Photo: Modern, religious education needed to combat terrorism: Salman Nadvi
Modern, Religious Education Needed To Combat Terrorism: Nadwatul Ulema Professor
In Pakistan, Militants Raise Alarm With Their 'Court Of Sharia'
Anthrax Terror Plot Shows ISIS’ Reach into East Africa
India
Muslim Students, Sufi Clerics to Reach Out To Kashmiri Youths against Extremism
Modern, Religious Education Needed To Combat Terrorism: Nadwatul Ulema Professor
Punjabi Quran Had Sikh Translator, Hindu Funders
MHA ‘Aggressive’ Plan Helped Curb Islamic State Threat In India
IS-inspired jihadist cell busted, 3 held, 10 detained: Police to ask NGO to ‘de-radicalise’ youth
Mumbai Court Strikes Down Beef Ban
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Pakistan
In Pakistan, Militants Raise Alarm With Their 'Court Of Sharia'
Conference Calls for End to Foreign Interference in Muslim States
Pakistan rejects US conditions attached to sale of F-16s
Arrested JeM terrorists were shown videos of alleged atrocities from J&K, Muzaffarnagar, Iraq
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Africa
Anthrax Terror Plot Shows ISIS’ Reach into East Africa
Head of the Islamic State’s Sahara Branch Threatens Morocco
Libya, Tunisia eye anti-terrorist co-operation
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Arab World
UN Warns That Iraq's Political Crisis Helps 'Islamic State' Extremists
Saudi Prince Urges American Voters to ‘Make The Right Choice’ On Donald Trump
Saudi Identifies Suspected Islamic State Fighters Killed In Raid
Iraqi forces shut down Baghdad to prevent Green Zone protests
US, Zionism brought terror to Middle East: Iran
Iranian Kurdish groups can bring war to the cities, but need unity
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South Asia
Coalition Forces Supported Afghan Troops In RS Role In Raid On Taliban Prison
28 Militants Killed, 30 Wounded As Major Taliban Attack Repulsed In Kunar
Hekmatyar likely to visit Kabul to sign peace agreement with Afghan govt
Afghanistan to receive 12 MD-530s upgraded with rocket pods from US
Afghan army helicopter makes emergency landing in Kandahar, no casualties reported
Ex-NDS Chief Rahmatullah Nabil meets Balkh acting governor Ata Mohammad Noor
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Mideast
Cumhuriyet Journalists Sentenced To Five Years for Revealing State Secrets
Hamas's Deputy Leader: 'We Are Not Calling For a New War'
Two more detained over gun attack on journalist Can Dündar
Under ISIL fire, Kilis locals demand more protection
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Southeast Asia
ISIS’ Growing Presence In Southeast Asia Must Be Crushed Before It’s Too Late
Asri Yuniar Muslim Cleric by Day, Band Singer By Night
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Europe
Sadiq Khan Elected in London, Becoming Its First Muslim Mayor
Netanyahu to host seminar on Jewish history for UN diplomats
Thousands of Muslim migrants continue to flow into Europe
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North America
Milbank: Donald Trump Is Bad News for American Muslims
Local police brace for biker rally at Muslim hamlet
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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Muslim Students, Sufi Clerics to Reach Out To Kashmiri Youths against Extremism
May 6, 2016
BAREILLY: In a first, Muslim Students Organisation of India (MSO) is heading for Kashmir in an attempt to make youths understand the perils of radicalism and the alternate present in Sufi thought.
MSO has so far been working across the country to de-radicalise youths and expose what it says is the radical agenda of supporters of terror. Accompanied by Sufi clerics, MSO members will conduct a two-day conference in Srinagar on May 28 and 29, in which local youths will be informed about "the dirty nexus between radical schools of thought and terrorism".
"This is the first time that a conference highlighting the Sufi school of thought and targeting youth in Kashmir is being organised. We are trying to gather at least five student leaders from every district of the state. The main motive behind the event is to tell youngsters how religious texts are being misused by terrorists to radicalise them. As many youngsters have not received proper Islamic education and religion becomes an emotional point, they are lured towards extremism by unscrupulous elements misinterpreting religious books. We will impart true meaning of terms used in Quran and Hadith," Shujaat Ali Quadri, general secretary, MSO told TOI.
Apart from members of the organisation, many clerics from across the country will attend this conference. They will distribute literature penned by renowned Sufi mystics.
In the conference, youth will also be taught on how to use social media to maintain communal harmony in the region.
"We will educate students about the kind of messages they should post in reply to offensive messages online so that communal harmony is not disturbed," said Quadri.
Kashmiri students will also be educated about how India, being the world's largest democracy, offers its citizens religious freedom and the right to protest. "A few students living in Kashmir want freedom but we will try to create awareness that Indian Constitution gives the right to education, right to appeal and right to legal options. They should respect Indian society and law as India is the only country which allows any school of thought to be professed, irrespective of religion and region," said Quadri.
He added, "We will give the example of Saudi Arabia, which is a Muslim country, but residents cannot hold protests against authorities."
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/Muslim-students-Sufi-clerics-to-reach-out-to-Kashmiri-youths-against-extremism/articleshow/52155779.cms
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Modern, Religious Education Needed To Combat Terrorism: Nadwatul Ulema Professor
May 7, 2016
Lucknow based Islamic seminary – Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama professor Maulana Syed Salman Nadvi has said that a mix of modern and religious education is the need of the hour to curb growing menace of terrorism and communalism in the world.
“A mix of modern and religious education is needed to eradicate the growing terrorism and communalism in the world,” Nadvi last night told an Annual Islamic Carnival underway here.
He said that education was the key to reasoning and well beings of humans.
