THE CLARION PROJECT

https://clarionproject.org/how-israel-saved-us-from-a-nuclear-isis/
How Israel Saved Us From a Nuclear ISIS
Home > World > Iran > How Israel Saved Us From a Nuclear ISIS
BY CLARION PROJECT Wednesday, March 21, 2018 
Israel just produced evidence to show in 2007 it took out a suspected nuclear reactor in Syria, something Israel says is further evidence of Iran’s control over the country.
WATCH
Later that area was largely controlled by ISIS.
LISTEN
It’s time to say thank you to our Israeli allies.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd67Ki5y68I&ab_channel=IsraelDefenseForces

In this video, Israel Defense Forces Chief of the General Staff, Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eisenkot talks about the attack on the Syrian nuclear facility in 2007, when he headed the Northern Command.




10 Big Changes to Expect With Pompeo at State
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > 10 Big Changes to Expect With Pompeo at State
BY RYAN MAURO Wednesday, March 21, 2018 
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
By replacing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with CIA Director Mike Pompeo, President Trump has hit the “restart” button on his foreign policy a little over a year into his term.
Trump referenced the Iran deal as the point of contention sparking Tillerson’s departure, as Tillerson and his State Department colleagues favored a policy of making additional demands with additional pressures instead of withdrawing from the deal.
Expect 10 big changes in foreign policy once Pompeo is officially the Secretary of State.
1.Unleashing the sleeping hounds upon on our enemies
MORE https://clarionproject.org/10-big-changes-expect-pompeo-state/

FBI Arrests 2 Terror Suspects Every Week
Home > Human Rights > Human Rights Violators > Child Abuse > FBI Arrests 2 Terror Suspects Every Week
BY CLARION PROJECT Tuesday, March 20, 2018 
FBI agents investigate a crime scene
FBI agents investigate a crime scene (Illustrative photo: SHAWN THEW/AFP/Getty Images)
A top official with the FBI revealed an average of two terror suspects are arrested every week in the U.S.
Speaking at the Security & Counter Terror Expo in London, Michael Mcgarrity, the assistant director of the bureau’s counter-terrorism division, said, “It’s a high-op tempo — some call it whack-a-mole.”
McGarrity said that once radicalized, a jihadi can be mobilized to attack in just 30 days.
He warned that there was a “lack of resources” to the growing terror threat to the U.S., noting that lone wolves attacks are often planned by “people living in the basements of their parents’ house.”
“The ocean doesn’t matter anymore,” said Mc Garrity, noting that “homegrown violent extremists” are usually born in the U.S.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/fbi-arresting-2-terror-suspects-a-week/

Survivor: Sex Gangs Motivated by Religious Extremism
Home > Human Rights > Human Rights Violators > Child Abuse > Survivor: Sex Gangs Motivated by Religious Extremism
BY CLARION PROJECT Tuesday, March 20, 2018 
(Illustrative photo: Pixabay)
(Illustrative photo: Pixabay)
A survivor of the Rotherham grooming gang in the UK speaks out about the religious extremism that motivated her abusers. One of her main points was that grooming gangs are not the same as pedophile rings. Rather they are more similar to terrorist networks.
The following is part of her first-hand account (you can read the entire text by clicking here):
They made it clear that because I was a non-Muslim, and not a virgin, and because I didn’t dress “modestly”, that they believed I deserved to be “punished” … 
Like terrorists, they firmly believe that the crimes they carry out are justified by their religious beliefs …
Experts say that grooming gangs are not the same as pedophile rings. It’s something that central Government really needs to understand in order to prevent more grooming gang crime in the future.
In November 2017, the Swedish government held a meeting where they stated that: “Sexual violence is being used as a tactic of terrorism”, and as such, it was recognized as a threat to Sweden’s national security. 
Religious indoctrination is a big part of the process of getting young men involved in grooming gang crime. Religious ideas about purity, virginity, modesty and obedience are taken to the extreme until horrific abuse becomes the norm. It was taught to me as a concept of “othering” … 
I experienced horrific, religiously sanctioned sexual violence and torture – so I definitely believe that we need to be aware of religious extremism as something potentially harmful, so that we can protect people from it. 
The link between terrorism and rape undertaken by Islamist gangs was not being ignored. They called for counter-extremism education. This sounds like a balanced and intelligent governmental response to me.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/sex-gangs-motivated-by-religious-extremism-survivor/
Princess Vanishes – See Her Final Video
Home > Human Rights > Human Rights Violators > Child Abuse > Princess Vanishes – See Her Final Video
BY CLARION PROJECT Tuesday, March 20, 2018 
Princess Sheikha Latifa Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum is one of the 30 children of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, prime minister and vice president of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of the Emirate of Dubai. She has been missing since March 4.
According to Latifa, she fled Dubai via boat to escape years of torture and imprisonment by her father.
The following video made by Latifa was uploaded to YouTube by Latifa’s attorney who was instructed to do so in the case of her death or disappearance. The video expresses her desire to escape the UAE and her concerns that, if it is being shown, she and her friends are in danger or dead.
In the video, Latifa also describes the failed escape attempt by her older sister Shamsa and a previous escape attempt she made in 2002. After being captured, she relates how she was tortured and imprisoned for more than three years. She states that her father and his men are responsible for the murders of family members and as well as countless others.
Clarion Project cannot confirm the veracity of this video.
Latifa Al Maktoum - FULL UNEDITED VIDEO - Escape from Dubai - Hervé Jaubert
Escape from Dubai
Published on 11 Mar 2018
MYSTERY OF THE RUNAWAY ‘PRINCESS’ AS ‘DAUGHTER’ OF DUBAI’S RULER SHEIKH MOHAMMED CLAIMS SHE HAS FLED THE COUNTRY AFTER BEING ‘DRUGGED AND JAILED FOR THREE YEARS IN THE ARAB STATE’ - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/artic...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=UN7OEFyNUkQ&ab_channel=EscapefromDubai

Islamist Infiltration of American Universities
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Organizations > Islamist Infiltration of American Universities
BY RYAN MAURO Monday, March 19, 2018 
A university lecture hall (Illustrative photo: TORSTEN SILZ/AFP/Getty Images)
A university lecture hall (Illustrative photo: TORSTEN SILZ/AFP/Getty Images)
Ryan Mauro is the national security analyst and Shillman Fellow for the Clarion Project. This article was written with the assistance of Campus Watch, a project of the Middle East Forum.
In 1988, an FBI source inside the Muslim Brotherhood revealed that the Islamist group’s proxies in America had a six-phase plan to “institute the Islamic Revolution in the United States.” [1]  Among these front groups was The International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), a think tank committed to the “Islamization of knowledge.”[2] This ideology, as Professor Vali Nasr writes, entails the subordination of scientific inquiry to “the mere implementation of the assorted teachings of the Shariʿa.”[3]
Over the last three decades, IIIT’s part in the Brotherhood’s plan has met remarkable success. The institute has made itself an indispensable resource for Islamic studies scholars: It has provided funding for over 70 active researchers based at institutions across America (see appendix); it has spent millions of dollars on endowing chairs in Islamic studies;[4] and it has publicized the research of hundreds of like-minded academics at its Summer Institute for Scholars.[5]
IIIT’s activities are integral to the Brotherhood’s broader strategy of inciting an international Islamic revolution. As an official IIIT handbook notes:
MORE https://clarionproject.org/islamists-infiltration-american-universities/


What You Wouldn’t Want Your Kids Learning
Home > Human Rights > Human Rights Violators > Child Abuse > What You Wouldn’t Want Your Kids Learning
BY CLARION PROJECT Monday, March 19, 2018 
Kids explore networked computers (Illustrative Photo: Getty Images)
(Illustrative photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Textbooks for children in the Palestinian Authority notoriously promote the concepts of jihad and martyrdom, while demonizing the enemies of Islam.
A Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) study of the most recent textbooks show “a significant increase in focus on the early Islamic tenets of shahada (martyrdom), fidaa (self-sacrifice) and tadhiya (sacrifice) as part of jihad for the sake of Allah, and their modern manifestations as part of the Palestinian struggle against Israel.”
The following is a sampling of what Palestinian kids are learning in Middle School:
The Muslims’ victory over the Quraysh tribe (624 C.E.), traditionally viewed as the quintessential battle in which Muslims were outnumbered three to one: “When the fighting got tough…the Messenger of Allah [the Prophet Muhammad] encouraged the Muslims to fight by saying:’Rise up [and fight, to attain] Paradise, which is as wide as the heaven and the earth.’ The Muslims attacked the polytheist army with full force, as their strong faith and honest desire spurred them to sacrifice their souls. As a result the polytheists were defeated, and the Muslims achieved a great victory…”
Rewards for the martyr as stated in the hadiths (sayings of the prophet): “Allah the Almighty wishes to take shahids  (martyrs) from among the believers in order to grace them with martyrdom, forgive their sins and exalt them in Paradise.””Allah rewards the shahid with six rewards: with the first drop of blood, his sins are forgiven; he sees his place in Paradise; he is spared the torments of the grave; he is spared the horror of the Day of Judgment; he is crowned with the crown of glory, whose precious stone is better than all of this world and what is in it; he marries 72 black-eyed women; he vouches for 70 of his family members [to be accepted to Paradise].”
MORE https://clarionproject.org/what-you-wouldnt-want-your-kids-learning/

The Fascist Roots of Jihadism
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > The Fascist Roots of Jihadism
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Monday, March 19, 2018 
Illustrative picture of Goebbels giving a Hitler Youth member a medal for military success. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
Joseph Goebbels giving a Hitler Youth member a medal for military success. (Illustrative photo: Wikimedia Commons)
What is fascism? The word gets thrown around a lot, usually to describe right-wing political opponents. But the word actually has a specific meaning and refers to a particular political ideology.
I’ve previously argued for Clarion that Islam is not a fascist religion (or at least, not inherently so any more than Christianity is). But what about Islamism, the political ideology seeking to impose Islam over others and implement sharia as state law?
To answer that question, we first need to look at what fascism actually is.
Vox writer David Roberts helpfully collated what a series of fascism scholars said about the nature of fascism.
British anti-fascism scholar Richard Griffin defines fascism as follows:
“Fascism is a genus of political ideology whose mythic core in its various permutations is a palingenetic form of populist ultra-nationalism.”
So what does that mean?
MORE https://clarionproject.org/jihadism-fascism/

All Change in the Trump Administration
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > All Change in the Trump Administration
BY CLARION PROJECT Wednesday, March 14, 2018 
There’s a new secretary of state and a new CIA chief. Clarion’s Ryan Mauro examines the significance:

All Change in the Trump Administration
Clarion Project
Published on 14 Mar 2018
Tillerson out, Pompeo and Haspel in. Clarion's Ryan Mauro explains the significance of the changes.
VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=45&v=bwU1HaCAazY
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=45&v=bwU1HaCAazY&ab_channel=ClarionProject

RELATED STORIES
Why Is Rex Tillerson Undermining the Fight Against Qatar?

US State Dept. Embraces Terror-Supporting Sheikh

CIA Chief Meets King of Saudi Arabia



Terrorists Will Soon Be Able to Fake Any Video
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > Terrorists Will Soon Be Able to Fake Any Video
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Wednesday, March 14, 2018 
Illustrative picture. (Photo: Creative Commons/Yogendra Joshi)
Illustrative picture. (Photo: Creative Commons/Yogendra Joshi)
“The idea that someone could put another person’s face on an individual’s body, that would be like a homerun for anyone who wants to interfere in a political process. This is now going to be the new reality, surely by 2020, but potentially even as early as this year.” — Senator Mark Warner (D-VA)
New technology with the ability to create hyper-realistic fake videos has the potential to wreak havoc on the political landscape, lawmakers and technology experts say.
The tech allows people’s faces to be superimposed onto different bodies in other videos. Different technology can also allow allow facial expressions to be altered. Adobe even has a program to create new audio from text.
Currently, fake video technology requires manipulation of existing video footage of a person, and cannot create fake video from scratch with just a picture.
Right now, the technology is not that widespread and can still be detected by experts. But it is improving rapidly.
Such videos have already caused controversy. Fake pornographic videos have been made by face-swapping celebrities into pornographic movies. In February 2018, the popular content sharing website Reddit banned the r/deepfakes subreddit, which had been used to share fake pornographic content featuring celebrities. Reddit updated its rules prohibiting sharing pornographic content of someone without that person’s consent to include faked images. In February 2018, the pornographic website Pornhub banned deepfake videos from its platform.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/deep-fakes/?mc_cid=406e2fd998&mc_eid=99393a2678
BBC News
Published on 19 Jul 2017
Researchers at the University of Washington have produced a photorealistic former US President Barack Obama. 
Artificial intelligence was used to precisely model how Mr Obama moves his mouth when he speaks. 
Their technique allows them to put any words into their synthetic Barack Obama’s mouth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmUC4m6w1wo&ab_channel=BBCNews


Clarion Salutes an American Woman
Home > Human Rights > Human Rights Activists > Interviews with Activists > Clarion Salutes an American Woman
BY CLARION PROJECT Wednesday, March 14, 2018 
Meet Californian Anila Ali:
MORE https://clarionproject.org/clarion-salutes-an-american-woman/?mc_cid=406e2fd998&mc_eid=99393a2678
WATCH https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=20&v=92tZpB3iFus&ab_channel=ClarionProject
RELATED STORIES
Anila Ali: Being Muslim in Trump’s America
Five Americans Who Are Standing Up Against Radical Islam
Muslim Reform Is Coming — Here’s Why


Should We Stop Using the Word ‘Islam’?
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > Should We Stop Using the Word ‘Islam’?
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Wednesday, March 14, 2018 
Using the term ‘Islam’ instead of a more specific word for a sect can often be too vague when discussing various aspects of the religion.
It’s true that when talking about any group, it is necessary to a certain extent to talk in generalities. Without mentioning the things that tie a group together, a group ceases to meaningfully exist as a concept. So when talking about religion, it is natural to fall into this pattern and talk about a large grouping unified by a common creed.
But this may not always be so helpful when the group is so broad that it doesn’t mean much to peg someone as a member.
When talking about Islam, it is easy to forget just how vast it is. Well over a billion and a half followers is a colossal number. Yes, there is a common doctrine. To be counted as a Muslim one has to accept that there is no God but Allah and that Mohammed is his messenger. Muslims also accept the Quran as scripture.
But beyond that there is a lot of divergence. There are four schools of Sunni jurisprudence. The Shiite world is largely divided into Twelver, Zaidi and Jafari, but there are many other, smaller groups. Each Muslim country over the centuries has developed its own traditions, customs and legal thought. Each community looks to its own leaders for religious guidance.
Others reject hadiths and fiqh altogether, going only by what they read in the Quran.
What we most commonly think of as Islamic fundamentalism today, the austere Wahhabism of Saudi Arabia, is itself only a recent invention. It was an 18th-Century reaction against the cosmopolitan Islam practiced by the Ottoman elites of the day. Iran’s theocratic government is even younger, implementing Ayatollah Khomeini’s program of “Guardianship of the Jurist,” which was drawn up in the 1970s, replacing hundreds of years of Islamically-sanctioned monarchy.
In the West in particular, but also all over the world, many Muslims are now questioning their relationship with their faith and re-opening old questions. Islamic feminists are pushing for a greater role for women. Progressives and humanists are questioning whether or not the Quran is divinely authored, while still relating to it as a hugely important guiding influence in their lives.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/stop-using-word-islam/?mc_cid=406e2fd998&mc_eid=99393a2678


Political Protests Spread Across Iran on Fire Festival
Home > Human Rights > Human Rights Activists > Human Rights Campaigners > Political Protests Spread Across Iran on Fire Festival
BY SHAHRIAR KIA Wednesday, March 14, 2018 . 
An Iranian woman marks the Persian Fire Festival holiday. (Photo: BEHROUZ MEHRI / AFP / Getty Images)
There were widespread reports of political activities throughout Iran following a call by the network of the Iranian opposition People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) for mobilization on the occasion of the March 13 National Fire Festival, known as Chaharshanbeh Suri in Persian.
A few weeks ago, MEK’s network of supporters inside the country called upon all Iranian people to show their protests against the ruling mullahs in Iran during the last week of the Persian year. Iranian protesters distributed leaflets and flyers in support of this call in scores of cities.
Pictures of Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), were posted in various locations while pictures of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei were set on fire by activists and protesters who chanted “Down with Khamenei.”
MORE WATCH VIDEO https://clarionproject.org/political-protests-spread-across-iran-fire-festival/?mc_cid=406e2fd998&mc_eid=99393a2678

Why Do Parents Turn Children Into Suicide Bombers?
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > Why Do Parents Turn Children Into Suicide Bombers?
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, March 11, 2018 
Clarion Project’s David Harris asks the rhetorical question: How can parents send their children to their deaths as suicide bombers or so-called martyrs?
Learn more about the abuse of children in the name of radicalism.
LISTEN https://clarionproject.org/parents-turn-children-suicide-bombers/


New Florida Law Upholds First Amendment
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > New Florida Law Upholds First Amendment
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, March 11, 2018 
Illustrative picture. (Photo: Creative Common/John Nakamura)
Illustrative picture (Photo: Creative Common/John Nakamura)
The state of Florida passed new legislation reaffirming first amendment rights on college campuses. The new rules ban so called “free speech zones” on college campuses that limit free speech to specific areas. They also allow protesters to sue schools which violate their first amendment rights.
“The Florida Excellence in Higher Education Act of 2018 passed Monday in the House and Senate by votes of 84-28 and 33-5, respectively,” the Washington Times reported.
Generation Opportunity, an activist group which supports the legislation told Truth Revolt:
“Attempting to limit the First Amendment rights of students by tucking them into the hidden corners of campus is not only unconstitutional but goes against the very concept of what a college education should be about.”
The bill did allow campuses to make some restrictions on free speech where necessary.
“Outdoor areas of campus are considered traditional public forums for individuals, organizations and guest speakers,” the bill read. “A public institution of higher education may create and enforce restrictions that are reasonable and content-neutral on time, place, and manner of expression and that are narrowly tailored to a significant institutional interest. Restrictions must be clear and published and must and provide for ample alternative means of expression.”
MORE https://clarionproject.org/florida-first-amendment/


Poll Results: What You Said About Saudi Prince Meeting Trump
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > Poll Results: What You Said About Saudi Prince Meeting Trump
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, March 11, 2018 
U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman speak to the media in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on March 14, 2017. 
U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman speak to the media in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on March 14, 2017. (Photo: NICHOLAS KAMM / AFP / Getty Images)
Ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman we asked you whether it’s appropriate for him to receive an official invitation to visit the United States.
The 32-year-old crown prince is in line to succeed his ailing 82-year-old father, King Salman. In the meantime, the crown prince has been given sweeping powers and has launched an ambitious program, Vision 2030, to modernize the country.
He has also embarked on reforms. He lifted a ban on cinemas and presided over a decision to allow women to drive. He plans to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy away from oil. He has even announced a Red Sea tourist resort, where women will be able to wear bikinis, and a $500 billion high-tech city called Neom. He will seek to present an image of a friendlier, more tolerant Saudi Arabia which is modernizing fast and open for business.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/poll-results-said-saudi-prince-meeting-trump/

Should Trump Welcome the Saudi Crown Prince?
Home > World > Saudi Arabia > Should Trump Welcome the Saudi Crown Prince?
BY CLARION PROJECT Thursday, March 8, 2018
Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed Bin Salman. (Photo: FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images)
The United Kingdom is rolling out the red carpet for Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman (known colloquially as MBS), as he begins his first international tour. He will dine with the Queen and meet with Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May. He will be coming fresh from a visit to Egypt, where, in addition to political leaders and Muslim religious figures, he visited the Coptic Pope and invited the community to come to Saudi Arabia.
He will head to America after his stop in Britain.
The 32-year-old crown prince will succeed to the throne when his 82-year-old father, King Salman, dies. In the meantime, the crown prince has been given sweeping powers and has launched an ambitious program, Vision 2030, to modernize the country.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/trump-mbs/



