THE CLARION PROJECT

Report: Facebook’s ‘Suggested Friends’ Equals Suggesting Extremists
https://clarionproject.org/report-facebooks-suggested-friends-equals-suggesting-extremists/
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > Report: Facebook’s ‘Suggested Friends’ Equals Suggesting Extremists
BY CLARION PROJECT Monday, May 7, 2018 
(Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images)
For most of us, the ‘suggested friends’ feature on Facebook is a useful tool. In case you are not familiar: Facebook will show you names and photos of people whom it thinks you may want to ‘befriend’ online. So, if you like baseball, Facebook may well suggest you meet others who also enjoy the sport.
Likewise, with extremists. If you are an extremist and express those types of views online in terms of your ‘likes’, there’s a good chance Facebook will automatically suggest friendship with like-minded souls. That’s a conclusion in a new report from the Counter Extremism Project and reported by The Telegraph.
CEP’s researchers looked at 1,000 ISIS supporters’ activities on Facebook and learned that Islamists often meet one another via the suggested friends feature.
“The failure to effectively police its platform has allowed Facebook to become a place where extensive IS supporting networks exist, propaganda is disseminated people are radicalised and new supporters are recruited,” said Gregory Waters, one of the authors of the report.
In 2017 Facebook said it was increasing its crackdown on what it perceives as hateful content. The company planned on hiring an additional 3,000 content reviewers to monitor the site, according to the New York Post.
“There is absolutely no place on Facebook for hate speech or content that promotes violence or terrorism,” Senior Vice-President for Global Marketing Solutions Carolyn Everson said, announcing the decision. “As soon as we determine that content has breached our community standards, we remove it. With a community as large as Facebook, however, zero tolerance cannot mean zero occurrence.”
Facebook has also come under criticism for sometimes removing posts and individuals from its pages for their perceived racism, which in some cases has proved to be legitimate criticism of Islamist radicals.
Another example was the banning of Isaac Firman and his cartoons about what its like to be gay in Malaysia.



Hezbollah, Allies Set to Be Largest Bloc in Lebanon
Home > World > Lebanon > Hezbollah, Allies Set to Be Largest Bloc in Lebanon
BY CLARION PROJECT Monday, May 7, 2018 
Supporters of Hezbollah tour the city of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon on May 6, 2018, as the country votes in its first parliamentary elections in nine years. (Photo: MAHMOUD ZAYYAT / AFP / Getty Images)
With the count well underway in Lebanon’s first parliamentary election in nine years, Hezbollah and its allies look set to form the largest bloc in the country’s parliament. Following the vote, Lebanese media reported the grouping would likely take more than half of the 128 seats.
With Hezbollah designated a terror organization by numerous countries, the only solace is that the pro-Western Mustaqbal is likely to be the single largest party when the final vote tally is announced.
Clarion’s Arab Affairs Analyst Ran Meir offers this analysis:
“Initial results suggest Hezbollah and its allies received many more votes than they have in the past. Why? In the past, Hezbollah had popularity issues because it was sending Lebanon’s children to die in Syria or in Iraq. But now with the Shiite crescent the largest it’s ever been, people see Hezbollah as part of something very big. They see it as the winning horse that maybe can deliver.”
A bi-partisan bill targeting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah was introduced to the U.S. Congress last week. The bill, dubbed the Disarm Hezbollah Act, calls for an investigation by the director of national intelligence to assess the group’s “capabilities, arsenal, and the illicit supply routes it uses to procure weapons.”
Hezbollah’s terror actions are not just restricted to the Middle East, but are also said to be planning attacks in the Americas. Two terrorists belonging to Hezbollah were arrested in 2017 for planning attacks in the U.S., with one scouting potential targets in New York including JFK International Airport.
GRAPHIC
 https://clarionproject.org/hezbollah-allies-set-to-be-largest-bloc-in-lebanon/


Me, My Brother and ISIS
Home > Human Rights > Human Rights Violators > Child Abuse > Me, My Brother and ISIS
BY CLARION PROJECT Monday, May 7, 2018 
Now he is in jail. This youngster tells of how his brother enticed him into ISIS and his regrets ever since.
This harrowing interview is part of the ICSVE Breaking the ISIS Brand Counter Narrative video series.
Two Brothers in the Islamic State
 WATCH https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=10&v=8C3gEHhmDFk&ab_channel=ICSVE

Mauro: Iran Is Blustering to Hide Panic Ahead of May 12 Deadline
https://clarionproject.org/mauro-iran-blustering-hide-panic-ahead-may-12-deadline/
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > Mauro: Iran Is Blustering to Hide Panic Ahead of May 12 Deadline
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, May 6, 2018 
Iran declares it will not renegotiate its nuclear deal with world powers and accuses the U.S. of violating the deal by pressuring companies not to do business with the Iranian regime.

Clarion Intelligence Network director and Shillman Fellow Ryan Mauro responds
FOX NEWS https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=12&v=npvvZVJ6rSI&ab_channel=RyanMauro



‘Al-Qaeda Earns up to $40m Every Month’
Home > Political Islam > Worldwide > Movements > ‘Al-Qaeda Earns up to $40m Every Month’
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, May 6, 2018 
https://clarionproject.org/al-qaeda-earns-40m-every-month/
Dmitry Feoktistov, Deputy Director of the Department of New Challenges and Threats of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (Photo: Mikhail Kireev
/ Host Photo Agency via Getty Images)
While world media still focuses on ISIS, al-Qaeda continues to grow stronger. AQ’s monthly revenue is more than a dozen times greater than that of Islamic State, according to a Kremlin expert.
Al-Qaeda brings in between $20 million and $40m. each month, said Dmitry Feoktistov, the deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department on New Challenges and Threats.
Feoktistov used the opportunity of an interview for RIA Novosti to suggest the U.S. is only focused on Iran and Hezbollah and is putting other threats on the back-burner.
For its part, al-Qaeda has re-invented itself in recent months, with a new leadership structure, including a central role for Osama bin Laden’s son Hamza. Al-Qaeda’s head, Ayman al-Zawahiri, made comments over the last year to suggest he sees al-Qaeda as replacing ISIS at the forefront of global Jihad. He recently called on Muslims to attack any U.S. interests.


Why America Needs Community Policing
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > Why America Needs Community Policing
BY CLARION PROJECT Tuesday, May 1, 2018 
Clarion Project’s David Harris asks why America doesn’t have community policing, unlike in Europe where officers patrol the streets on foot or on a bike.
LISTEN https://clarionproject.org/america-needs-community-policing/
 


Tell Trump: Say No to Muslim Brotherhood in US
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > Tell Trump: Say No to Muslim Brotherhood in US
BY CLARION PROJECT Tuesday, December 26, 2017 
 
Muslim Brotherhood petition
We’re launching a petition to tell President Donald Trump there’s no place for the Muslim Brotherhood and enforced sharia in the United States. Please join us.

SIGN THE PETITION NOW 
Say No to Muslim Brotherhood in the US
The Muslim Brotherhood is committed to replacing the American Constitution with sharia (Islamist) law. The Muslim Brotherhood is a supporter of terrorist organizations. It has no place in the United States.

Mr Trump, I Say No to Muslim Brotherhood in US

https://clarionproject.org/tell-trump-say-no-muslim-brotherhood-us/?utm_source=Clarion+Project&utm_campaign=c62a840e18-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_05_06&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_523433840a-c62a840e18-5010029&mc_cid=c62a840e18&mc_eid=99393a2678

Just How Far American Dollars Go to Finance Iranian Terror
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > Just How Far American Dollars Go to Finance Iranian Terror
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Wednesday, May 2, 2018 
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (Photo: ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)
As part of the nuclear agreement with Iran, U.S. President Trump noted at a recent press conference that “[the U.S.] gave Iran $150 billion and $1.8 billion in cash.”
A substantial portion of that money was used to fund global terror. Just how far Iran’s tentacles reach and to what end was evident in a news item today that most likely didn’t hit the front pages: Morocco announced that it was severing ties with Iran over Tehran’s support for the Polisario Front, a separatist movement in the Western Sahara.
Western Sahara, which borders Morocco, is a disputed territory since Spanish colonialists left the area. It was annexed by Morocco in 1975. Politics aside, the fact that Iran has sent its Lebanese lackey, Hezbollah, into Morocco to train and arm guerrilla fighters to foment dissent against yet another large and relatively moderate Sunni Arab country is both telling and disconcerting.
Iran’s foray into Africa is well known. In Senegal, Iran tried the same thing, until they were expelled in 2011 for transferring weaponry to rebels in the country’s south. In Eritrea, Iran moved into the vacuum created by the post-Cold War withdrawal of both the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
In Sudan, Iran occupied a military facility in Khartoum, using it as a base for storing weapons and providing cover for both the Iranian and Syrian chemical weapons programs.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/just-far-american-dollars-go-finance-iranian-terror/


ISIS Horror: Syrian Soldier Made Into Human Bomb
Home > Political Islam > Worldwide > Movements > ISIS Horror: Syrian Soldier Made Into Human Bomb
BY CLARION PROJECT Wednesday, May 2, 2018 
ISIS fashioned a human bomb out of a captured Syrian soldier in their stronghold of Yarmouk, near Damascus. The soldier was bound to a wooden plank and fitted with an explosives-laden helmet. He was then pushed head first off a building.
Photos of the gruesome act, believed to be in retaliation for Syrian and Russian airstrikes, were published on one of the group’s propaganda channels.
WARNING: GRAPHIC PICTURES
HERE https://clarionproject.org/isis-horror-syrian-soldier-made-human-bomb/


Life in Prison, No Parole
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > Life in Prison, No Parole
BY CLARION PROJECT Wednesday, May 2, 2018 
(Illustrative Photo: Ian Waldie/Getty Images)
Ali Muhammad Brown, a radicalized Muslim, was handed a sentence of life in prison with no parole for killing a college student in New Jersey in 2014. Brown pleaded guilty to that killing.
He will mostly likely be extradited to Washington state to face charges in three other killings to which he previously confessed.
Brown killed all four in a jihadi terrorist spree in 2014 in protest of  U.S. foreign policy. Two of his
Ali Muhammad Brown
victims were targeted because of their homosexual orientation.
Brown began the murder spree by killing Leroy Henderson in Seattle in a drive-by shooting April 27, 2014. He then lured Ahmed Said and Dwone Anderson-Young using a gay dating app and murdered them on June 1, 2014. The attack was the second anti-gay attack by a radical Muslim in Seattle that year after another extremist Islamist tried to burn down a nightclub frequented by gays on New Year’s Eve.
Brown then escaped to N.J. and murdered 19-year-old Brendan Tevlin on June 25.
At the time, Brown said, “[When a] man sees evil, then he must take action against that evil,” explaining that the “evil” he was responding to was U.S. actions towards Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Iran.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/prison-ali-muhammad-brown/


NJ Brothers Sentenced for Conspiring to Join ISIS
Home > Political Islam > Worldwide > Movements > NJ Brothers Sentenced for Conspiring to Join ISIS
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Tuesday, May 1, 2018 
(Illustrative photo: ISIS propaganda)
(Illustrative photo: ISIS propaganda)
An American man from New Jersey was sentenced to 10 years for conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Upon release, he will be supervised his entire life.
Nader Saadeh, 23, from Rutherford in Bergen County, expressed support for Islamist terror attacks before he attempted to join ISIS in May 2013.
Saadeh wanted to form a small army of his own, according to the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force.  His brother Alaa, who was also arrested, was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
The brothers were part of a group of five charged at the same time. Nader was also aware of a plot of two of the other conspirators — Munzar Umar Salech (who was sentenced to 18 years in prison last February) and Fareed Mumeeni (who was sentenced to 17 years in prison last week) — who were planning to bomb sites in New York City with hand-made explosives.
The fifth conspirator is scheduled to be sentenced today, May 1, 2018.
A statement from the FBI said:
“According to an informant who was close to him for years, by April 2015, Nader Saadeh had become a radicalized supporter of ISIL [ISIS] who was preparing to travel overseas with other individuals. In addition, Nader Saadeh said that ISIL’s execution of a captured Jordanian Air Force pilot by burning him alive and the murders of several staff members of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris earlier this year were justified.”
An affidavit against Saadeh filed with the U.S. District Court in New Jersey includes detailed testimony
MORE https://clarionproject.org/nj-brothers-sentenced-conspiring-join-isis/


Raza: Lone Wolves, Mental Cases and Islamist Terror
Home > World > Canada > Raza: Lone Wolves, Mental Cases and Islamist Terror
BY RAHEEL RAZA Thursday, April 26, 2018 
A woman writes a note at the memorial for victims of a car ramming attack by suspect 25-year-old Alek Minassian in Toronto in April 23, 2018 (Photo: GEOFF ROBINS/AFP/Getty Images)
A woman writes a note at the memorial for victims of a car ramming attack by suspect 25-year-old Alek Minassian in Toronto in April 23, 2018 (Photo: GEOFF ROBINS/AFP/Getty Images)
On Monday 23 April 2018, on a beautiful sunny day when people were out to enjoy themselves in a Toronto area known for its diversity and calm, a tragic incident took place.
A young man ploughed a rented van onto the pavement intentionally and murderously killing 10 innocent people and injuring over a dozen others.  A single suspect, Alek Minassian, 25, of Richmond Hill, is in custody. It is reported that when confronted by a police officer at the time of the attack, Minassian shouted “shoot me in the head” pleading for his own death.
This is not the first time a vehicle has been used as a weapon. In the past year, we have seen many other incidents like this internationally. It all started in Israel where car ramming became a favourite sport of Islamist extremists.
However in Canada, we seem to have wrapped ourselves in a cloak of denial, thinking that this can never happen to us. It was a loud wake-up call.
Anytime an incident like this happens, there are three obvious scenarios that emerge:
The perpetrator is a “lone wolf” acting alone on a whim
The perpetrator is mentally challenged
This is Islamist terror
Lone wolf? The lone wolf scenario is pure deflection. In my understanding of the terrorist mindset, there is no such thing as a “lone wolf.” The perpetrator has to be influenced by people who follow a violent ideology in order to be able to implement such a horrific act of murder and mayhem.
Mentally challenged? The “mentally challenged” reasoning seems to be the popular go-to scenario in this case. Authorities and media seem to like this the most. Reports say that Minassian was “socially awkward.” We are all socially awkward outside our comfort zone but don’t prove the point by killing innocent people. And let’s not forget that extremists prey on people who are socially awkward.
Islamist Terror? Whatever the official outcome, in my opinion, this incident has all the footprints of Islamist terror. There are obvious indications that Minassian was radicalized.
It was pre-meditated as the van was rented.
The suspect looked for a busy intersection which was full of pedestrians. It was not just a random act of road rage by the driver.
The attack was a copy cat of the previous car/van attacks in Barcelona, London and Stockholm.
There are many questions that remain unasked and probably will not be addressed due to muzzling of discussion and debate in our politically correct climate and M103 (which acts as a ban on free speech concerning Islam or Islamism). Added to this, the Canadian government’s mandate of not challenging extremism or unmasking the truth has allowed the virus to mutate within the country.

