Massachusetts synagogue vandalized with pro-Palestinian graffiti

Police are investigating pro-Palestine graffiti spray-painted in red on the white marble walls of the Montefiore Orthodox Synagogue in the Highlands this week.



Thursday morning, House Committee Chairman and Maintenance Director Jim Mitchneck worked to cover up the words sprayed onto the front of the building, which read in all caps letter, "Free Palestine" on one side, and "God Bless Gaza" on the other.



Mitchneck, who has led services at the building for the last 14 years and attended since 1982, said he became aware of the graffiti when a parishioner drove by Wednesday down Westford Street and saw the graffiti.



"This just cuts deep," he said, noting he is the grandchild of a Holocaust survivor. "My grandmother told me about her experiences ... and, you know, it starts like this."



Mitchneck said this is not the first time his synagogue suffered a hate crime. In the 1990s, he said a swastika was sprayed onto the building. Then, seven years ago, gang-related tags were sprayed on the front of the building in black paint, in the same spot. Mitchneck worked to cover the paint up then, too, but said those markings were not as disturbing as the ones this week.



"It was just territory marking. We knew those were not targeting," he said.



Mitchneck noted the synagogue has not received threats accompanying these latest markings, but he is still concerned. His synagogue has requested an increase in a police presence for the area.



"Threats are one thing, but when there's activity, it goes to another stage," he said.



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Isis Jihadists stone Syrian woman to death for "adultery"

Jihadists in the northern Syrian province of Raqa have accused a woman of adultery and stoned her to death, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday.



It was the first 'execution' of its kind by the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria, which has proclaimed the establishment of an Islamic 'caliphate' straddling Syria and Iraq.



"The Islamic State carried out its first sentence of death by stoning against a woman in Tabaqa, accusing her of adultery," said the Britain-based Observatory, referring to a town in Raqa province, most of which is under IS control.



An activist in the province confirmed the report, and said the stoning took place in a public square in Tabaqa on Thursday evening.



"This is the first time that this has happened here," added Abu Ibrahim.

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THANKS TO ACLU AND ISLAMIC SHURA COUNCIL OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA MUSLIM INMATES IN LA COUNTY JAILS ARE NOW GUARANTEED COMMUNAL PRAYER

Communal prayer at L.A.'s County jails is now guaranteed for Muslim inmates, following a new directive by the L.A. County Sheriff's Department.



Muslim inmates in L.A.'s jails have complained to community groups over the past couple of years that they've been denied the congregational prayer services afforded to inmates of other religions. They appealed to the ACLU of Southern California and the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, which sent a letter to the department in March asking for change.



Then, a couple of months ago, the sheriff's department issued a directive, instructing deputies working the jails to allow communal prayers. Earlier this week, the department updated the directive--agreeing to provide chaplains of other faiths to lead services when an Imam's not available.



"It's just us taking that extra step to make sure everybody understands what's going on and everybody's respectful of everybody's religious rights," said Sgt. Juan Martinez.



Shakeel Syed, executive director of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, said the change is a big one for Muslim inmates, who have lacked the benefits and comfort of communal prayer.



"That's an inherent human right of every human being to seek spiritual guidance and connection with whoever they choose to," Syed said.



Syed said he hopes all jails in the system will eventually be able to allow larger scale communal religious gatherings.



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MUSLIM PEDOPHILE SENTENCED TO SIX YEARS FOR RAPING A FOURTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL (UK)

A man has been jailed for six years for raping a teenage girl in Walton.



Zeeshaan Sheikh, 21, of Linkway, Woking, was sentenced at Guildford Crown Court on Monday (June 30).



Surrey Police said Sheikh picked up the victim, who was aged 14 at the time, in November 2012 and then drove to a hotel car park in Walton where he raped her.



Soon after the incident Sheikh flew to Pakistan, but he was arrested on his return a few weeks later by police officers at Heathrow Airport.



Detective Constable Gordon Krebel said: "This outcome has been made possible thanks to the bravery of the victim combined with tireless work of a number of dedicated officers.