Poll Results: Mug Shots and Hijabs
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > Poll Results: Mug Shots and Hijabs
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Thursday, March 8, 2018
(Illustrative photo: Flickr/Taufiq Aizuddin)
New York City settled lawsuits with three Muslim women who were forced to take off their hijabs in front of men while having police mug shots taken. Each woman is to receive $60,000.
In 2015, the New York Police Department changed its policy for people who refuse to take off their head covering for religious reasons in front of members of the opposite sex. Arresting officers now have to give such persons the option of taking a photo in private with an officer of the same gender.
One of the cases occurred before the policy was changed and two occurred after.
In connection with this story, we asked you, our readers, “How far do you think police should go to accommodate religious sensitivities?”
22.7 percent said taking a mug shot in private with the same gender is a reasonable accommodation
77.3 percent said mugs shots should be taken in the most expedient way
Here are some of the comments we received:
MORE https://clarionproject.org/poll-results-mug-shots-hijabs/

5 Things to Celebrate on International Women’s Day
Home > World > Afghanistan > 5 Things to Celebrate on International Women’s Day
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Thursday, March 8, 2018
The UAE is celebrating International Women’s Day by having an all-women’s flight from Dubai to San Francisco on its Emirates airline. All those working on the flight – from flight attendants to pilots to radar technicians to service personnel – will be women.
In Egypt, a woman who was being sexually harassed on the street fought back, hitting her attacker with her handbag without letting up, even when other people tried to stop her. A video of the incident, taken from a nearby security camera, went viral after being posted on social media. The viral video put pressure on the police to track down and apprehend the attacker. He was subsequently tried and sentenced to three years in jail.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/5-things-celebrate-international-womens-day/


Islamic University Bans Full-Face Veils
Home > World > Indonesia > Islamic University Bans Full-Face Veils
BY CLARION PROJECT Thursday, March 8, 2018
A woman protests in Netherlands against banning the face veil.
(Illustrative photo: A woman protests in Netherlands against banning the face veil. Photo: Reuters)
A public university in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world, has banned women from wearing full-face veils on campus for fear of their radicalizing influence, the Daily Mail reported.
The State Islamic University in Yogyakarta, Java has noticed an alarming trend in the once-moderate country of an encroaching extremist interpretation of Islam.
A recent survey of high schools and university students indicate that almost 20 percent support a caliphate over the current secular government of Indonesia.
The university says there are 41 women on campus wearing full-face veils. They plan to offer the women counselling and eventually tell them they must take off their face veils if they want to graduate.
Opinions about the ban were mixed, with hardliners declaring the policy “un-Islamic’ and saying it goes against the country’s commitment to diversity.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/islamic-university-bans-full-face-veils/

Censored Women’s Film Festival: Upcoming Events
Home > Human Rights > Human Rights Activists > Human Rights Campaigners > Censored Women’s Film Festival: Upcoming Events
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Thursday, March 8, 2018
The Breadwinner was nominated for an Oscar
The Censored Women’s Film festival, together with Women’s Voices Now, is sponsoring a screening of the Academy Award-nominated animated film, The Breadwinner, in New York City on March 13. Clarion spokeswoman Raheel Raza, Honor Diaries star Zainab Khan and Honor Diaries Board member Linda Church will participate in a discussion after the film. For details, click here.
The next Censored Women’s Film Festival will be hosted by the Duke University Honor Council. If you’re in North Carolina March 23-25, check out this incredible line up and the inspiring keynote speaker, Naima Dido.
The Censored Women’s Film Festival, a project of Honor Diaries, gives voice to women who are censored in their own countries because of their gender and oftentimes, because of the topics they cover.
Films chosen push the envelope in the cinematic portrayal of women’s rights and brings together dynamic speakers (experts, filmmakers and activists) from around the globe.
Each year the festival selects the most powerful films which uncover silenced women’s issues, using this event to give voice to the voiceless.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/censored-womens-film-festival-upcoming-events/

Teacher Planned to Raise ‘Army’ of Jihadi Children
Home > World > UK > Teacher Planned to Raise ‘Army’ of Jihadi Children
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, March 4, 2018 
ISIS child fighter (ISIS video screenshot)
A teacher in Islamic schools in the UK was radicalizing his students, preparing them to assist him in massive terror attacks on 30 targets across London.
Umar Haque, 25, planned to raise an “army” of jihadi children, The Telegraph reported.
Haque was employed at two schools and a mosque in East London. “And he tried — and he did, we believe — radicalize vulnerable children from the ages of 11 to 14,” said Commander Dean Hayden, head of the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command.
“His plan was to create an army of children to assist with multiple terrorist
Umar Haque (Photo: Metropolitan Police)
attacks throughout London.”
Haque had access to 250 children, 100 of whom he tried to radicalize by showing them extremist videos, which included beheadings. The children were told that they would meet a similar fate if they told anyone about what they were being taught.
Haque planned to prepare the children for martyrdom when they were older. He planned to teach them how to drive, presumably to carry out vehicular suicide operations at iconic sites in London like Big Ben and Heathrow Airport.
No one reported his activities. When police tried to investigate, they were met with a “wall of silence” from the schools, said Hayden, which has made the investigation all the more difficult.
The children, for their part “were paralyzed with fear … He threatened them that if they were to talk to teachers, parents or to allude to anybody outside of that classroom of what was going on, that they would meet a similar fate. It doesn’t appear that any of those children raised the alarm bell of what was going on.”
One child spoke to the police. On a video of his testimony, the child said, “He is teaching us terrorism, like how to fight,” he said. “If you fight for the sake of Allah, on Judgment Day, when you get judged for your good deeds and bad deeds, fighting is good.
“He wants a group of 300 men. He’s training us now so by the time I’m in Year 10 [age 15] we will be physically strong enough to fight.”
One of the schools Haque worked at, the Lantern of Knowledge Secondary School, received excellent reports from Ofsted, the governmental agency that regulates educational institutions in the UK. Inspectors reported that the school exhibited a “strong sense of community, harmony and respect.”
MORE https://clarionproject.org/teacher-planned-raise-army-jihadi-children/

NYC Settles Hijab Grievance Claims for $180,000
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > NYC Settles Hijab Grievance Claims for $180,000
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, March 4, 2018 
(Illustrative photo: Flickr/Taufiq Aizuddin)
New York City settled cases with three Muslim women who were forced to take off their hijabs in front of men while having police mug shots taken. Each woman will receive $60,000.
In 2015, the New York Police Department changed its policy for people who refuse to take off their head covering for religious reasons in front of members of the opposite sex. Arresting officers now have to give such persons the option of taking a photo in private with an officer of the same gender.
The first case occurred in 2012, when a teenager, identified only as G.E., was arrested for fighting with two other girls. The first mug shot was taken in private, but another shot at a different location could not offer that option as the camera was in a fixed position.
G.E. charged that she felt “exposed, violated and distraught” during the 20 minutes that her headscarf was off in front of male police officers and other prisoners.
The other two cases occurred after the change in rules went into effect. One woman’s head scarf was removed after she was knocked unconscious after a fight with a neighbor over a parking spot. Another woman was denied a request to have her picture taken in private by a female officer.
Commenting on the cases, a representative from the legal department of the NYPD remarked, “The resolution of these matters were in the best interest of all parties involved.”
How far do you think police should go to accommodate religious sensibilities? Take a moment to answer our poll below:
MORE https://clarionproject.org/nyc-settles-hijab-grievance-claims-180000/



Marine Le Pen Charged Over Tweeting ISIS Images
Home > World > France > Marine Le Pen Charged Over Tweeting ISIS Images
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, March 4, 2018 
Marine Le Pen (Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
The head of the French National Front party in France, Marine Le Pen, was charged with the “distribution of violent images” for tweeting graphic pictures from Islamic State.
Le Pen could receive up to three years in prison if convicted after her parliamentary immunity was lifted in a ruling last November.
In rejecting the charges, Le Pen said, “I am being charged for having condemned the horrors of Daesh [ISIS]. In other countries, this would have earned me a medal.”
Le Pen also said that the charges were a violation of her freedom of expression and called the investigation a political ploy.
Le Pen tweeted the images in 2015 shortly after the horrific Islamist terror attacks that left 130 dead in November.
A French law makes it criminal to circulate “violent messages that incite terrorism or pornography or seriously harm human dignity.” One of the images showed James Foley, an American journalist who was beheaded by ISIS in August 2014.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/marine-le-pen-charged-isis-tweets/


Terrorism is a Tactic Not an Ideology
Home > Terrorism > Terrorism is a Tactic Not an Ideology
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Sunday, March 4, 2018 
ISIS suicide truck bomber detonates his device. (Video screenshot)
Terrorism is a tactic, not an ideology. This is important to clarify, because people often talk about terrorism as if it was a thing on its own. They speak about someone being “a terrorist,” without saying for which cause he was fighting.
Frequently, the implication is that any given terrorist is an Islamist, since so much of the terrorism in the world today is carried out in the name of that ideology. But this is misleading. There are many other kinds of terrorists. There are also many Islamists who are not terrorists and who are strongly opposed to terrorism, but who want the same goals as Islamist terrorists (commonly known as jihadists).
To qualify as an act of terrorism, the United States government looks for four metrics. According to the U.S. Criminal Code 18 2231, the act has to:
MORE https://clarionproject.org/terrorism-tactic-not-ideology/


What Does Winning Against Radical Islam Look Like?
Home > Human Rights > Human Rights Violators > Lack of Basic Freedoms > What Does Winning Against Radical Islam Look Like?
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Sunday, March 4, 2018 
The Statue of Liberty in New York (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
“We’re going to win so much, you’re going to be so sick and tired of winning, you’re going to come to me and go, ‘Please, please, we can’t win anymore.’” — Donald J. Trump
With any mission, it’s important to have a clear goal in mind. For example, when I’m baking cupcakes, I want to have enough so that I can eat until I’m so stuffed I can’t move, but still have some left over for the morning. The desired end-state (a sugar-induced stupor) gives me a clear framework so I can work backwards and figure out how to get there.
So what does winning look like in the struggle against radical Islam?
Here’s one take on what victory might look like.
Firstly, it would mean no more terrorist attacks. Jihadi massacres of civilians are the primary reason most people care about Islamism, and with good reason. To take just one year as an example, in 2015, there were 11,774 terrorist attacks in 92 countries which killed 21,404 people, not including perpetrators. The majority of these attacks were carried out by Islamic extremists.
Most of the victims of Islamic terrorism are, of course, Muslims living in Muslim countries.
But terrorism is only a small part of Islamism. The main issue it presents is religious coercion. Islamism seeks to impose it’s vision of Islam over everyone else and enforce that vision through implementing sharia as state law.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/winning/

To Combat Islamism: Think Global, Act Local
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > To Combat Islamism: Think Global, Act Local
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Thursday, March 1, 2018 
Illustrative picture. (Photo: Creative Commons/Travis Wise)
Illustrative picture. (Photo: Creative Commons/Travis Wise)
At Clarion, we always stress that Islamism is an international problem. It is a toxic political ideology (separate from the religion of Islam as a whole) that seeks to dominate the world and impose its vision of theocratic rule first onto Muslims and then everyone else on earth.
At the same time, far-right ideology has a codependent and destructive relationship with Islamism. It paints a picture of a global clash of civilizations between Christendom and Islam and makes every Muslim into a possible threat.
These two global movements each provide their own recruiting propaganda. They similarly establish networks between key activists in different countries, communicate effectively to each other using modern technology, and coordinate messages and propaganda strategies across continents and oceans with ease.
Therefore any real attempt to stop them has to be able to organize internationally. The counter-Islamist movement has to build effective transnational partnerships, coordinate strategy across multiple time zones and be clear and concise in its message to the world: no to theocracy — not in its Islamic form and not in any form.  
MORE https://clarionproject.org/think-global-act-local/
Al-Qaeda Recruitment Methods Revealed
Home > Political Islam > Worldwide > Movements > Al-Qaeda Recruitment Methods Revealed
BY CLARION PROJECT Wednesday, February 28, 2018 
Al-Qaeda head Osama Bin-Laden
Former Al-Qaeda head Osama Bin-Laden (Photo: Video screenshot)
One of the most sensitive documents recently revealed in the cache taken in Osama bin Laden’s house details the recruitment methods employed by al-Qaeda. Members of the international terror organization were especially instructed to target those Muslims who were deemed “common” and “ignorant.” In addition, the terror group targeted disaffected youth as well as those with criminal records and societal outcasts.
It is a strategy adopted today by ISIS, especially in its recruitment of supporters to carry out so-called lone-wolf attacks
The document, dated March 29, 2010 came with a caveat which read, “Warning: To be published among the media, but not for public publication, a special message to the brothers of the jihadist media.”
The document was written by the head of al-Qaeda in Libya, Aby Yahya al-Libi, who was killed in a U.S. drone attack in Pakistan in June 2012. Al-Libi, considered the mastermind of al-Qaeda propaganda, was third in command, after Bin Laden and his successor (and current al-Qaeda head) Ayman al-Zawahri.
In the document, al-Libi instructed:
MORE https://clarionproject.org/al-qaeda-recruitment-methods-revealed/


Must Watch: Muslim Satirist Lampoons Maajid Nawaz
Home > Human Rights > Human Rights Activists > Must Watch: Muslim Satirist Lampoons Maajid Nawaz
BY CLARION PROJECT Thursday, March 1, 2018 
Veedu Vidz. (Photo: Screenshot from video).
Veedu Vidz. (Photo: Screenshot from video).
If you get frustrated by the difficulty of having an honest conversation about Islamism, but can’t quite put your finger on exactly why, you have to watch this video.
Former Islamist Maajid Nawaz, now a counter-extremism activist and head of the Quilliam Foundation, runs a talkshow on London’s LBC network. In it, callers dial in to speak to Nawaz, and he regularly argues with them about radical Islam. He carefully explains, from his experience and his deep understanding of the topic, the nuances of how to challenge radical Islam without veering into anti-Muslim bigotry.
But many of the callers attack Maajid for it. Muslim callers have berated Nawaz in the past and accused him of misrepresenting Islam or worse. One memorable conversation saw him baffled by a Muslim woman who refused to condemn verse 4:34 in the Quran, which allows a husband to beat his wife in certain circumstances. On the other side, he has been attacked by angry non-Muslims who are worried about an Islamic takeover and blame all Muslims for terrorism.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/satire-maajid-nawaz/

Britain’s Top Clergyman Warns Against Sharia Law
Home > World > UK > Britain’s Top Clergyman Warns Against Sharia Law
BY CLARION PROJECT Tuesday, February 27, 2018 
Lord Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury. (Photo: Screenshot from video)
Lord Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury. (Photo: Screenshot from video)
The Anglican Church’s highest ranked priest Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby slammed sharia law, Islam’s legal code, in his new book. He warned the British government never to recognize sharia as part of the legal system, calling it incompatible with Britain’s laws.
Welby argued that sharia is a competing values system which is at odds with Britain’s legal and moral traditions that are based on Christian ideas.
“There has been, and remains, a demand for the introduction of those aspects of sharia law that affect family and inheritance,” Lord Welby said. “The problem is re-imagining Britain through values applied in action can only work where the narrative of the country is coherent and embracing.
“Sharia, which has a powerful and ancient cultural narrative of its own, deeply embedded in a system of faith and understanding of God, and thus especially powerful in forming identity, cannot become part of another narrative. Accepting it in part implies accepting its values around the nature of the human person, attitudes to outsiders, the revelation of God, and a basis for life in law, rather than grace, the formative word of Christian culture.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/britains-top-priest-warns-sharia-law/

Hot Off the Presses: US’ New Strategy to Fight ISIS
Home > World > Bangladesh > Hot Off the Presses: US’ New Strategy to Fight ISIS
BY CLARION PROJECT Wednesday, February 28, 2018 
While one American ISIS wannabe was extradited from Tunisia back to the U.S. to face terrorism charges and another from Maryland stated he planned to attack federal buildings in Baltimore, the U.S. revealed its latest plans to fight the international aspirations of ISIS:
The State Department named seven ISIS-affiliated groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and two ISIS-affiliated leaders as Specially Designated Global Terrorists. The groups hail from West Africa, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Somalia and Egypt.The individuals are two followers of ISIS’ self-styled “caliph” Abu Bakr-al-Baghdadi in Africa: Mahad Moalim, the deputy leader of the ISIS-affiliate in Somalia, and Abu Musab al-Barnawi, an ISIS leader in West Africa.
“These designations target key ISIS-affiliated groups and leaders outside its fallen caliphate in Iraq and Syria,” said a representative from the State Department. “Today’s actions are a critical step in degrading ISIS’s global network and denying its affiliates the resources they need to plan and carry out terrorist attacks.”
MORE https://clarionproject.org/hot-off-the-presses-us-new-strategy-to-fight-isis/


Sexual Horror in New Blasphemy Case
Home > Political Islam > Sharia Governance > Blasphemy > Sexual Horror in New Blasphemy Case
BY KALEEM DEAN Tuesday, February 27, 2018 
Despite an ordered media blackout by authorities, a new blasphemy case in Pakistan has gained worldwide attention for the violent and sexual abuse of those accused at the hands of their government interrogators.
Two young Christian men, Patras Masih, 18, and his cousin, Sajid Masih 24, were accused of sharing an image on Facebook considered sacrilegious by Muslims.
As word got out, a mob made up of members of the extremist Islamist political party, Tehreek-e-Labiak Ya Rasool Allah (TLK), blocked all entrances to Lahore and demanded Patras (accused of being the main perpetrator) be beheaded. Extremists also congregated in front of Patras’ home, waiting to lynch him.
Armed with gasoline, the mob threatened to burn down the 1,500 Christian houses in the area, causing some 1,000 Christians to flee.
The police, with the help of other law enforcement agencies, were able to disperse the crowd after promising the most severe blasphemy charges would be levied against Patras. Those charges carry a mandatory death sentence.
In 2016, a similar charge was made against a Christian man, Nabeel Masih, who was accused of “liking a Facebook post seemed insulting to Islam.” Such an “insult” falls under the blasphemy law that carries a punishment of 10 years in prison. However, because of the demands of a violent mob, he was charged with the most severe form of blasphemy as well.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/sexual-horror-in-new-blasphemy-case/


US Embassy Attack Foiled in Jordan
Home > World > Jordan > US Embassy Attack Foiled in Jordan
BY CLARION PROJECT Wednesday, February 28, 2018 
The U.S. embassy in Amman, Jordan
The U.S. embassy in Amman, Jordan (Photo: U.S. State Department)
An attack on the U.S. embassy in Jordan was foiled by Jordanian security forces, The Times of Israel reported. The attack was planned by a 17-member ISIS cell that was arrested before the attack could be carried out.
The cell also planned attacks on the French Institute of Jordan, the Ro’ya TV channel, a nightclub, tunnels belonging to the country’s Phosphate Company, a church and an Israeli businessmen.
For a timeline of attacks on U.S. embassies abroad, click here https://clarionproject.org/montenegro/
The cell was divided into three groups to facilitate the attacks: The first group previewed the targets; the second group was to provide technical support and carry out minor attacks; finally, the third group was to execute the major attacks including suicide bombings.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/u-s-embassy-attack-jordan-foiled/


Turkey’s President Glorifies Child Martyrdom
Home > Human Rights > Human Rights Violators > Child Abuse > Turkey’s President Glorifies Child Martyrdom
BY CLARION PROJECT Tuesday, February 27, 2018 
Turkish President Erdogan with the child on stage
Turkish President Erdogan with the child on stage (Photo: Video screenshot)
In a speech criticized as child abuse and the glorification of child martyrdom, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said to a crying six-year-old girl dressed in military fatigues, “If she’s martyred, they’ll lay a flag on her, God willing.”
Erdogan was speaking at a televised congress of his Islamist AK party (see video below). He pulled the stunned girl onto the stage to make the remarks, while his supporters yelled, “Chief! Take us to Afrin!”
Afrin is the site of Turkey’s recent incursion into Syria. The Turks  have been mercilessly attacking the Kurds who, after routing ISIS in the region, control the oil-rich territory.
When Erdogan saw the girl was sobbing, he said, “Look what you see here! Girl, what are you doing here? We have our maroon berets here, but maroon berets never cry.”
MORE https://clarionproject.org/erdogan-glorifies-child-martyrdom/


The Six Levels of Countering Islamism
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > The Six Levels of Countering Islamism
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Sunday, February 25, 2018 
UK counterterror police take part in an exercise in London 2015. (Photo: BEN STANSTALL/AFP/Getty Images)
Islamism, the political ideology that seeks to impose its vision of Islam over others and implement sharia as state law, is a bad idea. It’s a bad idea in the same ballpark as other totalitarian ideas, such as communism and fascism, and if allowed to fester un-checked, seems liable to rack up a similar body count.
So how is such an ideology countered? Governments can’t just ban ideas or round up everyone who believes them (or at least, they shouldn’t). We map out the struggle on six levels, going from the macro of government policy, down to how the individual can tackle Islamism in their daily lives.