The Muslim seminary professor said, “All languages – English, Hindi, Sanskrit, Urdu are the God’s gift and they should be employed to unite people rather dividing them.
siasat.com/news/modern-religious-education-needed-combat-terrorism-salman-nadvi-956011/
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In Pakistan, militants raise alarm with their 'Court of Sharia'
May 07,2016
en a suicide bomb exploded Easter Sunday at a crowded park near his home, killing dozens, Khalid Saeed was saddened but not surprised. Saeed had already seen the reach of Islamist militants firsthand.
This year, a disgruntled former business partner had shown up at the 45-year-old builder's office and handed him a summons from the "Arbitration Court of Sharia," a reference to Islamic religious law.
It was printed on the letterhead of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the political arm of a terrorist organization whose founder has a $10-million U.S. bounty on his head.
After he failed to appear for the hearing at a mosque in Lahore, Saeed said, he began receiving threatening phone calls. Undeterred, he sued the Pakistani government, and last week a judge ordered the Interior Ministry to investigate whether Jamaat-ud-Dawa was running a parallel justice system in the country's second-largest city.
The group acknowledges operating a religious council to mediate disputes, but denies that it coerces anyone into obeying its rulings.
These goons are controlling Lahore. The government has no authority.
— Khalid Saeed, businessman who challenged Jamaat-ud-Dawa
The legal tussle underscores the influence that extremist groups exert in Pakistan, often right under the government's nose. Even as the army vows to crack down on Islamist militants it blames for devastating attacks at home, it turns a blind eye to some groups, such as Jamaat-ud-Dawa, that support the military's strategic aims outside Pakistan.
Since 2014, the army has waged an offensive targeting a federation of insurgent groups known as the Pakistani Taliban, a breakaway faction of which claimed responsibility for the Easter bombing.
But analysts say there has been no clampdown on what Pakistan's security establishment regards as "good" militant organizations — those that don't attack Pakistan and whose ranks include fighters willing to carry out operations in India or Afghanistan.
Those organizations include Jaish-e-Mohammed, which India blames for a deadly raid on an air base near the border in January, and which is building a massive new seminary in southern Punjab. Then there's Jamaat-ud-Dawa, which the U.S. and United Nations have described as a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba, the terrorist group accused of planning the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai, India.
Jamaat-ud-Dawa is so powerful in Punjab, said Saeed's lawyer, Maqbool Hussain Sheikh, that "judges usually won't even hear cases" against the group.
But Pakistan's balancing act with "good" and "bad" militants has become riskier, analysts say. Under pressure by the military campaign, many Pakistani Taliban fighters are believed to have sought shelter with or switched to the "good" groups, which share similar jihadist ideologies even if they oppose shedding blood in Pakistan.
"The militancy still has the wherewithal in Punjab … they have sufficient clout and power, and they continue to operate," said Ayesha Siddiqa, an independent expert on security affairs.
Increasingly, she said, "it is difficult to separate 'good' militants from 'bad' militants."
Jamaat-ud-Dawa casts itself as a charitable and social organization, known in part for its extensive network of schools and medical facilities.
But it also operates out of a heavily guarded headquarters north of Lahore and has gained followers for its stance on ousting rival India from the disputed territory of Kashmir.
Its founder, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, who is not related to the builder, moves freely in Lahore and occasionally lectures at universities despite a U.S. State Department reward for his capture.
In surveys, most Pakistanis say the country's laws should follow the teachings of the Koran, and in 1980 the country established a Federal Shariat Court that has the authority to determine whether laws conform to Islam. But amid widespread dissatisfaction with Pakistan's justice system, informal Islamic arbitration mechanisms known as jirgas have sprung up in areas where militant groups have influence.
"If I am an ordinary citizen and the courts are not delivering, the legal process is very cumbersome, the police are not going to help, here's an alternative," Siddiqa said.
That tension, between secular and religious legal systems, has been highlighted in the case of Khalid Saeed. His former business partner, Muhammad Azam, says Saeed owes him $100,000.
Saeed said he and Azam sought to resolve the real estate dispute in Pakistan's formal courts beginning in 2011. The case was still pending when Azam handed Saeed the summons in January.
Saeed wrote to the Punjab government, the federal Home Affairs Ministry and military officials to take action against Jamaat-ud-Dawa, but no one did. Finally, he filed his own suit.
What makes Saeed's case unusual is that he received a written notice, complete with a logo featuring the scales of justice, and that he dared to challenge Jamaat-ud-Dawa publicly.
"These goons are controlling Lahore," Saeed said in an interview at a small rented apartment where he has moved his family to escape threats. "The government has no authority."
In court, a lawyer for Jamaat-ud-Dawa said that the summons was a forgery and denied that Saeed had been coerced.
A spokesman for the group, Yahya Mujahid, said in an interview that it has operated an arbitration council for the last two decades and its religious scholars have adjudicated thousands of civil disputes, including some involving murder. Mujahid said the group supports the Pakistani justice system and often refers cases to formal courts.
"We only resolve matters of the public with the written consent of the parties involved, and no one is compelled to abide by the order," Mujahid said.
Militancy in Lahore has gained renewed attention since the Easter attack, which killed 75 people. Critics say Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, whose family has led the province for the better part of three decades, has gone soft on militants in Punjab for fear of incurring political costs.
Southern Punjab has one of the largest concentrations of Islamic schools, or madrasas, which have often been linked to radicalism.
Under a national counter-terrorism plan Sharif launched in late 2014, madrasas found to have ties to militants were supposed to be shut down. As of January, only two of more than 13,000 registered madrasas in Punjab had been closed, according to a report.
"The government has short- and long-term targets when it comes to counter-terrorism, and it is first trying to dismantle the groups that are able to carry out attacks," said Peter Jacob, executive director of the Center for Social Justice, an independent advocacy group in Lahore.