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"TURKISH JEWS WILL PAY DEARLY. WE CANNOT HOLD BACK OUR YOUNGSTERS ANYMORE" WITH BLESSINGS FROM ERDOGAN GOVERNMENT MUSLIMS THREATEN LOCAL JEWISH COMMUNITY,VIOLENTLY RIOT OUTSIDE ISRAELI EMBASSY

As IDF forces entered Gaza on Thursday night in the latest phase of Israel’s ongoing Operation Protective Edge, violent riots broke out around Turkey threatening the local Jewish community and Israeli institutions. The head of the IHH terror-tied humanitarian NGO behind the infamous Mavi Marmara Flotilla, Bulent Yildirim, told local television station Haber Turk that “Turkish Jews will pay dearly” for Israel’s actions.



“Israel is acting like a spoiled child,” Yildirim said. “Jewish tourists, don’t dare come to Turkey. Tonight and tomorrow we are going to hold a different kind of protest, we do not have patience anymore.”



“The Zionists are putting the future of the Jews in danger, we can not hold back our youngsters anymore,” he said.



At the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul and the Israeli Embassy in Ankara crowds of protesters gathered and shouted anti-Israel slogans.



“Fight! Martyrdom!” they were heard saying in Istanbul. Protesters attempted to enter the building where the Consulate is located three times and lit a fire nearby. Haber Turk described the scene as a “battlefield environment” and rioters were seen throwing stones and bottles at police.



In Ankara an Israeli flag was removed by rioters and replaced by Palestinian and Turkish flags. Police were able to push the crowd back at times. Among the rioters were some of the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) parliament members, according to local reports. After some time, police used tear gas to confront the protesters.



Ankara’s mayor, Melih Gökçek was quick to add fuel to the flames, tweeting about the Embassy, “It will be taken… The despicable murderers’ Consulate has to be kicked out of Turkey. We do not want an Embassy in Turkey of the murderers!”



A Turkish Jewish activist who is familiar with the situation on the ground told The Algemeiner that the environment is not safe for Turkish Jews.



The activist, who did not wish to be named, said that anti-Semitic and anti-Israel elements in Turkey have been “given a free pass” by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government.



Two days ago, local newspaper Yeni Akit, affiliated with Erdogan, called on the country’s Jewish community to apologize for the casualties of Israel’s operation in Gaza. In an open letter to Turkey’s chief rabbi, correspondent Faruk Köse wrote, “You have lived comfortably among us for 500 years and gotten rich at our expense. Is this your gratitude – killing Muslims? Erdogan, demand that the community leader apologize!”



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BECAUSE "IT WOULD CAUSE DISHONOR" MUSLIM REPORT ROBBERY BUT HIDES THE FACT THAT ROBBERS GANG RAPED FOUR WOMEN IN HIS FAMILY, DEMANDS JUSTICE ONLY AFTER POLICE DISCOVER FOOTAGE ON ROBBERS CELLPHONE (PAKISTAN)

It has been more than 50 days that Muhammad Paryal went to the Hingorja police station to register an FIR against the dacoits who broke into his house to steal money and other valuables.



It wasn’t till the police arrested two suspects that they found out he had been hiding something.



After going through cell phones of the men they arrested, the police found videos which showed that not only had the dacoits robbed the family blind but had also raped four women including Paryal’s niece.



On the night of May 25, seven men broke into Paryal’s house in Memon Mohallah in Rasoolabad Town. At the time of the incident, he was the only man at home with five women of the family – his mother, his wife, two sisters-in-law and a niece.



At first the dacoits took all the cash, gold, other valuables and then proceeded to gang rape four of the women. Paryal’s mother was spared due to her age.



When Paryal informed relatives and neighours about what happened the next day, they told him to go register the FIR but not mention anything about the gang rape as it had caused ‘dishonour’ to the family. Paryal did what he was told and lodged an FIR against seven unknown men for robbing his house.



A couple of days later, the police arrested two suspects identified as Rafiq Sahito and Saleem Sahito. During the investigation, they were going through the suspects cell phones and found videos of the gang rape. They went and asked Paryal if the women of his family had been raped as the act had been recorded on the perpetrators’ cell phones.



Presented with the footage of the incident, Paryal decided to lodge another FIR against seven men, including Saleem Sahito, Rafiq Sahito, Aijaz Machi and Laloo Samito.



