DAILY MEDIA
AFTERNOON EDITION
TUESDAY 23 JUN 2015
NRDC-ITA
Islamic State to open women’s prison: foreign female militants will guard inmates
The Islamic State (IS) is planning to open a prison specifically for women in Mosul, northern Iraq.
Ghayas Sourchi, a Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) official from Mosul, told BasNews that the number of women prisoners has increased significantly in Mosul and, “as a result, the jihadist group has decided to open a new prison for women only.”
He added, “We have learned that only foreign female militants will be appointed to guard the prison.”
BasNews understands that IS will use the women’s brigade, al-Khansa, to investigate, arrest and detain women in areas under their control.
Most women prisoners have been arrested for violating IS orders to wear Niqab, a black veil to cover the face. Others are serving time in prison for refusing temporary marriage (nikah) with jihadists.
Saudi comedian shrugs off Islamic State death threats
A prominent Saudi comedian who has mocked the Islamic State group and Islamists in the ultra-conservative kingdom has said he shall not be deterred after receiving online threats.
Saudi Arabia observes a strict form of Sunni Islam, but is fiercely opposed to the group known as ISIS or ISIL which has seized much of Syria and Iraq and declared a “caliphate” to rule over all Muslims.
Nasser al-Qasabi, who appears in a new satirical television sitcom titled “Selfie” aired by the Saudi-owned MBC network, said in remarks published Monday that he has “the right to express an opinion”.
“Allah will protect us. It is the job of the artist to say the truth, even if that is at his own expense. This is the price we have to pay,” Qasabi said in remarks posted on MBC’s website. It is not known who has made the threats against him.
Al Qasabi says his show’s message, though presented in the form of satire, is deadly serious. He says he has been unfazed by threats he has received from the militants’ supporters since the premier.
“God is my protector. I’m an artist, and the artist’s essential role is to reveal society’s challenges even if he pays a price,” he said in an interview with Saudi-owned al Arabiya TV on Sunday. “Warning the people about ISIS is the true jihad, because we’re fighting them with art not war.”
A wave of support has hit social media networks, including Arabic hashtags on Twitter saying “we are all Nasser al-Qasabi” and “Qasabi mocks Daesh”, the Arabic acronym for IS.
In his sitcom that is aired during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, Qasabi is a Saudi father who pretends to want to join the militants in Syria in order to bring back his jihadist son. Qasabi is shown protesting at the flogging of a young man being punished for listening to music and faints when ordered to slit the throat of an “infidel” captured by the extremists. He also ridicules female jihadists said to have joined IS to offer its fighters sex.
In one episode Qasabi faces executioners after his cover is blown, only to find his own son demanding to be the one to behead him. In another, Qasabi mocks ultra-conservatives in the kingdom, playing the role of a musician who repents and smashes a lute on stage.
In the past, Qasabi repeatedly mocked Saudi Arabia’s notorious religious police in his popular Tash Ma Tash satirical comedy that ran for 18 seasons.
Supporters of the Islamic State, who are known for their own skilful exploitation of the media, were quick to respond. In a post that was re-tweeted thousands of times, a user named Jalabeeb al-Jizrawi wrote to Al Qasabi: “I swear to god you will regret what you did, you apostate.”
“The holy warriors will not rest until they cut your head from your body, in just a few days hopefully.”
Other media personalities and influential voices in the Middle East were quick to voice their support, such as the Kuwaiti singer Shams:
“For many years, al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya have aired ISIS filth and no one reacted against it,” she tweeted to her almost half a million followers. “But in twenty minutes, ‘Selfie’ gave the Islamic nation a wake-up call.”
Islamic Counter-Terrorism Curriculum to Launch in UK: pakistani scholar says Islamic State has “no authority or legitimacy”
Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, a Pakistani politician, Sufi scholar and founder of Minhaj-ul-Quran International has spent five years writing the first Islamic ant-terrorism curriculum. He will launch the teachings in London on Tuesday 23rd June.