"Dealing with groups like Jamaat-ud-Dawa, which have a public face and a large following, will take time."
latimes.com/world/afghanistan-pakistan/la-fg-pakistan-extremists-20160507-story.html
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Anthrax Terror Plot Shows ISIS’ Reach Into East Africa
MAY 7, 2016
Kenyan police announced this week that they had arrested a man interning at a Kenyan hospital who was planning a major anthrax attack on the country. Police in neighboring Uganda arrested two alleged accomplices, and Kenyan police are still searching for two others they claim were involved in the plot.
Authorities believe the man, Mohammed Abdi Ali, is part of an Islamic State-linked East African terror network that has been radicalizing East Africans and facilitating their travel to Libya, Iraq, and Syria, where the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, is most active.
Not enough information has been released to determine how serious the plot was. There have been no reports that any anthrax was recovered, and it is unclear if Ali had access to the dangerous substance. We also do not know how strong his links were to ISIS. Moroccan authorities have warned previously that ISIS is trying to build biological weapons , as well as launch a chemical attack in Europe as it has already done in Iraq and Syria.
Whatever the true story, ISIS does have alarming influence in Kenya and other East African countries. Kenyan authorities estimate that at least 20 Kenyans, many of them university students, have gone to fight for ISIS. Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, and almost certainly other East African countries have had citizens leave for ISIS as well.
ISIS also developed official support in East Africa for the first time late last year. Abdiqadir Mumin, a senior official in al-Shabaab—a prominent al-Qaeda-aligned terrorist group in Somalia that has networks throughout East Africa—and 20 of his followers declared allegiance to ISIS in October 2015.
Alarmingly, a former senior Somali intelligence official claims that the number of ISIS fighters has swelled since then to 150 today, and says they are receiving weapons and supplies from ISIS through nearby Yemen.
There have been other signs of ISIS’ presence in the region. In April, ISIS claimed its first attack in Somalia—a bombing of a vehicle belonging to the peacekeeping mission in the country. Two weeks later, it claimed a second attack, this time on Somali government troops. Also in April, a different group calling itself “Jahba East Africa” pledged itself to ISIS. Nothing has been heard from it since, however, so it may exist in little more than name only at the moment.
ISIS still faces significant hurdles in Somalia. The Somali government claims its commandos recently overran an ISIS training camp in southern Somalia. Al-Shabaab also remains entrenched in the country, and ISIS’ repeated overtures to al-Shabaab to forsake its affiliation with al-Qaeda and join ISIS have been rebuffed. In fact, al-Shabaab has hunted down and killed a number of its fighters who were agitating for the group to switch allegiances. It appears the pro-ISIS faction inside al-Shabaab is mostly comprised of younger fighters, while the older leadership, including al-Shabaab’s emir, Ahmad Umar, is determined for now to remain in the al-Qaeda fold.
Al-Shabaab could shift allegiances if it believed ISIS was a better deal, but that is unlikely at the moment. The group would probably have made the jump earlier if it was going to, when ISIS was at its zenith rather than now when it is suffering setbacks in Iraq and Syria. The war in Yemen has also revived al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, historically al-Shabaab’s strongest link to al-Qaeda, giving the Somali terrorists even more incentive to remain with al-Qaeda.
ISIS’ apparent growing strength in East Africa is of deep concern whether or not al-Shabaab switches over. ISIS’ presence likely portends increased radicalization and more terrorist attacks in a fragile region already unable to suppress al-Shabaab’s violence. The war against terrorism in East Africa may well be entering an even deadlier phase.
dailysignal.com/2016/05/06/anthrax-terror-plot-shows-isis-reach-into-east-africa/
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India
Muslim Students, Sufi Clerics to Reach Out To Kashmiri Youths against Extremism
May 6, 2016
BAREILLY: In a first, Muslim Students Organisation of India (MSO) is heading for Kashmir in an attempt to make youths understand the perils of radicalism and the alternate present in Sufi thought.
MSO has so far been working across the country to de-radicalise youths and expose what it says is the radical agenda of supporters of terror. Accompanied by Sufi clerics, MSO members will conduct a two-day conference in Srinagar on May 28 and 29, in which local youths will be informed about "the dirty nexus between radical schools of thought and terrorism".
"This is the first time that a conference highlighting the Sufi school of thought and targeting youth in Kashmir is being organised. We are trying to gather at least five student leaders from every district of the state. The main motive behind the event is to tell youngsters how religious texts are being misused by terrorists to radicalise them. As many youngsters have not received proper Islamic education and religion becomes an emotional point, they are lured towards extremism by unscrupulous elements misinterpreting religious books. We will impart true meaning of terms used in Quran and Hadith," Shujaat Ali Quadri, general secretary, MSO told TOI.
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/Muslim-students-Sufi-clerics-to-reach-out-to-Kashmiri-youths-against-extremism/articleshow/52155779.cms
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Modern, Religious Education Needed To Combat Terrorism: Nadwatul Ulema Professor
May 7, 2016
Lucknow based Islamic seminary – Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama professor Maulana Syed Salman Nadvi has said that a mix of modern and religious education is the need of the hour to curb growing menace of terrorism and communalism in the world.
“A mix of modern and religious education is needed to eradicate the growing terrorism and communalism in the world,” Nadvi last night told an Annual Islamic Carnival underway here.
Full report at: siasat.com/news/modern-religious-education-needed-combat-terrorism-salman-nadvi-956011/
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Punjabi Quran Had Sikh Translator, Hindu Funders
May 5, 2016
BATHINDA: A copy of the Holy Quran translated into Punjabi and printed by two Hindu men along with another Sikh. As impossible as this may sound today, a historian in Punjab has dug up one such copy that was printed way back in 1911. A good 105 years later, the book has transcended many boundaries by travelling from the hands of a Sikh to a Muslim and is now in the possession of a Hindu academic, all of whom see it as a prized possession.