The second FIR was lodged more than a month ago and the police have yet to arrest the men nominated in it.



While talking to The Express Tribune, Paryal said that he was disappointed with the police’s performance and added that he had filed a constitutional petition at the Sindh High Court’s Sukkur bench. He claimed that the court had summoned the home secretary, Sindh IG, Sukkur DIG, Khairpur SSP and Hingorja police station SHO to appear before the court on July 21 and state why the police had failed to nab the culprits. He added that the culprits had ‘dishonoured’ his family and all he wanted now was justice.



Paryal claimed that office bearers of the Sindhi Memon Association had held press conference in Hingorja and demanded that the men should be arrested immediately.



According to him, the association also decided to stage protests outside Karachi Press Club on July 17. The women of his family, he claimed, will also participate in the protest. Khairpur SSP Usman Ghani was not available for comments.



Taking notice



Sindh home secretary Dr Niaz Ali Abbasi took notice of the gang rape in Rasoolabad. He instructed the police officers to arrest the accused immediately, and take strict action against them in accordance with the law. Abbasi directed the police officers to take special measures to ensure justice to the affected family. Moreover, he sought a report regarding the incident from the police.

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HONOR KILLING IN PAKISTAN: "SHE FORCED ME TO DO THIS" ACCUSING HER OF CHEATING HUSBAND GUNS DOWN WIFE IN BROAD DAYLIGHT ON UNIVERSITY CAMPUS

A 22-year-old university student was allegedly shot dead on campus by her husband on Wednesday in an apparent honour killing.

According to the New Town police, Muhammad Shoaib entered Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University (AAU), Rawalpindi, and after a heated argument with Saira Naveed, took out a pistol and shot her in the head.




The woman, an eighth semester BS Computer Sciences student and a resident of Afshan Colony, Qasim Market, died on the spot, after which Shoaib, a 25-year-old student of Comsats Institute of Information Technology, was overpowered by AAU guards and handed over to the police.



Saira’s body was shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences. Police officials said Shoaib claimed that Saira was his wife and accused her of having an extramarital affair.


“I tried my best to make her stop cheating on me but she did not listen and forced me to do this,” Shoaib was quoted as saying by the police. Shoaib said the two had contracted a court marriage some four years ago without the consent of Saira’s parents.




Shoaib told the police that when the marriage was later revealed to them, Saira’s parents reportedly threatened to disown her if she shifted to his house. Due to her parents’ resistance, Saira refused to move in with him, Shoaib claimed.



Rawal Town Superintendent of Police Malik Karamat called the murder an ‘honour’ killing, adding that the alleged killer had already confessed to the police.


Talking to The Express Tribune, AAU students said Shoaib would often visit Saira on campus and would frequently argue. They said Shoaib had been involved in extra-marital affairs and was “offended” when Saira questioned his actions.


Students also criticised the university administration for failing to ensure proper security as Shoaib was able to enter the premises with a weapon.



“Three months ago, workers of a political party, equipped with sophisticated weapons, stormed the university. The incident was the result of a quarrel between the student wings of two political parties. There was no one to stop them and the vice-chancellor (VC) just hushed up the matter,” said a student, who requested not to be named due to fear of action by the varsity.



Students said a lot of their colleagues carry weapons but there is no one to take action against them. AAU VC Dr Rai Niaz and university spokesperson Musa Kaleem could not be reached despite several attempts.



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HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS SLAM BULGARIA'S EFFORTS TO KEEP OUT MUSLIM OPPORTUNISTS BY BUILDING A FENCE ON BORDER WITH TURKEY, READY TO START FUNCTIONING ON JULY 20TH

Bulgaria is facing a backlash from human rights groups after building a 30km-long, razor-wire fence along its southern border in an effort to block immigrants coming in from Syria via Turkey.

The 3m-high fence, which has taken a week to build and was completed on Thursday, has already reportedly brought the number of illegal arrivals down to 300 per month compared with 2,000 people each month this time last year.

Bulgaria was caught unprepared by a surge of 11,600 Syrian, Turkish and Afghan refugees last year following the crisis in Syria - 10 times the annual number of asylum seekers to the country before the civil war.