Iran Lied! Mossad Reveals Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Program
Home > World > Iran > Iran Lied! Mossad Reveals Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Program
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Tuesday, May 1, 2018 
The Israeli Mossad (intelligence service) discovered the existence of a secret warehouse in Iran where hundreds of thousands of files were stored documenting Iran’s secret nuclear weapons’ program. The Iranians have consistently denied the existence of such a program.
In a bombshell speech (in English), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed that, in a daring operation, half a ton of those files were brought to Israel – 55,000 pages of documentation and another 55,000 pages stored on 183 compact disks.
Watch Netanyahu’s speech:
The U.S. has verified the authenticity of the documents in the files, according to an official quoted in The Washington Free Beacon.
The official also stated that the State Department also commented, “New details in this information are consistent with a large body of evidence and intelligence the U.S. government has amassed over many years on Iran’s past clandestine nuclear weapons program.”
In response to the revelations, U.S. President Donald Trump said,  “That is just not an acceptable situation … [The Iranians] have been setting off missiles they say are for television purposes. I don’t think so.”
The files verify the existence of Iran’s secret nuclear weapons program, which has been denied again and again by the highest Iranian authorities – from the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei to President Hassan Rouhani. As late as last week, on April 22, 2018, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Zarif said, “We never wanted to produce a bomb.”
The nuclear weapons program – called Project Amad – was active between the years of 1999-2003 and directed by Dr. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. According to the documents themselves, the goal of the program was to “design, produce and test five warheads each with 10 kiloton TNT yield for integration on a missile.”
Netanyahu noted that these five warheads amounted to the equivalent of  five Hiroshima-sized bombs delivered on ballistic missiles.
Pressure after the Gulf War forced Iran to officially shelve Project Amad, but in reality, the files show that the program continued to be developed clandestinely.
“Following the new directive of Iran’s Minister of Defense  … the work would be split into two parts: covert and overt,” one of the documents stated.
Specifically, “special activities will be carried out under the title of scientific knowhow development.”
Those “special activities” are currently being carried out inside Iran’s defense ministry by the “SPND unit.”  The unit is directed by Fakhrizadeh himself, the the former head of Project Amad. In addition, many of SPND’s key personnel who worked under Fakhrizadeh on Project Amad are also employed in the SPND unit.

One of conditions of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers was that Iran was required to disclose any previous nuclear weapons program to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
In December of 2015, when the IAEA published its final assessment of Iran’s nuclear weapons program, the documents show that Iran blatantly lied the agency by
denying the existence of a coordinated program aimed at the development of nuclear explosive devices
denying work on MPI (Multi-Point Initiation) technology and hemispherical geometry (both necessary components of nuclear weapons)
Denying metallurgical work specifically designed for a nuclear devices
Moreover, Iran insisted, as a condition for the nuclear deal, that their Fordow facility – a secret underground uranium enrichment plant  — be kept open.
The documents show that Fordow was designed from the beginning as part of Project Amad. Moreover, the Iranians continued to build Fordow years after it officially closed Project Amad.

“You don’t put centrifuges under a mountain in order to create medical isotopes. You do it to create nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu stated.
The documents were kept in safes in an unassuming and dilapidated warehouse in the Shorabad district in Tehran. Netanyahu commented on the reason why Iran stored the documents, asking rhetorically, “Why would a terrorist regime hide and meticulously catalogue its secret nuclear files if not to use them at a later date?”
The files documenting Project Amad showed that Iran had extensively researched all five crucial elements of building nuclear weapons:
Design
Developing nuclear cores (the files also contained videos from secret underground facilities where cores were being developed)
Building nuclear implosion systems
Preparing nuclear tests (including maps of test locations)
Integrating nuclear warheads on missiles
The revelations from Israel come just over a week before the May 12 deadline when U.S. President Trump will have to decide whether or not to scrap or amend the program.
At a press conference, Trump said, “This is an agreement that wasn’t approved by too many people. And it’s a horrible agreement for the United States, including the fact … that we gave Iran $150 billion dollars and $1.8 billion in cash.”
Trump also said he had not precluded “negotiating a real agreement.”
Just before Israel revealed the files on Monday, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi seemed to hedge Iran’s bets with the U.S. in a face-saving measure.
“The Iran nuclear deal is no longer sustainable for Iran in its present form, without regard to a U.S. exit,” Araghchi said, as quoted by ISNA (Iranian Students News Agency).
He added that Iran is “preparing all necessary options for any scenario.”
PHOTOSHOT
https://clarionproject.org/iran-lied-mossad-reveals-irans-nuclear-weapons-program/

Al-Azhar to Protesters Against Anti-Semitism: ‘Go to Hell’
Home > World > Egypt > Al-Azhar to Protesters Against Anti-Semitism: ‘Go to Hell’
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Monday, April 30, 2018 
Deputy sheikh of Egypt's al-Azhar Institute Abbas Shoman (Photo: KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images)
The reaction to an open letter signed by 300 influential French politicians denouncing Islamist anti-Semitism has been swift: “Go to hell.”

Those were the words of Sheikh Abbas Shoman, deputy sheikh of al-Azhar in Egypt – Sunni Islam’s top religious authority.

The letter decried the anti-Semitism of Islamist radicals that has caused an “ethnic cleansing” of certain neighborhoods in France where Jews no longer feel safe and where it has become too dangerous for Jewish children to attend public schools.
Over the past few years, 11 Jews have been murdered by radical Islamists in France. Further, it has become commonplace for Jews to be attacked in the streets of France.
The letter requested that “the verses of the Qur’an calling for the murder and punishment of Jews, Christians and unbelievers be made obsolete by theological authorities, as the incoherencies of the Bible and Catholic anti-Semitism were abolished by the Vatican II, so that no believer can rely on a sacred text to commit a crime.”
MORE https://clarionproject.org/al-azhar-protesters-anti-semitism-go-hell/


Poll Results: Who Should Decide What Can Be Worn in Public?
Home > Political Islam > Worldwide > Islamism in Government > Poll Results: Who Should Decide What Can Be Worn in Public?
BY CLARION PROJECT Monday, April 30, 2018 
(Illustrative photo: Flickr/Franchise Opportunities/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode)
(Illustrative photo: Flickr/Franchise Opportunities/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode)
Recently, Clarion covered a story out of Saudi Arabia where the Saudi government closed down a women’s sports and fitness center because of a home-made video (see below) made in the center that features a women in revealing gym attire.
We then asked you, our readers, the question: Who should decide on what can be worn in public?
54.8 percent said the individual
44.1 percent said accepted societal norms
1.1 percent said the government
Here are some of your comments:
A free person should be responsible for their own dress
Social norms though very important but in the end it’s individual choice.
I’m a bit torn between the first two options because some individual choices shouldn’t be seen in public but I will give everyone the benefit of the doubt.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/poll-results-who-should/


Left-Right Politics & Bad Ideas
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > Left-Right Politics & Bad Ideas
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Monday, April 30, 2018 
JOSHUA LOTT/AFP/Getty Images)
An interfaith rally in Chicago (Photo: JOSHUA LOTT/AFP/Getty Images)
Much of the debate about Islamism in the West has to do with a different weighting of threats.
One side minimizes the threat, saying:
Yes, Islamism is a hateful ideology that wants to impose an outdated brand of religious conservatism on everyone, but they are just a fringe group with no broad following. Most of those who oppose it are doing so because they are suspicious of Muslims and foreigners. Besides, most of the growth of Islamism has to do with geopolitical factors, like foreign policy, racism and economic exclusion or socio-psychological factors, like toxic masculinity. Excessive focus on that ideology merely demonizes all Muslims and provides ammunition for the far right, who are the real threat to our peace and security. The far-right, white supremacist ideology is structurally embedded into Western civilization and needs to be uprooted through a sustained cultural program of education.
The other side maintains:
MORE https://clarionproject.org/islamism-civil-rights/

Kidnapped by an ISIS Fighter — His Father
Home > Human Rights > Human Rights Violators > Child Abuse > Kidnapped by an ISIS Fighter — His Father
BY CLARION PROJECT Monday, April 30, 2018 
The following video was made by the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism as part of a series called “The Truth Behind the Islamic State” as a tool for preventing radicalization. This part tells the story of an eight-year-old child who was taken by his father to ISIS-held territory in Syria without his mother’s knowledge or permission. The story of the child is told by a former ISIS fighter named Abu Albani.
A Child of the Islamic State
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYIUYr1-hQU&ab_channel=ICSVE


Check out the trailer for our upcoming film Jihad Generation about the radicalization of kids by clicking here
https://clarionproject.org/jgen/

Groups Attempt to Block Damning US Gov’t Terror Report
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > Groups Attempt to Block Damning US Gov’t Terror Report
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, April 29, 2018 
Aftermath of the truck attack which killed eight in Manhattan on Tuesday October 31, 2017
Aftermath of the truck attack which killed eight in Manhattan on Tuesday October 31, 2017. The terror attack was perpetrated by  Sayfullo Saipov, originally from Uzbekistan. (Photo: DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)
A terrorism report released by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security has come under fire from two groups seeking to suppress the information contained in the report, reported The Washington Times.
Muslim Advocates and Democracy Forward are suing the government to block report, saying that it is so misleading that it violates the Information Quality Act.
The report found that 73 percent (three out of every four persons) convicted of international terrorism-related charges in U.S. courts between September 11, 2001 and December 31, 2016 were foreign-born.
During the same time period, the report states, “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement removed approximately 1,716 aliens with national security concerns. Further, in 2017 alone DHS had 2,554 encounters with individuals on the terrorist watch list (also known as the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Database) traveling to the United States.”
The report was required by President Trump’s Executive Order 13780, “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States.” The order directed the government to raise the baseline for the vetting and screening of foreign nationals to “prevented the entry of malicious actors,” thus “[enhancing] the safety and security of the American people.”
MORE https://clarionproject.org/groups-attempt-block-damning-govt-terror-report/



What Happens on May 12 If Trump Says ‘No’?
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > What Happens on May 12 If Trump Says ‘No’?
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, April 29, 2018 
U.S. President Trump must decide by May 12 whether or not to go ahead with the Iranian nuclear deal. France is talking about expanding the existing deal. Will a new agreement merely serve to prolong the life of the regime? Is there really as big a difference between France and the U.S. on the Iranian nuclear deal as the media is trying to make out? What happens if Trump — or the Iranians — just say “no?”

Listen to Clarion Project’s National Security Analyst and head of Clarion’s Intelligence Network Ryan Mauro on I24 News.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=BexBpzlnSx8&ab_channel=RyanMauro



What is the ‘Incel Revolution’ and Why Should I Care?
Home > Terrorism > What is the ‘Incel Revolution’ and Why Should I Care?
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Sunday, April 29, 2018 
(Illustrative Photo: Flickr/Tatiana T/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode)
(Illustrative Photo: Flickr/Tatiana T/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode)
The suspected Toronto van killer, Alek Minassian, posted a Facebook comment before his attack praising Elliot Rodgers and stating that “the Incel revolution has begun.”

So what is the Incel Revolution? What does it have to do with Islamism? And why should you care?

 

What is the Incel Revolution?
Incel stands for “involuntarily celibate.” It is an online community of men who have not had sex and believe they are doomed to fail with women because they are naturally unattractive or have uncharismatic personalities.
Incel.me, a major messaging board for the community has this short introduction posted explaining who they are and what they want. The site claims Alex Minassian has never been a member. However, another post says women should “have sex with an incel” in order to “stop the next Alex Minassian,” so his ideas are clearly germinating there.
The revolution part was inspired by Elliot Rodgers’ decision to murder six people before killing himself in 2014. It seems like an attempt to inspire copycat attacks by other incels in the future. One commenter chillingly posted (correctly), “You can’t ban hatred, hate is all it takes to go do a mass killing event.”
MORE https://clarionproject.org/incel-revolution/

US Senator’s Testimony Straight Out of Islamist Playbook
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > US Senator’s Testimony Straight Out of Islamist Playbook
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Thursday, April 26, 2018 
Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) denounced anti-Islamist Muslims organizations on the floor of the Senate, calling them “anti-Muslim organizations” and saying that “they preach intolerance.”
Murphy made the remarks during the course of the confirmation hearings for President Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of state, Mike Pompeo.
In the dystopian world that has become partisan politics in the U.S., Pompeo has been subjected to witch hunt-like tactics unlike any other presidential nominee in the past.
Ironically, the organizations Murphy named are some of the most respected organizations fighting against Islamist terrorism. In addition, they have been tireless advocate for Muslims and non-Muslim alike who do not believe in political Islam, i.e. a government run by Islamic sharia law.
One of the “anti-Muslim” organizations singled out by Murphy, the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, is run by Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, a religious Muslim himself.
In response to Murphy’s accusations, Jasser issued a pointed statement:
“Today, April 26, 2018, Senator Christopher Murphy (D-CT) took to the floor of the U.S. Senate to smear American Muslim leaders in the Muslim Reform Movement as collateral damage in the course of his scorched earth partisan attack against Secretary of State-designee Mike Pompeo.
On the floor of the Senate he said, ‘Mike Pompeo was deeply intertwined with this network of anti-Muslim organizations. There was a really interesting study that I hope some of you will take a look at that details this network of organizations. They have fairly innocuous sounding names, like the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, the Middle East Forum,The Investigative Project on Terrorism … Those sound like things that I might be for, but if you really take look at what they do, they preach intolerance.’
He labeled our organization among others as an “anti-Muslim” organization.
Do we need to remind Senator Murphy, who obviously knows little to nothing about Islam, Muslims, or any of the dynamics within the American Muslim community, that declaring any group of organizations — let alone American Muslims as being anti-Muslim — is the equivalent of declaring takfir (the declaration by radicals that a Muslim has left Islam and is an apostate, an infidel, or an enemy of Muslims)? 
Does Senator Murphy really think it appropriate to say the same thing about us on the floor of Senate that would be said about us by theocrats on the floor of tyrannical Islamist governments in ‘Islamic Republics’ like Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan or Sudan? Does he not understand that such declarations are essentially declarations of apostasy or death threats?
MORE https://clarionproject.org/u-s-senator-islamist-playbook/


Mauro: Democratic Hypocrisy on Pompeo Confirmation
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > Mauro: Democratic Hypocrisy on Pompeo Confirmation
BY CLARION PROJECT Wednesday, April 25, 2018 
Clarion Project’s National Security Analyst and head of the Clarion Intelligence Network Ryan Mauro speaks on Fox about the hypocrisy on the part of the Democrats surrounding the grilling of President Trump’s nominee for secretary of state Mike Pompeo. While Senator Cory Booker, for example, attacked Pompeo for his associations with groups that are supposedly anti-Muslim, Booker himself embraces an extremist imam.
Mauro contends that many of Pompeo’s foreign policy ideas would be welcomed by Democrats if Pompeo were not a Republican. Mauro also comments on what Pompeo’s diplomatic agenda will be as secretary of state.
FOX NEWS Mauro: Cory Booker Embraces Extremist Imam yet Attacks Pompeo's Associations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7K85h-W6cw&ab_channel=RyanMauro
MORE  https://clarionproject.org/mauro-partisan-hypocrisy-pompeo-confirmation/