Subash Parihar, who retired from the museology department of Central University of Punjab, is planning to have details of the Quran into the encyclopedia of Sufism that he is preparing. Parihar, who is at present teaching at a private college in Kotkapura, says, "This Quran was translated into Gurmukhi from Arabic by Sant Vaidya Gurdit Singh Alomhari, a Nirmala Sikh (sect of Sikhism devoted to literary pursuits). The printing expenses were borne by two Hindus, Bhagat Budhamal Adatli Mevjat and Vaidya Bhagat Guraditta Mal, with another Sikh man, Mela Singh Attar Wazirabad."
Full report at: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/Punjabi-Quran-had-Sikh-translator-Hindu-funders/articleshow/52116456.cms?from=mdr
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MHA ‘aggressive’ plan helped curb Islamic State threat in India
May 07, 2016
When home minister Rajnath Singh informed Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that terror outfit Islamic State (ISIS) has not been able to make significant inroads in India, it was not without reason. The aggressive strategy adopted by the home ministry in dealing with the threat from ISIS has not only successfully thwarted all attempts by the terror group to radicalise Indian youth but has so far led to the arrest of 50 persons in the last eight months primarily by the NIA and some of the state police.
According to the latest data compiled by the home ministry regarding ISIS activities, NIA arrested 25 persons, six in Telangana, four in Maharashtra, four in Delhi, three in Tamil Nadu, while Karnataka and Rajasthan arrested one each.
Full report at: thehansindia.com/posts/index/National/2016-05-07/MHA-aggressive-plan-helped-curb-Islamic-State-threat-in-India/226621
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IS-Inspired Jihadist Cell Busted, 3 Held, 10 Detained: Police to Ask NGO to ‘De-Radicalise’ Youth
May 07, 2016
Following the arrest of three men, who are suspected of setting up an Islamic State-inspired jihadist group to carry out bomb strikes in the capital, and the detention of 10 others, sources said the Delhi Police is planning to ask an NGO to rehabilitate the youth and de-radicalise them.
Sources said special cell teams also conducted raids at various locations in Delhi and NCR to recover materials for making bombs hidden across the city by the accused.
Sources said during questioning, the youths claimed they were highly motivated towards ‘jihad’ and ‘were ready to do anything for it’. Police also claimed to have recovered study material, including books written in Urdu, on “jihadi ideology” from the home of the detained youth.
Full report at: indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/is-inspired-jihadist-cell-busted-3-held-10-detained-police-to-ask-ngo-to-de-radicalise-youth-2788303/
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Mumbai Court Strikes Down Beef Ban
May 6, 2016
MUMBAI: An Indian court on Friday struck down a tough law that had banned the consumption of beef in the western state of Maharashtra, dealing a blow to right-wing Hindu groups.
Last year the government of Maharashtra, home to India’s commercial centre Mumbai, made the sale or possession of beef an offence punishable by a five-year jail term or a 10,000-rupee ($150) fine.
It was one of the strictest such laws in India, where several states ban the slaughter of cows, considered sacred by the Hindu majority.
Full report at: dawn.com/news/1256745/mumbai-court-strikes-down-beef-ban
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Pakistan
In Pakistan, militants raise alarm with their 'Court of Sharia'
May 07,2016
en a suicide bomb exploded Easter Sunday at a crowded park near his home, killing dozens, Khalid Saeed was saddened but not surprised. Saeed had already seen the reach of Islamist militants firsthand.
This year, a disgruntled former business partner had shown up at the 45-year-old builder's office and handed him a summons from the "Arbitration Court of Sharia," a reference to Islamic religious law.
Full report at: latimes.com/world/afghanistan-pakistan/la-fg-pakistan-extremists-20160507-story.html
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Conference calls for end to foreign interference in Muslim states
07-May-16 268
LAHORE: Speakers at ‘Nida-e-Muslim Conference’ said that challenges of Islamic World could only be settled with unity among Islamic countries and by making an end to foreign intervention in affairs of Muslim countries.
“Thousands of innocent people are being killed in Iraq and Syria owing to interference of Russia and Iran,” the speakers said on Friday at Dar-ul-Uloom Hanfia, with Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) Chairman Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, in the chair.
The speakers also called upon the government to devise new polices for interior and foreign affairs in the backdrop of facts revealed by Uzair Baloch and detained Indian spy.
Addressing the conference, Tahir Ashrafi said that the world leadership is demonstrating “criminal silence” over killing of innocent people in Syria, adding that Muslim world should play its responsible role on prevailing challenges in Syria and Iraq. He said the Syrian issue should be resolved in accordance with the resolution that was approved in Islamic Summit held in Istanbul earlier.
Full report at: dailytimes.com.pk/punjab/07-May-16/conference-calls-for-end-to-foreign-interference-in-muslim-states
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Pakistan rejects US conditions attached to sale of F-16s
May 07,2016
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan needs modern F-16 fighter jets for its ongoing war against terrorism but rejects the conditions the United States has attached with their sale, said Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry on Saturday.
Speaking to journalists, scholars and corporate leaders at a breakfast meeting in Islamabad, the foreign secretary said no conditions should be attached to the sale of F-16s because Pakistan plans to use the jets only for the purpose of fighting terrorists.
The US State Department earlier this week said Pakistan will have to pay from its own funds if it wants to buy F-16 fighter jets, after the US Congress last month withdrew funds for the deal to force Pakistan to act against the Haqqani network.
Chaudhry said Saturday that diplomatic efforts were underway to convince the Congress to subsidise the sale of the fighter jets.
Full report at: dawn.com/news/1256894/pakistan-rejects-us-conditions-attached-to-sale-of-f-16s
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Arrested JeM terrorists were shown videos of alleged atrocities from J&K, Muzaffarnagar, Iraq
May 07,2016
New Delhi: Investigators interrogating the three youths arrested for alleged links with banned Jaish-e-Mohammed Friday said the trio were shown videos pertaining to alleged atrocities against Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffarnagar and Iraq to induct them into the outfit and execute terror strikes in the national capital.