Let’s get started.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/six-levels-islamism/


Timeline of Attacks on US Embassies Abroad
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > Timeline of Attacks on US Embassies Abroad
BY CLARION PROJECT Thursday, February 22, 2018 
The attack on the U.S. embassy in Montenegro February 22, 2018, is unfortunately part of a long string of embassy attacks (see our infographic below).
Last night’s attack saw an assailant throw an explosive device — most probably a grenade — at the embassy in the middle of the night before blowing himself up outside the compound, according to the government of the Balkan country.
No embassy personnel were injured. At present the attacker has not been identified.
SEE INFOGRAPHIC https://clarionproject.org/montenegro/

The Six Levels of Countering Islamism
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > The Six Levels of Countering Islamism
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Sunday, February 25, 2018
UK counterterror police take part in an exercise in London 2015. (Photo: BEN STANSTALL/AFP/Getty Images)
Islamism, the political ideology that seeks to impose its vision of Islam over others and implement sharia as state law, is a bad idea. It’s a bad idea in the same ballpark as other totalitarian ideas, such as communism and fascism, and if allowed to fester un-checked, seems liable to rack up a similar body count.
So how is such an ideology countered? Governments can’t just ban ideas or round up everyone who believes them (or at least, they shouldn’t). We map out the struggle on six levels, going from the macro of government policy, down to how the individual can tackle Islamism in their daily lives.
Let’s get started.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/six-levels-islamism/


Maajid Nawaz: Stop Palming Off Our Terrorists to the US
Home > World > UK > Maajid Nawaz: Stop Palming Off Our Terrorists to the US
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, February 25, 2018
Maajid Nawaz, former extremist turned anti-extremist campaigner in the UK, says Britain must face its mistakes in raising a generation of cold-blooded terrorists like “Jihadi John” and the rest of the his ISIS terror cell dubbed “the Beatles.”

He says Brits should stop whining about the U.S.’s detention facility in Guantanamo Bay and bring British terrorists back — like the captured “Beatles” — to the UK to stand trial for their crimes.
WATCH https://clarionproject.org/maajid-nawaz-stop-palming-off-our-terrorists-to-the-us/


British Couple in South Africa Feared Kidnapped, Killed by ISIS Cell
Home > World > South Africa > British Couple in South Africa Feared Kidnapped, Killed by ISIS Cell
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, February 25, 2018
Possible the last picture taken of Rachel and Rodney Saunders on Feb.8 by BBC presenter Nick Bailey
Possibly the last picture taken of Rachel and Rodney Saunders alive on Feb.8 by BBC presenter Nick Bailey (Photo: Twitter)
UK and South African security officials are in disagreement as to the sudden disappearance of a British couple in an outlying area of South Africa.
Dual nationals Rodney and Rachel Saunders, 73 and 64 respectively, who were gardening experts in the town of Vryheid, were last heard from on February 12 and are feared to be dead. Police investigating their disappearance confirmed they arrested a man and woman from the same town — Sayfydeen Aslam Del Vecchio, 38, and Fatima Patel, 27 — both of whom were reported to have been in possession of ISIS recruiting material. (Of note was that Patel’s brother Ebrahim was detained in a raid by anti-terror officers in 2016.)
The couple is facing possible charges of kidnapping, robbery and murder. They are being questioned over separate allegations of arson and terror offenses as they were originally arrested on February 16 in connection with a fire that destroyed a sugar cane field in the region.
British security officials recently issued warnings of “likely” attacks by Islamists on foreigners in South Africa. The Foreign Office’s website stated:
“Terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks in South Africa…The main threat is from extremists linked to Daesh (formerly referred to as ISIL). In February 2018, two South African-British nationals were kidnapped.”
MORE https://clarionproject.org/british-couple-in-south-africa-feared-kidnapped-killed-by-isis-cell/


Special Forces Teach How to Fight Terrorists
Home > World > Nigeria > Special Forces Teach How to Fight Terrorists
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, February 25, 2018
Members of the Security Assistance Training Management Organization train soldiers from the Nigerian Army Infantry School
Members of the U.S. Security Assistance Training Management Organization train soldiers from the Nigerian Army Infantry School (Capt. James Sheehan/ U.S. Army)
U.S. special forces were in Nigeria on a seven-week tour training local soldiers in advanced infantry tactics that will most like be used to fight Islamist terror.
A group of Green Berets and other infantrymen trained 200 Nigerian soldiers stationed at an army school.
“They face a significant threat from both Boko Haram and ISIS,” said Capt. Stephen Gouthro, the group’s officer-in-charge, speaking to Army Times.
“It really puts a spin of realism on what we’re doing,” he added. “It’s very possible that this training event will be some of the last training they get before they go into combat for their country.”
The training started with tactics in patrolling and countering IEDs then progressed to conducting ambushes and raids with an entire platoon.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/us-special-forces-nigeria-training-army/

How American Dollars End Up Funding Terror
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > How American Dollars End Up Funding Terror
BY CLARION PROJECT Thursday, February 22, 2018 
Companies that do business with Iran have a good chance of funding terror. That was the warning of National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster at the recent Munich Security Conference in Germany.
The simple reason is because the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) — the arm of the Iranian government responsible for global terror — owns and influences a considerable portion of the Iranian economy.
“When you invest in Iran, you’re investing in the IRGC,” McMaster said. “You might as well cut the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a check and say, ‘Please use this to commit more murder across the Middle East.’”
MORE https://clarionproject.org/american-money-ends-funding-iranian-terror/


Timeline of Attacks on US Embassies Abroad
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > Timeline of Attacks on US Embassies Abroad
BY CLARION PROJECT Thursday, February 22, 2018 
The attack on the U.S. embassy in Montenegro February 22, 2018, is unfortunately part of a long string of embassy attacks (see our infographic below).

Last night’s attack saw an assailant throw an explosive device — most probably a grenade — at the embassy in the middle of the night before blowing himself outside the compound, according to the government of the Balkan country.

No embassy personnel were injured. At present the attacker has not been identified.
CHECK THE Infographic https://clarionproject.org/montenegro/



Encounter With Uber Driver Results in FGM Arrest
Home > Human Rights > Human Rights Violators > Child Abuse > Encounter With Uber Driver Results in FGM Arrest
BY CLARION PROJECT Thursday, February 22, 2018 
A chance encounter between an Uber driver and an anti-FGM campaigner resulted in an arrest and trial of the driver for FGM offenses in the UK.
Sami Ullah, 29, a trustee for the charity Integrate, got into the car of a Somalian Uber driver. While making small talk, the conversation turned to FGM. While the driver (who cannot be identified for legal reasons) agreed with Ullah that FGM was wrong, he said that he had had his daughter cut.
“I did the small one to my daughter. Other people did the big one, but I did the small one.”
Ullah asked the driver if he knew that the procedure was illegal, to which the driver replied that it was “custom and tradition,” saying, “some people did it and some people don’t.”
The driver then asked Ullah, “Do you know why we do it?” to which he answered, “It’s so women don’t feel sexy all the time.”

Get Educated. Look at our infographic FGM 101
MORE https://clarionproject.org/uber-driver-fgm-arrest/

Why Are Suspected Terrorists Allowed to Buy Guns?
https://clarionproject.org/suspected-terrorists-allowed-buy-guns/
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > Why Are Suspected Terrorists Allowed to Buy Guns?
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Monday, February 19, 2018 
Prof. Ryan Mauro, director of the Clarion Intelligence Network and Shillman Fellow for the Clarion Project, reacts to the FBI’s failure to stop the Florida school shooter and explains how even suspected terrorists are allowed to legally purchase firearms.
VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1i5EaiZBdE
(Editor’s note: This show was taped before the FBI admitted that it mishandled a tip it received on January 5 about the possibility of the shooter, Nikolas Cruz, carrying out a school attack.)



Unrepentant Mall of America Stabber Gets Light Sentence
Home > Terrorism > Unrepentant Mall of America Stabber Gets Light Sentence
BY CLARION PROJECT Monday, February 19, 2018 
Mahad Abdiaziz Adbiraham flashes the symbol of ISIS in the courtroom at his sentencing hearing
Mahad Abdiaziz Adbiraham flashes the symbol of ISIS in the courtroom at his sentencing hearing (Photo: video screenshot)
An unrepentant Islamist terrorist in Minnesota received a sentence of 15 years in prison, meaning he could be paroled in eight to 10 years.
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.
Last month, Adbiraham pleaded guilty to the charges against him. His attorney read a statement to the court in which Adbiraham claimed responsibility for the attack, saying he did it in the name of the Islamic State terrorist group.
The statement said he answered the “call for jihad by the Chief of Believer, Abu-bakr Al-baghdadi, may Allah protect him, and by the Mujahiden of the Islamic State.”
In the statement, he was “reaffirming” that the stabbings were “indeed an act of Jihad in the way of Allah.”
Abdiraham also said that Americans will not be safe while “your country is at war with Islam.” He made no further statement at the sentencing hearing last week.
At the end of the sentencing hearing, Abdiraham raised his right index finger, a known gesture of Islamic State supporters.The sentence was based on the fact that the prosecution did not bring terrorism charges against Abdiraham, even though he confessed that was his motive.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/unrepentant-mall-america-stabber-gets-light-sentence/



Compulsory Hijab Rampant in UK Schools
Home > Human Rights > Human Rights Violators > Child Abuse > Compulsory Hijab Rampant in UK Schools
BY CLARION PROJECT Monday, February 19, 2018 
A young girl in the UK
A young girl wearing a hijab in the UK (Photo: Reuters)
Close to 150 schools in the UK require girls to wear hijabs, including schools that receive government funding.
Recent controversies surrounding the requirement include a school which required girls to wear face veils when outside and another school that banned girls under the age of eight from wearing hijabs only to have to renege on the policy after experiencing enormous (and abusive) backlash from parents.
According to the head of the UK governmental agency Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education), Amanda Spielman, “Ofsted inspectors are increasingly brought into contact with those who want to actively pervert the purpose of education. Under the pretext of religious belief, they use education institutions, legal and illegal, to narrow young people’s horizons, to isolate and segregate, and in the worst cases to indoctrinate impressionable minds with extremist ideology.
“Freedom of belief in the private sphere is paramount, but in our schools it is our responsibility to tackle those who actively undermine fundamental British values or equalities law.”
Commenting on the current situation, the former head of Ofsted, Sir Michael Wilshaw said that the government is too politically correct to step in and do anything about the situation.
Wilshaw noted how the UK has changed, which he believes necessitates a policy decision made by the government on these matters. “When [principals] want to change things, they have now to take into account deep-seated and sincere feeling of communities, some of whom who have conservative views.”
The lack of an established policy unfairly leaves the principals “isolated and vulnerable,” he said.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/compulsory-hijab-rampant-uk-schools/


Violence Against Women Bill Passes; Excludes Wives
Home > World > Morocco > Violence Against Women Bill Passes; Excludes Wives
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Monday, February 19, 2018 
Women participate in a demonstration against sexual harassment in Morocco after a high-profile case shocked the nation
Women participate in a demonstration against sexual harassment in Morocco after a high-profile case shocked the nation (Photo: STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images)
After being first proposed in 2006, the Moroccan parliament passed a historic legislation criminalizing violence against women. However, while the law extends the definition of violence to many acts of aggression against women, spousal abuse – including marital rape – is excluded from the new law.
The new law covers aggression and abuse via text messages, vocal messages or photos, sexual exploitation, aggression and abuse in the workplace. Punishments are more severe for violence against pregnant women or violence committed by persons who are known to the victim, for example colleagues in the workplace.
Sexual harassment on the streets can now land the abuser six months in prison, while forcing a minor into marriage is punishable by one year in prison.
While women’s organizations hailed the law for the good it does, activists criticized its shortcomings – specifically called out the fact that the law exempts spousal abuse and rape.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/violence-women-bill-passes-excludes-wives/


Iranian Wrestler Banned For Throwing Match
Home > World > Iran > Iranian Wrestler Banned For Throwing Match
BY CLARION PROJECT Monday, February 19, 2018 
Illustrative picture. An Iranian wrestler throws a match to avoid facing an Israeli. (Photo: Screenshot from video)
Illustrative picture. An Iranian wrestler throws a match to avoid facing an Israeli. (Photo: Screenshot from video)
The global wrestling organization has banned an Iranian athlete for six months after he threw a match to avoid facing an Israeli, according to the BBC. The United World Wrestling Disciplinary Chamber announced the decision on Friday.
Alireza Karimachiani was competing against Russian Alikhan Zhabrilov in the under 23 competition in November last year. He had been winning when his coach ordered him to lose. If he had won the match, he would have competed against an Israeli in the next round.
Karimachiani has now been banned for six months. His coach, Hamidreza Jamshidi, was banned until November 2019. Iran intends to protest the ban. 
“Karimachiani, on instruction of his coach Jamshidi, wilfully lost his 1/8 finals match against Alikhan Zhabrilov,” the chamber said in a statement. “Both wrestler and coach were found to have acted in direct violation of the International Wrestling Rules… and the UWW Disciplinary Regulations.” Iran has no diplomatic relations with Israel. Like many Muslim states, Iran refuses to face Israel at sporting events. In 2016 in the World Youth Championships in Hungary, Iranian wrestler Yarahmadi Peyman was forced to fake an injury in order to avoid fighting an Israeli. The exchange with his coach, captured on TV by Al Jazeera, showed the young man driven to tears.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/iranian-wrestler-banned-throwing-match/


Pressure Pays: Trump’s Threats to Pakistan
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > Pressure Pays: Trump’s Threats to Pakistan
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Wednesday, February 21, 2018 
President of the National Akali Dal party, Paramjeet Singh Pamma burns a picture of arch-terrorist Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. 
President of the National Akali Dal party, Paramjeet Singh Pamma burns a picture of arch-terrorist Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. (Photo: SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images)
Dear President Trump,
Kudos on standing up to Pakistan and its support of terror. I’m sure you took notice of what just happened after you tweeted your first communique of 2018:
“The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!”
Pakistan kicked and screamed and pouted. “We do not have any alliance,” said Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif. “This is not how allies behave.”
Yet the prospect of losing $900 million in military aid apparently caused the country to reconsider.
Pakistan just detained arch-terrorist Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, after dithering around for years arresting and releasing him.
But this time it looks different — like Pakistan is taking your demands seriously — because the U.S. has put its money where its mouth is.
In 2017, you wisely withheld $350 million in aid over Pakistan’s support of terror; the U.S. also held on to an additional $225 from 2016 for the same reasons.
Although Pakistan claimed it was fighting terror (the military says it lost more than 7,000 soldiers fighting al-Qaeda, the Pakistani Taliban and ISIS since the 9/11 attacks), you rightly said it wasn’t enough. The country’s obvious support for the Afghan Taliban, the Haqqani network (another Afghani terror organization) and Lashkar-e-Tayyaba was more than enough reason for you to tighten the purse strings.
Not to mention the threat that Pakistan could be the next country added to the travel ban.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/pressure-pays-trumps-threats-pakistan/ 


Texas Councilman Should Resign Over Islam Post
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > Texas Councilman Should Resign Over Islam Post
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Wednesday, February 21, 2018 
(Illustrative photo: PHILIPPE DESMAZES/AFP/Getty Images)
(Illustrative photo: PHILIPPE DESMAZES/AFP/Getty Images)
A city councilman in Plano, Texas is at the center of controversy for sharing a video on Facebook that has been called anti-Islam. The video showed pictures of students wearing hijabs in classrooms with a comment by Councilman Tom Harrison: “Share if you think Trump should ban Islam in American schools.”
The city council, which does not have the power to oust Harrison (that would take a recall petition and a public referendum), voted 7-1 to censure him.
Harrison, for his part, said he will not resign but did apologize for “the unintentional hurt I caused by reposting something on my personal Facebook page that wrongfully implied I am anti-Muslim.”
At the city council meeting called to discuss the post, Harrison said, “I want to assure the citizens of Plano I am not xenophobic, I am not a bigot, I am not a racist.”
Yet, in a bizarre twist of logic used to explain the post, Harrison also said in a statement, “My intent on inputting this on my personal Facebook page was to emphasize that Christianity is not the only religion being targeted for exclusion in our public school. It was not meant as a personal attack against the Islamic faith.”
MORE https://clarionproject.org/texas-councilman-resign-islam-post/

ISIS Flag Replaces US Flag at Utah High School
https://clarionproject.org/isis-flag-replaces-us-flag-utah-high-school/
Home > Terrorism > ISIS Flag Replaces US Flag at Utah High School
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Sunday, February 18, 2018 
ISIS graffiti found on the wall of Hurricane High School in southwestern Utah
ISIS graffiti found on the wall of Hurricane High School in southwestern Utah (Photo: video screenshot)
An American flag was replaced by what looked like an ISIS flag at a high school in Utah. The words “ISIS is COMI” were also spray-painted on the wall of the school, reported Fox News.

The incident happened in southwest Utah at Hurricane High School, which is located in the Washington County School District.
Although police have received tips about the incident, there are no credible leads as yet. The police department said they do not know if the perpetrator was a student or someone from outside the community.
“Based on information we received from the FBI we do not believe this act was perpetrated by someone linked to the Islamic State,” the Hurricane police department  said in a statement. “This investigation is ongoing and investigators will continue to follow-up on leads.”


Texas Couple Gets Prison Time for Lying About Jihadi Sons
https://clarionproject.org/texas-couple-gets-prison-time-for-lying-about-jihadi-sons/
Home > Terrorism > Texas Couple Gets Prison Time for Lying About Jihadi Sons
BY CLARION PROJECT Wednesday, February 14, 2018 
Arman (left) and Omar Ali
Brothers Arman (left) and Omar Ali
Parents of two grown sons who left America and traveled to Syria where they joined ISIS are being sent to prison for lying to the FBI about the terror activities of their children, reported the Dallas News.

The Texas couple, Sumaiya Ali, 49, and her husband Mohommad Hasnain Ali, 57, were in regular communication with their sons Arman and Omar, when the two traveled first to Egypt and then to Syria in the fall of 2014 to fight with ISIS.

Sumaiya was given a 30-month sentence in federal prison, while Mohammad was given a sentence of 12 months and one day. They were also fined $5,000 each.

Before their sentencing, each parent apologized for their actions and thanked the court for the plea bargain they were offered.