Bin Laden Bodyguard Living on Welfare in Germany
Home > World > Germany > Bin Laden Bodyguard Living on Welfare in Germany
BY CLARION PROJECT Thursday, April 26, 2018 
Pakistani policemen stand in front of posters of Osama bin Laden. Many Pakistanis protested when the US killed bin Laden in Pakistan (Photo: ARIF ALI/AFP/Getty Images)
A Tunisian man living on welfare in Germany has been named as a body guard to Osama bin Laden.
He was identified by a witness who was deemed credible and believed by a German court during an anti-terror trial in 2005. Although he was investigated in 2006 for ties to al-Qaeda, he was never formally charged.
While deportation orders have been issued against him, the courts have rejected them, saying that there is a risk that the man — identified only as Sami A due to German privacy laws — would be tortured in his native country. No other countries are willing to take him.
Now 42, Sami A originally came to Germany in 1997 as a student. Between 1999 and 2000 he traveled to Afghanistan where he is believed to have become a bodyguard for bin Laden.
Now married and with four young children, Sami A collects over $1,400 a month in welfare. He is not allowed to work because he is still under the deportation order. His application for asylum was rejected in 2007 because he was considered a terror risk.
Sami A now lives in Bochum in Western Germany. He remains under surveillance as a potential terror threat and must report to the police daily.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/bin-laden-bodyguard-living-welfare-germany/


Demonstrators Against Anti-Semitism in Germany Attacked
Home > World > Germany > Demonstrators Against Anti-Semitism in Germany Attacked
BY CLARION PROJECT Thursday, April 26, 2018 
Germans wearing skullcaps in solidarity with the Jewish community participate in a rally against anti-Semitism (Photo: Carsten Koall/Getty Images)
While more than 2,000 people showed up in Berlin for a rally against anti-Semitism – including Muslims, a similar, smaller demonstration was attacked by Pro-Palestinian counterdemonstrators and its participants forced to leave, reported The Jerusalem Post.
Demonstrations against anti-Semitism were held in a number of cities in Germany after a man wearing a Jewish skullcap was violently attacked by a Syrian refugee of Palestinian decent in Berlin. A video of the attack (see below) went viral. The man who was attacked, ironically, was an Arab Israeli living in Berlin and wearing a skullcap as a test to see if merely wearing a skullcap in Berlin would provoke an anti-Semitic attack.
“It was an experience for me to wear the skullcap and go out into the street,” said Adam Armush 21, the victim of the attack. He filmed the attack himself “for the police and for the German people and the world to see how terrible it is to go through Berlin streets these days as a Jew.”
After the video went viral, the perpetrator turned himself into the police.
Watch a video of the attack on the man wearing a skullcap as a test in Berlin:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=6wyo3qsv7U8&ab_channel=J%C3%BCdischesForum
Away from the larger demonstration, a small number of demonstrators (whose rally was authorized by police) were spat at and had their Israel flag snatched away. The group, comprised of Jews and non-Jews, had planned to march through a predominantly Muslim neighborhood. However, the police forced them to abandon the demonstration, saying it was too dangerous to continue.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/demonstrators-anti-semitism-germany-attacked/

Maine Democrats Quash Bill to Criminalize FGM
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > Maine Democrats Quash Bill to Criminalize FGM
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Tuesday, April 24, 2018 
(Illustration: Stock images)
(Illustration: Stock images)
A bill to criminalize female genital mutilation (FGM) in Maine was squashed by House Democrats due to political correctness and misplaced concerns about Islamophobia.

The vote ironically came during the “Week of the Young Child.”

The bill would have held the mutilator, consenting parents and/or guardians and the transporters accountable for their part in perpetrating the FGM and exacted penalties from each of these parties.

Instead of passing the bill, all the House Democrats save for one, voted against the bill amid ad hominem cries against one of the bill’s sponsors, Republican legislator Rep. Heather Sirocki. Specifically, the Southern Poverty Law Center published emails between Sirocki and a Maine member of ACT for America, which the law center bogusly claims is “the largest anti-Muslim hate group in the United States.”

During testimony regarding the bill, Leftist activists questioned why a white woman was fighting so hard to defend immigrant girls and accused the sponsors of the bill of being racists, anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant. Listen to the accusations by clicking here
Radical Maine Leftists Say FGM Ban is Racist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTgmpYAmxpU&ab_channel=MaineFirstMedia
Legislators also heard heart breaking testimony from an FGM survivor, yet they were not moved. Listen below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=gDuKu5b3Yc8
But the story doesn’t end here. Last week, House Democrats passed a toothless bill that appears to ban FGM but in fact does not.  That bill removed all penalties for those involved with the crime. In addition, the word “mutilation” was removed from the definition of the barbaric practice. (House Republicans rightly rejected that bill.)
MORE https://clarionproject.org/maine-democrats-squash-bill-criminalize-fgm/


Click Here to Get Radicalized
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > Click Here to Get Radicalized
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Wednesday, April 25, 2018 
(Photo: Screenshot of Google Play store with apps featuring Radical Preacher and al-Qaeda operative Anwar al-Awlaki)
(Photo: Screenshot of Google Play store with apps featuring Radical Preacher and al-Qaeda operative Anwar al-Awlaki)
Want to get radicalized? It’s as easy as an app on your cell phone, reported PJ Media. Google Play (the app store for Android phones) offers a number of apps featuring lectures from arch-recruiter and senior al-Qaeda operative Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical American cleric of Yemeni descent.
Although the app that PJ Media originally reported on less than 10 days ago, the “Anwar Al Awlaki Lectures,” appears to have been deleted, at least five more apps of al-Awlaki’s talks remain available on Google Play.
Al-Awlaki was linked to a number of terrorist attacks across the world. While still in the U.S. and acting as the imam of the Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virgina, he preached to three of the 9/11 hijackers, who were al-Qaeda members.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/click-get-radicalized/


Erdogan Grooming Child Martyrs
Home > Human Rights > Human Rights Violators > Child Abuse > Erdogan Grooming Child Martyrs
BY CLARION PROJECT Wednesday, April 25, 2018 
Turkish children in a mosque in Austria glorify martyrdom (Photo: Twitter)
A series of tweets from AKP Watch show young, Turkish children in Germany and Austria being indoctrinated into being the next line of soldiers and martyrs for Turkey’s Islamist President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Islamist and expansionist agenda.

AKP is Erdogan’s “Justice and Development” political party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi), the conservative, Islamist ruling party in Turkey. Erdogan’s rhetoric has become increasingly shrill of late, used to accompany his latest incursion in Afrin, Syria, a Kurdish area known for being the frontlines in the fight against ISIS.
“In Germany mosques operated by the Turkish state, small children are marching in uniforms, chanting military slogans and getting prepared to die as martyr [sic] for Erdogan,” read one tweet that was accompanied by a video of the event.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/erdogan-grooming-child-martyrs/


Terrorists Copycat Tactics
Home > World > Canada > Terrorists Copycat Tactics
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Wednesday, April 25, 2018 
Toronto. (Photo: Rick Harris/Creative Commons)
At least 10 people were killed and 13 others wounded in a vehicular ramming attack in Toronto, Canada, on Monday, April 23, 2018.
The motive of the killer, Alek Minassian, is as yet unknown. He did post on Facebook before the attack praising mass murderer Elliot Rodgers and the “incel” community. So-called “incels,” which stands for involuntarily celibate, are a group of men who have formed an identity around their misogynism and the fact that they can’t get women to have sex with them. In 2014 Rodgers killed six people and wounded 14 others before killing himself in a rampage inspired by his hatred of women.
It is important to wait before the facts emerge before speculating about the cause of an attack. But regardless of the motive, the tactic is the same one used by terrorists.
Ramming a car into a crowd of pedestrians was pioneered by jihadists. Al-Qaeda called on its supporters to carry out car ramming attacks as early as 2010. Palestinian terrorists affiliated with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad led a string of attacks against Israeli civilians in 2014.
ISIS repeated the tactic in 2016, when Mohammed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel killed 86 people in a truck ramming attack at a Bastille Day parade in Nice.
Just as terrorist ideologies influence each other, especially in reference to misogynistic attitudes towards women, terrorists copy tactics.
Regardless of the ideology behind attacks, expect car-rammings to remain a part of the the terrorist armory.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/toronto-terrorist/

French Stars Denounce Islamist Antisemitism
Home > World > France > French Stars Denounce Islamist Antisemitism
BY CLARION PROJECT Tuesday, April 24, 2018 
Young Muslim extremists engage in an anti-Semitic riot in Paris, France, in 2014 (Photo: Reuters)
Over 300 French politicians and stars have signed a letter denouncing Islamist anti-Semitism and called on the government and society to put a stop to it.
The letter was drafted by former Charlie Hebdo editor Philippe Val. Signatories included former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, actor Gerard Depardieu, former Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, former Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe, Chief Rabbi Haim Korsia, five imams and singers Charles Aznavour and Francoise Hardy.
The letter explicitly identified the threat as emanating from “radical Islamists” in specific predominantly immigrant Muslim communities.
“Anti-Semitism is not the business of the Jews,” the letter read. “It’s the business of all of us. The French, who have demonstrated their democratic maturity after each Islamist attack, are living through a tragic paradox. Their country has become the arena for murderous anti-Semitism.
“We demand that the fight against this democratic failure that is anti-Semitism becomes a national cause before it’s too late. Before France is no longer France.”
“French Jews are 25 times more at risk of being attacked than their fellow Muslim citizens,” the letter continued. “Ten percent of the Jewish citizens of the [Paris region], meaning about 50,000 people, have recently had to change their residence because they were no longer safe in certain neighborhoods and because their children could no longer attend government schools. This involves quiet ethnic cleansing.”
This is not the first time such concerns are being raised.
Dr. Guy Milliere, a lecturer at the University of Paris, wrote a policy paper for the Gatestone Institute earlier this year, noting that the Jewish population of France has dropped from 500,000 in 2000 to 400,000 today.
In addition, he explained that Jews have been driven out of certain neighborhoods by extremely anti-Semitic Muslim gangs.
“Graffiti was spray painted on Jewish-owned homes calling on the owners to ‘flee immediately’ if they want to live and anonymous letters containing live bullets were sent to Jewish mailboxes,” he wrote.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/french-islamist-antisemitism/

Linda Sarsour’s Toxic Approach to Racism
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > Linda Sarsour’s Toxic Approach to Racism
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Sunday, April 22, 2018 
Linda Sarsour speaks at a "Women for Syria" rally in NY.
Linda Sarsour speaks at a “Women for Syria” rally in NY. (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Clarion has written before about the dangers of partisanship for the debate on Islamism.
Partisan politicians often use Islamism as a wedge issue to get you to sign up for other issues that you might not support, like increasing the military budget (if you’re Republican), or by framing it as part of a broader conflict about white supremacy (if you’re Democrat).
Perhaps more pernicious is how partisanship is used to prevent decent people (who actually agree with each other on almost everything) from working with each other by bringing in issues that are totally unrelated.
We see this all the time. Right now, Islamist apologist Linda Sarsour is attempting to get the Anti-Defamation League expelled from the coalition advising Starbucks on racial sensitivity training that they are conducting in the wake of their recent scandal. (A manager at a branch of the coffee conglomerate called the cops to kick out two black men for not ordering anything while waiting for their friend. Since the incident, Starbucks declared a day of racial sensitivity training for its staff and partnered with several NGOs to help, including the ADL.)
But Sarsour was having none of it, and is now attacking Starbucks for having the ADL involved.
Is it because she objects to something the ADL has done over its 100 years of service at the forefront of campaigning against discrimination in the United States?
No. It’s because ADL is unapologetically Zionist.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/in-defence-of-being-single-issue/


 Iranian-Backed Cells Pose ‘Direct Threat to Homeland’
Home > World > Iran > Iranian-Backed Cells Pose ‘Direct Threat to Homeland’
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, April 22, 2018 
Hezbollah fighters at a graduation cermony on Martyr’s Day in Beirut (Photo: SUHAILA SAHMARANI/AFP/Getty Images)
Iranian-backed terror cells in the U.S.  pose “a direct threat to the homeland.” That was the conclusion of Rep. Peter King (R., N.Y.) after hearing from a panel of intelligence experts testifying before the House subcommittee on counterterrorism and intelligence, which he chairs, reported The Washington Free Beacon.
Those experts said that it would be easy for Iran to order its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah to launch a large-scale terror attack in the U.S. As tensions increase between Iran and the U.S. over the possibility of President Trump scrapping the nuclear deal, such an attack is quite plausible.
The existence of Hezbollah sleeper cells with their Iranian agents in the U.S. is already known to intelligence officials. Just last year, two Hezbollah terrorists were arrested for planning attacks in the U.S.
One had already scouted potential targets in New York City including JFK International Airport. Both terrorists were U.S. citizens, meaning they had free rein to exit and re-enter the U.S. at will, which they did. Under questioning, one admitted he was a “sleeper” agent of Hezbollah’s Islamic Jihad tasked to carry out “black ops” for Hezbollah and “the Iranians.”
MORE https://clarionproject.org/iranian-backed-cells-pose-direct-threat-homeland/


Watch Morality Police Beat Woman for ‘Inadequate Hijab’
Home > World > Iran > Watch Morality Police Beat Woman for ‘Inadequate Hijab’
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, April 22, 2018 
This woman in Iran was ambushed by the female morality police for wearing a hijab that was seemed “inadequate.” The unit proceeds to grab her by her arms and legs and beat and kick her.
The Facebook page “My Stealthy Freedom,” which also publicized this incident, wrote:
“One of the people who sent us this controversial video where a poor girl was savagely beaten for being “inappropriately dressed” by the morality police [wrote]:
‘We were celebrating our friend’s birthday in a park. Then, these people with the morality police showed up. They wanted to us to get into their van forcibly. They kept on telling us that we were inappropriately dressed and that we needed to go to the police station with them.
‘At that instant, one of these female officers pulled my feet whereas the other pulled my hands. As I fell on the ground and my hijab slipped off, the male officer nearby crushed my hair with his boots. My friends who were around me intervened to help, but they too had their own share of beatings.
MORE WATCH https://clarionproject.org/watch-morality-police-beat-woman-inadequate-hijab/


‘History Repeating Itself with Christian Genocide’
Home > Human Rights > Human Rights Violators > Lack of Basic Freedoms > ‘History Repeating Itself with Christian Genocide’
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, April 22, 2018 
Clarion Project’s National Security Analyst and director of the Clarion Intelligence Network Ryan Mauro speaks to Glen Beck about the persecution of Christians by ISIS and other Islamist terrorists and the launch of Clarion’s latest film Faithkeepers on TheBlaze TV.
LISTEN https://clarionproject.org/mauro-glen-beck/

Latest Taunt: ISIS Threatens to Attack NYC Subway
Home > Political Islam > Worldwide > Movements > Latest Taunt: ISIS Threatens to Attack NYC Subway
BY CLARION PROJECT Wednesday, April 18, 2018 
ISIS propaganda poster threatens an attack on the Brooklyn Bridge subway station in New York City 
ISIS’ latest threat is against New York City, where the group has promised to attack the subway. A new poster appeared on a messaging platform used by the terror group showing a man standing inside Brooklyn Bridge Station at High Street,  the Daily Mail reported.
Behind him sticks of dynamite are shown rigged to a timer. The poster states, “You will not expect where we will attack.”
The poster was produced by the group’s propaganda wing, the Wafa Media Foundation, which also produced posters threatening the 2018 World Cup to be held in Russia. That poster states, “Putin: You disbeliever. You will pay the price for killing Muslims. Just Terror.”
The group also threatened to attack Paris again. Last year, its propaganda was directed towards the Queen of England and the Vatican.
As ISIS’ self-declared caliphate crumbles in the Middle East, the group hopes to show its relevance through attacks in the West.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/latest-taunt-isis-threatens-attack-nyc-subway/