A senior police official said prime accused Sajid had joined a social media page where he met a cyber entity 'Talha', believed to be close to JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar, who is wanted by India in connection with 2001 Parliament attack case and the terror strike on Pathankot IAF base in January.
The web page had links to several websites which allegedly propagate jihad ideology. In one such website, Sajid found a phone number, which pertained to Pakistan and the contact number later turned out to be that of Talah, the official said.
Once Sajid had roped in the other accused youths -- Sameer Ahmed and Shakir Ansari into the module -- the cyber entity sent them links to videos showing alleged atrocities against Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffarnagar and Iraq. The idea was to induct them into the outfit and plan serial blasts here, the official added.
Investigators had yesterday said the trio was initially inspired by the dreaded ISIS and later shifted their ideological leaning.
Sajid was self-radicalised and propagated ideology which was in line with that of the Islamic State until he came in touch with Talha. However, the circumstances behind the change in the ideological unit was yet to be ascertained.
All 13 people, including the three arrested, picked up by police in connection with the matter were members of a WhatsApp group, the communications under which is currently being scrutinised by investigators.
Apart from data shared through Internet and an 8 GB pen drive recovered from the possession of the arrested persons, investigators are also scrutinising books which the trio possessed.
The police had claimed to have recovered from Sajid's residence one live improvised explosive device (IED), one damaged IED and materials like batteries, timer devices, pipes, wires, adhesives and over 250 grams of suspected explosives in powdered form, all sent to a forensic lab now.
The three youths, who were under the lens of intelligence agencies for the past one year, were arrested after late night raids starting Tuesday. While Sajid and Sameer hail from Delhi-NCR, Ansari is a resident of Deoband in Uttar Pradesh.
The three had been learning to put together IEDs over the past fortnight and on Tuesday, Sajid got injured while making the explosive device. His left hand was damaged when it went off accidentally. Sajid had called up Sameer immediately after the explosion and the latter rushed to his house.
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Africa
Anthrax Terror Plot Shows ISIS’ Reach Into East Africa
MAY 7, 2016
Kenyan police announced this week that they had arrested a man interning at a Kenyan hospital who was planning a major anthrax attack on the country. Police in neighboring Uganda arrested two alleged accomplices, and Kenyan police are still searching for two others they claim were involved in the plot.
Authorities believe the man, Mohammed Abdi Ali, is part of an Islamic State-linked East African terror network that has been radicalizing East Africans and facilitating their travel to Libya, Iraq, and Syria, where the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, is most active.
Not enough information has been released to determine how serious the plot was. There have been no reports that any anthrax was recovered, and it is unclear if Ali had access to the dangerous substance. We also do not know how strong his links were to ISIS. Moroccan authorities have warned previously that ISIS is trying to build biological weapons , as well as launch a chemical attack in Europe as it has already done in Iraq and Syria.
Full report at: dailysignal.com/2016/05/06/anthrax-terror-plot-shows-isis-reach-into-east-africa/
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Head of the Islamic State’s Sahara branch threatens Morocco
MAY 7, 2016
The self-proclaimed head of the Islamic State’s arm in the Sahara has reportedly threatened to attack Morocco in an audio statement sent to Al Jazeera.
Abu Walid al Sahrawi, who previously led the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) and swore allegiance to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi last year, “has called for attacks on the United Nations mission in Western Sahara and on Western tourists in Morocco,” according to Al Jazeera. “The statement also included a call for attacks on Western tourists in Morocco, the headquarters of Moroccan security, and on foreign companies.”
The Long War Journal cannot independently verify that the message is authentic.
MUJAO was formed in Mali in 2011 and operated as part of al Qaeda’s network. Alongside al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Ansar Dine and Tuareg separatists, MUJAO helped take over northern Mali in 2012. A French-led invasion ejected the jihadists from many their strongholds, but Mali is still plagued with violence.
Full report at: longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/05/report-head-of-the-islamic-states-sahara-branch-threatens-morocco.php
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Libya, Tunisia eye anti-terrorist co-operation
MAY 7, 2016
Tripoli - Neighbours Libya and Tunisia, which have been hit by a string of jihadist attacks, pledged on Friday to co-operate in the fight against terrorism.
"We will conquer terrorism, but it will take time and co-operation," Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid told a joint news conference in Tripoli hours after his arrival in the Libyan capital.
The head of Libya's new unity government, Fayez al-Sarraj, agreed on the need to bolster bilateral cooperation against jihadists active in both countries.
"We spoke about security co-ordination for the battle against terrorism," Sarraj told reporters.
Full report at: news24.com/Africa/News/libya-tunisia-eye-anti-terrorist-co-operation-20160507
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Arab World
UN warns that Iraq's political crisis helps 'Islamic State' extremists
May 5, 2016
Despite notable progress on the ground against "Islamic State" (IS) militants, top UN envoy in Iraq Jan Kubis warned the UN Security that the country's ongoing political crisis and chaos are only serving the interests of IS extremists, adding that the jihadis remain "a formidable and determined enemy that constantly adjusts its tactics and attack patterns."
A profound political crisis has paralyzed the work of the Iraqi government and parliament, Kubis said, arguing that the chaos "added a new layer of complications to the already complex set of military, security, humanitarian, economic and human rights challenges the country is facing."
Full report at: dw.com/en/un-warns-that-iraqs-political-crisis-helps-islamic-state-extremists/a-19241152
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Saudi Prince Urges American Voters To ‘Make The Right Choice’ On Donald Trump
May 7, 2016
WASHINGTON — Representatives of foreign allies tend to tiptoe around the issue of U.S. elections, hesitant to risk offending a candidate who may later be elected president. But the ascension of real estate mogul Donald Trump to the position of the presumptive Republican nominee has compelled some foreign officials to try to sway American voters away from backing the bombastic candidate.
