Will the IS’s war against Islam in the name of Islam reconcile the Saudis and the Iranians?
- Minds Focused by IS, Saudis and Iranians Think About Making Up (Reuters)
- Iran’s Rouhani Says Ties with Saudis Deserve to Be Warmer (Reuters)
“Few people join IS out of religious belief. Most are in it for power, money, and recognition, or simply to have their backs covered if they have problems in the community. The tragedy is that the youth and children are easily brainwashed, so this will be a long-term problem”:
- Heard at Syria’s Border: Life in the Islamic State Is Orderly, but Brutal (Christian Science Monitor)
Despite the U.S. administration’s optimism about airstrikes, the Pentagon continues to signal the expectation that soldiers may be needed on the front lines and Israel shoots down a Syrian plane for flying over Syria …
- US Launches Air Strikes on Syria Islamic State Militants (BBC)
- U.S. Military Struggles to Preserve Options in Islamic State Fight (Reuters)
- Israel Downs Syrian Warplane It Says Violated Its (sic) Golan Airspace (Reuters)
… while Christians and Kurdish civilians flee, Kurdish soldiers claim to hold the line, but IS calls for international attacks on French and American citizens gets a response in Algeria …
- ‘There Is No Future in Iraq.’ Christian Refugees Escape to France (Christian Science Monitor)
- Kurdish Crisis: As Masses Seek Refuge in Turkey, Fighters Rush Back to Syria (Christian Science Monitor)
- Kurds Say They Have Halted Islamic State Advance on Syrian Town (Reuters)
- Islamic State Urges Attacks on U.S., French Citizens, Taunts Obama (Reuters)
- French Hostage in Algeria Highlights Growing Reach of Islamic State (Christian Science Monitor)
“Ilham Tohti … was sentenced to life in prison…. Most of the charges … relate to … a website he started … to promote better understanding between Han Chinese and Uighurs. It featured articles in the two languages about customs and values—which the Chinese authorities decided … have ‘bewitched and coerced young ethnic students’:
If a man tells his wife, “‘please wear the niqab, I don’t want any other men to see you’,” Dr. Raihan Ismail says, then “the problem is not the niqab, it is being married to someone who is possessive and oppressive. By banning the burka or niqab you are preventing some women in freely practising what they believe in”:
- Explainer: Why Do Muslim Women Wear a Burka, Niqab or Hijab? (Australian Broadcasting Company)
“Launched by the British community organization Active Change Foundation, based in east London, the social media campaign urges young Muslim Twitter users to ‘fight back against ISIS,’ as the rogue terror organization sweeping through Iraq and Syria has been called, and ‘denounce their violent actions in your own words’:
- Muslim Youths Counter Islamic State with #NotInMyName Twitter Campaign (Christian Science Monitor)
“Abbas would ask the U.N. Security Council to issue a binding resolution, with a specific date for ending Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem…. In the event of a likely U.S. veto at the Security Council, Abbas will seek membership in dozens of international institutions and agencies, including the” ICC:
- Abbas: Will Demand UN Resolution to End Occupation (AP / abc News)
The Houthis have long been shunned by Yemen’s political elite. They complained they were left out of a Gulf-brokered power transfer deal after “Arab Spring” protests forced veteran leader Ali Abdullah Saleh to quit in 2012 in favor of his then vice president”:
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