‘Israeli Strike on Syrian Base Will Save US & Muslim Lives’
Home > World > Israel > ‘Israeli Strike on Syrian Base Will Save US & Muslim Lives’
BY CLARION PROJECT Wednesday, April 18, 2018 
Clarion Project’s National Security Analyst and director of the Clarion Intelligence Network Ryan Mauro reacts to reports that Israel bombed the Syrian T-4 airbase that was linked to Iran’s terrorist drone program, Hezbollah and the radical Shiite forces supported by Iran and Assad in the Middle East.
Mauro also comments on reports that China will be assisting Tehran in building nuclear power plants in Iran.
https://clarionproject.org/israeli-strike-syrian-base-will-save-lives/

Ryan Mauro
Published on 17 Apr 2018
Prof. Ryan Mauro, Director of the Clarion Intelligence Network and Clarion Project's Shillman Fellow, reacts to the confirmation that Israel bombed the Syrian T-4 airbase that was linked to Iran's terrorist drone program, Hezbollah and the radical Shiite forces supported by Iran and Assad in the Middle East.
Mauro also comments on reports that China will be assisting Tehran in building nuclear power plants in Iran.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=14&v=JclTEAn0_Pg&ab_channel=RyanMauro



Prominent American Islamist Wants Atheists Locked Up
Home > Human Rights > Human Rights Violators > Lack of Basic Freedoms > Prominent American Islamist Wants Atheists Locked Up
BY CLARION PROJECT Wednesday, April 18, 2018 
American Islamist Daniel Haqiqatjou. (Photo: Screenshot from video)
A prominent conservative Muslim commentator has caused controversy after praising the arrest of an atheist YouTuber in Egypt named Sherif Gaber. Gaber has gained a following making videos critical of Islam in Arabic and posting them online. His activities have drawn the ire of the Egyptian state.
On March 31, the Salafi Al-Nour party filed a criminal complaint against him for blasphemy. There is now a warrant out for his arrest.
When Gaber tweeted the news of his impending arrest, American commentator Daniel Haqiqatjou tweeted “Finally.”
This prompted a Twitter spat between the two of them.
So who is Daniel Haqiqatjou? He was born in Houston, Texas and attended Harvard University where he studied physics and philosophy and converted to Islam. He  completed a Masters degree in philosophy from Tufts University and is currently listed as a professor of Western philosophy at American Open University, which was established in 1995 and offers Islamic Studies classes online.
Haqiqatjou (whose name means truth seeker) writes and lectures on contemporary issues surrounding Muslims and (against) modernity. His bio says he has spoken at universities and mosques around the world and his work has been featured in outlets such as The Washington Post, The Atlantic, CNN, Aljazeera, Public Discourse, Mashable, and First Things.
Daniel Haqiqatjou runs a website called “The Muslim Skeptic,” where he holds forth on issues relating to Islam and Modernity. To get an idea of where he stands, you only need to read his pinned tweet:
MORE  https://clarionproject.org/american-islamist/


Why Our Contest Is About the First Amendment
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > Why Our Contest Is About the First Amendment
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Wednesday, April 18, 2018 
Illustrative picture. (Photo: Public Domain)
Illustrative picture. (Photo: Public Domain)
As part of our commitment to improve the debate surrounding issues of radical Islam and human rights, Clarion launched an essay contest. After writing extensively about how the First Amendment was the key to fighting Islamism, we wanted to hear from you. So, the topic we chose was:
Assessing the First Amendment: Religious Freedom, Hate Speech and Extremist Incitement
You can read about the contest and the prize here.
We spent some time coming up with the exact topic and want to share a few of our reasons for the choice with you.
Firstly, we wanted something that would capture the complexity of the issue at hand. The debate over radical Islam and the debate over religious freedom and anti-Muslim bigotry go hand in hand. At Clarion, we feel they are actually the same conversation. We oppose radical Islam and anti-Muslim bigotry for the same reason: We believe in freedom of conscience for the individual.
But where to draw the line has become a critical question. When does a theological objection to homosexuality become hate speech against the gay community? When does a reasonable objection to religious supremacism spill over into unfairly demonizing an entire community? When is a hijab a forced symbol of female oppression and when is it a symbol of identity, personal liberty and empowerment?
Many different policies to tackle these issues have been proposed by the government. During his election campaign, President Trump called for surveillance of certain mosques. The NYPD set up a Demographics Unit which monitored the Muslim community in New York to gather intelligence. Meanwhile hate preachers in mosques around the country have called for the deaths of Jews.
All of these issues are First Amendment issues, touching on the acceptable limits of government interference into people’s lives in the name of national security. This is the real root of the Islamism question, and it’s what Islamists want to remove by replacing freedom of religion with one religious law: sharia.
Focusing on the First Amendment gives contestants an opportunity to explore the multifaceted nature of the problem and to highlight the specific elements they are most worried about.
https://clarionproject.org/why-first-amendment/
We look forward to reading the entries to the competition and publishing the winning submission here on our website.
Click here to read more about the contest and our prize for the winner.
https://clarionproject.org/essay-prize/

How the IRS Could Help Shut Down Radicalization
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > How the IRS Could Help Shut Down Radicalization
BY LEONARD GETZ AND CLIFF RIEDERS Monday, April 16, 2018 
Georgetown University’s H.R.H. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding received $20 million from Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. The center promotes propaganda not allowed under the university's tax-exempt status. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)
Georgetown University’s H.R.H. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding received $20 million from Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. The center promotes propaganda not allowed under the university’s tax-exempt status. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)
While universities may plead powerless to stopping the spread of educational corruption and terrorist ideology in their Saudi and Iranian funded Middle East studies programs, the Internal Revenue Service cannot.
Universities must adhere to a series of IRS codes and criteria for determining whether an educational institution is educational or a vehicle for propaganda.
If the IRS applied these codes and procedures as they should, many universities would have their tax exempt status revoked.
For example, Georgetown University’s H.R.H. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding received $20 million from Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal (recently arrested for financial corruption and whose offer of $10 million to New York Mayor Giuliani was rejected after 9/11).
The past director of this program, John Esposito taught “Islamist violence is beyond the bounds of approved research … Islamist movements are movements of democratic reform.”
MORE https://clarionproject.org/how-the-irs-can-shut-down-radical-ideology/


Clarion Launches First Amendment Essay Contest
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > Clarion Launches First Amendment Essay Contest
BY CLARION PROJECT Monday, April 16, 2018 
Since the election of President Trump, the national conversation about Islam, integration, terrorism and anti-Muslim bigotry has reached a fever pitch. How to safeguard free speech without inadvertently creating a safe space for hate preachers of all stripes to spread their narratives has become a critical issue.
How America resolves this question will determine its ability to prevent social friction, move forward from the mistakes of the past and promote integration and healing.
But there is a lot of confusion about the best approach.
As part of our goal to promote diversity and inclusion while standing up against radicalism, Clarion Project is launching our First Amendment Essay Prize.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/essay-prize/


American ‘ISIS Boy’ Turns Up in Kurdish Prison
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > American ‘ISIS Boy’ Turns Up in Kurdish Prison
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Monday, April 16, 2018 
10-year old Yusuf, an American boy who appeared in an ISIS video threatening Trump and the U.S.
Matthew, or Yusuf, as he was identified as in an ISIS propaganda video threatening Trump and the U.S. (Photo: video screenshot)
It is hard to forget the above face of the 10-year-old American boy who appeared in an ISIS video threatening the U.S. and President Trump less than a year ago. Now his mother has spoken out, saying the boy, who was known as “Yusuf” in the video, is really Matthew and that he was forced to appear in the the video.
The family, now in Kurdish detention, was found by filmmaker Joshua Baker who recognized the boy from the video.
Matthew’s mother Sam, married Moussa El Hassani from Turkey, in Indiana in 2011. Sam says the family lived a normal, happy life. She describes Moussa as a loving father and good provider who, after five years became “bored” with his life. He took the family on a trip to Turkey — a trip Sam believed was to visit his country of birth. But Moussa surprised her and forced the family over the Syrian border to join ISIS.
“We ended up in Raqqa,” she says. “The first thing I say to him is, ‘You’re crazy and I’m leaving,’ and he said, with a big smile on his face, ‘Go ahead. You can try, but you won’t make it.’”
Sam says she was tortured after trying to find a smuggler to help her escape. She said her husband kept two Yazidi girls in their house as slaves and repeatedly raped them. 
MORE https://clarionproject.org/american-isis-boy-turns-kurdish-prison/

Why Trump’s Airstrikes on Syria Won’t Deter Assad
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > Why Trump’s Airstrikes on Syria Won’t Deter Assad
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, April 15, 2018 
Clarion Project’s National Security Analyst and head of Clarion Intelligence Network Ryan Mauro analyzes the U.S.-French-British strikes on three chemical weapons sites in Syria. He argues that it wasn’t enough, since what matters to Assad is how much territory he holds. The limited strike may have destroyed some of Assad’s chemical weapons but will not affect his power base.
Ryan Mauro: Why Trump's Airstrikes on Syria Unlikely to Deter Assad
Ryan Mauro
Published on 14 Apr 2018
Prof. Ryan Mauro, director of Clarion Intelligence Network and a Shillman Fellow at the Clarion Project, analyzes the U.S.-French-British strikes on three chemical weapons sites in Syria.
He explains why the strikes are unlikely to deter Assad from using chemical weapons and taking other heinous measures in the future and the fear of an escalation with Russia.
He also discusses how the Obama Administration's failure to enforce its "red line" and false assurances that Assad destroyed "100%" of his chemical weapons contributed to the problems we have in Syria today.
Category
News & Politics
Licence
Standard YouTube Licence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0NG1g80sUQ


Ohio Brothers Convicted in Al-Qaeda Terror Financing
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > Ohio Brothers Convicted in Al-Qaeda Terror Financing
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, April 15, 2018 
(Illustrative photo: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
Two brothers in Ohio took a plea bargain in a terror-financing case and admitted they sent $17,000 to an al-Qaeda leader whom they knew was planning attacks, ABC News reported.
Asif Salim, 37, and Sultane Salim, 43, collected money through fake credit-card transactions as well as other means. They ultimately raised $30,000 for American al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki, who was linked to a number of terror attacks against American and other Western targets.
Sultane contributed $15,000 to the effort and his brother Asif gave $2,000. Asif formerly attended Ohio State University
The brothers face up to eight years in prison each.
Awlaki was killed by a drone strike in Yemen in 2011.
The brothers had two other partners in the scheme: Ibrahim Zubair Mohammad, an Indian citizen, who also pleaded guilty to the same charges, and his brother, Yahya Farooq Mohammad, who was already sentenced to 27 years in prison for not only supporting terrorism but trying to kill the federal judge hearing his case.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/ohio-brothers-convicted-al-qaeda-terror-financing/


Pompeo ‘Not a Close-Minded Partisan’
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > Pompeo ‘Not a Close-Minded Partisan’
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, April 15, 2018 
Clarion Project’s National Security Analyst and head of Clarion Intelligence Network Ryan Mauro weighs in on the confirmation hearing of Mike Pompeo for secretary of state. The stakes are high with the issues of the Iran nuclear pact, the summit with North Korea and the Syrian regime’s use of chemical weapons on the table.

Mauro says Pompeo’s answers on the Iran deal show he is not a “close-minded partisan” like so many in Washington these days. His confirmation would jump start Trump’s international policies after getting off to a non-starter with former secretary of state Rex Tillerson, whose policies were not in alignment with Trump’s.
Note: this segment was filmed before the American air strike on Syria. For Mauro’s commentary on that strike, 
click here https://clarionproject.org/trumps-airstrikes-syria-will-not-deter-assad/
Ryan Mauro: Syria Doesn't Exist. When You Bomb Assad, You Bomb Iran
Ryan Mauro
Published on 13 Apr 2018
Prof. Ryan Mauro, Director of Clarion Intelligence Network & Clarion Project's Shillman Fellow, reacts to the grilling of Pompeo as the Senate is expected to confirm him as Secretary of State. 
Mauro also discusses Syria and explains that Syria is no longer an independent country allied to Iran - the Syria that Assad controls is an Iranian province. When you bomb Assad, you bomb Iran.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2p_GxVtzdM&ab_channel=RyanMauro


The Boston Marathon Bombing 5 Years On
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > The Boston Marathon Bombing 5 Years On
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Sunday, April 15, 2018 
It’s five years since the terror attack on the Boston Marathon. Clarion Project’s Meira Svisrky looks at what’s change since then for better and for worse.
LISTEN https://clarionproject.org/boston-marathon-bombing-5-years/

Who Should Regulate: Facebook or the Government?
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > Who Should Regulate: Facebook or the Government?
BY CLARION PROJECT Thursday, April 12, 2018 
(Photo; Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg faced his second day of grilling by Congress on Wednesday, April 11, over allegations he improperly allowed advertisers and political groups to access users’ data for money and without their informed consent.
His testimony raises broader questions about the proper role of regulation in online spaces, and how to properly juggle free speech, the right to privacy and clamping down on extremist content.
The government is under pressure to act to protect users’ privacy from manipulation by political organizations after the Cambridge Analytica data harvesting scandal. They are also under pressure to clampdown on hate speech and extremist content being shared online.
So far Facebook has acted to shutter pages and accounts accused of promoting hate speech. They have cooperated with governments to do this.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/who-should-regulate-facebook-or-government/


Dubai Princess ‘Seized During Escape Attempt’
Home > Political Islam > Worldwide > Islamism in Government > Dubai Princess ‘Seized During Escape Attempt’
BY CLARION PROJECT Thursday, April 12, 2018 
A sailing yacht (Illustrative photo: Flickr/Mike Baird/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode)
(Illustrative photo: Flickr/Mike Baird/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode)
A Finnish woman, who says she helped the daughter of the ruler of the United Arab Emirates escape her father, has come forward as to the events that happened after the two fled the UAE. Her story was published on the internet outlet MyNewsDesk.com.
Tina Jauhianinen, who describes herself as the princess’ closest friend, claims that even though she was threatened by UAE officials to keep quiet about the events, she chose to speak out for the sake of her friend.
The story began in late February when Jauhianinen and Princess Sheikha Latifa Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, daughter of Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, boarded a an American yacht captained by Hervé Jaubert, a French-American former naval intelligence officer. Al Maktoum is the prime minister of the UAE and the ruler of Dubai.
After that, all communications from the two went silent until late March, when a video made by the princess surfaced. In the video, Sheikha Latifa claims she fled Dubai via a boat to escape years of torture and imprisonment by her father. She poignantly described her desire to escape the UAE and her previous escape attempt with her older sister Shamsa in 2002.
After that unsuccessful attempt, she says she was tortured and imprisoned for more than three years. She also stated that her father and his men were responsible for the murders of family members and as well as countless others.
Sheikha Latifa is one of Al Maktoum’s 30 children.
She said she instructed her attorney to upload the video in the case of her death or disappearance.
Jauhianinen describes what happened once they boarded the yacht. While in international waters off the coast of Goa, India on the night of March 4, Jauhianinen says the boat was attacked by Indian secret service and military personnel, including the Indian coast guard.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/sheikha-latifa-update/


