little incentive for parents to commit their children to learning a new language
  • Closely related to the issue of language is the curriculum
  • eenage students in the camps generally do not have access to the secondary schooling
  • Indeed, one source of tension between Syrian parents and the Turkish authorities has been the Syrian demand for special classes for advanced students whose preparations for university entrance exams were interrupted by the war.
  • Syrian schools have opened outside of the camps with funding from the local government,
  • using the Syrian curriculum and books salvaged from Syrian schools and reproduced
  • Gaziantep
  • namely Syrian demands for the separation of the sexes in classrooms
  • Syrian parents also tend to insist that their daughters wear headscarves (hijab) in public and in schools, while it is illegal for Turkish teenage girls to cover their hair at school.
  • Tensions over the separation of the sexes, curriculum and language of instruction are compounded by the politics of Syrians’ refugee status
  • y contrast, the Turkish government chose not to officially recognise the Syrians as refugees as defined by UNHCR, and did not ask UNHCR to register the newcomers as refugees.
  • officially designate Syrians as refugees would limit Turkey’s involvement in the Syrian civil war,
  • Turkey has allowed arms and non-lethal aid through its territory to supply the Free Syrian Army
  • here are also concerns that Syrians, desperate for income, take jobs at lower wages than Turks
  • Even guests can outstay their welcome, and with no end in sight to the civil war and no prospect of a return of Syrians to Syria, Turks are beginning to question how long they can sustain their assistance. I
  • une 2013 AFAD began accepting offers of financial and other aid from outside agencies, including UNHCR and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
  • The schools developed in Syrian refugee camps in Turkey provide valuable models for establishing schools for rapidly growing refugee populations.
  • The next critical challenge for Syrian education in Turkey is what to do with the growing number of Syrian teenagers who need to finish their high-school studies at accredited schools in order to compete for places at universities in Turkey or elsewhere.
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    This was probably the most interesting article I have read about education in the MIddle East. It is from the "Humanitarian practice Network". This article is about Turkey and the Syrian refugees, who are not documented as refugees, and the growing desire for improvements to education. Right now, the education which is in place for Syrians is adequate for a temporary stay of preserving knowledge. It is not designed to be used long term, to advance students, or to prep them for universities. This article looks at those issues and tensions which are happening currently in Turkey
amarsha5

Turkey's Erdogan denounces US support for Syrian Kurds - BBC News - 0 views

  • he refugees have fled an offensive by Syrian government forces and Iranian-backed militias,
  • Turkey says the PYD, on which the US relies to b
  • Syria, is an offshoot of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • More than 500 people, including dozens of civilians, have been killed since the assault began 10 days ago
  • urkey has already taken in more than 2.5 million Syrian refugees over the past five years and says it will continue to do so in a "controlled fashion".
  • rkey would be indirectly contributing to "ethnic cleansing" in northern Syria by the government.
  • urkey's president asked in a speech: "Are you on our side or the side of the terrorist PYD and PKK organisation?"
  • While Turkey sees the PYD and YPG as offshoots of the banned PKK, the US does not and believes they are the only effective force against IS on the ground in Syria, reports the BBC's Mark Lowen in Istanbul.
  • France's outgoing Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius, also questioned the commitment of the US to resolve the crisis in Syria on Wednesday, saying its "ambiguous" policy was contributing to the problem.
  • But he warned: "We feel that we were sold to the Russians, and that the West has abandoned us."
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    Turkey has denounced the United States for providing support to the Democratic Union Party, who any are calling a terrorist group. This is contributing to the bloodshed. 
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    Turkey is mad at U/S over their support for Syria's Kurdish group. Turkey claims them as a terrorist group. Refugees are still fleeing from Syria.
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    US support of Syrian extremist group, the Democratic Union Party, has been denounced by Turkish president Erdogan. The recent fighting has displaced 50,000 people and cut off key supply routes for bringing in aid. Turkey has vowed to continue to accept refugees.w
aromo0

Donors: keep out | The Economist - 0 views

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    Egypt is requiring all NGO's to seek permission from a government appointed committee before being able to receive foreign funds. The government is attempting to filter out those organizations that promote the western vision.
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