The court heard how sons kept their mother up to date about their activities and sent her a travel itinerary, all of which she shared with her husband.

Moreover, in 2014, when Omar communicated to his mother he wanted to join ISIS, she wrote back to him, “Do what u need to do.” His response was, “Then going to Syria, it is.”

In 2015, Arman emailed his father from Syria saying, “Things are heating up here, and I can’t guarantee me or Omar will be there in 2 months… I’ve been to the hospital every day with brothers from my group. Close friends have died, too many injured. Me and Omar are perfectly fine right now, but soon we may not be.”

However, when the FBI interviewed the couple just a few months later, both told the FBI that their sons were in Egypt. According to court documents Sumaiya said her sons “are very reserved” and would never be involved with ISIS while Mohammad told the FBI that “his sons were peaceful [and] like to study.” He also said he had never known his sons to be involved with terrorists organizations.

At present, the whereabouts of Omar, 26, and Arman, 27, are unknown. In March 2017, a criminal complaint was filed against the brothers for providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

 

Pew Report Sees Zero Net Growth of Muslims in US
https://clarionproject.org/pew-report-sees-zero-net-growth-muslims-us/
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > Pew Report Sees Zero Net Growth of Muslims in US
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Sunday, February 18, 2018 
American Muslims (Photo: Reuters)
American Muslims (Photo: Reuters)
A recent study by the Pew Research Center indicated that 23 percent of adult Muslims in the U.S. have left their faith. At the same time, the percentage of adult Muslims who are converts is also 23 percent.

Most converts to Islam (77 percent) were raised Christian.
Of those who converted to Islam:

24 percent said they preferred the beliefs or teachings of Islam to their prior religion
21 percent said they read religious texts or studied Islam before making the switch
10 percent said they wanted to belong to a community
9 percent said they were motivated by marriage or a relationship
9 percent said they were introduced to Islam by friend or were following a public leader
8 percent said they were motivated by family
5 percent said they had found truth in Islam
2 percent said they preferred the practices of Islam
In recent years, about 100,000 Americans convert to Islam annually. According to the Pew report, the same number of American Muslims leave Islam every year, leaving no impact on the religion’s overall growth.

Of those who left Islam, 55 percent said they no longer identify with any religion, 22 percent converted to Christianity and 21 percent converted to another religion or identity themselves merely as “spiritual.”
In addition, of those who have left Islam, 22 percent are immigrants from Iran, pointing to the large spike in the number of Iranian immigrants to the U.S. following events leading to and the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1978 and 1979.
By comparison, the number of adult Christians who left Christianity is 22 percent. However, the percentage of Christians who are converts is only six percent, meaning Christianity as a whole loses more people than it gain from converts (in both directions).
The imam of the Islamic Institute of America, Hassan al-Qazwini, an Islamic leader in Dearbornm Michigan, lashed out against the report, saying, “The results of the survey are not without exaggeration and seem unrealistic.”
In response, Besheer Mohamed, a co-author of the report, said, “Just to start, I’ll say that the Pew Research Center is not biased against Muslims. We’re a nonpartisan, non-advocacy group and we are not funded by or organizaed on behalf of any religious or non-religious group. That’s just not what we do.”

Mohamed noted that the advisors for the report included Mohamed Magid, the executive imam of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) in Virginia, and Professor Ihsan Bagby of the Department of Islamic Studies at the University of Kentucky.
“This isn’t to say that we wrote the report on their behalf,” he said. “Of course it is our report, and we take full responsibility for the finding, but if were known to be biased against Muslims in that way, we would find more difficulty getting advisors to work with us.”
The findings of the report are significant for a number of reasons. First, many studies have shown that the growth rate of Islam is higher than any other religion. The Pew report shows that this is not the full picture. These studies are often reported in ways or in outlets that are bigoted against Islam and used for fear-mongering. That needs to stop, and this Pew report can be used to counter racially inflammatory content.
Second, the findings of the Pew report show that the percentage of converts to Islam is much higher than any other religion. This is not of concern per se, but further studies need to be done to map out the demographics of converts, their susceptibility to radicalization and exactly who is drawing them in. Too many times we hear in the news that a Islamist terrorist is a convert. As in all cases of radicalization, active steps much be taken to discredit the ideology of Islamism as well as violent jihad and shut down those who are promoting it.



US Declines to Pledge More Money to Rebuild Iraq
https://clarionproject.org/us-declines-pledge-money-rebuild-iraq/
Home > World > Iraq > US Declines to Pledge More Money to Rebuild Iraq
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, February 18, 2018 
Displaced Iraqis are evacuated during the overthrow of Mosul from Islamic State
Displaced Iraqis are evacuated during the overthrow of Mosul from Islamic State (Photo: FADEL SENNA/AFP/Getty Images)
The Iraqi government estimates that it will cost $88 billion to rebuild the country from the devastation caused by the war with ISIS. Yet at a donor conference in Kuwait last week, only $30 billion was pledged. The money will come mainly from Kuwait, Turkey and Saudi Arabia in the form of grants, loans and investment promises.

The U.S. stated in advance that the U.S. would not be pledging funds at the conference. The State Department noted that since 2014, the U.S. had given Iraq $1.7 billion in humanitarian aid and $6 billion in economic and security assistance.

In a speech to the conference, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called on other countries to take on such commitments, saying, “Everyone in this room has an opportunity to help set Iraq on a new course and contribute to its long-term development.”

Iraq claimed victory over ISIS in December, saying they had recaptured all the territory ISIS occupied during the war. ISIS still controls pockets of territory in Syria.



New Yorker from Yemen Pleads Guilty to Terror Charges
https://clarionproject.org/new-yorker-yemen-pleads-guilty-terror-charges/
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > New Yorker from Yemen Pleads Guilty to Terror Charges
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, February 18, 2018 
Times Square in New York City (Photo: Creative Commons)
A New York resident from Yemen pleaded guilty to terrorism charges in a Brooklyn court, reported Reuters.
Mohammed Rafik Naji, who told the court he was 38 or 39, faces 20 years in prison or deportation.
He was charged with attempting to provide support for ISIS and admitted that he traveled to Yemen in March 2015 where he tried to join the terror organization as well as get someone else to join.
In August, a paid law enforcement informant began communicating with Naji on Facebook. The informant met with Naji many times after Naji returned to the U.S. and recorded their conversations.
After the mass casualty attack in Nice, France in the summer of 2016, Naji told the informant he wanted to stage a similar attack in New York City’s Time Square.
In another terror case in the U.S., a senior Al-Qaeda operative was sentenced to life in prison for killing American troops in Afghanistan and plotting to bomb the U.S. embassy in Nigeria, reported The Washington Post.
Ibrahim Suleiman Adhan Adam Harun, 47, who was also known by his nom de guerre “Spin Ghul,” was called a “person of murderous zeal” by U.S. District Court Judge Brian M. Cogan. “This defendant killed two young men …  and he wanted to kill dozens if not hundreds of other Americans. I can’t think of a more serious crime.”
Harun, who was captured in 2012, was tried and convicted close to a year ago after a seven-year investigation into his activities. He refused to appear in court for his trial as well as his sentencing but was provided with a video feed of the proceedings in his cell.
Jordan Dennis , who was 15 years old when his brother Army Pfc. Jerod Dennis, 19, was killed by Harun in 2003, addressed Harun at the sentencing hearing saying, “Jerod was more than just a big brother. He would walk into any room and flood it with laughter and smiles. I have not stopped looking for him everywhere I go and in every face I encounter.”
Comrades of the felled soldiers were also present in the courtroom. One of them, David Cyr, Jr., who was Dennis’ team leader at the time (and who is now retired) spoke emotionally about his reaction to Dennis’ death, saying, “The last time I looked upon him it was the face of a confident and courageous warrior. . . . He’s no longer here. Should I speak about the survivors’ guilt that is my burden to this day?”
Brian Severino, a command sergeant major retiring just four days after the sentencing hearing, spoke about how the deaths of Dennis and Raymond Losano, 24, (the other soldier killed by Harun) affects him to this day.
Severino said he “separated” himself from his family as a result of their deaths and is unable to enjoy a normal life. “I let down Jared and Ray Losano by not protecting them and failed to bring them home,” he said. “It’s weighed on me” ever since.



‘Turkey Declares War on US Even if Trump Doesn’t Know’
Home > World > Turkey > ‘Turkey Declares War on US Even if Trump Doesn’t Know’
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Wednesday, February 14, 2018 
Clarion Project’s Shillman Fellow and National Security Analyst Prof. Ryan Mauro speaks to I24 News about the U.S. counter-attack on Syrian/Russian forces that attacked a base where American advisers trained the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. He asks, why is Trump going so soft on Turkey?
Ryan Mauro: Turkey Declared War on U.S. Even if Trump Doesn't Know It
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=16&v=66c9CZ2yYik

Judge Disallows References to CAIR-Hamas Ties in Suit
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Legal Issues > Judge Disallows References to CAIR-Hamas Ties in Suit
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Wednesday, February 14, 2018 
In a dangerous and bizarre precedent, a federal judge disallowed references to the Council on American Islamic Relations’ (CAIR) ties to Hamas in a lawsuit brought by a civil liberty group against the San Diego Unified School District, reported the Investigative Project on Terrorism.
However, U.S. District Judge Cynthia Bashant did allow references to CAIR’s hostility towards Israel and allegations that CAIR “promotes discriminatory bias against non-Muslim students on the basis of their religion.”
The case involves a suit brought by the Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund (FCDF) against the school district for instituting an anti-Islamophobia/anti-bullying program designed by CAIR.
The suit charges that the program is unconstitutional because it violates the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, which prohibits government actions that unduly favor one religion over another.
Since the program is solely about Muslims students, the FCDF charges that it establishes them “as a privileged group within the school community.” Moreover, the suit contends that CAIR, the designers of the program, is an organization that is “intrinsically religious in nature.”  In addition, the suit charges that CAIR has “prioritized public schools as ground zero to advance its religious mission.”
This means, according to the FCDF, that the school district has given “a divisive religious group … unprecedented decision-making authority” in a public school program – a violation, they claim, of the Establishment Clause.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/judge-disallows-reference-cair-hamas-ties-lawsuit/


Texas Couple Gets Prison Time for Lying About Jihadi Sons
Home > Terrorism > Texas Couple Gets Prison Time for Lying About Jihadi Sons
BY CLARION PROJECT Wednesday, February 14, 2018 
Arman (left) and Omar Ali
Brothers Arman (left) and Omar Ali
Parents of two grown sons who left America and traveled to Syria where they joined ISIS are being sent to prison for lying to the FBI about the terror activities of their children, reported the Dallas News.
The Texas couple, Sumaiya Ali, 49, and her husband Mohommad Hasnain Ali, 57, were in regular communication with their sons Arman and Omar, when the two traveled first to Egypt and then to Syria in the fall of 2014 to fight with ISIS.
Sumaiya was given a 30-month sentence in federal prison, while Mohammad was given a sentence of 12 months and one day. They were also fined $5,000 each.
Before their sentencing, each parent apologized for their actions and thanked the court for the plea bargain they were offered.
The court heard how sons kept their mother up to date about their activities and sent her a travel itinerary, all of which she shared with her husband.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/texas-couple-gets-prison-time-for-lying-about-jihadi-sons/

ISIS Terror Updates: Virginia, Maryland, New York
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > ISIS Terror Updates: Virginia, Maryland, New York
BY CLARION PROJECT Tuesday, February 13, 2018 
(Photo: ISIS Propaganda)
Casey Charles Spain
An ISIS supporter who was released from prison and shortly afterwards caught with an illegal firearm was sentenced to 10 years in a federal prison (the maximum term). Casey Charles Spain, 29, of Richmond Virginia, became radicalized in prison, swore allegiance to ISIS “caliph” Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and planned to travel overseas to fight for ISIS. Read more details here 
MORE https://clarionproject.org/terror-updates-virginia-maryland-new-york/


Which Anti-US Terror Group Has 500,000 Rockets?
Home > World > Iran > Which Anti-US Terror Group Has 500,000 Rockets?
BY CLARION PROJECT Thursday, February 15, 2018 
Hezbollah boasts it will have close to 500,000 missiles and rockets in 2018.
The Iranian-backed Lebanese terror organization is committed to war with Israel and attacking American interests.
Listen to Clarion’s latest podcast (click on the orange button to play):
https://clarionproject.org/terrorist-organization-500000-rockets/

Did Tillerson Just Go Off Script About Hezbollah?
Home > World > Iran > Did Tillerson Just Go Off Script About Hezbollah?
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Thursday, February 15, 2018 
Rex Tillerson
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
Did U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson just go off script during his Middle East tour when he said the U.S. has to recognize that Hezbollah is “part of the political process in Lebanon?
Or did he just call out the elephant in the room of American foreign policy vis-a-vis Lebanon, signaling a change to come?
First a little background: Hezbollah is through and through a terror group, designated as such by the U.S. government in 1997. Moreover, it is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Iran, which controls the group’s purse strings to the tune of about $700 million a year.
There is no distinction (in terms of intent) between its military and political “wings,” a fact the U.S. acknowledges by its designation of the whole of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. Only in Europe do they make that distinction.
With the exception of the UK and The Netherlands, Europe recognizes only Hezbollah’s military wing as a terror group (a convenient distinction to avoid stirring up a hornet’s nest of retaliatory terror and maintain lucrative financial dealings with Lebanon and Iran).
Yet, far from being merely “part of the political process,” as Tillerson demurred, Hezbollah essentially controls Lebanon — first and foremost through its military, as acknowledged by Lebanese President Michel Aoun (a Hezbollah lackey), who called the group “an essential part of Lebanon’s defense.”
MORE https://clarionproject.org/tillerson-just-go-off-script-hezbollah/


Youth Prison Counselor Suspected of Joining Jihad in Syria
Home > World > Syria > Youth Prison Counselor Suspected of Joining Jihad in Syria
BY CLARION PROJECT Thursday, February 15, 2018 
Jihad fighters in Syria (Photo: Reuters)
A former prison counselor to youth in California is under suspicion for lying to the FBI about fighting for ISIS or other militant groups in Syria, The Sacramento Bee reported.
Brian Arthur Dempsey Sr., 46, who is awaiting extradition overseas faces five charges of false statements involving international terrorism.
Dempsey supervised youth and rehabilitation programs in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Division of Juvenile Justice from 2001-2012. He converted to Islam sometime between 2011 and 2013 and left Sacramento in 2013 for the Syrian city of A’zaz. There, he joined rebel fighters belonging to a group called Ahrar al-Sham, according to federal court documents. Ahrar al-Sham has not been formally recognized as a terrorist organization by the U.S., but other countries have pushed for it to be classified as such.
He is one of the oldest Americans suspected of becoming a jihadi in the last 10 years.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/youth-prison-counselor-suspected-of-joining-isis-in-syria/

Bronze Stars for Special Ops Surgical Team Fighting ISIS
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > Bronze Stars for Special Ops Surgical Team Fighting ISIS
BY CLARION PROJECT Thursday, February 15, 2018 
The Special Operations Surgical Team during a reenlistment. Standing at back, left to right, emergency medicine physician Lt. Col. Ben Mitchell, emergency room nurse Capt. Cade Reedy, emergency room nurse Maj. Nelson Pacheco, nurse anesthetist Lt. Col. Matthew Uber. Kneeling, surgeon Maj. Justin Manley, left, and respiratory therapist Tech. Sgt. Richard Holguin, right. (Photo: Air Force)
The Special Operations Surgical Team during a reenlistment. Standing at back, left to right, emergency medicine physician Lt.-Col. Ben Mitchell, emergency room nurse Capt. Cade Reedy, emergency room nurse Maj. Nelson Pacheco, nurse anesthetist Lt.-Col. Matthew Uber. Kneeling, surgeon Maj. Justin Manley, left, and respiratory therapist Tech.-Sgt. Richard Holguin, right. (Photo: Air Force)
Members of an Air Force Special Operations Surgical Team (SOST) who operated in a dangerous location near the front lines fighting ISIS received Bronze Star medals for their bravery and work.
The awards are the military’s fourth-highest combat medal for heroism.
The team, who worked at an undisclosed location in the Middle East in 2016, received the medals at the University of Alabama Birmingham Hospital, one of the first civilian hospitals to host a SOST.
The team included emergency medicine physician Lt.-Col. Ben Mitchell, nurse anesthetist Lt.-Col. Matthew Uber, surgeon Maj. Justin Manley, emergency room nurse Capt. Cade Reedy of the 720th Operations Support Squadron, emergency room nurse Maj. Nelson Pacheco and respiratory therapist Technical-Sgt. Richard Holguin.
Along with other members of the SOST, they treated 750 patients, responded to 19 mass-casualty events, conducted 16 life-saving surgeries and treated victims of a chemical weapon attack.
When they are not on deployment, the team works in the emergency room and performs surgeries at UAB to keep their skills honed, since most military hospitals do not have many trauma patients. UAB is the only Level 1 Trauma Center within a 150-mile radius. It hosts three, six-person SOST teams, who rotate on deployments lasting about four months followed by 11-12 months at the medical facility.
SOST teams also bring their expertise and experience in the field to the hospital, instructing residents and medical students in lessons learned from battlefield medicine.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/bronze-stars-special-ops-surgical-team-fighting-isis/

Gruesome Things ISIS is Doing in Areas It Still Controls
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Thursday, February 8, 2018
ISIS gathers the public in the main square of Al-Shajara for the stone and whipping (Photo: ISIS social media)
ISIS stoned a woman to death in Al-Shajara, Syria, a city they still control in the southern part of the country. Even though she lived with her husband, the terror group accused her of adultery.
Abu Mohammed, who lives in Al-Shajara related the circumstances of her death as well as the whipping of two young men to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, “The army of Khalid ibn al-Walid, an ISIS organization, burst into an apartment five days ago, shooting and arresting all the people inside. [Later], in the main square, ISIS presented two youths and a woman who were in the apartment at the time, saying they were all arrested for adultery. They stoned the woman to death because she was married and the youth were whipped, each of them 80 times without mercy because they are single.

“The woman’s husband was in the apartment when ISIS terrorists burst in but was able to flee and reach an area controlled by the Free Syrian Army. People in the city had whispered to ISIS that adultery was happening there. ISIS brought these people as witnesses to testify as to why they raided the apartment. “
Media sources say the woman’s husband was a former fighter in this same ISIS organization.
Meanwhile, four of ISIS’ worst executioners were recently captured.
Ahmed ben-Nassar was captured and executed in Libya. Nassar, a senior member of ISIS, was called “the butcher of ISIS” and was known to be one of the most barbaric terrorists, disfiguring those he killed by cutting off their ears and noses and gouging out their eyes.
Security forces in southern Turkey arrested three other ISIS executioners who entered the country illegally.
https://clarionproject.org/gruesome-things-isis-areas-still-controls/


Texas Man ‘Applies’ to ISIS
Home > Terrorism > Texas Man ‘Applies’ to ISIS
BY CLARION PROJECT Thursday, February 8, 2018
Warren Clark
Warren Clark (Photo: social media)
A Texas man who is believed to be alive somewhere in the former ISIS caliphate in Iraq and Syria sent his resume to the terror organization looking to work for them as an English teacher. The resume was found in a house in Iraq.
“I am looking to get a position teaching English to students in the Islamic State,” wrote Warren Clark, 33, a convert to Islam and a graduate of the University of Houston.
Clark, who goes by the name of Abu Muhammad al-Ameriki, is from a middle-class church-going family with ties to the military. He converted to Islam in 2004 and became radicalized.
In 2014, a post on a twitter account with the same name as the email used to send his resume stated, “ISIS are only fighting soldiers that have been oppressing Muslims for years. They are liberators.”
Clark taught English in Saudi Arabia for two years and then went to Turkey, from where he may have traveled to Islamic State-held territories.
A report by the Program on Extremism at George Washington University that exposed the resume, said that of the 64 Americans traveled to Iraq and Syria to join the Islamic State, 12 have returned to the United States. Nine of those were arrested.
Meanwhile, a former college student who was arrested in Minnesota for setting a series of fires at her alma mater was charged not only with arson but with terrorism for attempting to provide support to al-Qaeda through providing “personnel,” reported Fox News.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/texas-man-sends-resume-isis/

Debates on Islamism: Halal Meat
Home > Human Rights > Human Rights Violators > Lack of Basic Freedoms > Debates on Islamism: Halal Meat
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Thursday, February 8, 2018
Illustrative picture. (Photo: naturalbornstupid/Creative Commons)
Illustrative picture. (Photo: naturalbornstupid/Creative Commons)
Clarion Project runs a Facebook dialogue discussion group called Lets Talk About Islamism. That group has a little over 5,000 members from around the world who engage in lively and spirited debate on issues relating to Islamism. The demography of the group is continually in flux as people come and go. Some very specific issues keep on returning.