Poll Results: Should the US Strike Syria Over Chemical Weapons?
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > Poll Results: Should the US Strike Syria Over Chemical Weapons?
BY CLARION PROJECT Thursday, April 12, 2018 
Demonstrators in NY oppose a U.S. airstrike on Syria over the use of chemical weapons (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Demonstrators in NY oppose a U.S. airstrike on Syria over Syria’s use of chemical weapons (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
At least 42 people choked to death after a Syrian regime airstrike on the rebel-held Damascus suburb of Douma on April 7. Experts believe the attack involved chemical weapons.
In response, U.S. President Donald Trump said that Syria would pay a “big price” for the attack. On Wednesday, April 11, Trump tweeted: “Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and ‘smart!’ You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!”
While reporting the strike, we asked our readers if the U.S. should strike Syria over Assad’s chemical weapons attack.
Here are the results of our poll. Comments follow:
Yes                  34.1 percent
No                   58.5 percent
Maybe             2.4 percent
Don’t know      4.9 percent
Comments:
Regardless of the weapons, they are killing women and children, bomb Assad.
It’s been planned since January. False flag for the terrorist to get others involved.
We had better be 100% sure there was an attack (not a staged one) and that if there was one, who exactly carried it out. Removing a dictator from power on faulty intelligence and leaving a power vacuum is a mistake we must not repeat!
MORE https://clarionproject.org/poll-results-us-strike-syria-chemical-weapons/

Reform or Reaffirm? Mohammed Bin Salman’s Plan
Home > Political Islam > Sharia Governance > Blasphemy > Reform or Reaffirm? Mohammed Bin Salman’s Plan
BY RAHEEL RAZA Thursday, April 12, 2018 
The world is intrigued by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bringing “reforms” to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which may impact the rest of the Arab/Islamic world.
So far the extent of the reforms is as follows:
1) No room for corruption even if it is found in the royal family
2) Women can drive (conditional on permission from their mahram (guardian)
3) Women can attend sports events (but must sit in “women only” areas of the stadium)
4) Husbands are prohibited by law from spying on the cell phones of their wives
I5) srael has a right to exist
It’s a great start for the women of Saudi Arabia and for other Muslim countries to review their foreign policies viz-a-viz Israel.
However, none of the above changes have anything to do with reforming Islam.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/reform-reaffirm-whats-plan-mohammed-bin-salman/


Islamist-Friendly Canada, Eh?
Home > World > Canada > Islamist-Friendly Canada, Eh?
BY ANIS FAROOQUI Wednesday, April 11, 2018 
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in San Francisco on a US tour (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in San Francisco on a US tour (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Once upon a time, voices were heard in Pakistan. The city of Karachi was facing a growing Talibanization in the suburban ghettos. Yet, no one did anything about it.
So, the major Taliban leaders found safe havens in Karachi’s suburbs: Sohrab Goth, Al-Asif Square and many other densely populated areas.
Lower middle-class areas weren’t the only sanctuaries for these extremists. The menace spread to the posh areas as well, starting a new wave of street crime, bank robberies and kidnappings for large ransoms. The financial hub of the country became the financial life line for terrorism. Still, no action against it was taken against it.
Karachi, known as the “City of Lights” (because of its rich nightlife) had become Islamist-friendly, giving sanctuary to extremists and becoming the main resource for their recruitment and financing.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/islamist-friendly-canada-eh/



Russia’s Aim in Mid East: Bloody the Nose of Uncle Sam
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > Russia’s Aim in Mid East: Bloody the Nose of Uncle Sam
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Wednesday, April 11, 2018 
To the detriment of the U.S., Russia seems to be dominating much of what is going on in the Middle East right now – especially on the Syrian front. Why? And how does it affect America?

Listen to the following podcast in which Clarion Project’s Elliot Friedland presents four answers:
https://clarionproject.org/russia-mid-east-bloody-nose-uncle-sam/


Mauro: Don’t Forget Assad Killed US Troops in Iraq
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > Mauro: Don’t Forget Assad Killed US Troops in Iraq
BY CLARION PROJECT Wednesday, April 11, 2018 
Clarion Project’s National Security Analyst and head of the Clarion Intelligence Network Ryan Mauro talks to Fox News about a possible strike by the U.S. on Syria after Assad’s use of chemical weapons.
He reminds viewers about where Syria acquired these weapons (Russia) and emphasizes that we shouldn’t forget that Assad is responsible for murdering and injuring U.S. troops in Iraq and elsewhere and was never punished for it.
Mauro says the Syrian regime actively supports terrorists, including Al-Qaeda elements who destabilized Iraq and targeted the U.S. military following the removal of Saddam Hussein.
FOX NEWS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE_uVtX5Sx8&ab_channel=RyanMauro
https://clarionproject.org/mauro-fox-assad-killed-us-troops-iraq/


US Takes Out Top ISIS Leader in Afghanistan
Home > World > Afghanistan > US Takes Out Top ISIS Leader in Afghanistan
BY CLARION PROJECT Wednesday, April 11, 2018 
The U.S. targeted and killed a top ISIS commander in Afghanistan and released a video of the operation (see below).
Qari Hikmatullah and his bodyguard were killed, according to a press statement.
“[Afghan Special Security Forces] and U.S. counter-terrorism forces killed Hikmatullah and they will kill any successors,” said Army Gen. John Nicholson, commander of U.S. Forces-Afghanistan. “IS-K [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province] will be eliminated.”
Hikmatullah was a senior commander and was instrumental in the transport of ISIS’ fighters into the northern Afghan province of Jowzjan.
“IS-K in Jowzjan province is the main conduit for external support and foreign fighters from Central Asian states into Afghanistan,” read the press statement. “Hikmatullah was the key leader for those operations.”
https://clarionproject.org/us-takes-top-isis-leader-afghanistan/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=YFlhTB3Liy4&ab_channel=AlistairReign


You’ll Never Guess Who’s Lining Up Against War
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > You’ll Never Guess Who’s Lining Up Against War
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Wednesday, April 11, 2018 
The USS Harry Truman. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
The USS Harry Truman. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
The Harry Truman Strike Group has been dispatched. Apparently it was scheduled for a routine deployment anyway, but either way an aircraft carrier laden with strike fighters accompanied by six destroyers is currently on its way to the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Trump was on the phone with the leaders of France and Britain, the only two other Western powers with serious force projection capabilities, although their militaries pale in comparison to that of the United States. A team of inspectors will go to Syria to confirm whether the April 7 chemical weapons attack occurred and, if so, if it was carried out by Assad.
The question is whether the United States and her allies will wage war on Syria.
Many pundits and politicians from both sides of the aisle feel like the question has already been decided. Of course the President should act in the face of such immorality. America has a responsibility to lead, to not let tyrants commit atrocities with impunity. Despite the partisan rancor that normally characterizes Washington, there is a remarkable amount of unity around the idea that Trump ought to authorize at least some military action in Syria.
https://clarionproject.org/oppose-war/


Why the First Amendment Is the Best Amendment: Part 7
Home > Political Islam > Worldwide > Movements > Why the First Amendment Is the Best Amendment: Part 7
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Tuesday, April 10, 2018 
(Photo: Nick Youngson/Alpha Stock Images)
(Photo: Nick Youngson/Alpha Stock Images)
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” — The First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
The struggle against Islamism can be summarised as a struggle over whether or not the First Amendment is a good idea. The First Amendment enshrines freedom of religion and conscience as a matter of law. By contrast, Islamism is about control: over thought and deed.
But to understand how this conflict came about, we have to backup a little bit.
This is the seventh in an eight-part series explaining how and why the First Amendment came about, why it never developed Islamic countries and why Islamists oppose the principle today.
Part Seven: The Shattering (1914-1989)
“The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our life-time.” — Sir Edward Grey, British Foreign Secretary, on the eve of Britain’s entry into World War I
MORE https://clarionproject.org/first-amendment-best-7/

President Trump fulfills campaign promise, delivers severe blow to terror groups
April 8, 2018
https://www.conservativeinstitute.org/islam/islamic-terrorism/trump-delivers-severe-blow.htm?utm_source=aimtell&utm_campaign=automated_push&utm_medium=push
President Trump fulfills campaign promise, delivers severe blow to terror groups
Evan El-Amin / Shutterstock.com
President Donald Trump promised during his 2016 campaign to “crush and destroy” the self-proclaimed Islamic State. Now, making good on yet another part of his platform, the president and his administration are continuing to do just that.

Targeting both ISIS and al-Shabaab, the U.S. military — aided by coalition forces — launched successful attacks in Somalia, Syria, and Iraq earlier this month, further crippling the besieged terrorist organizations. 

Attacking al-Shabaab in Somalia
“In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. forces conducted an air strike against al-Shabaab militants near Jilib, Somalia, the afternoon of April 5, killing three terrorists and destroying one vehicle with a mounted heavy machine gun,” a statement issued by the U.S. Africa Command reads.

Al-Shabaab is a faction of militant Islamists located in the northern part of the horn of Africa.

The Trump administration began targeting the al-Qaida-allied group around the end of 2017.

Thursday’s airstrike was the 11th strike delivered by American aircraft in Somalia this year. These follow more than 30 strikes in 2017, when President Trump expanded military efforts and eased combat rules.

Al-Shabaab lost control of most Somalian cities and towns in 2011 after withdrawing from the capital, Mogadishu, though the terrorist group has managed to maintain a presence in the region. But attacks like Thursday’s have stifled their efforts, and reminded the terrorist groups that America is watching.

Do you think U.S. forces have been successful in the Middle East?
Yes
No
Next
Confronting ISIS in Syria and Iraq
Similar victories were made over the last week against ISIS. U.S. and coalition forces conducted 11 airstrikes targeting the terrorist organization in both Iraq and Syria, especially near Syria’s Abu Kamal, a city located near the country’s border with Iraq, where, according to reports, U.S. and coalition forces destroyed ISIS tactical units and vehicles.

U.S. forces also worked with the Iraqi military to launch several airstrikes targeting buildings, tactical units, vehicles, and even a cave complex near Baghdad, all thought to be under the control of ISIS.

The attacks in Syria and Iraq come as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, a U.S.-led joint task force charged with eliminating ISIS.

These recent airstrikes make clear that the Trump administration has continued — and will continue — their aggressive policy of eliminating terrorist safe havens in the Middle East.

Although ISIS and allied terrorist organizations have yet to be completely defeated, with Trump at the helm, it is beginning to look as though victory is on the horizon for the U.S. and its allies. This is truly what strong leadership looks like.




God At Eventide  by Two Listeners

April 9 - The Life Glorious

If by the Spirit you mortify the flesh, you shall live.

This is a further progress-step in My Kingdom. The flesh must hold no pleasure for you that is not held in leash, always under subjection to the Spirit.

It was the utter subjection of the flesh that was manifested in My Silence at the pillar, and in the face of the jibes and insults and blows. It was this complete subjection which meant a Risen Body.

Resurrection-faith is not a matter of belief in Me, and in My Power working a miracle, it is a faith in Me and My Power leading to entire subjection of the body.

The body completely under control of the Spirit is a Risen Body. See now the importance of self-discipline.

Now unto Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 1:24-25

Copyright 2018 Two Listeners, All rights reserved.

John Bolton’s Diary: Day One as Nat’l Security Advisor
Home > World > Germany > John Bolton’s Diary: Day One as Nat’l Security Advisor
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Monday, April 9, 2018 
National Security Advisor John Bolton arrives at Trump Towers for a meeting with the president (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton assumes the position of U.S. national security advisor today replacing General H.R. McMaster. He hits the floor running after his boss, President Donald Trump, threatened a U.S. response to the latest chemical attack in Syria, which Trump blamed on the “animal Assad” (Syria’s dictator). Here’s Clarion Project’s (at times satirical) look at Bolton’s personal diary for day one on the job:
9 am: Chair Meeting of National Security Council re: Syrian Chemical Attack
Figure out what Donald meant by saying there would be a “big price to pay” for the snuffing out of women and children in Syria with chemical weapons. How low can that butcher in Syria go? He is truly an “animal.” Note to participants: any response will have to punish Russia and Iran, too. Donald named them also responsible.
11 am: Brief Statement to the Press
MORE https://clarionproject.org/john-boltons-diary-day-one-natl-security-advisor/


Leave Children Out of Syrian War
Home > Human Rights > Human Rights Violators > Child Abuse > Leave Children Out of Syrian War
BY CLARION PROJECT Monday, April 9, 2018 
Chemical attacks, rockets, gunfire and just a plain lack of basic rights – to education, food and safety. That is the lot of the Syrian child.
Please sign our petition. Tell the Syrian regime enough is enough. No more breaches of international law. Protect our children now.
FOR NOW OUR PETITION ONLY WORKS FOR PEOPLE WITH A US ZIP CODE
A Syrian boy cries as he is being held at a temporary refugee camp in the village of Ain Issa, housing people who fled Islamic State group's Syrian stronghold Raqa, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of the group's de facto capital on March 25, 2017.
(Photo: DELIL SOULEIMAN / AFP / Getty Images)
HERE .https://clarionproject.org/petition/leave-children-syrian-war/


Why the First Amendment Is the Best Amendment: Part 5
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > Why the First Amendment Is the Best Amendment: Part 5
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Sunday, April 8, 2018 
(Photo: Nick Youngson/Alpha Stock Images)
(Photo: Nick Youngson/Alpha Stock Images)
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” — The First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
The struggle against Islamism can be summarized as a struggle over whether or not the First Amendment is a good idea. The First Amendment enshrines freedom of religion and conscience as a matter of law. By contrast, Islamism is about control: over thought and deed.
But to understand how this conflict came about, we have to backup a little bit.
This is the fifth in an eight-part series explaining how and why the First Amendment came about, why it never developed in Islamic countries and why Islamists oppose the principle today.
Part Five: ‘Enlightened’ Absolutism 1648-1789
MORE https://clarionproject.org/first-amendment-best-5/

Poll Results: Should Terrorists Be Questioned About Their Religion?
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > Poll Results: Should Terrorists Be Questioned About Their Religion?
BY CLARION PROJECT Monday, April 9, 2018 
Soldiers in Belgium on guard after Islamist terror attacks (Photo: Reuters)
Soldiers in Belgium on guard after Islamist terror attacks (Photo: Reuters)
In our latest poll, we asked you, our readers, “Should Muslim terrorists be questioned about their religious beliefs if arrested on terrorism charges?”
The question was prompted by the remarks of the UK’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Max Hill, who is of the opinion that it is not “appropriate to ask detailed religious questions in every case where a Muslim has been arrested on suspicion of [terrorism].”
He made the remark after concluding his inquiry into the police investigation of the 2017 Westminster Bridge attack in which five people were killed. (In that investigation, Hill ruled the police acted appropriately.)
Hill previously said it is “fundamentally wrong” to use the words “Islamist terrorism” to describe, for lack of more precise words…Islamist terrorism.
We argued that his suggestions are disconnected from reality. The very definition of terrorism is the use of violence by non-state actors or groups against civilians in the pursuit of a political goal – exactly what has been happening in the world since the 1970s with Islamist terrorists.
Below are the results of our poll. Comments follow:
MORE https://clarionproject.org/poll-results-terrorists-questioned-religion/