The sudden influx caused a humanitarian crisis in Bulgaria, already the poorest member of the EU, as asylum seekers were forced to live in crowded army barracks and tents during the middle of winter with no heating, basic sanitation or food.

The fence, which covers the least visible section of Bulgaria's 275km border with Turkey, has come under fire today from human rights groups.

Bill Frelick, refugee rights program director at Human Rights Watch said: "Slamming the door on refugees is not the way to deal with an increase in people seeking protection.

"The right way, simply, is for Bulgarian authorities to examine asylum seekers' claims and treat them decently."

A recent report by Human Rights Watch detailed how Bulgarian border police have this year used excessive force to return people who appear to be asylum seekers back to Turkey with no opportunity to lodge asylum claims.

Human Rights Watch interviewed 177 refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in various locations in both Bulgaria and Turkey. Those interviewed gave detailed accounts of incidents involving at least 519 people in which Bulgarian border police apprehended and returned them to Turkey, in some instances using violence.



WHY DON'T THEY DIE DEFENDING THEIR COUNTRIES INSTEAD OF DYING TRYING TO COME LIVE IN THE WEST THAT THEY HATE SO MUCH.


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"PROHIBITED UNDER SHARIA LAW" STATE LAW TO PUNISH MUSLIM MEN FOR CROSS DRESSING IS LEGAL EVEN IF IT VIOLATES THE RIGHTS OF CITIZENS UNDER FEDERAL CONSTITUTION RULES COURT IN MALAYSIA

A provision to punish the Muslim transgender community for cross-dressing in Negri Sembilan is legal, even if it violates the rights of citizens under the Federal Constitution, the Court of Appeal heard today.



Senior federal counsel Suzana Atan submitted that this was because the constitution allowed state legislative assemblies to enact laws dealing with acts that went against the precepts of Islam.



She said Article 74 (2) of the constitution allowed states to enact laws and charge Muslims at a shariah court.



"Section 66 is a valid law and not unconstitutional because it is an offence for male Muslims to be dressed in female attire in that state," said Suzana, who appeared as amicus curiae (friend of the court).



She was referring to Section 66 of the Negri Sembilan Shariah Criminal Act 1992, which makes it an offence for men to cross-dress and provides for punishment of up to six months in prison, a fine of up to RM1,000, or both, upon conviction.



Four Malay transwomen who were arrested and charged in the religious court had challenged the constitutionality of Section 66.



They contended that Section 66 violates their fundamental rights enshrined in the constitution, namely the prohibition of discrimination based on gender; freedom of expression; freedom of movement; and the right to live with dignity, privacy and to livelihood.



Suzana said the Mufti of the state had given his opinion (fatwa) that it was against the religion for Muslim men to cross-dress.



Datuk Mohd Hishamuddin Mohd Yunus, who chaired the three-man panel hearing the appeal, asked Suzana whether Islam recognised those suffering from a "gender identity disorder".



She said the religion did not.

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"WE ARE NOW IN A STATE OF CONTINUED JIHAD TO END THE REMNANTS OF THE U.S. OCCUPATION AND RESTORE THE RIGHTS OF IRAQI PEOPLE" SUNNI TRIBAL LEADERS VOW TO FIGHT WITH ISIS TILL THEY TAKE OVER IRAQI CAPITAL

Sunni insurgents and tribal leaders said on Wednesday after a closed meeting they would keep fighting until they take over the Iraqi capital and bring down a U.S. imposed political order that brought Shi'ites to rule the country and marginalised them.



Several hundred tribal figures, representatives of Islamist insurgent groups, ex-army officers and former Baath party figures attended the meeting in the Jordanian capital.



Sunni cleric Abdul Malik Al-Saadi, who praised the "mujahdeen" (holy warriors) leading the revolt, said tribes were the backbone of a broad based insurgency battling against Iraqi Shi'ite Islamist Prime Minister Nuri Maliki's rule. He said these forces had now captured large parts of western and northern Iraq.



The Islamic State, the Al Qaeda offshoot, is only a part of the uprising, the Sunni's top religious figure said.