These recurring arguments illustrate sticking points in the conversation about Islamism. There are very sharp divides in opinion and seemingly little willingness to see the other side and move forward. This is not because the people on either side are irrational or do not want resolution. It is because they have deeply held beliefs about the issue in question and see their position as the correct one.

I want to summarize those debates we keep getting stuck on. (Of course, this is just how I perceive the conversation based on moderating many online discussions on this topic over several years. We welcome your comments.)

Broadening the conversation in this way may get us one step closer to resolving them. This is part of a series, with each article covering one such debate. This debate will be on the topic of halal meat.

Note: To keep the conversation lively, I have used as protagonists in the debate historical figures as fictional frames for the discussion. The following “conversation” on halal food is between Arthur Girault (1865-1931), a French jurist and supporter of colonialism and Sheikh Amadou Bamba (1850-1927), who led a peaceful cultural struggle against French assimilationist colonialism.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/debates-halal-meat/


Beware of Partisans Bearing Gifts
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > Beware of Partisans Bearing Gifts
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Thursday, February 8, 2018
A protest in London at the French Embassy after France banned wearing burkinis on its beaches in the summer of 2016.
A protest in London at the French Embassy after France banned wearing burkinis on its beaches in the summer of 2016. (Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images)
In the United States, all political issues of late tend to boil down to Republican versus Democrat. This is for a number of reasons, including the first past the post-electoral system and tribalistic tendencies innate to everyone. It’s also the fact that in a big country, coalitions between different interest groups have to be formed to get things done.

But it can be very damaging. The issue of radical Islam is no exception.

Some activists, from both sides of the aisle, seek to rope radical Islam into their partisan dispute in order to gain adherents. Some National Security conservatives seek to use the radical Islam issue to gain supporters for other positions they may hold about having a strong military, using it and supporting large government surveillance programs. They do this by latching onto terrorism as the big national security fear of our time.

Some left-wing activists seek to use the radical Islam issue the other way, to gain supporters for other views they hold about dismantling white supremacy and deconstructing the system. They do this by hyping up fears of an anti-Muslim backlash and framing Muslims as a persecuted group in need of protection in order to mobilize activists in their war against capitalist patriarchy.

Both groups require you to buy into a whole host of other unrelated positions once they’ve used radical Islam to get you into the door.

This partisanship damages the discourse and reduces our capacity to come to agreements about common sense solutions to problems. Just because you disagree with someone about one thing, that doesn’t mean you can’t agree with them and work together to achieve a different thing.

Clarion’s opposition to radical Islam is based on our principles of religious freedom and human rights, which are threatened by Islamist groups all over the world. Religious theocracy is a political position which has been largely driven out of the Christian world, although it was very prevalent up until relatively recently.

Islamist theocracy, where it has been implemented, has seen the death penalty for “crimes” such as blasphemy, mandatory modest dress codes for women enforced by religious police and the persecution of non-Muslim faiths.

What Clarion supports is the separation of religion and state, by which we mean that religious law — in the case of Islam, sharia — should not be the law of the land or forced onto on others unwillingly. We support the rights of all faiths, including Muslims, to worship freely and practice religion as they see fit, as long as that practice does not trample on the rights of others.

These values are encoded into the First Amendment of the United States constitution and are embedded in the legal and moral traditions of Western countries in general.

What these values are not is politically partisan. Opposing radical Islam has nothing to do with other political issues such as climate change, abortion, tax rates, the size of the military, legalizing marijuana, nationalized medicine, immigration rates, feminism, trans-rights, free trade, charter schools, whether the state should subsidize higher education, the correct final status agreement between Israel and Palestine, and the death penalty (to name but a few). (Of course, there are other issues that influence the struggle against radical Islam, but Clarion assesses them as contributory factors rather than on their own merits.)

As you may have noticed, things are getting pretty weird out there, and we’re all going to need to hold hands and work together if we’re going to muddle on through. Since the old rulebook seems to be disintegrating before our very eyes, Clarion Project intends to seize the cultural moment and forge new partnerships with people who otherwise might never speak to each other.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/partisan-radical-islam/


Iran Publishes Study Indicating Waning Support for Hijabs
https://clarionproject.org/iran-publishes-study-indicating-waning-support-hijabs/
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Thursday, February 8, 2018
Narges Hosseini was arrested for protesting Iran’s compulsory hijab. She refused to appear in court to face charges punishable by up to 10 years, including 'encouraging immorality or prostitution.'
Narges Hosseini was arrested for protesting Iran’s compulsory hijab. She refused to appear in court to face charges punishable by up to 10 years, including ‘encouraging immorality or prostitution.’ (Photo: Center for Human Rights in Iran)
The president of Iran published a study conducted by the government indicating the waning support for the mandatory wearing of hijabs (head scarves) and chadors (long cloaks).
The study – conducted by the Center for Strategic Studies, an arm of the president’s office — polled Iranians four times between 2006 and 2014.
According to the study, in 2006, 34 percent of Iranians indicated they disapproved of the government dictating what women could wear. By 2014, that number increased to 49 percent. Similarly, in 2006, 54 percent agreed that women should wear a chador, but in 2014, only 35 percent thought so.
Considering events in Iran in the past three years – and, particularly, in the last month of intense protests against the government – we can assume that the numbers are even more striking that the study indicates. Even without taking current events into account, we can also assume that the fact that the government conducted the survey most likely that the approval of mandatory hijab and chador wearing is in actuality much lower.
Yet the most surprising aspect about the study is the fact that it was released at all. The president’s office has been sitting on this data for three years. Yet, at the same time as women are being arrested by Iran’s religious police for anti-hijab protest (and those images are being broadcast around the world), President Hassan Rouhani decides to release the study.
Is this a political tactic to distance himself from the hardline establishment? Does he feel a political wind in the Islamic Republic indicating that the mullahs are not as much in charge as they would like to be? Or will the move backfire, taking him down as a symbol of the regime that seems to still be in comfortable control?
As noted by USA Today,
In December, Rouhani published the government’s budget in full, claiming it was in the name of transparency. The president ran as a reformer, and hoped that anger at his lack of real legislative change would be tempered by revelations about how much funding the government is obligated to pay religious institutions and some of their employees.
The move backfired and Iran erupted into protests against the political establishment as a whole, the likes of which hadn’t been seen since the aftermath of the country’s contested 2009 presidential election.

Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, while the U.S. State Department tweeted out their support of the people of Iran protesting against women being forced to wear hijabs, women around the world burned their hijabs in solidary with the protesting women in Iran.
Using the hashtag #NoHijabDay (as response to last week’s World Hijab Day), women who had been forced to wear hijabs growing up posted videos of themselves removing their hijabs and setting them on fire.
Watch a video of Arab-Canadian writer Yasmine Mohammed taking off her hijab and burning it:
Happy No hijab day Iran
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1agl1kUlIY
Watch this video of Anoud Al Ali, who now lives in France, burn the hijab and cloak she was forced to wear growing up in the United Arab Emirates. The video also documents Iranian women protesting the regime:

Advice for Jihadi Brides Brought to You by Al-Qaeda
Home > Political Islam > Worldwide > Movements > Advice for Jihadi Brides Brought to You by Al-Qaeda
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Apparently fed up with ISIS which is putting women on the front lines when they should be at home preparing to take care of their husbands, al-Qaeda launched a new magazine for jihadi brides titled Beituki (“Your Home”). Here’s everything you need to know — in al-Qaeda’s opinion — to take care of a jihadi husband.

P.S. We aren’t making this up. The magazine and its advice are for real.
READ HERE https://clarionproject.org/advice-jihadi-brides-brought-al-qaeda/


US State Dept. Embraces Terror-Supporting Sheikh
Home > Political Islam > Worldwide > Movements > US State Dept. Embraces Terror-Supporting Sheikh
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Wednesday, February 7, 2018
The State Department's Ambassador for Religious Liberty Sam Brownback
The State Department’s Ambassador for Religious Liberty Sam Brownback (Photo: State Department/Flickr)
The newly sworn-in State Department’s ambassador for religious liberty embraced a terror-supporting sheikh in his first official speech, reported PJ Media.

Sam Brownback, along with a number of State Department officials, participated with Sheikh Abdullah Bin Bayyah at an interfaith event in Washington, D.C. February 6, 2018.

At the event, Brownback can be seen appearing on the stage with and shaking the hand of Bin Bayyah, a Muslim Brotherhood leader who supports Hamas, the elimination of Israel and killing of U.S. soldiers.

In 2012, Bin Bayyah said that donations to jihad fighters qualify as zakat, the Islamic

The State Department's Ambassador for Religious Liberty shakes hands with Sheikh Bin Bayyah at the Alliance of Virtue conference
The State Department’s Ambassador for Religious Liberty shakes hands with Sheikh Bin Bayyah at the Alliance of Virtue conference
version of tithes. In April 2013, he said that Muslim leaders should give Hamas financial and military assistance to fight Israel.

Bin Bayyah was formerly the vice chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, a group led by Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader and terrorist-supporter Yousef al-Qaradawi. In 2004, the group issued a fatwa ruling that Muslims have a “duty on every able Muslim in and outside of Iraq” to support attacks on U.S. soldiers in Iraq.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/state-dept-embraces-terror-supporting-sheikh/


Muslim Brotherhood Non-Violent? Think Again
Home > Political Islam > Worldwide > Movements > Muslim Brotherhood Non-Violent? Think Again
BY CLARION PROJECT Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Muslim Brotherhood petition
Sign our petition to ban the Muslim Brotherhood in the U.S.
For those with any delusions that the Muslim Brotherhood is a non-violent group, the latest tweet by the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood – the foundation of the international Islamist organization – will dispel those notions.
Shortly after an Israeli Arab stabbed to death a 29-year-old rabbi and father of four waiting at a bus stop in the West Bank, the official Twitter account of the Egyptian Brotherhood tweeted, “The killing of a Zionist settler as the result of a heroic stabbing operation in the West Bank,” reported the Investigative Project on Terrorism.
The tweet came from the account titled Kafr Sheik Brotherhood.
Clarion Project launched a petition to tell U.S. President Donald Trump there’s no place for the Muslim Brotherhood in the United States. Please join us.
SIGN THE PETITION NOW https://clarionproject.org/muslim-brotherhood-non-violent-think/

Saudi Man Linked to Al-Qaeda Arrested in Oklahoma
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > Saudi Man Linked to Al-Qaeda Arrested in Oklahoma
BY CLARION PROJECT Wednesday, February 7, 2018
(Illustrative photo: Pixabay)
A Saudi man living in Oklahoma with ties to al-Qaeda was arrested and charged with visa fraud and lying about his involvement with international terrorism.

Naif Abdulaziz M. Alfallaj, 34, first entered the U.S. in 2011 on a nonimmigrant visa due to his wife’s status as a foreign student, according to the Justice Department.

He was issued a private pilot’s license in November 2016 which was revoked last year when authorities began to suspect that he posed a risk for terrorism or air piracy.

Authorities charge that Alfallaj attended an al-Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan in 2000 and then lied on his visa application about it. Alfallaj’s fingerprints turned up an application to al-Farooq, a key al-Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan. The application was found by the U.S. military at an al-Qaeda safe house in Afghanistan.

Alfallaj was indicted on two counts of visa fraud, each of which carry up to 10 years in prison, and one count of lying about his involvement in international terrorism, punishable by up to eight years in prison.
Most of the 19 terrorists in the September 11, 2001 attacks were from Saudi Arabia. A number of them took flight training classes in the U.S.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/saudi-man-linked-al-qaeda-arrests-oklahoma/

Death to Death Threats
Home > Human Rights > Human Rights Violators > Lack of Basic Freedoms > Death to Death Threats
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Tuesday, February 6, 2018
Illustrative picture. (Photo: Sebastian Dooris/Public Domain)
Illustrative picture. (Photo: Sebastian Dooris/Public Domain)
One of the best things about living in a democracy is the ability to solve political disagreements without violence. Instead, we use persuasion and ultimately the ballot box to change laws, politicians and even the system itself. It enables us to make needed change, provides a means of disagreeing with the status quo without rioting and generally makes society more orderly and pleasant.

One of the more disheartening developments of recent years is the growth of vicious partisanship. Some of this has manifested itself in ugly ways, such as sending death threats to one’s political enemies.

This happens to both sides. Clarion Project advisory board members Raheel Raza and Dr. Zudhi Jasser have both received many death threats, as have many of the other Muslim activists we are proud to support. We have rightly called out death threats in the past, such as when they were sent to Palestinian filmmaker Maysaloun Hamoud for a film she made about Palestinians living in Israel.

It also happens to activists we oppose. Linda Sarsour, in particular, gets a lot of death threats. Leaders of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) have got death threats.

It shouldn’t need saying, but such things are unacceptable.

In a free society, all must be free to speak their minds without fear of violent repercussions. Clarion Project will continue to challenge those we disagree with. But we cannot allow differences of opinion, however intense they may be, to spill over into physical confrontation.

Death threats have a chilling impact on those who receive them. They are instruments of fear which contribute nothing to the debate.

Those committed to the struggle against radical Islam are involved because we want to see a world in which threats, coercion and violence are not used to silence people with differing views. As such, death threats are antithetical to our values and have no place in this effort.

The First Amendment guarantees the rights of all to freedom of speech and conscience without fear. Upholding it means upholding it for everyone.
HERE https://clarionproject.org/death-threats/

CAIR Urges LA to Say No to Anti-Extremism Program
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > CAIR Urges LA to Say No to Anti-Extremism Program
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Sunday, February 4, 2018
The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) is pushing the Los Angeles mayor’s office to refuse funding from the federal government to implement a Countering Violent Extremism Program (CVE).

The program – which comes with a grant for $425,000 – was offered to Mayor Eric Garcetti from the Department of Homeland Security.

What could possibly be wrong with an anti-extremism program?

CAIR objects, in principle, to the concept of CVE on three grounds:

“CVE is based on a flawed theory that claims there are reliable “indicators” for predicting if individuals are on a path to radicalization”
“CVE targets the Muslim community and stigmatizes them as inherently suspect under the false premise that Muslims are more prone to violence than other religious or ethnic groups”
“CVE chills First Amendment protected activities such as attending a mosque, participating in activism, and expressing political opinions”
To the detriment of the Los Angeles community, as well as national security, CAIR is unwilling to acknowledge that Islam is being used to further violence and extremism across the globe. Further, they refuse to acknowledge the blatant fact that young people are being recruited by Islamist terrorist organizations to commit acts of violent extremism.

Instead, CAIR contends that CVE programs are “dangerous” because they “target Muslims.”

CAIR was designated as a terrorist organization by the United Arab Emirates in 2014. The group is linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and was listed by the FBI as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation trial, the largest terrorism financing trial in American history.

The organization’s blatant obfuscation of the goal of CVE programs and their agitation against the grant offered to the Los Angeles mayor is most telling.

In fact, CAIR’s activism against those trying to prevent radicalization is not isolated to this particular program in Los Angeles. In Minnesota, Somali-American activist Abdirizak Bihi, who dedicates his life to countering radicalization efforts by terror groups reaching out to Somali American, blamed CAIR for inhibiting his anti-radicalization work and the subsequent U.S. government investigations into the matter. He also outed CAIR to trying to delegimitze him and his work.

Bihi, who is the director of the Somali Education and Social Advocacy Center, also blasted CAIR for impeding FBI investigations into Al-Shabaab recruiting in Minnesota. Bihi and 50 others protested CAIR for telling Muslims not to talk to the FBI.
CAIR has attacked other Muslims who have stood up to warn about Al-Shabaab’s network in America. For example:
MORE https://clarionproject.org/cair-urges-la-say-no-anti-extremism-program/

Calls to Expel Florida Student Protesting World Hijab Day
Home > World > Iran > Calls to Expel Florida Student Protesting World Hijab Day
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, February 4, 2018
The booth set up at the University of Central Florida the for World Hijab day (Photo: Twitter)
A Muslim student at the University of Central Florida tried to get a fellow student expelled for criticizing the activities of World Hijab Day on campus.

When Kathy Zhu noticed a “try on a hijab” booth on campus under the banners of “My hijab empowers me” and “My hijab is a symbol of understanding,” she took offense and snapped a picture of the booth.

Later, she posted the picture and tweeted, “There’s a ‘try a hijab on’ booth at my college campus. So you’re telling me that it’s now just a fashion accessory and not a religious thing? Or are you just trying to get women used to being oppressed under Islam?”

After news of the tweet got around, one of the Muslim students working in the booth, tried to start a movement to get Zhu expelled from the university.

Zhu posted a video on Twitter explaining her actions, along with the following statement:

The university later released a statement that neither Zhu nor her detractor had violated any of the school’s rules of conduct.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic of Iran has seemingly marked world hijab day this year by arresting at least 29 women for refusing to wear it, reported Al Jazeera. World Hijab Day was marked on Thursday, February 1. The arrests were announced by the next day.

Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, it has been mandatory for all women to cover their hair with a headscarf when outside the house. Large sections of the Iranian population are vehemently opposed to the law, which is enforced by morality police on the streets of Tehran and other major cities.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/calls-expel-florida-student-protesting-world-hijab-day/



Philly Man Found Guilty of Jihadi Shooting of Policeman
Home > Terrorism > Philly Man Found Guilty of Jihadi Shooting of Policeman
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Sunday, February 4, 2018
The shooting caught on CCTV footage
A Pennsylvania man accused of firing 13 shots at a Philadelphia police officer “in the name of Allah” was found guilty by a jury in less than three hours.

Edward Archer, 32, approached the police car where Officer Jesse Hartnett was sitting and shot Hartnett 13 times

Edward Archer
at point-blank range. The shooting was captured on CCTV footage.

Miraculously, only three shots penetrated Hartnett, all in his arm. The officer was able to kick open his car door and chase Archer. One of the seven shots fired by Hartnett hit Archer in the buttocks. Officers who were nearby heard Hartnett’s call for help arrested him.

Hartnett’s arm was shattered by the gunshots, leaving him unable to work as a police officer. He has undergone 11 surgeries since the shooting, which occurred on the night of January 7, 2016.

Authorities say Archer later confessed that he shot the police officer in the name of Islam and was motivated by his devotion to Allah and ISIS.

Archer refused to enter a plea in court, saying, “I don’t plead to anyone but Allah.”

Meanwhile, a Florida man, Gregory Hubbard, 54, who was arrested at the Miami airport and charged with

Gregory Hubbard
attempting to join ISIS in Syria, has accepted a plea agreement. Hubbard was caught in an FBI sting with two other men as he tried to board a flight to Germany from where the FBI says he had planned to travel to Turkey by train and then make his way to Syria.

Hubbard previously pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, attempting to provide support to a foreign terrorist organization and selling ammunition to a felon. The details of the plea agreement were not publicized.