Marine Commando: Failure Was Never an Option
Home > World > Mali > Marine Commando: Failure Was Never an Option
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, April 8, 2018 
A rescued hostage is led away from the terror attack on the Raddison Blu hotel in Bamako, Mali (Photo: HABIBOU KOUYATE/AFP/Getty Images)
A rescued hostage is led away from the terror attack on the Raddison Blu hotel in Bamako, Mali. (Photo: HABIBOU KOUYATE/AFP/Getty Images)
The senior leader of an elite Marine commando unit was awarded the Silver Star for his heroic actions that led to the rescue of dozens of hostages during the November 2015 Islamist terrorist attack on the Raddison Blu hotel in Bamako, Mali, the Marine Corps Times reported.
Upon hearing of the attack, in which 170 were being held hostage, the commando devised a plan while en route to the hotel.
“There was very little time to respond. We fell back on what we had prepared for. There were points in which the situation became more intense, ambiguous and scary. At times, the situation we faced was confusing and difficult. However, our purpose was clear. That clarity and unity of purpose allowed us to navigate the ambiguity and manage our emotions to accomplish the mission at hand,” said the commando (who cannot be named) in a statement.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/marine-commando-given-silver-star-heroism/


The Marriage Plot
Home > World > Germany > The Marriage Plot
BY MELISSA KNOX Sunday, April 8, 2018 
A young Muslim woman in Germany from immigrant parents at a ceremony marking the completion of a special high school program preparing students for university. (Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
A young Muslim woman in Germany from immigrant parents at a ceremony marking the completion of a special high school program preparing students for university. (Illustrative photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
My student Aliah (not her real name) from Afghanistan doesn’t wear a hijab, but then neither did my other Afghani student, the brilliant science major, the one who said her parents were so proud of her for getting a degree in chemistry.
The science major talked about her family’s experiences as refugees in Germany: “Before 9/11, I used to have to draw a map and point to where Afghanistan was. The day after, I didn’t have to do that anymore.”
I should have listened harder, considered the gravity of her next remark, which she delivered off-handedly, resignedly, and with a laugh: “My father always told us to remember that we’re living in Germany, but we’re not Germans.”
The science major came to my office hour one day and asked me about New York, where I’m from. She wanted to visit. What sights would I recommend? Did I know of inexpensive hotels? I was just warming to my favorite topic, my paradisiacal city, when my student unexpectedly burst into tears.
Shocked, I blurted, “What’s the matter?”
Her tears came so unexpectedly I thought I’d said something that offended her.
“I really want to travel,” she sobbed, “But my family wants me to get married.”
Here was a young woman, an 18- or 20-year-old young woman who dressed like the other students, the majority of whom were Western European, mostly German students. She wore blue jeans, a T-shirt, a charm on a chain around her neck, running shoes.
What came out of my untrained mouth at that moment was, “Are you being threatened?”
MORE https://clarionproject.org/marriage-plot/


‘Punish A Muslim Day’ Flops
Home > Human Rights > Human Rights Violators > Anti-Muslim Bigotry > ‘Punish A Muslim Day’ Flops
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Sunday, April 8, 2018 
JOSHUA LOTT/AFP/Getty Images)
An interfaith rally in Chicago (Photo: JOSHUA LOTT/AFP/Getty Images)
April 3 was billed as “Punish A Muslim Day.” Instead, non-Muslims in the U.S. and UK rallied in support of Muslims.
Letters advertising “Punish a Muslim Day” were first sent to British Muslim community leaders about a month ago. They later spread to the United States. The letters encouraged citizens to attack or kill Muslims in the street, offering “points” for doing so.
The leaflet awarded 50 points for verbally abusing a Muslim, 100 points for beating up a Muslim and 500 points for killing a Muslim. Many thought the leaflets and the day were a hoax.
London’s Metropolitan Police told the Evening Standard ahead of April 3 there was no “credible information” of planned hate crimes. Yet many Muslims worried about violence or harassment against them and advised each other to be careful on social media. Many Islamic leaders and media outlets shared information about the day widely, warning people to lock their doors and not travel alone.
But instead of the feared pogrom, non-Muslims responded overwhelmingly with empathy, kindness and public displays of inclusivity.
Hardly any anti-Muslim assaults were reported occurring in either the U.S. or the UK. The website Ladbible reported that one Muslim woman was assaulted when someone poured liquid on her.
Instead, thousands of people showed up to support the Muslim community.
Activists organized “Protect a Muslim Day” in which volunteers pledged to escort Muslims who were feeling vulnerable. A different group organized “Love A Muslim Day,” encouraging people to perform acts of kindness to Muslims instead.
At Newcastle Central Mosque in the UK, volunteers formed a human chain around the building to demonstrate solidarity.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/punish-muslim-day/



New App Lets You Help First-Responders in Terror Attacks
Home > World > Australia > New App Lets You Help First-Responders in Terror Attacks
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, April 8, 2018 
A witness to the Barcelona attack in August 2017 (Photo: PAU BARRENA/AFP/Getty Images)
A witness to the Barcelona attack in August 2017 (Photo: PAU BARRENA/AFP/Getty Images)
A new app being developed will turn a smartphone into an intelligence-gathering device during a terror attack or other emergency situation, The Weekend Australian reported.
The app will allow citizens to collect information through audio or video recordings and send it to a centralized cloud platform so that police, first responders and the like can get accurate information during an attack.
The idea for the app came after the attack at the Lindt Café in downtown Sydney in 2014 where a terrorist held 18 people hostage. During the 16-hour siege that ensued, first responders did not have access to real-time information from the hostages themselves, greatly hampering their ability to act.
The citizen-centric app, which is being developed by The Citadel Group in Australia, can also be used to crowdsource information in the event of car-jackings, kidnappings and the like.
“Now emergency services can see what people are seeing, hear what people are hearing and understand whether it’s a single incident or coordinated attack,” said Citadel CEO Daren Stanley.
“Instead of three separate incidents being called in separately and treated individually, the in-built analytics of this platform determines that there are three incidents reported within two kilometers of each other which are atypical and may be a coordinated attack. Traditionally that sort of insight may take hours to develop — this app makes it seamless.”
MORE https://clarionproject.org/new-app-turns-smart-phones-intel-gathering-device


Why the First Amendment Is the Best Amendment: Part 4
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > Why the First Amendment Is the Best Amendment: Part 4
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Thursday, April 5, 2018 
(Photo: Nick Youngson/Alpha Stock Images)
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” — The First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
The struggle against Islamism can be summarized as a struggle over whether or not the First Amendment is a good idea. The First Amendment enshrines freedom of religion and conscience as a matter of law. By contrast ,Islamism is about control over thought and deed.
But to understand how this conflict came about, we have to backup a little bit.
This is the fourth in a eight-part series explaining how and why the First Amendment came about, why it never developed Islamic countries and why Islamists oppose the principle today.
Part Four: Early Modern Islam
From the blood-soaked fields of Renaissance Europe, we return to the Muslim world. During the early modern period, each of the separate Muslim empires took different parts of the Muslim world in very different directions. By the time of the last Abbasid caliph’s death in 1258, the Muslim world had already largely disintegrated into warring kingdoms, empires and princely states. One of the Abbasid princes escaped the slaughter in Baghdad and was established as the caliph in Cairo. The role his dynasty played there was primarily to legitimize the rule of the Mamluk Sultanate. The dynasty retained some level of religious function as well, but never developed into an authoritative religious institution comparable to the Catholic papacy.
That caliphal line ended when the Ottoman Sultan Selim I conquered Egypt in 1516. From then on, the Ottoman sultans laid claim to it. Selim seized relics allegedly belonging to the prophet of Islam, Mohammed. Eight of Mohammed’s swords are currently held in the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul.
Three main rival powers dominated the Islamic world throughout the early modern period, each with a different approach to religion and state:
The Ottoman Empire developed a secular legal system, qanun, to regulate trade, alongside sharia. They also empowered Christians and Jews to use their own religious legal systems to govern their affairs internally, in what became known as the millet system. Mehmed the Conqueror, after taking Constantinople in 1453 declared himself caesar, on the grounds that whoever controlled Constantinople was the legitimate ruler of the Roman Empire. He was supported in this claim by the Eastern Orthodox Church. He installed a new patriarch with full honors, in return for a patriarchate loyal to the state. Legally then, the Ottoman empire did not separate religion and state, but began a process of differentiation that saw a legal system not entirely based on sharia, as had existed under the earlier caliphates.
By contrast, the Safavids in Iran developed a strong, centralized state ruled according to Shiite religious precepts. Minority sects of Islam were persecuted and the shahs funded and empowered the Shiite clergy to develop their own strong institutions. However, they also fostered Persian culture and poetry outside the realm of Islam.
The Mughal Empire in India was, for most of its history, very tolerant. Babur, the first emperor, made it illegal to kill cows after he captured Delhi in 1526, since it would offend Hindus. Akbar, his grandson, was more tolerant still. Akbar married a Hindu princess, cancelled the hated jizya tax and even changed the state religion to his own blend of Islam, Hinduism, Christianity and Buddhism. However, Akbar’s great-grandson, Aurangzeb, overturned the Mughal tradition of toleration. He tore down thousands of Hindu temples, reimposed sharia and jizya and waged war on Hindu states to the south. His savagery engendered bitter resentment and enabled British and French colonialists to exploit these tensions and gain a foothold in India.
This period also saw a huge expansion of Islam. Hundreds of thousands of people converted as Islam spread across India and further into southeast Asia, and west and south into Africa.
The African empires of Mali and Songhay developed their own unique Islamic cultures blended with indigenous West African traditions. Mansa Musa, the most renowned king of Mali, shored up his legitimacy with a pilgrimage to Mecca. Famously, he spent so much money on the trip that he caused the price of gold to plummet.
In Indonesia, Muslim traders spread the religion from the 14th century onwards. Over time, it became the majority faith in the archipelago and blended with local Buddhist and Hindu influences to become a syncretic tradition in its own right, with a strong emphasis on tolerating other faiths. To this day, Indonesia remains one of the most open and tolerant parts of the Muslim world.
None of these empires were Arab, either in origin or in structure. They all brought in elements of non-Arab culture into the laws, traditions and culture of the lands they ruled. They also all moved away from the notion of a centralized caliphate ruling the ummah as a whole. In this period, different kingdoms and empires developed their own legal traditions and variant forms of Islam, some of which were much more tolerant and pluralist than others.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/first-amendment-best-4/

Turkey Charges American Pastor With Terrorism
Home > Political Islam > Worldwide > Islamism in Government > Turkey Charges American Pastor With Terrorism
BY CLARION PROJECT Wednesday, April 4, 2018 
Pastor Andrew Brunson [Inset photo: STR/AFP/Getty Images; Background photo: a prison in Turkey (Adem Altan/AFP/Getty Images)]
Pastor Andrew Brunson [Inset photo: STR/AFP/Getty Images; Background photo: a prison in Turkey (Adem Altan/AFP/Getty Images)]
Turkish officials are demanding a sentence of 35 years in prison for American pastor and North Carolina native Andrew Craig Brunson, who was indicted in Turkey for allegedly committing crimes on behalf of terror organizations.
Brunson, 50, was running a small church in Izmir and lived in Turkey for the past 23 years. He and his wife, Norine, were originally detained in October of 2016 on charges of immigration violation. Norine was later released, but authorities continued to hold Andrew and later upped the charges against him to terrorism.

Sign the petition to free American Pastor Andrew Brunson by clicking here
Brunson was held for close to a year without any charges and without access to a lawyer. Last summer, the Turkish government accused him of “spying” and “insurgency” against the government and membership in an unnamed terror organization.

The organization was later named as the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), a group accused of being behind the July 2016 coup in 2016. The organization is part of the network of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s arch rival Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish Islamic cleric living in the U.S.  The current indictment also mentions a secret witness who said Brunson was also aiding the PKK, a Kurdish terror group, and was agitating for an independent Kurdistan.

During a visit to Turkey last month, then-secretary of state Rex Tillerson said, “We continue to have serious concerns…about cases against U.S. citizens who have been arrested under the state of emergency,” referring to the sweeping arrests made in every sector of Turkish society in the months following the coup.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/turkey-charges-american-pastor-with-terrorism/


Christian Family Murdered in Easter Attack
Home > Political Islam > Sharia Governance > Minority Rights > Christian Family Murdered in Easter Attack
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Wednesday, April 4, 2018 
Pakistani Christians mourn at the funeral of one of the victims of Monday's terror attack. (Photo: BANARAS KHAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Pakistani Christians mourn at the funeral of one of the victims of Monday’s terror attack. (Photo: BANARAS KHAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Four Christians were murdered and a young girl injured in a terrorist attack in the Pakistani city of Quetta on Monday. Quetta is the capital of the Balochistan province in South Western Pakistan.
The Islamic State terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack.
All four were members of the same family. They had been meeting relatives in a Christian area of the city. Traveling in a in a ricksha, they had just left the house where they were staying when armed men on a motorcycle drove past and opened fire.
“It appears to have been a targeted attack,” provincial police official Moazzam Jah Ansari told Reuters, according to EuroNews. “It was an act of terrorism.”
Pakistan has long been struggling to contain Islamist terrorists. In particular, the Pakistani terror group Tehreek-e-Taliban cooperates with the Afghan Taliban on the other side of the border and is able to move men and resources from one country to the other. This flexibility makes it harder for Pakistan to combat terrorists effectively.
MORE  https://clarionproject.org/four-christians-murdered-easter-attack/


Acid Attacks: A Growing Form of Honor Violence
Home > 101s > 101s > Acid Attacks: A Growing Form of Honor Violence
BY CLARION PROJECT Wednesday, April 4, 2018 
Get informed about the growing phenomenon of acid attacks.
MORE SEE INFOGRAM https://clarionproject.org/48018-2/


Why The First Amendment is the Best Amendment: Part 3
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > Why The First Amendment is the Best Amendment: Part 3
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Wednesday, April 4, 2018 
(Photo: Nick Youngson/Alpha Stock Images)
(Photo: Nick Youngson/Alpha Stock Images)
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” — The First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
The struggle against Islamism can be summarized as a struggle over whether or not the First Amendment is a good idea. The First Amendment enshrines freedom of religion and conscience as a matter of law. By contrast, Islamism is about control: over thought and deed.
But to understand how this conflict came about, we have to backup a little bit.
This article is the third in a eight-part series explaining how and why the First Amendment came about, why it never developed Islamic countries and why Islamists oppose the principle today.
Part Three: The Reformation
MORE https://clarionproject.org/first-amendment-3/

Brotherhood Leader in France: Goal Is to Seize Power
Home > World > France > Brotherhood Leader in France: Goal Is to Seize Power
BY LESLIE SHAW Tuesday, April 3, 2018 
Booths supporting the Muslim Brotherhood in the Muslims of France convention in 2014 (Photo: JACQUES DEMARTHON/AFP/Getty Images)
Booths supporting the Muslim Brotherhood in the Muslims of France convention in 2014. Note the four-fingered ‘Rabia’ symbol supporting former President Mohammed Morsi in Egypt from the Brotherhood’s party. Morsi was ousted from power by the military after a popular uprising in 2013 (Photo: JACQUES DEMARTHON/AFP/Getty Images)
The 35th annual Muslims of France convention was held during Easter weekend at Le Bourget convention center. Curiously, the event always takes place at Easter, even though this is a movable feast in the Christian calendar. It is attended by 150,000-200,00 people annually.

