Terrorism Watch

NEW DELHI: An "aggregate" of state and non-state forces encourages extremism in the Indian subcontinent and "militates" against attempts to create space for peace, Union minister VK Singh today said. The Minister of State in the External Affairs termed terrorism as the most immediate and serious security challenge facing modern societies, particularly democratic and pluralistic ones. He was speaking at Raisina Dialogue -- a conclave on geoeconomics and geopolitics -- a joint initiative of the Ministry of External Affairs and a leading think-tank. "Some speakers also brought out that the principal terror threat from the viewpoint of countries like India emanates mainly from ideological, logistical and financial infrastructure that exists across our borders. "It is this aggregate of state and non-state forces that encourages extremism in the subcontinent, indoctrinates youth into violent acts, and militates against our attempts to create spa

Young Muslims are politically engaged.  Matt Alexander / PA Archive/Press Association Images Recently published evidence submitted to the  parliamentary inquiry into extremism  and the government’s Prevent strategy sheds light on the current debates around counter-extremism in Britain – and it’s clear from reading the submissions and watching the evidence that the debate has reached an impasse. Those who support and those who criticise the government’s Prevent strategy are in deadlock, caught in a cycle of unhelpful rhetoric and political posturing, and unable to offer viable alternatives to the problems they perceive. Under the direction of chair, Keith Vaz MP, the Home Affairs Committee is investigating issues around Islamic extremism, terrorist recruitment, and the effectiveness of the Prevent strategy. Keith Vaz chairs the Home Affairs Committee inquiry into counter-extremism measures.   PA / PA Archive/Press Association Images The de-facto leader of the pro-Prevent lo

Boys carry boxes of biscuits near rubble of damaged buildings in Aleppo, March 2, 2016. Six days into a fragile cease fire in Syria, daily life is slowly returning. But although Russian airstrikes have stopped pounding the country, leaving room for some respite, many Syrians are worried about what comes next. Player utilities Popout Share 00:00 00:00 download Listen to the Story. In rebel-held Aleppo, a 25-year-old woman named Zein describes the hopes and fears of the people around her. Zein is an activist and a humanitarian aid worker, and she was part of a story that aired in January about women in Syria. She says Aleppeans are not rushing out to celebrate and bask in the sun, even though they had grown tired of hiding in basements for weeks. But Aleppeans are doing something they had not done for a long time: protesting peacefully in the streets. “It reminds me of the beautiful good old days,” Zein says, referring to

Yasmin Mulbocus is a former member and recruiter for a radical Islamic group in the UK. She now prevents young Muslim women from joining extremist networks such as ISIS. Yasmin Mulbocus clutches her hijab as she sees images on TV of young women returning home from Syria. She hears them talk about how they escaped from the clutches of ISIS. Mulbocus sees herself in them – her former self. This 40-year-old mother of three with piercing black eyes, who speaks at what seems like a thousand words a minute, who elicits warm smiles from her West London neighbors with her vivaciousness and warm banter, actually used to be a recruiter for an extremist organization. Today, she does the opposite. She works with imams and community leaders in the Hounslow area of London, reaching out to youth, young Muslim women in particular. Her goal? To prevent them from buying that plane ticket to Syria. "What we need to do is work constantly, consistently, with these young people,&

An Imam has said he will not be ‘intimidated’ because of his expression of support for murderer Mumtaz Qadri. Muhammad Masood Qadiri and Muhammed Asim Hussain both came in for criticism for their support for the man who killed popular Punjab governor Salman Taseer in 2011. Taseer criticized the law that mandates the death penalty for insulting Islam or the Prophet Mohammad. Earlier this week Mumtaz Qadri was executed  for  the crime. In Pakistan thousands turned out for his funeral. Some shouted, "He lives! Qadri lives!" supporters chanted, surrounding the coffin and throwing flowers. "From your blood, the revolution will come!" Both Imams were criticised for their support  of  Mumtaz  Qadri  in an article in the Telegraph . Sajjad Karim MEP said the Imams  support  for Mumtaz Qadri was not  good for harmony and coexistence. He  said  in the Times, “Lending support to somebody who has killed based on their extremist beliefs is not a message that shou

In An Effort To Build Stronger Bonds, Russia Gifts 10,000 AK-47s To Afghan Government Russia has sent 10,000 assault rifles (AK-47) to Afghanistan as part of a military aid package to assist the Afghan government with controlling insurgents, NBC News reports. Russia invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and occupied the country for 10 years. The aid package comes just weeks after the 27th anniversary of the end of Russia’s occupation. According to Reuters, the Afghan military is having problems securing the country and has been battling fierce insurgencies.  The uprisings have intensified since the NATO coalition has reduced its numbers in the country. Afghan officials made the request to Russian officials as they are dependent upon foreign aid. Reuters reported that Russian officials have expressed frustration with the United States’ handling of Afghanistan. When wars broke out in Ukraine and Syria, Russian support for American troops in Afghanistan dwindled. The delivery of the weapons g

Jihadist terrorists practice barbarism under the banner of Islam, making them the most potent enemy of Islam since its inception. If not combated forcefully by Moslems themselves, the destructive impact of Jihadist terrorism to Islam will result in further denigration of this faith. Moslem leaders often opine that Islam is a peaceful faith and Jihadist terrorists are usurping the banner of Islam to achieve their violent and political agendas. Hence, they believe that Jihadist terrorism is unrelated to Islam and there is no affirmative duty of peaceful Moslems to prove these obvious points. While I agree with their underlying premises, I disagree with their conclusion. Silence and inaction are ineffective tools to combat the enemies of Islam and the civilized world. While it is true that criminal acts of Jihadist terrorists are not caused by Islam, that reality does not absolve the affirmative duty of Moslem nations to forcefully combat terrorism and for Islamic leaders to strongl

Locals greet PM Davutoğlu in Şırnak's Silopi district on Friday. (AA Photo) PM Davutoğlu stressed that Turkey has the capability to tackle the wave of terror that the PKK might escalate in March and he announced that the state is ready to compensate the losses of local people living in the conflict-ridden region The government is determined to overcome provocations and be prudent concerning the expected forthcoming wave of PKK terror in March, as the terrorist organization calls for insurgencies in the country, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said. Speaking to reporters in the Silopi district of the southeastern Şırnak province on Friday, Davutoğlu said that Turkey has the spirit to overcome provocation thanks to inspiration from the Gallipoli War in World War I in 1915, where the Turks and Kurds, with other ethnic groups, shouldered the defense of the country. Davutoğlu was scheduled to fly to Tehran after his stopover in the southeast. He said: "In the forthcoming

Exclusive:  NSW schools identifying ‘antisocial and extremist’ student behaviour will be required to report to hotline, with details passed onto police Schools in  New South Wales  that suspect students of sharing terrorist propaganda online or of racially or religiously abusing other students will be required to report the behaviour to a hotline, with all details passed onto police, under the state’s new guidelines on violent extremism in schools. NSW schools were provided in January with guidelines for identifying “antisocial and extremist behaviour” and senior staff are currently being trained in identifying students at risk of committing political violence or joining the war in Syria. Guardian Australia has obtained the guidelines and the online module being used to train senior staff under the program, which was  announced in response  to the September killing of a police employee by 15-year-old Farhad Jabar in Parramatta. Staff and teachers are told to be vigilant for t