"We are now in a state of continued Jihad to end the remnants of the U.S. occupation and restore the rights of the Iraqi people," said Abd al-Naser Al Janaby, a prominent Salafi cleric and politician and a leading supporter of the armed uprising. "We expect a new dawn for Iraq from this revolution."



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"KEEP OPPOSING HINDUS HOW LONG CAN THEY SURVIVE?" LEADER OF CONSERVATIVE PARTY WARNS MUSLIMS TO RESPECT SENTIMENTS OF HINDUS IN INDIA

In a front-page story in the Hindustan Times on Thursday, a member of a conservative Hindu group said India’s Muslim minority “must learn to respect Hindu sentiments” following May’s sweeping election victory by the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has deep Hindu-nationalist roots.



The paper quoted Ashok Singhal, a long-time member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a Hindu nationalist group, and a former international president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, a hardline Hindu organization, as saying that if Muslims “keep opposing Hindus, how long can they survive?”



Muslims account for 13% of India’s population and Hindus 80%.



In the story, the 88-year-old Mr. Singhal is quoted as saying of Muslims: “We’ll give them love, and not claim any other mosque sites even though there are thousands built on the ruins of temples. But if they don’t accept it, they should be prepared for further Hindu consolidation. It has happened at the center, it will happen in other states.”



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IMAM ARRESTED FOR RAISING FUNDS AND RECRUITING MUSLIMS FOR JIHAD IN SYRIA (BELGIUM)

"THEY DO NOT ALLOW ME TO GO NEAR THEM, I AM HAPPY ONLY WHEN I PERFORM MY CONJUGAL RIGHTS" PAKISTANI MILITARY'S OPERATION TO DRIVE OUT TALIBAN RUINS MUSLIM ALREADY MARRIED TO 3 WOMEN AND FATHER TO 36 CHILDREN PLANS TO MARRY A FOURTH WIFE

Pakistan's ongoing military operation may be making headway in clearing militant hideouts, but it has shattered the dream of one father of 36 children -- to take a fourth wife.



Gulzar Khan is one of hundreds of thousands of people who have fled the North Waziristan tribal area since the army moved in to clear longstanding bases of Taliban and other militants.



Escaping the military advance meant leaving the 35-room house he shares in the North Waziristan village of Shawa with around 100 family members, including wives, children and grandchildren.



The 54-year-old grumbled that paying to transport his brood used up the cash he had set aside for his fourth marriage.



"The money I had saved was consumed in relocating my family from Shawa to Bannu and now I have again started saving and waiting for the operation to conclude," he told AFP.



Islamic law permits men to take up to four wives and in Pakistan's deeply conservative northwest, large families are the norm.



But after giving birth to a dozen children each, Khan said, his wives had told him enough was enough.



"I was planning to have a fourth marriage because now my wives have boycotted me and told me 'no more children'," Khan said.



"They do not allow me to go near them, but I have desires I want to fulfil."



- 'I needed more' -



Khan was 17 years old when he married his 14-year-old cousin in Shawa. They had eight daughters and four sons, but after eight years, the amorous tribesman got married again, to a 17-year-old.



"I was not satisfied and needed more of it -- I mean the love-making," Khan told AFP at his 17-room house in the northwestern town of Bannu, where the bulk of people displaced by the military operation have taken refuge.



"I do not indulge in adultery and sinful acts so I satisfy my natural desires lawfully by marriage," said Khan, who worked as a taxi driver in Dubai from 1976 to 1992.



Khan's third wedding came when he married his brother's widow when he was killed in a dispute just a month after tying the knot himself.



Two of his sons now work as drivers in Dubai and the money they send home helps support the extended family, along with income from Khan's farmland in Bannu and Shawa.



"My sons send up to 50,000 rupees ($500) every month from Dubai and we make ends meet with this money," Khan added.



He said there were no disputes between his three wives, all living under the same roof, but he admitted he struggled to remember who was who's mother.



"I can tell you that he or she is my child, but I cannot tell with all of them who is his or her mother," Khan said.



As tribal custom forbids women from speaking to men outside their family, AFP's reporter was unable to seek the views of Khan's wives on the matter.