In an effort to dissuade the ever-growing numbers of disillusioned Muslims travelling to join Islamic State (IS), Dr Qadri, author of 2010’s “Fatwa on Terrorism and Suicide Bombings”, explained his philosophy behind his work.
“It took me five years to prepare this curriculum which takes the head of the dangerous and unIslamic ideology of IS. The books draw heavily upon Quranic verses and traditions of the Prophet to expose IS and other militant groups who have absolutely no authority or legitimacy for setting up an ‘Islamic State’. IS is an enemy of humanity.”
Dr Qadri revealed that he had requested people from across the British spectrum to adopt the work. Academics, the government, and intelligence and police officials have been invited to the launch.
50 young British Muslims have been trained to counter the online message of IS, he said.
The curriculum will be launched in Pakistan after the UK, with an eye on people vulnerable to the IS message in India as well.
“Yes, after the London launch of the curriculum we will launch it in Islamabad in July. I am very much interested to take this project to India as well and am interested to collaborate with a like-minded organisation.”
Islamic State hangs 2 boys for eating in Ramadan
The Islamic State group hanged two youths after accusing them of eating during daylight hours in the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights said.
“Residents of the village of Mayadeen in Deir Ezzor province reported that IS hanged from a crossbar two boys aged under 18 near the HQ of the Hissba”, the jihadist police, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.
“The children have been suspended by ropes from a pole since noon, and they were still there in the late evening,” he said.
“Apparently, they were caught eating.”
A placard was attached to the bodies reading “They broke the fast with no religious justification”.
Throughout the month of Ramadan, which began on Thursday, believers abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and having sex from dawn until sunset.
IS, which controls swathes of territory across Syria and Iraq where it has created a self-proclaimed “caliphate”, advocates an extreme view of the application of Islamic law, or sharia.
The jihadists do not hesitate to impose brutal punishments including beheadings, stonings, floggings and crucifixions.
Algeria army kills Islamists in ambush
Algerian troops have killed some armed Islamists in an ambush in Tizi Ouzou province, east of the capital, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
They recovered a Kalashnikov assault rifle, a pistol and ammunition in the operation, which occurred Monday in the municipality of Azzeffoun, the ministry said on its website.
Islamist-linked violence rocked Algeria in the 1990s but has since waned, although armed groups remain active in central and eastern Algeria where they mount attacks on security forces.
The army says it has now killed 61 armed Islamists this year, after more than 100 were killed in 2014.
Syrian rebels receive stipends from US to fight Daesh (Islamic State)
The US will pay stipends to Syrian moderates fighting the Daesh, a Pentagon spokeswoman said Monday.
“We can confirm that Syrian train and equip members will receive stipends while members of the program,” said Elissa Smith. “The trainees are currently receiving a stipend of between $250 and $400 per month, per soldier, depending on skill set, performance and leadership position.”
The move comes after top defense officials acknowledged that the program is very slow and experiencing difficulties in finding and vetting fighters.
The stipend is in line with wages in pre-war Syria.
In the first few months of the conflict, the median wage in Syria was about 12,000 Syrian pounds ($255). The minimum wage was 9,975 pounds ($212), according to the Central Administration of Statistics of Syrian government.
The training of the first group of about 90 fighters began last month, Smith said, and while the US has declined to name the countries currently hosting the program, Jordan announced last month that it started training Syrian opposition groups.
The US signed an agreement with Turkey in February regarding the program, and Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan have long said they would contribute.
The Pentagon expects to have 3,000 fighters trained by year’s end, Smith added, and the goal is to have 5,400 fighters trained in 12 months.
“For operational security, we will not announce when coalition-trained Syrian opposition forces enter into Syria,” she noted.
About 6,000 Syrians have so far volunteered for the training program, but more than 4,000 are still waiting to be vetted, according to Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren.
In excess of 1,500 have passed the preliminary screening process, and of the remaining 500, between 100 and 200 have been accepted for training while the rest are no longer a part of the program for various reasons.