With carefully chosen words, Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former ambassador to the U.S., warned against a Trump presidency. “For the life of me, I cannot believe that a country like the United States can afford to have someone as president who simply says, ‘These people are not going to be allowed to come to the United States,’” Turki said on Thursday evening, referring to Trump’s proposal to ban Muslims from entering the country.
“It’s up to you, it’s not up to me,” Turki continued, speaking at a Washington Institute For Near East Policy dinner hosted at the Mandarin Oriental hotel. “I just hope you, as American citizens, will make the right choice in November.”
Full report at: huffingtonpost.com/entry/prince-turki-donald-trump_us_572c1fd2e4b096e9f090e769?section=india
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Saudi identifies suspected Islamic State fighters killed in raid
6 May 2016
DOHA, May 6 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia published the names on Friday of four people it said were Islamic State fighters killed in a raid by security forces outside Mecca, and vowed to protect the country from further attacks by the group.
Security forces shot dead two of the men and two others blew themselves up outside the holy city on Thursday. The raid followed a spate of shootings and bombings against security forces which raised concerns about security in the world's top oil exporter.
Full report at: dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-3577211/Saudi-identifies-suspected-Islamic-State-fighters-killed-raid.html
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Iraqi forces shut down Baghdad to prevent Green Zone protests
May 7, 2016
Iraqi security forces ramped up their presence across Baghdad on Friday, blocking most major roads and bridges to keep followers of Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr from reaching the government district they stormed a week earlier.
A Sadr representative meanwhile called on supporters to rally outside local mosques following afternoon prayers, rather than gathering near the heavily fortified Green Zone, a move which could reduce the risk of clashes.
The demonstrations are aimed at pressuring Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to follow through on months-old promises to replace party-affiliated ministers with independent technocrats as part of an anti-corruption drive.
Full report at: english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2016/05/07/Iraqi-forces-shut-down-Baghdad-to-prevent-Green-Zone-protests-.html
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US, Zionism brought terror to Middle East: Iran
May 7, 2016
Tehran : Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani names the US and Zionism as the main forces behind terror and insecurity gnawing away at the Middle East.
“Who brought terror and insecurity to this region?” he asked, addressing a meeting in which Iranian officials and ambassadors from Muslim states met with Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
“Who set up a usurper regime (Israel) in this region around 70 years go? Is not a good deal of the insecurity, assassinations and wars in our region rooted in the regime occupying al-Quds?” he further asked.
Full report at: kashmirmonitor.in/news-us-zionism-brought-terror-to-middle-east-iran-103327.aspx
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Saudi forces kill suspected ISIS fighters near Mecca
May 5, 2016
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Saudi police shot dead two suspected militants and two others blew themselves up during a raid near the holy city of Mecca on Thursday, the interior ministry said.
"The terrorists started shooting towards security forces, which they responded to", leading to the deaths of a pair of suspects while the others "committed suicide by blowing themselves up with suicide belts", the ministry's spokesman said in a statement.
Full report at: deccanchronicle.com/world/middle-east/060516/saudi-forces-kill-suspected-isis-fighters-near-mecca.html
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Iranian Kurdish groups can bring war to the cities, but need unity
May 7, 2016
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region –A Kurdish Political analyst believes that Iranian Kurdish political parties will be changing the course of their military struggle in Eastern Kurdistan from offensive to defensive and adopt new approaches to bringing their fight to the cities after two decades of unilateral ceasefire since the mid-1990s.
“A while back, the two [Kurdish] democratic parties announced that they will dispatch forces into [Kurdish cities] with the aim of defending them, not to launch offensives as they used to do in the past, but this time it will be to defend themselves," Qarani Qadiri, a political activist and analyst from Iranian Kurdistan told Rudaw.
Full report at: rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/070520162
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South Asia
Coalition forces supported Afghan troops in RS role in raid on Taliban prison
Sat May 07 2016
The coalition security forces supported the Afghan Special Forces during a raid in southern Helmand province which resulted to release of over 60 hostages from a Taliban-run prison.
“Afghan Special Security Forces liberated over 60 prisoners from an illegally run Taliban prison in Bar Now Zad Village in Now Zad District of Helmand Province last night,” a statement by the NATO-led Resolute Support mission said.
Full report at: khaama.com/coalition-forces-supported-afghan-troops-in-rs-role-in-raid-on-taliban-prison-0867
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28 militants killed, 30 wounded as major Taliban attack repulsed in Kunar
Sat May 07 2016
At least 28 Taliban militants were killed and 30 others were wounded as the Afghan security forces repulsed a major offensive by the Taliban group in eastern Kunar province.
According to the local officials, scores of Taliban insurgents launched the attack in the early hours of Saturday to take control of security posts in Ghaziabad district.
The provincial governor Wahidullah Kalimzai however said the attack was launched late on Friday night and continued for several hours.
He said a member of the Afghan National Army lost his life and three others were wounded in the attack.
Full report at: khaama.com/28-militants-killed-30-wounded-as-major-taliban-attack-repulsed-in-kunar-0864
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Hekmatyar likely to visit Kabul to sign peace agreement with Afghan govt
Fri May 06 2016
The leader of Hezb-e-Islami party Gulbuddin Hekmatyar may visit Kabul next week to sign a peace agreement with the Afghan government, it has been reported.
According to the officials in Afghanistan High Peace Council, quoted in a report by Tolo News, Hekmatyar is expected to sign the agreement with President Ghani and High Peace Council Chief Pir Syed Ahmad Gilani.
Mohammad Ismail Qasimyar, international relations adviser to Afghanistan High Peace Coucil, confired Hekmatyar is expected to visit Kabul to sign the agreement.
Citing the representatives of Hezb-e-Islami, Qasimyar said Hekmatyar is based in Afghanistan and the delegation is not prepared to disclose the location until he arrives in Kabul for formal meeting with the Afghan officials.
