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Showing posts from July 29, 2018

UN-backed meeting of African States targets terrorism, violent extremism

In a statement issued on Thursday through his Deputy Spokesperson, Farhan Haq,  Secretary-General  António Guterres commended the Central and West African regions for the successful Joint Summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) on Peace, Security, Stability and the Fight against Terrorism and Violent Extremism, which took place on Monday in Lomé, Togo. “The Secretary-General welcomes the  renewed commitment  of ECCAS and ECOWAS member States to strengthen cooperation on key peace and security challenges and is particularly encouraged by the decision to sign a Criminal Cooperation Agreement by the end of 2018 and to establish a ministerial committee to monitor implementation of the Summit decisions,” said Mr. Haq. The UN chief also welcomed the decision of the Heads of State and Government from the two regions to hold consultations in the margins of the African Union summit in January, “and to me

Faith-based groups concerned over US education strategy link to countering extremism

WASHINGTON — Attendees at a closed-door  United States Agency for International Development  meeting with faith-based organizations last week expressed concern about language in a proposed  U.S. Government Basic Education Strategy  that links international education funding to reducing violent extremism. The education strategy would prioritize some U.S. education funding for countries where “there is the greatest opportunity to reduce childhood and adolescence exposure to or engagement in violent extremism or extremist ideologies.” The U.S government strategy document is being led by USAID and was mandated by the  Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development, or READ, Act , which was passed last year with bipartisan support and signed into law by President Donald Trump in September. The bill mandates “the development of a comprehensive, integrated U.S. Government Strategy to promote basic education.” Public comment was accepted on the draft until July 22, and USAID consu

Violent extremism: how communities can help counter it

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Local communities are being called upon to help prevent radicalisation. In a bid to counter violent extremism, UK home secretary Sajid Javid recently launched the government’s  Strategy for Countering Terrorism . It calls for “stronger partnerships with communities, civil society groups, public sector institutions and industry”. The Greater Manchester Commission on Preventing Hateful Extremism and Promoting Social Cohesion – which was established after the  MEN Arena attack  – has also urged for something similar. In its recent report,  A Shared Future , the commission says what is needed, is a strategic commitment to “developing a community-led response to challenging hateful extremism”.  For some, this call for what the Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, terms a “ whole-society approach ” to tackling extremism may ring hollow – with ongoing criticism that current counter-terrorism policies actually  alienate sections of society .  But despite the criticism,  recent resea

Barnaul police charge yet another ‘extremism’ suspect who mocked religious sentiments

The police in Barnaul don’t exactly welcome the mockery of religion. Late last month, officials opened felony extremism cases against two local Internet users: a 23-year-old woman who joked about religion and race, and a 19-year-old man who shared a meme about Jon Snow’s resurrection on  Game of Thrones .  On August 3, law enforcement went for the  hat trick  and charged local 38-year-old man Andrey Shashein with extremism for sharing a picture showing Jesus Christ asking Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill for the time. In so many words, Kirill tells the Christian Lord to buzz off.  Despite a lack of concern from experts who reviewed this meme and several others Shashein posted on Vkontakte, and without a court order, Barnaul police have reportedly frozen his bank accounts while they investigate his supposedly criminal Internet behavior. In 2012, the Russian Orthodox Church’s official website published a photograph that removed Patriarch Kirill’s enormously expensive wristwatch

Lashkar Operative Among 5 Terrorists Shot Dead In Shopian

Five terrorists have been shot dead in an encounter with security forces at Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian, 55 kilometres from Srinagar. The encounter started on Friday night. Four terrorists were killed today morning; the body of another terrorist shot dead last night at Shopian's Kiloora village has been recovered. He has been identified as Umar Malik, a Lashkar-e-Taiba operative, news agency ANI reported. An AK-47 assault rifle was found with him. The bodies of the four who were shot dead today have also been found, the police said, adding a civilian was also killed amid stone-throwing by locals. The security forces had cordoned off the village on Friday night following intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists there. As they started a combing operation, the terrorists fired at them, leading to the encounter, the police said. The operation has ended now, the police said. Source:  https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/newsindia/lashkar-operative-among-5-t

My son, Osama: the al-Qaida leader’s mother speaks for the first time

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On the corner couch of a spacious room, a woman wearing a brightly patterned robe sits expectantly. The red hijab that covers her hair is reflected in a glass-fronted cabinet; inside, a framed photograph of her firstborn son takes pride of place between family heirlooms and valuables. A smiling, bearded figure wearing a military jacket, he features in photographs around the room: propped against the wall at her feet, resting on a mantlepiece. A supper of Saudi meze and a lemon cheesecake has been spread out on a large wooden dining table. Alia Ghanem is Osama bin Laden’s mother, and she commands the attention of everyone in the room. On chairs nearby sit two of her surviving sons, Ahmad and Hassan, and her second husband, Mohammed al-Attas, the man who raised all three brothers. Everyone in the family has their own story to tell about the man linked to the rise of global terrorism; but it is Ghanem who holds court today, describing a man who is, to her, still a beloved son who some