Have the Western media and mainstream Muslims exaggerated the barbarity of the so-called Islamic state? IS explains why it advocates slavery, concubinage, and violence in its own words (with a coerced assist from hostage John Cantlie):
- The Failed Crusade (Dabiq / Scribd)
“Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who took office last month, has admitted to previous ‘excesses’ by security forces and vowed to govern for all Iraqis. He has not yet commented directly on allegations contained in the Amnesty report but has previously said Iraq faces an ‘existential’ battle against militants from Islamic State”:
US mulls an expanded role as Kurds slow down IS troops near the Turkish  border, but Turkey maintains its ambiguity over the Kurdish, and its own, role:
- Kurds Hold Off Islamic State in Kobani; Fighters Strike in Iraq (Reuters)
- Islamic State Crisis: Kurds ‘Recapture Key Kobane Hill’ (BBC)
- Syrian Kurds Get Arms from Iraq, but Cannot Send Them to Kobani (Reuters)
- Turkish Warplanes Hit Kurdish Militant Targets in Southeast: Media (Reuters)
- Turkey Opens Its Bases for US and Coalition Forces in Fight Against Isis (Guardian)
“Allowing extremist Israeli settlers to raid Al Aksa compound protected by the Israeli police is a further proof of the belligerent agenda of the extremist Israeli government. Such actions are part of the Israeli goal to turn Jerusalem into an exclusive Jewish city” — PLO statement against the most recent Israeli provocations ….
… In contrast, Indian Muslims clean a synagogue, “its furniture and artifacts” so that it will be available for prayers to the Indian city’s twenty or so remaining Jews:
- Muslim Families Look After Kolkata Synagogues (Al-Jazeera)
“The shared need for change has nudged along a series of compromises that set the stage for a conference on Sunday in Cairo where world donors are expected to fork over billions of dollars for reconstruction in Gaza”:
- Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Hints of a Change? (Christian Science Monitor)
“One specific reservation [about the assault] is whether the abduction of a single soldier could have justified such heavy and relentless use of force in a populated area”:
Britain’s House of Commons voted 274-12 to recognize the Palestinian state. The vote is strictly symbolic and “the decision will not decide government policy”; but it sneds a message to Israel that he world’s patience is running out:
“I think a final settlement can be achieved in these remaining 40 days. We will not return to the situation a year ago. The world is tired and wants it to end, resolved through negotiations”:
“[W]orkers threw rocks, burnt tires and closed a major road late Sunday to protest their employers’ negligence. The protesters say they should have been provided transportation back to Egypt by now. The men are among 1,700 seasonal butchers who stay in Saudi Arabia during the month of hajj”:
- Egyptian Workers Riot in Western Saudi Arabia (AP / abc News)
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