He was arrested with Darren Arness Jackson, 50, and Dayne Atani Christian, 31, of Lake Park, Florida, who were charged with providing firearms training to Hubbard to help him in his terroristic plans. The two also reportedly expressed a desire to join ISIS.
HERE https://clarionproject.org/philly-man-found-guilty-jihadi-shooting-policeman/



UK Terror Watchdog: Stop Using the Term ‘Islamist Terror’
https://clarionproject.org/uk-terror-watchdog-stop-using-term-islamist-terror/
Home > World > UK > UK Terror Watchdog: Stop Using the Term ‘Islamist Terror’
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Sunday, February 4, 2018
The British government’s terror watchdog says it is “fundamentally wrong” to use the words “Islamist terrorism” to describe attacks carried out by … well, for lack of any better words, Islamist terrorists.

Queen’s counsel Max Hill is the UK’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, whose job is not only to monitor legislation but, as he says, engage “in all sides in national and international discussion about terrorism and national security.”

Hill declared 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.

This latest display of political correctness from the “terror watchdog” is 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 (which, Hill also would also like us not to say) but from all Islamist terrorists.

Moreover, it has been repeatedly shown that many adherents of non-violent Islamism go on to become violent Islamists. It is important to in that respect to name and continue to call out the ideology of Islamism.

Moreover, labeling the problem accurately is the first step to fighting it. In addition, by not acknowledging the connection of Islamism and terrorism when the public is well aware of this real and pervasive connection makes it much more difficult for the average person to distinguish between peaceful, law-abiding Muslims and radical ones.

Since the average person understands all too well the scourge of Islamist terrorism, not making the distinction leads to more racism and anti-Muslim bigotry. It also impedes the work of reformist Muslims, who have largely been cut out of the conversation by various Western governments.

If this is the weltanchaung of the UK terror watchdog, then we can, unfortunately, predict that many terrorists will slip by on his watch.
Watch this short film by Clarion Project for a discussion about the use of language in fight terror:
By The Numbers - The Untold Story of Muslim Opinions & Demographics
WATCH https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSPvnFDDQHk


Christian Forced to Pay While Muslim Attackers Let Free
Home > World > Egypt > Christian Forced to Pay While Muslim Attackers Let Free
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, February 4, 2018
A young women mourns for the victims of the blast at the Coptic Christian Saint Mark's church in Alexandria
A young woman mourns for the victims of a blast at the Coptic Christian Saint Mark’s church in Alexandria in another church attack in Egypt (Photo: MOHAMED EL-SHAHED / AFP / Getty Images)
Nineteen members of a Muslim mob that were found guilty of attacking an unlicensed church south of Cairo were given suspended sentences by an Egyptian court, reported the Associated Press.

The men were each given a one-year suspended sentence in a misdemeanor court. The incident happened when dozens of demonstrators stormed the church, destroyed its interior and assaulted the worshipers.

Meanwhile, the court fined the Coptic Christian who set up the church 360,000 Egyptian pounds (over $20,000).
Watch the trailer of Clarion Project’s latest film, Faithkeepers, about the violent persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East. The film features exclusive footage and testimonials of Christians, Baha’i, Yazidis, Jews, and other minority refugees, and a historical context of the persecution in the region.
Faithkeepers Film: Official Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7&v=q6tW4_2F7oc


Brotherhood’s US Rep Is Liaison to Hamas
https://clarionproject.org/brotherhoods-rep-us-liaison-hamas/
Home > World > Egypt > Brotherhood’s US Rep Is Liaison to Hamas
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Monday, February 5, 2018
A Hamas fighter (Photo: Video screenshot from Hamas propaganda)
A Hamas fighter (Photo: Video screenshot from Hamas propaganda)
The international Muslim Brotherhood’s designated representative in America has been making multiple trips between Washington, D.C. and London in an effort to improve the image of the Islamist organization in the West.

Speaking to the Egyptian news outlet Veto, sources say that the movements of Amin El-Ara prove that the Brotherhood is operating on an international level to bring the organization to a new level.
El-Ara is responsible for re-establishing the connection between the Muslim Brotherhood and the West that was significantly broken in 2013 after the fall of former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi (from the Brotherhood’s party).
Who is El-Ara and why was he chosen for this mission?
El-Ara belongs to one of the most respected families of Hamas. His father was one of the founders of Hamas in Gaza along with arch-terrorist Ahmed Yassin. His grandfather established a branch of the Brotherhood in Khan Younis in 1942. Hamas considers itself to be a branch of the Brotherhood.

El-Ara joined the Muslim American Society (MAS) in America and quickly rose through the ranks to become the liaison between the Brotherhood in America and Hamas. Federal prosecutors said in 2008 that “MAS was founded as the overt arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in America.”

A Palestinian who managed to break through the political barriers in Egypt, El-Ara’s son is married to the daughter of Habib El-Adly, the former interior minister under former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and a highly influential political figure in Egypt. He became close to El-Adly when El-Adly was working as the Egyptian security attache in Kuwait.
El-Ara is married to an Egyptian woman. After failing to complete medical school in the U.S., he returned to Egypt, finished his education and became a doctor in 2010.
For a comprehensive overview of the Brotherhood, check out our Special Report on the Muslim Brotherhood


UK Rejects Recognizing Sharia Marriages Under Law
https://clarionproject.org/uk-rejects-sharia-marriages/
Home > Political Islam > Worldwide > Islamism in Government > UK Rejects Recognizing Sharia Marriages Under Law
BY CLARION PROJECT Monday, February 5, 2018
A bride signs the certificate in a sharia marriage
A bride signs the certificate in a sharia marriage (Photo: SAM PANTHAKY/AFP/Getty Images)
The British government rejected the recommendation of a governmental review board to formally regulate sharia councils, saying to do so would recognize the legitimacy of sharia law in Britain.
The review board concluded that since the closure of sharia courts in the UK is “not a viable option,” the government should formally regulate them and impose a code of conduct. The primary recommendation of the board was that Muslim couples should be legally required to register their marriages in a civil court before or at the same time as their Islamic ceremony. This would be so “a greater number of women will have the full protection afforded to them in family law and the right to a civil divorce,” lessening the need to attend sharia councils and simplifying the process if they choose to do so.
A large proportion of Muslim women in the UK do not register their sharia marriages with the state, thereby forfeiting their legal rights (to property, custody, etc.) should a divorce take place. The review noted that nearly all those using sharia council were women, with the majority of them seeking Islamic divorce.
In addition, the review board urged the government to implement an awareness campaign informing Muslim women of their civil rights.
In a statement rejecting the idea of regulating the sharia courts, the government said,
“We will not be taking forward the review’s recommendation to regulate sharia councils. Sharia law has no jurisdiction in the UK and we would not facilitate or endorse regulation, which could present councils as an alternative to UK laws.

“In Britain, we have a long tradition of freedom of worship and religious tolerance, where many people of different faiths follow religious codes and practices, and benefit from their guidance. The government has no intention of changing this position.”
The review was commissioned by Prime Minister Theresa May in 2016 when she was home secretary to establish whether or not sharia councils were acting in ways incompatible with British law.
It is estimated that there are between 30 to 85 sharia councils operating in Britain.

Kiss (My Feet) and Make Up: Marital Advice in Iran
Home > World > Iran > Kiss (My Feet) and Make Up: Marital Advice in Iran
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Monday, February 5, 2018
A state-run TV station in Iran was forced to apologize after the station hosted a family therapist speaking about how a husband and wife can improve their relationship. She advised the wife to wash her husband’s feet and then kiss them.
The therapist was addressing women who were victims of domestic violence. “After this act, you will see he will react to you with love and the tension will dissipate,” she said. “It also prevent strokes and heart attacks and its effects lasts for months. Even if your husband is a drug addict, just do it and you will see miracles in your life.”
Social media in Iran had a field day with the story.
https://clarionproject.org/kiss-feet-make-marital-advice-iran/

Debates on Islamism: Faith Schools
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > Debates on Islamism: Faith Schools
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Thursday, February 1, 2018
Schoolgirls just outside Damascus, Syria
Schoolgirls just outside Damascus, Syria (Photo: SAMEER AL-DOUMY / AFP / Getty Images)
Clarion Project runs a Facebook dialogue discussion group called Lets Talk About Islamism. That group has a a little over 5,000 members from around the world who engage in lively and spirited debate on issues relating to Islamism. The demography of the group is continually in flux as people come and go. Some very specific issues keep on returning.
These recurring arguments illustrate sticking points in the conversation about Islamism. There are very sharp divides in opinion and seemingly little willingness to see the other side and move forward. This is not because the people on either side are irrational or do not want resolution. It is because they have deeply held beliefs about the issue in question and see their position as the correct one.
I want to summarize those debates we keep getting stuck on. (Of course, this is just how I perceive the conversation based on moderating many online discussions on this topic over several years. We welcome your comments.)
Broadening the conversation in this way may get us one step closer to resolving them. This is part of a series, with each article covering one such debate. This debate will be on the topic of faith schools.
Note: To keep the conversation lively, I have used as protagonists in the debate historical figures as fictional frames for the discussion. The following “conversation” on faith schools is between Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (1881-1938), the first president and founder of the Republic of Turkey, and Aurangzeb (1618-1707), the sixth and last (effective) Mughal emperor.
Ataturk, a Turkish army officer, was considered a revolutionary. He was ideologically a secularist and nationalist. His policies, known as Kemalism, are rapidly being replaced by Turkey’s current president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan am Islamist. As the president of the newly formed Turkish Republic, Ataturk initiated free and compulsory primary education. Turkish women received certain civil and political rights during his presidency ahead of many Western countries. However he was also heavily authoritarian.
Aurangzeb, ruler of the Mughal, an Islamic empire in the Indian subcontinent, is known for abandoning his predecessors’ legacies of pluralism and religious tolerance. Known as an authoritarian, he introduced many sharia-based laws, including the institution of the jizya tax (mandatory protection money paid by non-Muslims) and the banning of alcohol, gambling, music and narcotics. Many historians charged him with the destruction of Hindu temples.
Faith Schools
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk: Faith schools are indoctrination camps that should be banned
MORE https://clarionproject.org/debate-faith-schools/


Info on S. Carolina Terror Suspect Too Secret to Hold Trial
https://clarionproject.org/south-carolina-isis-suspect-classified-information/
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > Info on S. Carolina Terror Suspect Too Secret to Hold Trial
BY CLARION PROJECT Thursday, February 1, 2018
ISIS Halloween propaganda; inset: Zakaryia Abdin (Photo: mug shot)
A trial against a 19-year old in South Carolina on terrorism charges was delayed because the information the suspect had was too secret to be revealed.
Both the defense lawyer and the prosecutor asked that the trial of Zakaryia Abdin be postponed due to the Classified Information Procedures Act, which could keep details under wraps. The federal law, enacted in 1980, was designed to protect the country from a national security threat.
Abdin, whose family is from Syria, was first arrested when he was 16, after he was convicted on a gun charge. During the investigation of that charge, officials learned he was plotting to join ISIS in Syria and had linked up with militant Muslims in Raleigh, North Carolina. The group he was involved with planned to rob a gun store and use the weapons to kill American soldiers.
At that time, Abdin was sentenced to juvenile prison (where he could have legally been kept until he was 21). Despite vigorous protests by the York police chief who testified twice before the juvenile parole board that Abdin would be a serious threat if released, the board decided the teenager had changed and released him after one year of detention.
He was “one of the scariest people I have ever come in contact with,” said Police Chief Andy Robinson, who requested that Abdin be held until he was 21.
Upon his release, Abdin moved to Charleston and almost immediately began making contact with ISIS again. According to federal documents, he was involved in weapon deals and plotting to join and assist the terror group.
Just nine months after his release from juvenile prison, he bought two weapons.
He began speaking on social media to someone whom he thought was an ISIS recruiter but was actually an undercover FBI agent. Abdin, who was 18 at the time, said:
“I was very close to doing what our [brother] Omar did,” referring to Omar Mateen, the Islamist gunman who slaughtered 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida in June 2016.
“I was going to do the same thing one month later,” Abdin wrote,”but I did not have weapons … so I saved and saved … got weapons.”
Talking about his plans to join ISIS, according to court documents, he said to the “recruiter”: “I have good experience in close combat…I have taken gun courses. I want to kill and be killed. I run toward the enemy like a lion to a sheep.”
He told the undercover agent he might not be able to get a passport, considering his past. In that case, he said, “I am prepared to do anything you need here.”
Under FBI monitoring, he obtained a passport and booked a flight to Jordan. He was arrested at Charleston’s airport before he could board the flight.
Abdin is currently in jail and is being held without bond.

Exclusive: FBI Confirms Jihadi Training Camps in America
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > Exclusive: FBI Confirms Jihadi Training Camps in America
BY RYAN MAURO Wednesday, January 31, 2018
This knife was one of the many weapons found in the Fuqra compound in Colorado (Photo: video screenshot)
Newly-released FBI documents obtained by Clarion Project confirm Clarion’s reports that Jamaat ul-Fuqra is training members in isolated communes across America and Canada.
The group’s “Islamberg” headquarters in upstate New York is its most well-known “Islamic village.”
Fuqra, which now goes by the name of the Muslims of the Americas (MOA) among other titles, is a cultish Islamist group with a history of crime and terrorism. The group is led by Sheikh Mubarak Ali Gilani in Pakistan.
Gilani’s name appeared in headlines in 2002 when Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was abducted and beheaded on his way to interview Gilani, though the radical cleric was never accused of an involvement in those crimes.
The first FBI document is dated November 27, 2009 and labels the Muslims of the Americas, Inc. as “armed and dangerous.” It begins by summarizing the group’s consistent history of extremism, terrorism and crime:
MORE https://clarionproject.org/exclusive-fbi-confirms-jihadi-training-camps-america/

Fitness Tracking App Creates Military Security Nightmare
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > Fitness Tracking App Creates Military Security Nightmare
BY CLARION PROJECT Tuesday, January 30, 2018
The United States as seen on Strava’s heat map
A fitness tracking app was used to reveal sensitive data from U.S. military bases around the world – some in war zones.
The security gaff was discovered when a student in Australia, using Strava’s Global Heatmap, tweeted about the military images available through the app.
The app uses a smartphone’s GPS and is meant to track where and when a user is exercising, creating a kind of global social network for athletes. It can also be synced with other fitness tracking devices such as Fitbits and smartphones.
Strava came out with the heat map last November. The map covers 17 billion miles of routes around the world.
Nathan Ruser, a founding member of the Institute for United Conflict Analysts and a student at the Australian National University, tweeted, “Strava released their global heatmap. 13 trillion GPS points from their users (turning off data sharing is an option). https://medium.com/strava-engineering/the-global-heatmap-now-6x-hotter-23fc01d301de … … It looks very pretty, but not amazing for Op-Sec. US Bases are clearly identifiable and mappable.”
MORE https://clarionproject.org/fitness-tracking-app-creates-military-security-nightmare/

Trump Keeps Gitmo Open
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > Trump Keeps Gitmo Open
BY CLARION PROJECT Wednesday, January 31, 2018
A holding area at GITMO (Photo: Petty Officer 1st class Shane T. McCoy/U.S. Navy)
President Trump signed an executive order rescinding Obama’s order to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
Guantanamo Bay, colloquially known as Gitmo, has been used to detain terrorist suspects since 2002. Prisoners held there have frequently not been formally charged but have been deemed too dangerous to release. Although the order was issued in 2009, the camp was never closed.
“In the past, we have foolishly released hundreds of dangerous terrorists, only to meet them again on the battlefield,” Trump said during the Tuesday night State of the Union address, in which he announced the move. He told Congress he had decided “to reexamine our military detention policy, and to keep open the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay.”
There are currently 41 detainees in Guantanamo Bay. Of these, 26 are held indefinitely under the law of war and are not due for transfer. No new inmates have been added so far under Trump’s tenure, according to Slate.
High profile Gitmo detainees include Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the architect of 9/11.
Many Gitmo prisoners who were released resumed their terror activities. Shortly before Obama left office, he transferred 10 prisoners to Oman, prompting Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) to introduce legislation requiring the government to declassify and publicly release information on the terrorist records of all Gitmo detainees who were released since the November 8, 2016 presidential election.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/trump-gitmo/

Judge: If Family Can’t Rein in Islamist Teen I Will
Home > Human Rights > Human Rights Violators > Child Abuse > Judge: If Family Can’t Rein in Islamist Teen I Will
BY CLARION PROJECT Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Boy in hoodie
(Illustrative photo: Pexels)
A British judge was so concerned by the jihadi recruitment activities of a 17-year-old boy she told her court she would incarcerate him if his family can’t stop his extremism.
The youth from Ilford, just to the east of London, admitted to making CDs and flyers calling on people to “become martyrs for the sake of Allah.”
The materials the boy created were found in prayer rooms in the Royal London and University College hospitals.
Senior District Judge Emma Arbuthnot said:
“I’m going to need to know all I can about the family. If there’s no family stopping this from happening I’m going to lock him up, quite frankly.”
The boy was granted bail until sentencing on March 5 but had to agree to surrender his passport, live at home and make regular visits to a local police station.
Clarion’s new film, Jihad Generation, due out in the fall of 2018, examines the radicalization of children. You can watch a trailer here. https://clarionproject.org/kids/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ2fyKVMOa4


State of the Union: Trump Plans to Defeat Radical Islam
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > State of the Union: Trump Plans to Defeat Radical Islam
BY CLARION PROJECT Wednesday, January 31, 2018
U.S. President Donal Trump delivers the 2018 State of the Union address
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers the 2018 State of the Union address (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
In his State of the Union address January 30, 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump addressed the worldwide scourge of radical Islam and specific policies vis-a-vis this problem that will be adopted by America to fight it.
Here is a summary of Trump’s vision going into the future:
Immigration and Terrorism
Trump noted that two recent terror attacks in New York were “made possible by the visa lottery and chain migration,” and stated, “In the age of terrorism, these programs present risks we can no longer afford.”
He vowed to reform the immigration rules that allowed this to happen.
Military
In the face of threats America faces from around the world from “rogue regimes” and “terrorist groups,” Trump said a weak military is the “surest path to conflict,” while “unmatched power is the surest means of our defense.”
MORE https://clarionproject.org/state-of-the-union/

Muslim World League Comes Out Against Holocaust
vhttps://clarionproject.org/muslim-world-league-holocaust/
Home > World > Saudi Arabia > Muslim World League Comes Out Against Holocaust
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, January 28, 2018 
The gates of the work camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. The sign reads, “Work makes you free.” (Photo: Public Domain)
The Muslim World League wrote a letter against the crimes of  the Holocaust to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum ahead of International Holocaust Memorial Day, marked every year on January 27 . The Muslim World League is Saudi-based and funded non-governmental organization which spreads Islamic teachings. 
“The group has acted as a mouthpiece for the Saudi Arabian government, which finances it,” according to the Oxford Dictionary of Islam.
League Secretary General Dr. Mohammed Alissa sent the letter to to Sara Bloomfield, director of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
“True Islam is against these crimes,” Alissa wrote. “It classifies them in the highest degree of penal sanctions and among the worst human atrocities ever. One would ask, who in his right mind would accept, sympathize, or even diminish the extent of this brutal crime.”
Alissa expressed, on behalf of the Muslim World League, “our great sympathy with the victims of the Holocaust, an incident that shook humanity to the core, and created an event whose horrors could not be denied or underrated by any fair-minded or peace-loving person.”
He also criticized Holocaust denial, saying “any denial of the Holocaust or minimizing of its effect a crime to distort history and an insult to the dignity of those innocent souls who have perished. It is also an affront to us all since we share the same human soul and spiritual bonds.”
The move is notable given Saudi Arabia’s history. As Robert Satloff noted for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Saudi Arabia’s King Faisal, who reigned from 1964 until 1975 when he was assassinated) believed that The Protocols of the Elders of Zion was factual, and a Saudi UN representative once denounced Anne Frank’s diary as a forgery.
About the Muslim World League (MWL), Satloff writes, “This is the organization that has long been cited as the key facilitator of Saudi Arabia’s global effort to export a radical, hate-filled, anti-West, anti-Semitic version of Islam. Just last year, a prominent British research institute labeled Saudi Arabia the main source of Islamic extremism in the United Kingdom and cited the MWL as a critical linchpin in that project.”
View the whole letter here.
http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/press-room/view/statement-on-holocaust-remembrance-from-head-of-saudi-based-muslim-world-le


Abbas’ Alleged New Jet Shows How Islamism Spreads
Home > World > Palestinian Authority > Abbas’ Alleged New Jet Shows How Islamism Spreads
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Sunday, January 28, 2018 
Illustrative picture. (Photo: SuperJet International/Creative Commons)
Illustrative picture. (Photo: SuperJet International/Creative Commons)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, now in the 12th year of the four- year term he was elected to serve, has reportedly purchased a $50 million private jet. The report was published without sourcing in the media outlet Hadashot. The jet will allegedly be stored in Jordan’s capital Amman for use by Abbas.

