islamic extremism

To keep the men away, just cover up

Sophie — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:03:00 +0200

"You can't stop them. But you can protect yourself. Your creator has your best interests at heart."

One of our Observers in Egypt received this image in a forwarded email. The message to women: Cover up to protect yourself. We ask our Observers if whether covering up really deters unwanted attention.

According to observers in Egypt, the hijab has crept up in popularity in recent years. It's not obligatory to cover up in the Arab republic and the government does little to promote the concept, but many Muslim women choose to cover their hair and bodies. This viral campaign, spread via forwarded email, suggests that women go one step further to "protect themselves". One of our Observers for Egypt told us that the person behind it is promoting the adoption of the niqab — a garment which covers everything but the eyes. Where the email originated, however, nobody seems to know. Despite efforts by some to track it through various sources, its origins remain unknown.

Facing deportation for researching al Qaeda

Sophie — Wed, 28 May 2008 10:45:02 +0200

The book is on sale on Amazon.com

A university administrator in the UK is facing deportation after printing out an al Qaeda training manual for a student studying Islamic extremism. Here, his friends say that the Algerian national, who has lived in England for 13 years, has been targeted because he's Muslim.

The Nottingham University worker, Hicham Yezza, 30, was asked to print out the document by a masters degree student researching Islamic extremism. A university worker reported the incident to the police and both Hicham and the student, Rizwaan Sabir, 22, were arrested on campus on May 14 under the Terrorism Act 2000. After six days in detention the pair were released without charge. However, immediately after, Hicham was rearrested and served with a deportation order because of a problem with his application for UK residency. Despite huge criticism from politicians and the British press, who believe that the order is a smokescreen for the original police blunder, Hicham could be deported back to Algeria as early as Sunday if the order is not repealed.

"Why are Islamic extremists so sex obsessed"?

Julien — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:49:27 +0200

One of our Observers in Bahrain, blogger Mahmood Al-Youssef, comments on the recent homophobic exclamations coming from a local fundamentalist politician. The least we can say is that he doesn't mash his words...

Al Qaeda answers your questions online

Julien — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 07:08:59 +0200

Al Qaeda's number two, Ayman al-Zawahiri, has completed an open online question and answer session with the public, responding to worldwide enquirers with confirmation that the terrorist organisation does not kill innocent people; Osama bin Laden is alive and kicking; America is on the verge of collapse and that he himself is not "a big star that loves to show off and be famous".

Bin Laden video: threats against Europe are serious

Julien — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:40:53 +0100

Osama bin Laden released a new video Wednesday, in which he threatened the European Union with a "reckoning" and reignited the Danish cartoon affair. One of our Observers, an al Qaeda specialist, explains why this message could see a new wave of terrorist action in Europe.

Assoud, the Hamas 'holy war' rabbit

Julien — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:45:02 +0100

The Hamas TV channel Al-aqsa has been broadcasting an "educational" programme for 7-13 year-olds called "Tomorrow's Pioneers" for almost a year now. Watching young presenter Saraa Barhoum talking to a big teddy animal on a colourful set, you'd think it was like any other children's programme. But if you understand what she's saying, you might find subject topics a bit different from those going on on Button Moon. That's because the content of the show is saturated with Hamas ideology. The result? Endearing cuddly characters with squeaky voices conveying anti-Zionist and anti-occidental messages, hailing Muslims and conversion to Islam and encouraging the holy war and martyrs.

Mein Kampf in pride of place on bookshop shelves

Julien — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 16:30:04 +0100

Bookshop shelves displaying both Mein Kampf and a book about Barack Obama in a department store in Jakarta

Hitler's notorious diary ‘Mein Kampf' was translated into Indonesian in 2007. An immediate bestseller for publishers Narasi, it became one of their top five favourites. An employee from the publishing house explains why. Should we be worried about this seemingly unhealthy interest coming from the most populated Muslim country in the world?

The book comes in two volumes; both with the swastika on the front cover. It's got prime place in most big bookshops; in a country that consists 85% Muslims, and has only thirty confessed Jews despite a 234 million-strong population.

Apprenticeships in terrorism with al Qaeda

Julien — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 12:48:00 +0100

The American military in Iraq released five videos this week which they say show Iraqi children being trained by al Qaeda to capture civilians and to use weapons. The American army, which seized the material during an operation against al-Qaeda in Khan Bani Saad, north Baghdad, says that the videos are being used for propaganda and to recruit young people. Our Observer for Iraq, ‘Treasure of Baghdad’, was shocked by the videos. Here is his reaction.

Bhutto’s assassination: our Observers fear the backlash

Julien — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 19:12:35 +0100

The ex-prime-minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated this afternoon after an electoral meeting in Rawalpindi, a suburb of Islamabad. Our Observers give their initial reactions to the event. One of them, Rana Afzaal, was at the scene when the bomb exploded.

Forty women killed in Basra for not following Islamic tradition

Julien — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 19:05:56 +0100

In the port of Basra, Iraq's second largest city, the walls are covered with graffiti. The message, written in red, is clear: women who wear too much make-up or do not cover your hair: you are risking your life. Too late, sadly, for some. Around forty women have already been killed for this offence in the past year. Their bodies are often found in rubbish bins, decapitated or mutilated, and accompanied by messages like ‘killed for adultery' or ‘killed for violating Islamic law'.

These crimes have shocked Iraqi bloggers. Most of them condemn the events, but they're divided over the reasons behind the atrocities. Opposed to the occupation, the blog of the Iraqi women's association asserts that the U.S. and their allies are manipulating this affair so that they can depict Iraqis as an uncivilised and violent people. ‘Treasure of Baghdad', an exiled Iraqi blogger, despairs to see Basra fall into the hands of a ‘new Taliban'. And American editor and journalist Robert Stein questions the responsibility of George Bush's government in this chaos.