The convention is organized by Musulmans de France (Muslims of France), formerly the UOIF (Union of French Islamic Organizations), the French arm of the Muslim Brotherhood. It includes a souk (bazaar), a youth area, a competition on memorization of the Koran and a lecture theater.

The list of past speakers reads like a who’s who of radical Islam and includes controversial figures such as Yousuf al-Qaradawi, whose extremist writings and speeches led to him being banned from entry to the USA (1999), the UK (2008) and France (2012). He was convicted in absentia by Egypt in 2013 and is currently the object of an Interpol arrest warrant for incitement to and assistance in assassination, among other crimes.

Sign our petition asking President Trump to ban the Muslim Brotherhood in the U.S. by clicking here
MORE https://clarionproject.org/brotherhood-leader-in-france-goal-is-to-seize-power/


Yet Another 10 Uncomfortable Truths About Radical Islam
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > Yet Another 10 Uncomfortable Truths About Radical Islam
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Tuesday, April 3, 2018 

Linda Sarsour (far right) with feminist icon Gloria Steinem at the Women’s March after Trump’s inauguration (Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
Radical Islam gives some sections of the Right a clear enemy to focus on, to get people worried about and rally them round the flag, so they can expand the power of the national security state. They may or may not be doing this deliberately.
Pushback against Radical Islam gives some sections of the Left an opportunity to keep the pot boiling over past racial injustice and rally people to the flag to continue the fight against the Right.They may or may not be doing this deliberately.
Some people bash Islam all the time because they’re racists and because Islam is a religion primarily followed by black and brown people.
Politicians from various parties will use radical Islam as a hook issue to reel people in and sell them their broader agenda.
The Ottoman Empire was modernising and had a secular constitution, rights for all its citizens and had even legalized homosexuality in 1858. World War One destroyed that trajectory and ushered in a century of corrupt military dictatorships.
Those dictatorships tried to push Islam out of public life entirely and, in their efforts and excesses, radicalized a generation. Foremost among these military leaders was Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, father of modern Turkey, who forcibly secularized the country.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/yet-another-10-uncomfortable-truths-radical-islam/


Why The First Amendment is the Best Amendment: Part 2
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > Why The First Amendment is the Best Amendment: Part 2
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Tuesday, April 3, 2018 
(Photo: Nick Youngson/Alpha Stock Images)
(Photo: Nick Youngson/Alpha Stock Images)
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” — The First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/first-amendment-best-amendment-part-2/

Rogues’ Gallery of Shame
https://clarionproject.org/rogues-gallery-shame/
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > Rogues’ Gallery of Shame
BY CLARION PROJECT Tuesday, April 3, 2018 
Take a look at some of the American Islamists who recently tried to carry out terror attacks.

Erick Jamal Hendricks
Erick Jamal Hendricks
Erick Jamal Hendricks of Charlotte, North Carolina was convicted of conspiring to provide material support to ISIS. (Photo: [inset] Mecklemburg, NC Sheriff’s Office; [background]: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Corey Johnson
Corey Johnson
Corey Johnson (17) was arrested after admitting to stabbing a 13-year-old boy to death on his birthday and attempting to kill two others while at a sleepover party in Palm Beach, Florida. Johnson said he stabbed the victims because of his Muslim faith (Photo: Palm Beach Police Department)

Safya Row Yassin
Safya Row Yassin
Safya Roe Yassin (40) from Buffalo, tweeting under the handle “Muslimah,” pleaded guilty to using social media to transmit threatening messages on behalf of ISIS.

Mahad Abdiaziz Adbiraham
Mahad Abdiaziz Adbiraham
Mahad Abdiaziz Adbiraham, 20, stabbed two brothers — Alexander Sanchez, 19, and John Sanchez, 25 – – in a dressing room at Macy’s in the Mall of America near Minneapolis on November 12, 2017. He was recently sentenced to 15 years. (Photo: video screenshot)

Ahmad Khan Rahimi
Ahmad Khan Rahimi
Ahmad Khan Rahimi got life in jail after he set off a pressure cooker bomb in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood as well as another bomb in New Jersey. (Photo: police)

Mohamed Yousef Elshinawy
Mohamed Yousef Elshinawy
Mohamed Yousef Elshinawy from Maryland pleaded guilty to taking close to $9,000 to ISIS to carry out a terrorist attack in the U.S. ISIS operatives gave Elshinawy the option of assassinating a Texas businessman or detonating a bomb designed to inflict mass casualties. 

Edward Archer
Edward Archer
Edward Archer, 32, from Pennsylvania fired 13 shots at a Philadelphia police officer “in the name of Allah.”

Zakaryia Abdin
Zakaryia Abdin
The trial against Zakaryia Abdin (19) in South Carolina on terrorism charges was delayed because the information the suspect had was too secret to be revealed.

Akayed Ullah
Akayed Ullah
Manhattan bomber Akayed Ullah, who attempted a suicide attack at the busiest Manhattan subway station, was indicted by a U.S. grand jury on terrorism charges. (Photo: A New York City Police Department officer stands watch at the entrance to the Times Square subway station during the evening rush hour. Drew
Angerer / Getty Images)

Poll Results: Electronics or Not at Terror Attacks?
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > Poll Results: Electronics or Not at Terror Attacks?
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, April 1, 2018
A man takes a picture with a cell phone at the site of a blast outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia (Photo: ADEK BERRY/AFP/Getty Images)
A man takes a picture with a cell phone at the site of a blast outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia (Photo: ADEK BERRY/AFP/Getty Images)
We asked you, our readers, for your opinion after we reported on a new law in Singapore that gives government officials the power to block all electronic communications at the scene of a “serious incident.”

This controversial law means that in the event of a terrorist attack, for example, all news coverage at the scene, as well as cell phone communications, etc., would be shut down. Essentially no photos, text or audio messages, emails or phone calls.

Here are the responses to our question, “Should our government have the right to shut down electronic communications during “serious incidents?”

24.7 percent said: “Yes, if lives can be saved, that is paramount”
75.3 percent said: “No, it is a slippery slope in the battle for free speech”


Here are a sampling of the comments we received:
MORE ...https://clarionproject.org/poll-results-electronics-not-terror-attacks/

What Do You Want?
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > What Do You Want?
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Sunday, April 1, 2018
https://clarionproject.org/what-do-you-want/
What kind of a society do you want to live in? That question matters a lot if you’re interested in tackling the problem of Islamism. We can agree that we don’t want to live in an Islamist theocratic dictatorship. That would be awful. It’s a terrible form of government that institutionalizes human rights abuses.

But what we want instead matters.

If you want to get rid of Islamism, but want to replace it with a government that heavily favors your religion and restricts the religious liberties of Muslims, that’s hypocritical.
If you want to get rid of all religion, and have a government that vigorously enforces state atheism and restrict religious expression in the name of reason, that’s an attack on freedom of conscience.
If you hate Islamism, but only because it’s a foreign ideology, and you want to revive a mythologized idea of a pure, white conservative state, that’s racism.
If you want to get rid of Islamism and liberalism, democracy and capitalism, and replace it with an International Communist Workers Republic, that isn’t going to get you any more freedom than the Islamists would give you.
Clarion Project believes in opposing Islamism due to its threats to human rights and freedom of conscience.

We do so based on upholding the principle of the First Amendment:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

A society based on those principles is the kind of society we want to live in.

There would be no point in eradicating Islamism only to replace it with something else that’s just as bad.

The enemy of your enemy is not always your friend.

Beginning tomorrow and for the next eight days, Clarion will be running a series explaining how and why the First Amendment came about, why it never developed Islamic countries and why Islamists oppose the principle today.

10 Uncomfortable Truths About Radical Islam
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > 10 Uncomfortable Truths About Radical Islam
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Sunday, April 1, 2018
Child with knife
Palestinian propaganda (Photo: social media)
Why has the radical Islam debate dragged on for almost 20 years with seeming no end in sight? Maybe it’s because so many people (especially politicians) are ignoring these 30 truths.

Let’s start.
1.Radical Islam or Islamism, the political ideology which seeks to impose itself onto others and implement sharia (Islamic law) as state law, is directly inspired by specific interpretations of the religion of Islam. This is agreed upon by some of the world’s leading Islamic scholars including Yahya Cholil Staquf, General Secretary of Nadhlatul Ulama, Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization with an estimated 50 million members.
2.Those interpretations of Islam are not fringe or recent, but based on an authoritative body of commentary dating back hundreds of years. Historically these have mandated and implemented the death penalty for apostates, gay people, blasphemers and adulterers and the systemic subjugation and humiliation of non-Muslim groups in multiple legal systems based on traditional sharia as state law.
3.Although exact numbers are hard to pinpoint, polls indicate that millions of Muslims around the world support these ideas and political organizations that work to see them implemented. In a PEW research an average of 53% of the Muslim populations in the countries surveyed (not including Saudi Arabia, Iran, India and China that were not part of the survey) supported implementing sharia as the law of the land, equating to roughly 469 million people.
4.Sharia does not mean the same thing to all people. It literally means a “path to water” and refers to the perfect Islamic way of life, divine law. What is normally called sharia is not this idealized form, but sharia as it has been interpreted by scholars over the centuries. This interpretation is called fiqh. Therefore, many Muslims may say they support sharia but do not in fact want theocratic government.
5.Most aspects of sharia deal with normative aspects of religious practice such as prayer times, correct ritual, dietary restrictions and other other such things. The brutal punishments we normally associate with sharia governance are only a small part of sharia as a whole.
6.Traditionally in Islamic political thought, sharia is intended as a bulwark against tyrannical rule because it limits the ability of the ruler to govern according to his personal whims, Columbia expert on Islam Professor Richard Bulliet argues. The fact that most secular governments in the Muslim world have reinforced this framing of sharia in the eyes of the public by being so tyrannical has enabled Islamic movements to claim the mantle of resistance.
7.Many Muslim scholars hold that sharia is a personal code of ethics and should not be enforced by the government. Scholar Abdullahi Ahmed an-Naim sets out the arguments for this position very cogently in Islam and Secular State: Negotiating the Future of Sharia.
8.Progressive and reformist Muslims have their own interpretations of sharia that are considerably more open than traditional stances. This includes organizations like the Mecca Institute, run by openly gay Imam Daiyee Abdullah, and Muslims for Progressive Values, an American grassroots organization.
9.Many if not most of the things that Muslim conservatives want are very similar to things fundamentalists from other faiths (in particular the very closely-related religions want).
10.Pretty much all governments until very recently were extremely brutal and tyrannical. Social and cultural attitudes were strict and intolerant. Compared to contemporary societies, Islamic countries were often, although by no means always, more tolerant and open than their peers.
https://clarionproject.org/10-uncomfortable-truths-radical-islam/

Should Terrorists Be Questioned About Their Faith?
Home > World > UK > Should Terrorists Be Questioned About Their Faith?
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Thursday, March 29, 2018
A demonstration in London (Photo: Reuters)
A demonstration in London (Photo: Reuters)
The UK’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Max Hill, is at it again – twisting himself into a convoluted pretzel seemingly to be able to come up with the highest level of political correctness.
Hill previously told us that it is “fundamentally wrong” to use the words “Islamist terrorism” to describe, well…Islamist terrorism. Hill believed that the word “terrorism” should not be linked “to any of the world religions” and that instead, the words “Daesh-inspired terrorism” should be used.
At the time, we argued this display of political correctness was yet another attempt by a Western government to put its proverbial head in the sand about the real and ongoing threat we all face – not just from ISIS but from all Islamist terrorists.
We also said not making the distinction leads to more racism and anti-Muslim bigotry, since the average person understands all too well the scourge of Islamist terrorism.
Now Hill says it’s not “appropriate to ask detailed religious questions in every case where a Muslims has been arrested on suspicion of [terrorism].”
MORE https://clarionproject.org/terrorists-questioned-faith/


Is Islamism a Problem in America’s Workplaces?
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > Is Islamism a Problem in America’s Workplaces?
BY CLARION PROJECT Thursday, March 29, 2018
Workers at a Ford factory in the UK (Illustrative photo: Carl Court/Getty Images)
The first conference in the U.S. on the subject of Political Islam in the Workplace will take place in Washington, D.C. on April 26, 2018 The event is co-sponsored by Forum on Islamic Radicalism and Management (FIRM), London Center for Policy Research and American Foundation for Democracy. Clarion Project spoke to event co-ordinator Dr. Leslie Shaw of FIRM:
Clarion: Back in 2016, CAIR described this planned conference as Islamophobic. Can you comment on that?
Leslie Shaw: CAIR’s opinion is driven by sectarian self-interest and promotion of a socio-political agenda.
Clarion: But the conference focuses only on Islamic and not other forms of radicalism.
Shaw: We are looking at one segment of a wide phenomenon. Other forms of radicalism exist — Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, left-wing, right-wing, animal rights activists, anti-globalists, eco-warriors, neo-luddites — but Islamic radicalism poses a greater threat than all of the others put together.
Clarion: Why political Islam in the workplace specifically?
Shaw: There is a plethora of conferences on the subject of radicalism in general and Islamic radicalism in particular, but they are usually restricted to specialists in certain areas. I attended a conference in Brussels on April 22 on the challenge of jihadist radicalization in Europe. There were over 250 people there and over 20 speakers but not one person from the business world. We want to open the subject up to corporations, because they are in the front line.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/is-islamism-problem-america-workplaces/


The Murder No One Is Talking About
Home > World > Iran > The Murder No One Is Talking About
BY RAHIM HAMID Thursday, March 29, 2018
(Illustrative photo: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)
(Illustrative photo: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)
Reports emerged on Wednesday that another Ahwazi Arab prisoner in Iran has died under torture in a prison, with horrific video footage showing marks left all over his body after it was returned to his family. In addition, prison personnel warned the dead man’s family that they shouldn’t treat their loved one as a martyr, since he had been a “troublemaker” and incited riots amongst other prisoners, an allegation his family treated with contempt.
The body of 50-year-old Ali Sawari was returned to his family in the
Ali Sawari (Photo: Courtesy)
Sepidar neighbourhood of Ahwaz city on Monday, March 26 by officers from Sheyban Prison near the regional capital. The distressing video footage shot by his family members, who risked their own lives to show the world the horrific torture inflicted on their beloved son, sibling, husband and father, shows his body covered in scars and bruises from torture.
According to family members, it seems probable that Sawari, a married father of four children, was tortured to death by an infamously sadistic guard known as Hamidian in retaliation for complaining about the atrocious conditions at the notorious prison. Following his death, prison staff rushed his body to the morgue and called his family members to come and fetch it.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/murder-no-one-talking/