Palmyra: Islamic State blows up ‘polytheism landmark’ shrines as Syrian army advances
The Islamic State (Isis) has blown up shrines in the ancient city of Palmyra (Tadmur) in Syria after it planted explosives and mines around the Roman-era ruins.
A photo report published online and entitled Remove polytheism landmarks in Tadmur/Palmyra City shows IS militants carrying explosives to the hilltop Mazar of Mohammed Ali, which is then reduced into rubble.
The development came after Syrian antiquities director Maamoun Abdulkarim told IBTimes UK that the jihadist group laid mines around the 2,000-year-old world heritage site.
It is unclear whether IS planted the bombs to destroy the ruins or whether it had done so to discourage attack by Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, which are advancing towards Palmyra.
Al-Watan Daily, which is close to the government, said the army has “intensified” operations against IS in Palmyra and the surrounding area.
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of local sources, said the regime ousted IS jihadists from al-Biyarat and is now 10km from Palmyra.
Since seizing Palmyra in May IS has reportedly executed hundreds of people in the city. In a recent development, Abdulkarim said the 1,900-year-old Lion of Al-Lat statue in front of the national museum has been destroyed by IS.
However, the jihadist group released a statement on 27 May claiming that it will preserve Palmyra’s historical monuments and the ruins but “pulverise statues that the miscreants used to pray for”.
IS also published photographs online which appeared to show the ancient Palmyra ruins unharmed. The 10 images were published as a photographic report entitled “The ancient city of Tadmur [Palmyra in Arabic]” and showed the amphitheatre, the city’s prison, columns and arches. The theatre appeared to have an IS flag flying on top of it.
The UN describes Palmyra as a site of “outstanding value”. An ancient metropolis and a caravan hub of several civilisations, Palmyra is full of precious sculptures and artefacts. It is renowned for its urbanism – a unique mix of Roman architecture with Greek-Persian and Babylonian influences. It is admired for its famous colonnaded main street and revered in particular for the temple of Baal, considered one of the most important cultural monuments of the entire region.
Today EU launches “intelligence gathering “ mission against migrant smuggler gangs
One person was killed and another seriously injured when a rubber dinghy carrying migrants headed for Italy came under fire off the Libyan coast on Monday,
Its not clear who was responsible for the shooting but Libya’s coastguard has denyed survivor reports that one of its patrol boats was involved.The incident happened just as EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg agreed to use submarines, warships, and drones to gather intelligence against gangs who smuggle asylum seekers to Europe from Libya.
The operation which is launched today is limited to intelligence gathering until it has UN authorisation to capture and destroy smugglers’ ships.
The EU’s so called “Quick Response to the crisis” has been heavily criticised by Human Rights Organisations with Asylum Aid calling for safe legal routes to be the priority.
There has also been little “movement on a “quota” system”;http://www.euronews.com/2015/05/20/eu-refusal-to-accept-migrant-quotas-unacceptable/ suggested as a way to share the burden of those countries on the front line of the migration crisis.
The U.N. estimates that around 100,000 migrants have arrived in Italy, Greece and Malta since the beginning of the year. At least 3,000 have died in the attempt.
Jihadis enter Europe disguised as refugees fear terrorism experts
Scores of Islamic State terrorists are believed to have smuggled their way into Europe among the migrants fleeing North Africa.
And it is feared the IS bombers could launch an attack within months.
Experts think the extremists have posed as asylum seekers after travelling on boats trafficking people from Africa to Italy.
A counter-terrorism source said: “It is widely believed that terrorists in groups and individually have been able to stow themselves on trafficking vessels and make the journey across the Mediterranean. Once in Europe they can go through the asylum process or disappear off the radar of the authorities by linking up with even more smuggling networks.
“This means they can penetrate deeper into Europe and avoid detection from the police and security services. Nobody knows just how many there are.”
With a further 500,000 desperate people gathering in war-torn Libya and preparing to risk a hazardous journey to the Italian coast it is feared that even more IS terrorists could be on their way.