- Conjugally happy -



Khan said he had no problem feeding and clothing his family, but with so many people around, there was little privacy.



"Often there are two to three kids lying around me when I go to sleep, so it's difficult to have a private moment with my wives," Khan said.



Asked if he used any drugs like Viagra to perform, Khan said that he never felt the need.



"I had a heart attack 12 years ago and also have an ulcer, and my doctor had advised me to stay happy," Khan told AFP.



"I am happy only when I perform my conjugal rights."




Pakistan's 180 million-strong population is growing by more than two percent a year, according to the United Nations Population Fund, which said in late 2012 that a third of Pakistanis have no access to birth control.



Some observers have warned that unless more is done to slow the growth, the country's natural resources -- particularly water -- will not be enough to support the population.



But Khan's 14-year-old son Ghufran has no such fears.



"God willing I will also have several marriages and produce even more kids than my father," he told AFP.


IMAMS AND MUSLIMS WILL TELL YOU POLYGAMY HAS NOTING TO DO WITH SEX.


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AID WORTH MILLIONS SEND BY WESTERN GOVERNMENT'S TO AREAS HELD BY ISIS

Western governments are sending millions of pounds of aid to areas held by the radical Islamic group Isis in northern Syria, The Independent can reveal.



The aid, which is paid for by the UK, European and US governments, consists of food, medicine and hygiene kits. It is brought into the country through the war-torn north from the two last remaining border posts open with Turkey in Reyhanli and Kilis.



Western groups such as Mercy Corps International, the Norwegian Refugee Council, World Vision, the International Rescue Committee and the United Nations World Food Programme provide supplies to hundreds of thousands of people every month across the self-proclaimed Islamic State.



This includes towns such as Raqqa, Manbij and Jarablus, which have witnessed beheadings, crucifixions and other draconian interpretations of sharia since Isis took over early this year.



“We have lots of direct shipments into Isis-held areas. Nearly all of our trucks go through the Turkish border post near Kilis. Sometimes they get stuck en route, and we have to wait two or three weeks for them to get there if they get held up by fighting or another opposition group which isn’t happy that we’re sending aid through an Isis checkpoint,” said a Western aid worker. Aid groups say their aim is to help vulnerable people, not to support the rule of Isis. Mercy Corps, which has headquarters in the UK and the US, has received £27.3m from the UK Department for Internatonal Development for humanitarian activities in Syria.



A spokesperson for Mercy Corp says we have been delivering essential aid to hundreds of thousands of civilians in need on all sides of the conflict, irrespective of race, ethnicity, religion or political affiliation – as an independent, impartial humanitarian organisation, that is our mandate.”



Isis uses social media to demonstrate the brutality with which it treats its enemies and those who break its laws. But it uses the same media to show it distributing aid and administering healthcare to people under its rule.

Its ability to deliver free aid and free fuel has been a major factor in persuading residents of recently conquered towns such as Mosul to accept its rule.



A spokesman for Dfid said it did not supply aid to Isis directly: “We supply life-saving aid to people who need it, in line with international humanitarian principles including impartiality.”



Bashar al-Assad, who was sworn in for a third term today, said states that have supported terrorism will pay the price and that he would fight insurgents until security was restored to the country.



“Soon we will see that the Arab, regional and Western states that supported terrorism will pay a high price,” he told his supporters at the presidential palace.



Meanwhile in warehouses and industrial parks along Turkey’s southern border, there are shipping containers waiting to be unloaded. Workers unload unmarked boxes which are then loaded on to commercial trucks. The food includes wheat, rice, tinned tomatoes, sugar and oil. The medical supplies are basic items that do not require cold storage such as bandages and basic drugs.



The trucks are then driven across the border to areas precariously held by Syrian opposition forces and Islamist groups including Jabhat al-Nusra, al-Qa’ida’s official branch in Syria, which is also fighting against Isis.

Isis, reinforced by US military supplies taken from defeated Iraqi forces, has renewed its assaults against Syrian non-government forces including Kurds and Western-backed groups such as the Free Syrian Army.




Although Isis is officially fighting Jabhat al-Nusra, the Islamic Front and the Free Syrian Army, humanitarian aid and commercial goods are more often than not allowed to cross the “border” to Isis areas.