Was the Austin Bomber a Terrorist?
Home > Terrorism > Was the Austin Bomber a Terrorist?
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Sunday, March 25, 2018 
Authorities search the car where suspected Austin bomber Mark Anthony Conditt blew himself up (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Authorities search the car where suspected Austin bomber Mark Anthony Conditt blew himself up (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Over the past three weeks, the city of Austin has been terrorized by a mysterious bomber.
Here’s what happened:
March 2, a package bomb killed 39-year-old Anthony House in East Austin
March 12, two more package bombs exploded in East Austin. One killed 17 year-old Draylen Mason and injured his mother. The other injured 75 year-old Esperanza Herrera
March 18, a bomb triggered by a trip wire injured two cyclists in South Austin
March 20, a package bomb injured one person at a FedEx distribution center, while a second unexploded bomb was found and deactivated at a different FedEx center
In an unrelated incident, one person was injured in a separate explosion at a strip mall on March 20.
On Sunday, police used CCTV footage to identify Mark Anthony Conditt, 23, from Pflugerville, Texas, as a suspect, according to the The New York Times. By Wednesday police had tracked him to a hotel and officers trailed his car.
Conditt pulled over and blew himself up as a SWAT team approached. One officer was injured in that bombing.
On Wednesday March 21, President Donald Trump tweeted “AUSTIN BOMBING SUSPECT IS DEAD. Great job by law enforcement and all concerned!” That evening, police found a 25-minute cell phone recording detailing the seven bombs Conditt made.
“I would classify this as a confession,” Austin Police Chief Brian Manley told a news conference. “He does not at all mention anything about terrorism nor does he mention anything about hate. But instead, it is the outcry of a very challenged young man talking about challenges in his personal life that lead him to this point.”
That last part has caused widespread controversy. Many activists and members of the Muslim community, especially those on the forefront of conversations surrounding racial justice, are furious at the media’s failure to designate Mark Conditt as a terrorist.
“This is Mark Anthony Conditt – the Austin Bomber,” racial justice activist and columnist for the Intercept Shaun King wrote on Facebook, in a post that was shared over 100,000 times. “He is a terrorist. I want you to imagine for just a moment if it was a Muslim man who bombed and murdered people all over an American city. Then killed himself with a literal suicide bomb – injuring a cop in the process. Imagine how different the news would be.”
Activists have long complained of a perceived double standard, in which Muslim mass shooters and violent murderers are immediately labelled terrorists, while white men guilty of very similar crimes are treated as mentally ill or deranged individuals who must have been driven to these acts by external causes.
They are right in that consistency of terminology is vital. Dylann Roof, who killed nine people in a racially motivated attack on a church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015, was charged with 33 crimes, none of which were terrorism. This is despite having a clear political motive and using violence against civilians as a means to achieve that goal. As then Attorney General Loretta Lynch said, “Racially motivated violence such as this is the original domestic terrorism.”
Roof has since been sentenced to death.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/austin-bomber/


Saudi Arabia Bans Muslim Brotherhood From Schools
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > Saudi Arabia Bans Muslim Brotherhood From Schools
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Sunday, March 25, 2018 
US President Donald Trump meets with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the White House on March 20, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump meets with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the White House on March 20, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Saudi Arabia banned Muslim Brotherhood teachings and any other influence of the Islamist organization from its schools’ curriculum. The move includes firing teachers who are sympathetic to the Brotherhood’s program for political revolution.
The announcement was made by Saudi Education Minister Ahmed bin Mohammed al-Issa, who vowed the government will “fight extremist ideologies by reviewing school curricula and books to ensure they are free of the banned Muslim Brotherhood’s agenda.”
Al-Issa also said the government would “ban books attributed to the Muslim Brotherhood from all schools and universities and remove All those who sympathize with the group.”
The Saudi’s designated the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization in 2014.
The move comes as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) pledged to return the kingdom to “moderate Islam,” and follows a number of reforms the prince made to further that goal. Speaking in an interview with CBS,  MBS said elements of the Brotherhood infiltrated Saudi schools.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/saudi-arabia-bans-muslim-brotherhood-schools/


Four Killed in French Terror Attacks
Home > World > France > Four Killed in French Terror Attacks
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, March 25, 2018 
French Anti-terror and regular police stand guard during an operation
French Anti-terror and regular police stand guard during an operation (Photo: MATTHIEU ALEXANDRE/AFP/Getty Images)
Four people were killed and 16 others injured in three terrorist attacks carried out by the same terrorist in France on Friday morning. The string of attacks ended in a three-hour standoff in a supermarket when the gunman took hostages.
The gunman reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest), an Islamic slogan which has become the signature call of jihadists when they strike. He also pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.
The terrorist was identified as 25 year-old Redouane Lakdim. A suspected accomplice was also arrested, according to the BBC.
The first attack took place in Carcassone at 10 am, when Lakdim flagged down a car, shot and killed a passenger and seriously wounded the driver. He then drove off in the car to a military barracks. After waiting briefly at the barracks, he drove to a riot police barracks. There he fired at a group of officers before driving off, injuring at least one.
His final stop was a Super U supermarket in the nearby town of Trebes. He shot and killed one customer and one shop worker before taking hostages.
“You are killing people in Syria. Now you’re going to die,” he yelled, according to witness testimony.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/three-killed-in-french-terror-attack/


‘Hot Oil Thrown on Texas Girl Who Refused Marriage’
Home > Human Rights > Human Rights Violators > Child Abuse > ‘Hot Oil Thrown on Texas Girl Who Refused Marriage’
BY CLARION PROJECT Monday, March 26, 2018 
From left to right: Maarib Al Hishmawi, 16, and her parents Hamdiyah Saha Al Hishmawi, 33, and Abdulah Fahmi Al Hishmawi, 34. (Photos: Bexas County Sheriff's Office)
From left to right: Maarib Al Hishmawi, 16, and her parents Hamdiyah Saha Al Hishmawi, 33, and Abdulah Fahmi Al Hishmawi, 34. (Photos: Bexas County Sheriff’s Office)
A teenage Muslim girl from Texas was found three months after running away from her parents who arranged a marriage for her and allegedly beat her with a broomstick and poured hot oil on her, Fox News reported.
Maarib Al Hishmawi, 16, was last seen leaving her high school in Bexar County in January. She was found in mid-March and taken in by an organization that is caring for her.
Hishmawi’s parents — Abdulah Fahmi Al Hishmawi, 34, and Hamdiyah Saha Al Hishmawi, 33 — reportedly arranged a marriage for their daughter in exchange for $20,000.
“Several times it was reported to us that this young lady was abused with hot cooking oil being thrown on her body. She was beat with broomsticks,” Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar added. “At least one point, she was choked almost to the point of unconsciousness.”
MORE https://clarionproject.org/hot-oil-thrown-texas-girl-refused-marriage/

Spice Girl: My Ex Showed Kids ISIS Beheading Videos
Home > Human Rights > Human Rights Violators > Child Abuse > Spice Girl: My Ex Showed Kids ISIS Beheading Videos
BY CLARION PROJECT Monday, March 26, 2018 
Former Spice Girl Mel B with ex-husband Stephen Belafonte (Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Former Spice Girl Mel B with ex-husband Stephen Belafonte (Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Former “Spice Girl” Mel B charged that her ex-husband, Stephen Belafonte, traumatized her child by showing the young girl horrific ISIS beheading videos, The Blast reported.

Based on court documents obtained by the website, Mel (Melanie Brown) petitioned the court to prevent Belafonte from seeing Angel Murphy Brown, 10, Mel B’s child with comedian Eddie Murphy.
The former singer charged that Belafonte, whom she divorced at the end of 2017, showed all of Mel’s children the videos, including 6-year-old Madison, the child they had together. Phoenix, Mel B’s 19-year-old daughter, confirmed the accusations, saying in writing, “He got us all to watch men being beheaded with chainsaws by ISIS.”
Phoenix also alleged a host of other abuses by Belafonte including calling her “retarded,” kicking and yelling at the dog and eating half of her school lunch made by Mel so that she would have little to eat during the day.
Belafonte filed to have visitation rights with Angel, although in the court document, Mel charges that in detailing the girl’s likes and dislikes, he got everything wrong about his stepdaughter.
The judge for the case is set to rule on the petition shortly.
https://clarionproject.org/spice-girl-charges-ex-showed-kids-isis-beheading-videos/


Turkish Airstrikes in Syria Destroy Ancient, Christian Sites
Home > World > Syria > Turkish Airstrikes in Syria Destroy Ancient, Christian Sites
BY CLARION PROJECT Monday, March 26, 2018 
Remains of the ancient Neo-Hittite temple in Ain Dara, Syria after being bombed by Turkey (Photo: DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Remains of the ancient Neo-Hittite temple in Ain Dara, Syria after being bombed by Turkey (Photo: DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Air strikes by Turkey in Syria destroyed important Christian sites dating back to the Byzantine era and other archaeologica sites from the first millennium BC.
According to the directorate-general of the Syrian Department of Antiquities, the Turkish air forced bombed Barad, 9 miles south of the city of Afrin, where the Turks launched an offensive against the Kurds.
The bombing reported devastated, among other sites, the tomb of Marone, the remains of the cathedral of San Giuliano and an ancient Neo-Hittite temple built by the Arameans in the first millennium BC in Ain Dara, known for its enormous basalt lions.
Former antiquities chief Maamoun Abdul Karim said that the destruction of Ain Dara was “the same level of atrocity” as the deliberate demolition of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Palmyra by ISIS.
https://clarionproject.org/turkish-airstrikes-syria-destroy-ancient-sites/

American Day of Reckoning for Muslim Brotherhood?
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > American Day of Reckoning for Muslim Brotherhood?
BY RYAN MAURO Thursday, March 22, 2018 
Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt (Photo: Reuters)
The Muslim Brotherhood’s sigh of relief after being rescued by Secretary of State Tillerson and National Security Adviser McMaster has been replaced by a sweaty panic.
With Tillerson out and Pompeo in and McMaster’s days numbered, it is now probable that the Muslim Brotherhood will finally be designated by the State Department as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, paving the way for its infrastructure in America to begin being dismantled.
Groups associated with the Muslim Brotherhood network like the Jamaat-e-Islami and Jamaat ul-Fuqra are likely to see a similar fate. President Trump’s desire to pressure Pakistan and more closely ally with India adds to the likelihood that these Pakistani-led groups will be blacklisted.
The incoming secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, was one of the earliest cosponsors of the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act when he was a member of Congress. Now, as secretary of state, he has the authority to designate Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).
The newest version of the legislation is backed by 75 members of the House of Representatives and the Senate version introduced by Senator Ted Cruz has 4 cosponsors.
Now, most of the Trump Administration’s top officials are staunch foes of the Brotherhood, including:
MORE https://clarionproject.org/day-reckoning-muslim-brotherhood/



Should Media Be Shut Down During a Terror Attack?
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > Should Media Be Shut Down During a Terror Attack?
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Thursday, March 22, 2018 
A woman makes a call on a cell phone at the site of the 2016 terror attack in the Brussels airport (Photo: KETEVAN KARDAVA/AFP/Getty Images)
A woman makes a call on a cell phone at the site of the 2016 terror attack in the Brussels airport (Photo: KETEVAN KARDAVA/AFP/Getty Images)
A new law in Singapore has kicked up a controversy about powers given to authorities, free speech and terror attacks.
The law gives government officials the power to block all electronic communications at the scene of a “serious incident.” This means that in the event of a terrorist attack, for example, all news coverage at the scene, as well as cell phone communications, etc., would be shut down.
Essentially no photos, text or audio messages, emails or phone calls.
At first glance the law sounds logical for the following reasons:
Information reported live – whether by media outlets or private citizens – can inadvertently aid the terrorist(s)
Cell phones can be used to activate bombs, thus a primary attack can be used as the bait to lure more people to the site for a secondary and possibly more deadly attack
Safety and saving lives come first. Pushy media personnel in pursuit of a scoop and private citizens out for their five seconds of glory can impede the work of police and other authorities – including EMTs — at the scene of the attack, adding to injuries or even causing unnecessary deaths
On the other hand:
What exactly is a “serious incident?” Authoritarian societies (which Singapore has been accused of being) can use such a designation to shut down coverage of peaceful protests and the like. Reporters Without Borders ranks Singapore 151st out of 180 countries in its World Press Freedom Index (with number-one being the best ranking).
Shutting down coverage is a convenient way to avoid publicizing politically-inconvenient truths – specifically Islamist terror attacks. We are already seeing this phenomenon in Europe, where jihadi attacks are often excused as mental illness or not reported at all (in the case of religiously-motivated rapes, etc.)
Coverage of terror attacks may actually save lives by warning people not to come near the affected area
What do you think? Take our poll below and write us your thoughts:
MORE https://clarionproject.org/media-shut-down-terror-attacks/


Flint, Michigan Airport Jihadi Faces Additional Charges
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > Flint, Michigan Airport Jihadi Faces Additional Charges
BY CLARION PROJECT Thursday, March 22, 2018 
(Illustrative photo: Maarten Van Damme/Flickr/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode)
(Illustrative photo: Maarten Van Damme/Flickr/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode)
Additional charges were levied against the Canadian national who carried out a jihadist attack against a police officer at the Flint, Michigan airport in June 2017.
Amor M. Ftouhi, 50, stabbed Officer Jeff Neville with a knife in the neck while screaming “Allahu Akbar (God is greater) in retaliation, he said, for coalition killings in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite a 12-inch wound, Neville survived the attack.
Ftouhi faced life in prison for the attack. However, Wednesday, March 21, 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice added the additional charge of committing an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries, a charge that also carries a possible life sentence.
Prosecutors say that Ftouhi entered the U.S. with the intention of killing government officials. While in Canada, he researched online how to buy a gun in Michigan. When he was unsuccessful, he bought a knife.
https://clarionproject.org/flint-airport-jihadi-faces-additional-charges/


100 French Intellectuals Denounce Islamist Separatism
Home > World > France > 100 French Intellectuals Denounce Islamist Separatism
BY LESLIE SHAW Wednesday, March 21, 2018 
Supporters of French President Macron celebrate his victory (Illustrative photo: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
Supporters of French President Macron celebrate his victory (Illustrative photo: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
A group of 100 diverse French intellectuals denounced Islamist totalitarianism in the newspaper Le Figaro on March 19, 2018. The following is a translation of their statement made by Clarion contributor Leslie Shaw:
We are citizens of differing and often diametrically opposed views, who have found agreement in expressing our concern in the face of the rise of Islamism. We are united not by our affinities, but by the feeling of danger that threatens freedom in general and not just freedom of thought.
That which unites us today is more fundamental than that which will undoubtedly separate us tomorrow.
Islamist totalitarianism seeks to gain ground by every means possible and to represent itself as a victim of intolerance. This strategy was demonstrated some weeks ago when the SUD Education 93 teachers union proposed a training course that included workshops on state racism from which white people were barred.
Several of the facilitators were members or sympathizers of the CCIF (French Collective Against Islamophobia) or the Natives of the Republic party. Such examples have proliferated recently. We have thus learned that the best way to combat racism is to separate races. If this idea shocks us, it is because we are Republicans.
We also hear it said that because religions in France are trampled on by an institutionalized secularism, everything that is in a minority — in other words Islam — must be accorded a special place so that it can cease to be humiliated.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/100-french-intellectuals-denounce-islamist-separatism/