This extravagance is despite the alleged penury of the Palestinian people. Palestinian leaders are currently slamming America over U.S. President Trump’s decision to suspend $65 million in funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which provides support for Palestinian refugees.

UNRWA has been accused of acting like a virtual front for Hamas.

“UNRWA is all we have,” Ahmad Abu Salem of the Aida camp near Bethlehem told left-wing outlet Mondoweiss. “We don’t have any alternatives if they continue cutting services. Without UNRWA we have nothing.”

If that’s true — and the new multi-billion dollar Palesinian city of Rawabi suggests that Palestinian economic prospects are far better than their leaders say — why is the Palestinian leadership purchasing a multi-million dollar private jet?

Fair enough, he needs to get around and it’s reasonable to a person in his position to have a private plane. It could be dangerous to fly commercially. But why so much?

Fifty million can buy you a seriously luxurious jet. Just feast your eyes on the the dazzling Embraer Lineage 1000E. The $53 million price tag nets you over 800 square feet of penthouse-in-the-sky. But a genuine man of the people would surely be able to make do with something a little more modest, especially in these dark times.  

Clarion’s research team easily found a second-hand Lear Jet for the comparatively bargain price of $395,000. It seats eight, which should be enough for two or three other senior officials, a couple of aides and some bodyguards. Abbas would’ve even got good press for having solidarity with his struggling compatriots.

Abbas, of course, is not a man of the people. He is a corrupt, octogenarian dictator. Even if this particular story about the jet turns out to be false, there is plenty of other evidence as to the man’s corruption, such as the $13 million presidential palace he lives in. And it’s support for precisely these kinds of secular, nationalist dictators that boosts support for Islamism around the Muslim world.

“We all known there’s terrible corruption in the PA,” a senior veteran journalist from Ramallah, the de-facto capital of the PA in the West Bank, told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. “We know hundreds of stories about senior PA officials and about Abbas’ sons, but we can’t publish them or even talk openly about them.”

Anyone who does speak up faces jail time or worse.

So who can the Palestinian people turn to when secular nationalists fall into miserable decay, offering nothing to their publics but vicious authoritarianism and naked cronyist looting?

Well, after being fed incitement against Israel and the Jews 24/7 by the Palestinian Authority’s media, the logical place is Islamism.

As Time magazine explained back in 2001, “One of the keys to Hamas’s popularity is its large-scale welfare arm. Hamas provides educational, medical and other desperately needed welfare services in impoverished West Bank and Gaza towns and refugee camps, creating a marked contrast with the image of corruption and cronyism most Palestinians have of Arafat’s administration.”

Of course, Hamas is hardly less corrupt than the PA. Hamas leaders have amassed billions in personal wealth while ruling Gaza, despite the abject poverty experienced by many residents of the strip. Khaled Meshaal, the head of Hamas’ political wing, has an estimated worth of $2.6 billion.
Yet, they were able to get there in part by presenting themselves as committed ideologues untarnished by the grubby financial interests of the Palestinian Authority.


Trump Calls for Action After Kabul ‘Ambulance’ Bomb
Home > World > Afghanistan > Trump Calls for Action After Kabul ‘Ambulance’ Bomb
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, January 28, 2018 
A doctor treats the wounded after 95 people were killed in an ambulance bomb. (Photo: WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP/Getty Images)
A doctor treats the wounded after 95 people were killed in an ambulance bomb. (Photo: WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP/Getty Images)
A bombing in Kabul killed at least 95 people and injured 158 others. A suicide bomber drove an ambulance laden with explosives past a police checkpoint into a secure zone, before detonating it at a second checkpoint.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.
The target is believed to have been the Interior Ministry. According to Deputy Spokesperson for the Interior Ministry Nasrat Rahimi, the terrorist got past the police checkpoint by telling them he was taking a patient to the Jamhuriat hospital.
A few days prior to the bombing, the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul was attacked by terrorists and 22 people were killed.
Over the past year, 10,000 Afghan security forces personnel have been killed and a further 16,000 wounded, The New York Times reported a senior Afghan government official as saying.
President Trump called for a firm response against the Taliban.
“This murderous attack renews our resolve and that (of) our Afghan partners,” the president said in a statement. “The Taliban’s cruelty will not prevail. The United States is committed to a secure Afghanistan that is free from terrorists who would target Americans, our allies, and anyone who does not share their wicked ideology. Now, all countries should take decisive action against the Taliban and the terrorist infrastructure that supports them.”
There are currently 14,000 U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.
https://clarionproject.org/kabul-blast/

Al-Qaeda: Muslims Should Kill ‘Americans Everywhere’
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > Al-Qaeda: Muslims Should Kill ‘Americans Everywhere’
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Thursday, January 25, 2018 

Al-Qaeda leader in Yemen Khalid Batarfi (Photo: video screenshot)
A senior Al-Qaeda leader has called on all Muslims to “rise and attack the Jews and the Americans everywhere.”

In a video released this week, Khalid Batarfi, a top commander with the group’s  Yemen-based operation (Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula), said “killing them is one of the most important things.”

The response was ostensibly aimed at the decision by U.S. President Donald Trump’s to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

The next day, the State Department named Batarfi  a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist.” According to State, “the designation seeks to deny Batarfi the resources he needs to plan and carry out further terrorist attacks. Among other consequences, all of Batarfi’s property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with him.”

In April 2015, Batarfi broke free from the Central Prison of al-Mukalla in Yemen when AQAP militants attacked the prison.
Here is a clip from the original 18-minute video:
MORE .https://clarionproject.org/47296-2/

FGM in Michigan — Get the Facts
Home > Human Rights > Human Rights Violators > Child Abuse > FGM in Michigan — Get the Facts
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Thursday, January 25, 2018 
The shocking case of FGM is still ongoing in Michigan. Check out our infographic for all the facts:
MORE https://clarionproject.org/fgm-michigan-get-facts/

Clarion’s Raza Takes on Naysayers; Wins Hands Down
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > Clarion’s Raza Takes on Naysayers; Wins Hands Down
BY CLARION PROJECT Thursday, January 25, 2018 
The state Capitol building of Minnesota in St. Paul.
The state Capitol building of Minnesota in St. Paul. (Photo: KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)
When Clarion’s Raheel Raza began her latest tour of a U.S. city – this time to Minneapolis – little did she know of the storm it would whip up.
Scheduled to meet lawmakers from both houses in the Minnesota Capitol, a local paper broke the story that a local Democrat politician wanted Raza’s visit to be stopped because of allegations of Islamophobia made against Raza, who is a Sunni Muslim.
Undeterred by the story, Raza’s hosts, Republicans Rep. Roz Peterson and Sen. Warren Limmer, not only carried on with their plans but, in Limmer’s case, issued this statement to media:
Ms. Raza is a practicing Canadian Muslim and an outspoken opponent of radical Jihadism. She is a fierce advocate of women’s rights and has dedicated her life to fighting against the radicalization of our youth. She was recently awarded Canada’s 150th anniversary medal for service to the country, and has been invited to speak to governments around the world, including the U.S. Congress, UK House of Lords, Canadian Parliament, Swedish government, and the United Nations.
During her week-long tour, Raza is meeting leading figures in the Muslim community in Minnesota to discuss counter-radicalization and ways to ensure youngsters stay away from radical Islam in all its forms.

In 2018, Clarion will launch our new film Jihad Generation which tells the stories of radicalized children who became jihadis — many of whom came from non-Muslim families. During the year, we will also launch an educational campaign to how to keep  all our children stay safe in the face of the threat of radical Islam.
If you’d like more details on our upcoming campaign and how it can help your community, please click here and request information. If you would like information on how to book Raza to speak in your community or capital, 
click here https://clarionproject.org/contact-us/
https://clarionproject.org/clarions-raza-takes-naysayers-wins-hands/
 
Terror Suspects Now Anti-Radicalization Consultants
Home > World > Canada > Terror Suspects Now Anti-Radicalization Consultants
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Thursday, January 25, 2018 
El Mahdi Jamali and Sabrine Djermane
El Mahdi Jamali and Sabrine Djermane (Photo: social media)
A young couple who were recently acquitted of terrorism charges in Canada are now working for a publicly-funded deradicalization agency.
Sabrine Djermane and El Mahdi Jamali, both 21, were charged with attempting to leave Canada to join a terrorist group and  possession of an explosive substance in April 2015. When police searched their shared apartment they found a handwritten bomb recipe copied down by Djermane.
Jamali was convicted of possessing  explosive substances while Djermane was acquitted on both counts. Jamali was sentenced to time already served while in custody.
The crown is appealing Djermane’s acquittal.
Djermane’s sisters tipped off the police that she was radicalized in 2015. The parents of both Djermane and Jamali contacted the Center for the Prevention of Radicalization Leading to Violence and asked for help. The center prepared deradicalization programs for the couple to undertake while in prison.
The couple will work three days a week at the center, as part of a reintegration strategy. That strategy will see them spend half a day undergoing psychological evaluations and follow-up sessions, and the other have preparing preventative strategies for others.
MORE Some have doubts about using former radicals so soon after their acquittal.


How to Deal with Radical Islam at Home
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > How to Deal with Radical Islam at Home
BY DAVID HARRIS Thursday, January 25, 2018 
Clarion’s David Harris speaks with Louisiana’s KPEL radio about the threats, the signs of radicalization in our homes and what we can do.
LISTEN https://clarionproject.org/how-to-deal-with-radical-islam-at-home/
 

The Vital Importance of ‘Radical Empathy’
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Public Issues > The Vital Importance of ‘Radical Empathy’
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Thursday, January 25, 2018 
Illustrative picture. (Photo: Kathy Drasky)
“It’s alright Ma, I’m only bleeding’” – Bob Dylan
Radical empathy is the idea that transformative change can come through listening compassionately, openly and genuinely to what others are saying and therefore coming to understand who they really are and what they really want.
When it comes to radical Islam, the dialogue on the subject has become tense. Partisan loyalties, lack of deep knowledge and mutual suspicion make it difficult to have honest and open conversations about these topics. Frequently, valid complaints about extremism are dismissed as mere bigotry and fear-mongering. On the other side, complaints about anti-Muslim bigotry can be dismissed as either understandable backlash against radical Islam or worse — as apologetic covering for Islam.
Neither of these approaches helps solve the problem or promotes integration.
Radical empathy can bridge these divides. The value of genuine listening is that it validates the other person’s humanity and the pain they may be facing. When that is demonstrated, truly and honestly, it can lead to transformative social change.This is because once humans feel understood and cared about as people, they are that much more able to have an honest conversation about diverse issues in a rational way.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/the-vital-importance-of-radical-empathy/

Maine Town Manager Under Fire for Islam Comments
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Tuesday, January 23, 2018 
Tom Kawczynski. (Photo: Screenshot form Facebook)
The town manager of Jackman, Maine, is facing calls for his dismissal after it emerged he supports voluntary racial segregation and opposes Islam.
Tom Kawczynski founded the group New Albion, which believes in promoting “traditional Western values emphasizing the positive aspects of our European heritage.”
“I believe in all people, living as they choose, in free determination,” he wrote in one post on his New Albion website. For the people of New England, our folk are white people of European ancestry and ideas, emphasizing the value of work, communing with nature and a society based upon order. While I am not an absolutist on race understanding, the many complications created by the American system, I do believe to the extent we voluntarily separate, the happier every group will be as they regain self-determination.”
He told the Bangor Daily News:
MORE https://clarionproject.org/maine-town-manager-fire-islam-comments/



Remember Nada Al-Ahdal? Here She Is Today
Home > Human Rights > Human Rights Violators > Child Abuse > Remember Nada Al-Ahdal? Here She Is Today
BY CLARION PROJECT Wednesday, January 24, 2018 
Nada al-Ahdal was just 11-years old in July of 2013 when she fled her family home in Yemen to avoid a forced marriage with a 26-year-old man. As she was escaping, she made a video explaining how a marriage at this age would have destroyed her prospects of getting an education and ruined her life as it had for so many other children.



The video went viral and received over eight million views in the first months after it was posted.
Watch the original video below:
Two years after her escape, she also appeared on Lebanese TV where she debated a Muslim cleric. In the TV debate, which aired on Al-Jadid, Nada tells of how her parents presented marriage to her as a game, but in reality, she says, “It isn’t. It turns you into a servant and places a burden on you greater than you can bear on your shoulders.”

Nada’s uncle, who took her in, appeared with her on the show. He related how Nada lived with him for the past two years, even spending vacations with him, so that more time could be devoted to her education. “If she had been living with them [her parents],” he said, “she would have ended up just like her sisters,” who were married at ages 12 and 14 after Nada escaped.

Now 15 years old, Nada established an institute for the protection of children’s rights. In an interview on Yemini TV, Nada spoke about the the importance of raising awareness of the dangers of child marriage – even more so than passing legislation which is easily disregarded.

Watch the interview below:
MEMRI VIDEO
Comments to her original video included:
“Wow, if this girl doesn’t end up doing something remarkable I will be surprised.”
“This girl’s bravery makes me feel embarrassed a bit as a man.”
https://clarionproject.org/remember-nada-al-ahdal-today/


Muslims Shield Christians: Oscar Nominee for True Story
Home > World > Kenya > Muslims Shield Christians: Oscar Nominee for True Story
BY CLARION PROJECT Wednesday, January 24, 2018 
From Watu Wote (Photo: video screenshot)
A film based on the true story about how a group of Muslims shielded and saved Christians in an Islamist terror attack on a bus in Kenya has been nominated for an Oscar.
A few days before Christmas 2015, a bus carrying close to 100 people was traveling to the city of Mandera near the border with Somalia and Ethiopia. Buses traveling the route –known to be dangerous, especially during the holiday season when many travel to see family – are usually accompanied by a police escort.
This time, the escort vehicle broke down, leaving the bus to continue alone on its way. The bus was subsequently ambushed by Al-Shabaab terrorists, who told the Muslim and Christian passengers to separate themselves. The terrorists planned to slaughter the Christians by spraying them with bullets. But the Muslim passengers – who were mostly women — refused.
They gave the Christian women their hijabs and hid others behind bags in the bus. The Muslims told the terrorists, “If you want to kill us, then kill us. There are no Christians here,” said Abdiqafar Teno, a passenger on the bus.
The gunmen backed down and left. One Christian man who tried to run away was captured and shot dead as was the driver of a truck traveling behind the bus.
Al-Shabaab, an extremely violent jihadi group originating in Somalia and operating in East Africa, was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. in 2008. The group pledged its allegiance to al-Qaeda in 2012.
Al-Shabaab was responsible for some of the most gruesome terrorists attacks in the region, including another bus attack in 2014 near Mandera where the group slaughtered 29 non-Muslims and the Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya in which at least 67 were killed and 175 wounded.
The film, called Watu Wote, was made by three German students and was nominated for Best Live Action short film at the 90th Oscars to be held March 4.
Watch a trailer of the film:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYGUQQJqKjI



Poll Results: Should Accused Terrorist Live?
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > Poll Results: Should Accused Terrorist Live?
BY CLARION PROJECT Wednesday, January 24, 2018 
First Responders to the truck ramming in lower Manhattan on October 31, 2017 by an ISIS supporter
First responders to the truck ramming in lower Manhattan on October 31, 2017 by an ISIS supporter (Photo: Kena Betancur/Getty Images)
Sayfullo Saipov is accused of mowing down eight people with a rented van on the Hudson River bike path last Halloween in an Islamist terror attack.
Last week we reported that Saipov, a 29-year-old ISIS supporter, is willing to plead guilty in exchange for not receiving the death penalty. He originally pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail.
A guilty plea would mean that a lengthy trial would be avoided, saving both cost to the government and emotional turmoil to the victims.
We asked our readers if they thought the government should accept a guilty plea from an accused terrorist in exchange for not issuing the death penalty.
Here are the results of our poll:

22.4 percent said it is worth sparing the victims the trauma of testifying as well as the money saved by the government
77.6 percent disagreed, saying justice is justice, and it should be played out in court
Here are some of the comments we received:
MORE https://clarionproject.org/poll-results-accused-terrorist-live/

Is Big Tech Really Fighting Extremism?
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > Is Big Tech Really Fighting Extremism?
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Monday, January 22, 2018 
(Photo; Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Is big tech doing enough to counter extremism online? The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation heard testimony from representatives of tech giants Facebook, Twitter and YouTube on this topic January 17, 2018.
Facebook’s Head of Public Policy and Counterterrorism Monika Bickert, YouTube’s Senior Policy Counsel Juniper Downs, Twitter’s Director of Public Policy and Philanthropy Carlos Monje joined senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute Clint Watts in testifying.
The witnesses stressed the efforts their companies are making to tackle extremism online and highlighted their successes in doing so, most notably removing extremist content from their platforms.
Committee Chairman Sen. John Thune (R-SD) told the committee in an opening statement:
“The companies that our witnesses represent have a very difficult task: preserving the environment of openness upon on which their platforms have thrived, while seeking to responsibly manage and thwart the actions of those who would use their services for evil.”
Watch the whole testimony on C-SPAN.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/big-tech-fighting-extremism/



Erdogan Makes Good on Threats to ‘Suffocate’ US
Home > World > Kurdistan > Erdogan Makes Good on Threats to ‘Suffocate’ US
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Monday, January 22, 2018 
A Turkish soldier in a tank waits on the border before invading the Afrin region of Syria in the ironically dubbed "Operation Olive Branch"
A Turkish soldier in a tank waits on the border before invading the Afrin region of Syria in the ironically dubbed Operation Olive Branch. (Photo: BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)
Turkey’s Islamist President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made good on his threats to “suffocate” U.S.’ plans to help set up and train a Syrian border control force made up, to a large part, of Kurds.
The mission of the 30,000-strong Syrian Defense Force (SDF) was to secure Syria’s northern border with Turkey and its eastern border with Iraq.
After carrying out airstrikes on the Afrin area of northern Syria over the weekend, Turkey launched a ground operation into the region January 21. Turkey’s goal is to wipe out U.S.-allied Kurdish forces which control the area and establish a 30-kilometer (18-mile deep) “security zone.”
Turkey ironically named the incursion Operation Olive Branch. Its soldiers were accompanied by special “conquest” prayers held in Turkey’s 90,000 mosques over the weekend, where worshipers were instructed to pray for the “victory of our heroic security forces.”
MORE https://clarionproject.org/erdogan-suffocate-threats-us/