The aid is then distributed and monitored by civilian Syrian relief committees, many of which were in place before Isis took over, according to aid workers who operate out of Turkey’s southern city of Gaziantep.



Aid workers say Isis, which has kidnapped Western journalists and workers in the past, lets them work mostly without interference. “They’re happy to let us work on the large part without preconditions,” said one Western aid worker.



Isis is designated a terrorist group by the United State which also offers a reward of $10m (£5.8m) for information leading to the capture of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who declared himself caliph in imitation of the companions of Mohamed who set up a caliphate in the Middle East and North Africa in the seventh century.



In addition to international aid, Isis-controlled areas of Raqqa and Deir Ezzour are very fertile and produce a vast amount of the region’s wheat. Deir Ezzour also has some of the biggest oilfields in Syria.



Isis is also luring doctors and nurses with large salaries in return for their loyalty, a Syrian doctor working for a Norwegian medical NGO in Raqqa told The Independent.



“They are buying people one by one – they are offering doctors up to 100,000 Syrian pounds a month (£390), which is a fortune there now.



“At the beginning they would take any aid they didn’t have to pay for, but since they announced the establishment of the caliphate, they are running their own services so that it can become more like a state.”



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MUSLIM FROM UK SENTENCED TO 12-1/2 YEARS FOR SUPPORTING TALIBAN (CONNECTICUT)

A U.S. judge on Wednesday sentenced a British national to 12-1/2 years in prison after he pleaded guilty in December to running a website and distributing publications that promoted violence and raised money for Muslim militants.



Babar Ahmad, 40, had faced a maximum sentence of 25 years for the crime, which prosecutors said included recruiting fighters for the Taliban and al Qaeda in the run-up to the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York City and Washington.



"It is my conclusion that the defendant does not present a risk of becoming involved in future crimes, and was never involved directly with al Qaeda," Judge Janet Hall said, explaining the lighter sentence.



The sentence will include the 10 years Ahmad already has served, she said.



Ahmad's attorneys had argued ahead of sentencing that while he tried to help Muslims under attack in Bosnia and Chechnya through his publications in the 1990s, he regretted supporting the Taliban and condemned the September 11 attacks.



A second man, 34-year-old Syed Talha Ahsan, who also pleaded guilty alongside Ahmad to supporting the Taliban through the publications, was due to be sentenced on Wednesday afternoon. He faces a maximum 15-year sentence.


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LAWYER IN HOT WATER AFTER CLAIMING THAT WOMEN ARE NOT SUITED TO SERVE IN POSITIONS OF POWERS BECAUSE MENSTRUAL CYCLE PREVENTS THEM FROM PERFORMING CURTAIN DUTIES (MALAYSIA)

Umno lawyer Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun displayed his “caveman mentality” when he said women were unsuited for the Selangor Mentri Besar post as they could not perform their duties when menstruating, DAP’s Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud said today.

The political aide to veteran politician Lim Kit Siang scoffed at Hafarizam for his remark, saying the lawyer “obviously” does not know of powerful women leaders like three-time Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and Argentina president Christina Fernandez de Kirshner.



“Perhaps if he had watched the World Cup Final yesterday, he may have noticed Merkel in the audience, sitting next to the President of Argentina, Christina Fernandez de Kirshner.



“In case it is not obvious enough for Dato’ Hafarizam, they are both successful women leaders,” Dyana pointed out in a statement here.



Dyana, who is a law graduate and DAP’s candidate in the just-concluded Teluk Intan by-election, said Hafarizam’s view was a clear testament to how Umno has failed to promote women in politics.



“It is precisely this sort of negative attitude by those in power that has constantly robbed women of opportunities to lead in this nation,” she said.



“Only a person with a caveman mentality can deny women the opportunity and right to hold a leadership position in government simply because she may not be able to perform certain ceremonial acts during ‘that time of the month’, even though she is perfectly capable of performing her governing and administrative obligations,” the young politician added.



Today, the New Straits Times reported Hafarizam as suggesting that the menstrual cycle prevents PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail from becoming Selangor mentri besar as she cannot accompany the Sultan at religious events during that time of the month.