Full report at: khaama.com/hekmatyar-likely-to-visit-kabul-to-sign-peace-agreement-with-afghan-govt-0860
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Afghanistan to receive 12 MD-530s upgraded with rocket pods from US
Sat May 07 2016
The Afghan Air Force (AAF) will receive 12 additional MD-530 helicopters from the United States upgraded with the rocket pods.
According to the AAF officials, the delivery of the helicopters will begin in next month and will be completed over a period of 3 months.
The commander of the Afghan Air Force General Abdul Wahab Wardak said four helicopters will be each months from June to August.
The US army reportedly awarded a contract worth $13.2 million to add the seven-tube M260 launcher for the 70mm (2.75 inch) rockets to MD-530Fs to be supplied by the United States to the Afghan Air Force.
Full report at: khaama.com/afghanistan-to-receive-12-md-530s-upgraded-with-rocket-pods-from-us-0861
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Afghan army helicopter makes emergency landing in Kandahar, no casualties reported
Sat May 07 2016
A helicopter of the Afghan National Army (ANA) forces made a emergency landing in southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan, local officials said Saturday.
Provincial governor’s spokesman Samim Khpolwak said the incident took place late on Friday in Shahwali Kot district.
He said the helicopter was providing logistics to the Afghan armed forces when it made emergency landing due to technical problems.
Khpolwal further added that security personnel on board the helicopter did not suffer any casualties.
Full report at: khaama.com/afghan-army-helicopter-makes-emergency-landing-in-kandahar-no-casualties-reported-0866
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Ex-NDS Chief Rahmatullah Nabil meets Balkh acting governor Ata Mohammad Noor
Sat May 07 2016
The former Afghan Intelligence Chief, Head of the National Directorate of Security, Rahmatullah Nabil met with Balkh acting governor Ata Mohammad Noor on Friday.
The two sides discussed ongoing situation of the country, expressing concerns regarding the latest upheavals and deteriorating situation.
Nabil’s visit to northern Balkh province comes as deputy Chief Executive Mohammad Mohaqiq also visited northern Balkh province to participate in a gathering.
Mohaqiq warned to halt cooperation with the government if the 500kV TUTAP power project is implemented through Salang which was originally expected to pass through central provinces including Bamyan.
Full report at: khaama.com/ex-nds-chief-rahmatullah-nabil-meets-balkh-acting-governor-ata-mohammad-noor-0862
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Mideast
Cumhuriyet journalists sentenced to five years for revealing state secrets
May 06 2016
An Istanbul court sentenced Cumhuriyet journalists Can Dündar and Erdem Gül to five years in prison for “leaking state secrets” on May 6, hours after Dündar escaped unharmed from an armed attack in front of Istanbul’s Çağlayan courthouse.
Dündar, the daily’s editor-in-chief, was given five years and 10 months for "leaking state secrets" while the paper’s Ankara bureau chief, Gül, was given five years on the same charge. However, the duo will not immediately go to prison.
Meanwhile, the Istanbul 14th Court of Serious Crimes ordered the journalists' acquittal over “coup attempt” charges.
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/cumhuriyet-journalists-sentenced-to-five-years-for-revealing-state-secrets.aspx?pageID=238&nID=98864&NewsCatID=509
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Hamas's deputy leader: 'We are not calling for a new war'
05.06.16,
Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas's deputy leader, spoke publicly on Friday for the first time since the recent escalation in and around the Gaza Strip.
Speaking at a mosque Friday before prayers, Haniyeh said, "We are not calling for a new war, but we will not allow incursions or imposing facts on the ground by Israel in Gaza."
Haniyeh explained that the Palestinians objected the Israeli prohibition on Palestinian traffic in the "perimeter," a 300-meter buffer zone inside the Strip and bordering the frontier. "We say no to the perimeter inside of Gaza's borders, and Israel must understand this," he stated. "We are in contact with Gaza, Qatar, Turkey and also with the UN's (Special Coordinator for Middle East Peace Process) Nickolay Mladenov to bring an end to the Israeli escalation, and these efforts are continuing."
Full report at: ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4800166,00.html
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Two more detained over gun attack on journalist Can Dündar
May 06 2016
Two more suspects were detained on May 7 over May 6's gun attack targeting Turkish journalist Can Dündar, who was on trial in Istanbul's Çağlayan courthouse on charges of revealing state secrets.
According to the Istanbul Police Department, the suspects were reported to be associates of the gunman arrested at the scene, identified as Murat Şahin. Their arrest brings the number of detained suspects to three.
The attack suspect approached Dündar as he was speaking to reporters during a break to the hearing. He fired two shots at Dündar’s legs, saying, “You are a traitor.” The assailant was detained while Dündar was uninjured.
However, Yağız Şenkal, a reporter for the private broadcaster NTV, was wounded in the leg.
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/two-more-detained-over-gun-attack-on-journalist-can-dundar.aspx?pageID=238&nID=98871&NewsCatID=339
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Under ISIL fire, Kilis locals demand more protection
May 06 2016
Locals in the southeastern border province of Kilis have appealed to the Turkish state in a newspaper advert calling for additional measures to ensure their security amid persistent rocket fire from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)-held territories in northern Syria.
“Rockets fall on our houses, shrapnel pieces rain on us, we are killed inside our homes, we are killed on the streets,” the advert signed by leaders of four civil society organizations including the chamber of industry, chamber of merchants and craftsmen, provincial bar association and the organized industrial zone said.
“#KiliseSESver” (Speak up for Kilis), its hashtag read, calling on the state to provide security and relief assistance to the residents of Kilis, as they were “citizens of the Turkish Republic.”