Freed Yazidi Boy Asks for Meeting With Canadian PM
Home > World > Canada > Freed Yazidi Boy Asks for Meeting With Canadian PM
BY CLARION PROJECT Monday, January 22, 2018 
Emad Mishko Tamo in Canada after escapting spending three years in ISIS captivity
Emad Mishko Tamo in Canada after escaping three years of ISIS captivity (Photo: video screenshot)
A Yazidi boy in Canada who was held captive by ISIS for three years is asking for a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to advocate for other children still in captivity, CT News reported.
Emad Mishko Tamo, 13, was separated from his family when ISIS took over large swaths of Iraqi territory in the summer of 2014. His mother, Nofa Mihlo Zaghla, was able to escape and make it to Canada as a refugee. While other siblings and relatives managed to make it to Canada as well, she was unaware of the fate of Emad, another brother and her husband.
Last summer, a relative saw a photo of Emad on social media and recognized him. With the help of the Yazidi Association in Canada, Emad – still suffering from a gunshot wound after being liberated in Mosul — was reunited with his family.
“A lot of these children are coming back but there’s no parents, there’s no family left. They’ve all been killed or massacred and nobody knows where the rest of their families are,” said Hadji Hesso, the association’s president.
In this moving video, Emad thanks Canada and says, “There’s a thousand other kids like me who are still held captive. Hon. Justin Trudeau, will you meet me?”
Watch the video, which was posted on Facebook
https://clarionproject.org/freed-yazidi-boy-trudeau/


On Allegations of Islamophobia
Home > Human Rights > Human Rights Violators > Anti-Muslim Bigotry > On Allegations of Islamophobia
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Monday, January 22, 2018 
Illustrative picture. (Photo: Public Domain)
In general, Clarion Project prefers to let the record speak for itself and let the public be the judge of how we are perceived, rather than getting bogged down in catfights on social media with our critics. However, it is important for the mission we have set for ourselves that there is no ambiguity about what we are doing and what we stand for. 
Clarion is repeatedly accused of anti-Muslim bigotry, racism and other things of that nature. We’ve also been accused of being “far-right,” despite the fact that the traditional definition of left and right pertains to economic issues and radical Islam is not an economic issue. At any rate, these are not positions that we hold. 
So, let us set the record straight.
Clarion has repeatedly, clearly and unequivocally stated that we have no animus against Islam as faith, only to those interpretations of Islam which support Islamism: the political project of attempting to impose Islam onto others and implement sharia as state law. 
All of our films have stated something to that effect.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/allegations-islamophobia/


Will Iranian Proxies Take a Nose Dive From the Protests?
Home > World > Iran > Will Iranian Proxies Take a Nose Dive From the Protests?
BY RAHIM HAMID Monday, January 22, 2018 
New Hezbollah recruits in Lebanon salute during a ceremony
New Hezbollah recruits in Lebanon salute during a ceremony. Will Iran still be able to pay them? (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)
It’s not difficult to understand the state of gloom and uncertainty that’s descended over Hezbollah and its allies over the ongoing protests in Iran. The Lebanese terror group has been reluctant to comment on the matter, with its media platforms attempting to downplay and marginalize the protests, simply regurgitating the Iranian regime’s official statements.
Sources familiar with the group’s affairs and Iran’s interests in Lebanon confirm that whatever the ultimate outcome of the crisis in Iran, Hezbollah is well aware that it will inevitably be impacted, compelling the “Party of God” to reconsider its positions both at home and beyond Lebanon’s borders.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/will-iranian-proxies-take-nose-dive-protests/

Child Porn to Pyromania: New Terror Cases in the US
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > Child Porn to Pyromania: New Terror Cases in the US
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, January 21, 2018 
(Illustrative photo: Pixabay)
A former college student who expressed extremist Islamist ideas to her roommates was arrested in Minnesota for setting a series of fires at her alma mater in retaliation for American military “crimes” in Iraq and Afghanistan, Star Tribune reported.
Nineteen-year-old Tnuza Jamal Hassan was arrested after an almost two and a half hour spree at St. Catherine University in St. Paul in which she reportedly set eight fires across campus.
“You guys are lucky that I don’t know how to build a bomb because I would have 
Tnuza Jamal Hassan
done that,” she told police and fire investigators upon her capture.
No one was hurt in the fires, however one of the fires was set in a building that housed a daycare center.  Thirty-three children, eight adults and 10-15 students were evacuated from that building.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/child-porn-to-pyromania-new-terror-cases-in-the-us/



Mauro on Immigration, Terror and the Law
Home > Political Islam > In the US > Government > Mauro on Immigration, Terror and the Law
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, January 21, 2018 
Clarion’s Shillman Fellow and National Security Analyst Ryan Mauro looks at immigration, terror and American law, the Iran sanctions and Turkey, in conversation with Bob Frantz.
LISTEN https://clarionproject.org/mauro-immigration-terror/


We Have Another Enemy…It’s Called Hezbollah
Home > World > Iran > We Have Another Enemy…It’s Called Hezbollah
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, January 21, 2018 
Two terrorists belonging to Hezbollah, a puppet of the Iranian and Syrian regimes, were recently arrested for planning attacks in the U.S., with one scouting potential targets in New York including JFK International Airport.
Clarion looks at the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah and its threat to the U.S. and beyond in this video:
WATCH https://clarionproject.org/another-enemy-called-hezbollah/


1,800 Pakistani Scholars Ban Suicide Bombing
Home > World > Pakistan > 1,800 Pakistani Scholars Ban Suicide Bombing
BY CLARION PROJECT Sunday, January 21, 2018 
Bodies are covered up following the massacre. (Photo: FATIQ BUKHARI/AFP/Getty Images)
Some 1,800 Islamic scholars in Pakistan published a fatwa condemning suicide bombing as “unIslamic,” according to Radio Free Liberty.
The fatwa was unveiled in a book by Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussein in partnership with the state-run International Islamic University.
Hussein wrote in the book that the fatwa “provides a strong base for the stability of a moderate Islamic society” that Pakistanis can “seek guidance” from “for building a national narrative in order to curb extremism in keeping with the golden principles of Islam.”
Terrorists caused chaos in Pakistan over the last few decades. Some 22,191 civilians and 6,889 security forces personnel have been killed since 2000, according to the South Asia Intelligence Review.
Pakistan is currently embroiled in a spat with the United States after President Donald Trump cut $900 million in military aid to Pakistan. The U.S. president cited Pakistan’s failure to curb extremist groups as the reason for the cut.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/1800-pakistani-scholars-ban-suicide-bombing/   


Tillerson: US Troops Will Stay in Syria
Home > World > Syria > Tillerson: US Troops Will Stay in Syria
BY CLARION PROJECT Thursday, January 18, 2018 
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced U.S. troops will remain in Syria indefinitely, even after the defeat the Islamic State, The Washington Post reported. Tillerson unveiled the plan at a Syria policy speech hosted by the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.
Tillerson argued that the U.S. presence was needed to secure five national security objectives:
Defeating al-Qaeda and ISIS completely
Pushing back Iran
Supporting an end to the Syrian Civil War that does not include regime President Bashar al Assad
Ensuring Syria is free of weapons of mass destruction
Helping refugees return after the war.
Tillerson also warned that a hasty U.S. withdrawal could precipitate an ISIS resurgence.
“We cannot repeat the mistake of 2011, where a premature departure from Iraq allowed al-Qaeda in Iraq to survive and eventually become ISIS,” he said.
“ISIS has one foot in the grave, and by maintaining an American military presence in Syria until the full and complete defeat of ISIS is achieved, it will soon have two,” he added.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/us-troops-syria/

Shocking Irregularities in Screening Aliens for Terror Ties
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > Shocking Irregularities in Screening Aliens for Terror Ties
BY CLARION PROJECT Thursday, January 18, 2018 
Illegal aliens on an ICE deportation flight to Guatemala
Illegal aliens on an ICE deportation flight to Guatemala (Illustrative photo: John Moore/Getty Images)
An audit on the screening practices of known or suspected terrorists made by Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) showed non-compliance with proper protocol in every file that was checked, The Washington Free Beacon reported.
The audit was made by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a follow-up to 2011 recommendations made by the department for screening aliens who maybe terrorists.
Of the 40 case files surveyed, DHS auditors found that all 40 cases had at least one instance of noncompliance with the Known or Suspected Terrorist Encounter Protocol (KSTEP). The cases sampled occurred during the Obama years, between 2013-2015.
However, ICE noted that the problems have continued into the Trump administration where they found 19 further documented cases since 2016 in which ICE workers in the field failed to send their reports to ICE headquarters as required.
In addition, as of July 2017, nine field offices and smaller offices did not have “the infrastructure necessary to communicate derogatory information about known or suspected terrorists.”
“The lack of real-time information sharing capabilities jeopardizes ICE’s ability to make decisions on known or suspected terrorists,” the DHS stated.
The audit also blasted sanctuary cities and their law enforcement agencies that refuse to cooperate with ICE, saying such practices prevent the government from identifying “possible terrorist connections” in illegal aliens.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/shocking-irregularities-found-screening-aliens-terrorist-ties/


Accused NYC Terrorist Willing to Plead Guilty to Live
Home > Terrorism > Accused NYC Terrorist Willing to Plead Guilty to Live
BY CLARION PROJECT Thursday, January 18, 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 (Photo: DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)
Sayfullo Saipov, accused of mowing down eight people with a rented van on the Hudson River bike path last Halloween in an Islamist terror attack, says he is willing to plead guilty in exchange for not receiving the death penalty.

Saipov, a 29-year-old ISIS supporter, originally pleaded not guilty. He is currently being held without bail.

A guilty plea would mean that a lengthy trial would be avoided, saving both cost to the government and emotional turmoil to the victims.

“It is deeply traumatic for these bereaved, seriously injured, or otherwise traumatized victims and their families to endure reliving Saipov’s attack by recounting the details, and victims have already expressed to the government concern about delays in this process,” prosecutors wrote.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions would have to sign off on the deal.
The trial itself could not be held any earlier than September 2019 according to Saipov’s lawyers due to the large amount of evidence needed to build the defense. Quite a bit of the evidence is located overseas, they say.
The government requested a trial in April 2019 so that victims – some from as far away as Argentina, Belgium, and Germany — would be able to plan to travel to the U.S.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/accused-nyc-terrorist-trade-guilty-plea-live/


Tillerson: US Troops Will Stay in Syria
Home > World > Syria > Tillerson: US Troops Will Stay in Syria
BY CLARION PROJECT Thursday, January 18, 2018 
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced U.S. troops will remain in Syria indefinitely, even after the defeat the Islamic State, The Washington Post reported. Tillerson unveiled the plan at a Syria policy speech hosted by the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

Tillerson argued that the U.S. presence was needed to secure five national security objectives:

Defeating al-Qaeda and ISIS completely
Pushing back Iran
Supporting an end to the Syrian Civil War that does not include regime President Bashar al Assad
Ensuring Syria is free of weapons of mass destruction
Helping refugees return after the war.
Tillerson also warned that a hasty U.S. withdrawal could precipitate an ISIS resurgence.

“We cannot repeat the mistake of 2011, where a premature departure from Iraq allowed al-Qaeda in Iraq to survive and eventually become ISIS,” he said.

“ISIS has one foot in the grave, and by maintaining an American military presence in Syria until the full and complete defeat of ISIS is achieved, it will soon have two,” he added.

Currently there are around 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria, deployed in the Kurdish controlled areas in the North-East. They were originally deployed under the administration of President Barack Obama, who sent them to train Kurdish forces to fight against the Islamic State.

Tillerson did say the U.S. has no plans to intervene in the ongoing Syrian civil war. American forces may face a threat from Turkey, however, which has raised strong objections to American support for Kurdish forces. Turkish President Erdogan has threatened to attack Kurdish areas in Syria this week. American officials said they would not intervene if he did, since the Kurdish forces he may attack are separate from the ones allied with the United States.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/us-troops-syria/


Terror in the Rocky Mountains: Fuqra in Colorado
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > Terror in the Rocky Mountains: Fuqra in Colorado
BY CLARION PROJECT Thursday, January 18, 2018 
A local ABC affiliate in Colorado just backed up what Clarion has been saying for years – there’s an Islamist cult alive and well in the U.S. and in this case in the Rocky Mountains.
Jamaat ul-Fuqra runs some two-dozen villages around the country. In an attempt to change its image, Fuqra changed its name a number of years ago to Muslims of the Americas. The group is suspected of 13 firebombings and at least 13 murders in the U.S.
Clarion has evidence of many more illegal activities which we share with the authorities and share with you at our FuqraFiles website.
Fuqra’s “academic” arm, the Quranic Open University in Los Angles, has received more than $1.5 million for charter school funding.
News Channel 13 reports:
2018 Colorado News Report on Fuqra: Terror in the Rocky Mountains
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=HVZtvqF_vSM
MORE https://clarionproject.org/terror-rocky-mountains-fuqra-colorado/


How Could Trump Thank Qatar for Fighting Terror?
Home > Political Islam > In the US > National Security > How Could Trump Thank Qatar for Fighting Terror?
BY RYAN MAURO Thursday, January 18, 2018 
Hamas' Ismail Haniyeh (L) and then emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani in Gaza in 2012. (Photo: Mohammed Salem / Pool /Getty Images)
Hamas’ Ismail Haniyeh (L) and then emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani in Gaza in 2012. (Photo: Mohammed Salem / Pool /Getty Images)
President Trump of January 2018 is at odds with President Trump of June 2017 over Qatar.
Trump just thanked Qatar for its “action to counter terrorism and extremism in all forms” and implied U.S. opposition to the Arab states’ blockade of the jihad-sponsoring country, something Trump previously praised and claimed credit for.
“President Trump reiterated his support for a strong, united Gulf Cooperation Council that is focused on countering regional threats,” the readout says.
The praise for Qatar is a major victory for Secretary of State Tillerson, who has long-standing ties to the Qatari regime from his days leading Exxon-Mobil. Tillerson’s company even had officials serving alongside officials from Al-Jazeera (a Muslim Brotherhood/Hamas mouthpiece) on the U.S.-Qatar Business Council.
When Qatar’s Arab neighbors (including Saudi Arabia and Egypt) took the country to task for its sponsorship of terrorism and close ties to Iran, Tillerson’s State Department sided with Qatar and contradicted the commander-in-chief’s publicly-stated support for the Arabs’ measures. Tillerson, of course, also opposes designating the Qatar-backed Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/trump-thanks-qatar-fighting-terrorism-forms/

Why Would a Young Girl Make Up an Anti-Muslim Attack?
Home > World > Canada > Why Would a Young Girl Make Up an Anti-Muslim Attack?
BY MEIRA SVIRSKY Wednesday, January 17, 2018
A press conference called immediately to announce the 'anti-Muslim attack'
A press conference called immediately to announce the ‘anti-Muslim attack’ (Photo: video screenshot)
What makes a young Canadian Muslim girl make up a hate crime against herself?
Last week in Toronto, 11-year old Khawlah Noman told police she was on her way to her (public) school when she felt a man trying to cut her hijab with scissors. She said she screamed and ran away, but the man returned 10 minutes later and attacked her again.
After an investigation, which we can assume was thorough (since it wasn’t challenged), the police concluded that the incident never happened.
But before the story was vetted, the girl and her mother were up in front of the media, which promptly decried its outrage and disgust over such an “Islamophobic” display of racism against Muslims.
First, we should be clear that we don’t know what prompted the girl to fabricate the story. The two most logical explanations are that she was being bullied at school for being a Muslim or wearing a hijab, or that Muslim grievances against the West were something she was used to hearing about from her family, community or mosque.
MORE https://clarionproject.org/stop-islamophobia-agenda/


What Does the Leader of ‘Muslims of the Americas’ Think?
Home > 101s > 101s > What Does the Leader of ‘Muslims of the Americas’ Think?
BY CLARION PROJECT Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Jamaat ul-Fuqra is an Islamist group with about 25 “Islamic villages” across the country that have been historically used for guerrilla training and cult-like isolation. After being suspected of murders, fire bombings, and threats around the United States and Canada, the Fuqra cult changed its name to Muslims of America / Muslims of the Americas.
Lern more at fuqrafiles.com
The following infographic is an introduction to the ideology of Fuqra:
HERE https://clarionproject.org/what-does-muslims-america-gilani-fuqra-think/



Ryan Mauro and Zuhdi Jasser Kick Back
Home > World > Iran > Ryan Mauro and Zuhdi Jasser Kick Back
BY CLARION PROJECT Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Join Clarion advisory board member Zuhdi Jasser and our National Security Analyst and Shillman Fellow Ryan Mauro as they take to the airwaves to discuss the big picture on radical Islam, reform, Iran, Saudi Arabia and more.
LISTEN HERE https://clarionproject.org/ryan-mauro-zuhdi-jasser-kick-back/


Al Jazeera Accidentally Slams Itself
Home > World > Qatar > Al Jazeera Accidentally Slams Itself
BY ELLIOT FRIEDLAND Tuesday, January 16, 2018
UK Defense Minister Gavin Williamson and Qatari Defense Minister Khalid Bin Mohammed Al Atiyah sign a deal for Qatar to purchase 24 Typhoon fighters from Britain for $8 billion. (Photo: AFP/Stringer/Getty Images)
UK Defense Minister Gavin Williamson and Qatari Defense Minister Khalid Bin Mohammed Al Atiyah sign a deal for Qatar to purchase 24 Typhoon fighters from Britain for $8 billion. (Photo: AFP/Stringer/Getty Images)
“In Search of the Merits of Colonialism” is a jaunty little article in Al Jazeera that revels in their typical fare: bashing the West. Like many think-pieces it slams the British Empire for shamelessly plundering the world to enrich itself at the expense of black and brown people.
Fair enough (although a little unimaginative). But look a little closer and the piece seems to have scored something of an own goal (a goal accidentally scored for the opposite side).
Just take a look at this little paragraph, in which author Laleh Khalili excoriates (quite rightly) post-colonial dictators for their continued commitment to brutality:
“The authoritarian rulers to whom the colonial masters handed the keys to the city pay lip service to democracy but stifle political participation by unruly publics; and in this they are supported by former colonial masters who value their ‘stability’ and loyalty.”
Although the article mentions Singapore before launching, in classic Al Jazeera style, into a lengthy diatribe against Israel, there is one country that is rather conspicuous by its absence, especially given how completely it fits the bill: Qatar.
Let’s see what Human Rights Watch has to say in their 2016 report on Qatar:
“Low-paid migrant workers continued to face abuse and exploitation, and reforms that took effect in 2016 leave the exploitative elements of the old kafala (sponsorship) system in place and do not cover domestic workers. Qatar-based journalists criticized the manner in which the authorities applied the provisions of a 2014 cybercrime law.”
This is not to mention that “Qatar’s penal code provides for a maximum of five years in jail for criticism of the emir.”
That covers the “authoritarian rulers” part, but what about “colonial masters?”
Take a look at these words written by the prime minister of Qatar in The Guardian during a trip by the emir of Qatar to London in 2014:
“For almost a century, the UK and Qatar have had strong bonds. It was in 1916 that we first bound together our two countries in a treaty of friendship. Those ties have become stronger, with increasingly important trade and political links. Today we regard the UK as among our most steadfast friends and allies.”
Ah yes, Qatar became a British protectorate in 1916.
But are they being praised for “stability?” Let’s have a quick look at what then British Prime Minister David Cameron and the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani said in a joint statement during another visit to London in 2010:
“And so they committed to building a stronger and deeper relationship between the UK and the State of Qatar, based on a shared vision of new links and new relationships including on foreign policy, peace and regional stability, trade and investment, education, culture, sport and science.”
Some of you may be asking, all very interesting, but why is this an “own goal?” Well, open a new tab in your browser and quickly Google “who owns Al Jazeera?”
https://clarionproject.org/al-jazeera-accidentally-slams-self/