In Islam, a menstruating woman is considered “unclean”, and is prohibited from praying and reading Quran, among others.



Most Islamic scholars also bar women from entering a mosque while menstruating.



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"I will slaughter you" Convicted terrorist taunts Australian police, threatens AFP

Convicted terrorist Khaled Sharrouf has taunted Australian police via his social media account, boasting that he would 'slaughter' Australians.



The Sydney jihadist is currently in the Middle East fighting with extremist group Islamic State after he evaded authorities in December by fleeing Australia on his brother's passport.

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"GO TO CANADA TO ACQUIRE FUNDING FOR THE MUJAHEDIN" MUSLIM CHARGED WITH PLOTTING TO ATTACK PASSENGER TRAIN IN CANADA TRAINED WITH A MAN IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH AL QAEDA LEADER

A Tunisian arrested by the RCMP last year over an alleged plot to derail a passenger train near Toronto spent six weeks training with a man “in direct contact” with the leader of Al-Qaeda, according to a newly released FBI document.



The summary of FBI wiretaps spelled out for the first time the suspected link between the Canadian terrorism plot and Al-Qaeda. Previously the RCMP had said only that the conspiracy had received “direction and guidance” from Al-Qaeda elements in Iran.



But in the document, an undercover FBI officer said one of the suspects, Chiheb Esseghaier, had trained and lived with a man known as Al-Masul. While Al-Masul was not otherwise identified, the officer said he “was in direct contact with the Doctor.”



The Doctor is one of the aliases used by Ayman Al-Zawahiri, the Egyptian terrorist who became the leader of Al-Qaeda after Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. Navy SEALs. The document referred to him as “Anwar Al-Zawahiri.”



It also said Al-Masul had given “instructions” to Mr. Esseghaier, and mentioned another contact named Abou Hamza, who had been caught in Turkey and “sent back to Iran.” Elsewhere, it mentioned an “Al-Qaeda handler” who instructed Mr. Esseghaier “to go to Canada to acquire funding for the mujahedin.”



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"I WOULD GO TODAY IF I COULD" MUSLIM WOMEN INTERVIEWED OUTSIDE ISLAMIC CENTER IN LUTON,UK READY TO JOIN JIHAD IN SYRIA

MUSLIM women in Luton have told the BBC of their desire to fight in Syria.



A reporter from the Today programme spoke to them following concerns about the role of British women in the conflict. It follows the disappearance of teenage twins from Manchester who are believed to have fled to the country to join the fight.



The BBC say they met one petite woman wearing a burka outside the Islamic Centre, off Luton's Bury Park Road, who was waiting for a friend so they could go inside to pray.



Asked about the conflict in Syria between rebels and the government of Bashar al-Assad, she is said to have told the BBC: "I would go today if I could - whether to help or fight to help my brothers and sisters, inshallah (God willing)."



The 20-year-old woman, who refused to give her name, but is described as 'strong, intelligent and articulate', added: "I would definitely fight for them because what's happening to them is not all right. . .If I could go today, I would."



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"HITLER MAY JUST HAVE BEEN RIGHT ABOUT THE JEWS" SAYS EX MUFTI IN MALAYSIA

Former Perlis Mufti Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin says that Adolph Hitler, in his actions against the Jews, could have just been right.

In his article in news portal Astro Awani, he laid out his arguments for saying soAsri wrote the article when he was in Osnabruck, Germany. At the Friday prayers he had attended at a mosque there, the Imam called for the congregation to join a peaceful demonstration to protest the atrocities being committed by Israel on the Palestinians.


Asri said he saw the need for such a call as a big demonstration had been held in Berlin to support Israel’s action.



He further explained that prior to his visit the Germany, he had read the book by Seymour Rossel, The Holocaust. A Jew, Rossel defended the Jews and attacked Hitler totally.



Asri admitted that Hitler was certainly a cruel dictator, not only killing Jews but all who opposed him. However, he asked the question why Hitler had declared the Jews a dangerous race, threatening and endangering Germany.



According to Asri, while Hitler, in his book Mein Kampf, accused the Jews of causing the economic oppression of the Germans, he was not the person who initiated the belief that the Jews were a destructive race.

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