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/under-isil-fire-kilis-locals-demand-more-protection.aspx?pageID=238&nID=98821&NewsCatID=341
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Southeast Asia
ISIS’ growing presence in Southeast Asia must be crushed before it’s too late
MAY 7, 2016
Since the beginning of 2016, a growing body of indisputable evidence has emerged that clearly indicates ISIS is making significant progress in pushing its twisted ideology to ASEAN member states despite being widely rejected by local Muslim populations. Nevertheless, the growing confidence of groups such as the ISIS-affiliated Abu Sayyaf, which recently brutally decapitated Canadian hostage John Ridsdel, should keep security experts and policymakers awake at night.
If ISIS’ recent activity in the region were not reason enough to give ASEAN governments serious cause for concern, the fact that some analysts have suggested Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s so-called Islamic State could join forces with al-Qaeda should force Southeast Asian leaders to take real steps towards neutralizing the threat posed by Islamist extremist groups.
Full report at: atimes.com/2016/05/isis-growing-presence-in-southeast-asia-must-be-crushed-before-its-too-late/
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Asri Yuniar Muslim Cleric by Day, Band Singer By Night
MAY 7, 2016
BANDUNG • Wearing a black Muslim headscarf matched with a loose T-shirt that says " Never Too Old To Rock" and blue jeans, 34-year-old Asri Yuniar growls into the microphone.
"I burn with revenge and false hopes. In these falsehoods, I die in darkness. Darkness, darkness, darkness!" she screams, her eyes closed and her head swaying to the loud, rambunctious music reverberating through the tiny studio in Ujungberung, a town in Bandung, capital of West Java. Dubbed Kampung Metal, Ujungberung is the so-called birthplace of local metal music.
Unlike two decades ago, headscarf-wearing women like Ms Asri in metal bands are no longer frowned upon. Now, a number of female musicians donning the "symbol of Islam" are even rocking their electric guitars and drums on social media.
Full report at: straitstimes.com/opinion/ustad-metal-muslim-cleric-by-day-band-singer-by-night
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Europe
Sadiq Khan Elected in London, Becoming Its First Muslim Mayor
MAY 6, 2016
LONDON — In a Europe struggling with a rise in Islamophobia, riven by debates about the flood of Syrian migrants and on edge over religious, ethnic and cultural disputes, London has elected its first Muslim mayor.
Sadiq Khan — a Labour Party leader, a former human rights lawyer and a son of a bus driver from Pakistan — was declared the winner after a protracted count that extended into Saturday. He will be the first Muslim to lead Britain’s capital.
The victory also makes him one of the most prominent Muslim politicians in the West.
London is hardly representative of Britain: About a quarter of its residents are foreign-born, and one-eighth are Muslim. And Mr. Khan is not the first Muslim to hold prominent office in Europe: Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, has had a Muslim mayor since 2009, and Sajid Javid is the British secretary of state for business.
Full report at: nytimes.com/2016/05/07/world/europe/britain-election-results.html?_r=0
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Netanyahu to host seminar on Jewish history for UN diplomats
05.06.16
The prime minister has invited all United Nations staff in Israel to attend a seminar on Jewish history, after a decision by a UN cultural body that failed to acknowledge Jewish ties to Jerusalem's holiest site.
In the decision last month, UNESCO condemned Israel for security restrictions and other measures at the site, known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif or the al-Aqsa compound and to Jews as Temple Mount. UNESCO referred to it only by its Arabic name.
"I was shocked to hear that UNESCO adopted a decision denying any Jewish connection to the Temple Mount, our holiest site," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
Full report at: ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4800173,00.html
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Thousands of Muslim migrants continue to flow into Europe
MAY 6, 2016
BUDAPEST, Hungary (May 6, 2016) — Thousands of Muslim migrants have continued to travel through Hungary on their way toward western Europe, despite fences, border closures and the European Union's deal with Turkey to stop sea crossings to Greece.
Hungarian authorities have briefly detained nearly 11,000 people this year for breaching the razor-wire barriers on its borders with Serbia and Croatia and most of them have later continued their journeys to Austria, Germany and other favored destinations in the EU, the government and aid groups say.
Instead of crossing the sea from Turkey to Greece, some of the new arrivals have come by the dangerous route from Turkey through Bulgaria and then to Serbia, where about 100 people have been arriving daily.
Full report at: onenewsnow.com/ap/world/thousands-of-muslim-migrants-continue-to-flow-into-europe
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North America
Milbank: Donald Trump is bad news for American Muslims
MAY 7, 2016
My neighborhood of Chevy Chase, Md., is a leafy and peaceful slice of Northwest Washington. But this week, the news here is of a woman assaulted outside the local Starbucks by a Donald Trump supporter, she says, for the sin of being Muslim.
Police on Monday released surveillance video showing a heavyset white woman shouting at, and then pouring a bottle of liquid onto, a woman in a Muslim headscarf as she sat outside the coffee shop. Police are investigating a possible hate crime.
The victim said the attacker called her a “worthless piece of Muslim trash” and a “terrorist.” And the attacker said she was supporting Trump because he would send the Muslims “back to where you came from.”
“She mentioned this man’s name to me as a way of saying he’s going to put all of you out of this country,” the woman, who asked not to be identified, told me.
But this is her country. She’s African-American, born in Minneapolis, reared in Chicago and now living in D.C.
Full report at: columbian.com/news/2016/may/07/schram-donald-trump-is-bad-news-for-american-muslims/
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Local police brace for biker rally at Muslim hamlet
MAY 6, 2016
State Police will be braced for potential traffic problems at a planned May 15 rally of motorcyclists outside the Islamberg settlement in Delaware County but have no public safety concerns at this time, according to a top trooper.
Major James Barnes, the commander of Troop C, told The Daily Star from troop headquarters in Sidney that there is no way to know how many members of American Bikers United Against Jihad will participate in what has been billed as a "Ride for National Security."
Full report at: thedailystar.com/news/local_news/local-police-brace-for-biker-rally-at-muslim-hamlet/article_c1634477-65db-5c49-bc79-03a8c89be7b4.html
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