We all know about jihadists, but what about those waging an ‘anti-jihad’?
As the UN Security Council tackles the entity claiming to be “Islamic State,” and President Barack Obama invokes global Muslim responsibility, many ask whether people of Muslim heritage do enough to counter extremism. The fact is, away from the media spotlight, thousands wage daily battles in their own countries against what President Obama called a…
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Kurdish hunger strikers stage protests seeking support against Isis jihadis
Members of the Kurdish diaspora have been staging protests and hunger strikes around the world in support of calls by Kurdish leaders in Syria for weapons to help their forces fighting Islamic State (Isis) in the besieged border town of Kobani, where they fear a massacre if support does not arrive soon. While Kurds have taken to the streets of Europ…
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Our mission in Iraq is personal, say RAF crews
Aircrews flying combat missions over northern Iraq feel their task is “personal” because a British aid worker who was beheaded by Islamic State militants had once served in the RAF, sources said. David Haines spent 12 years as an RAF engineer before he later became an aid worker helping people in war zones to rebuild their lives. The 44-year-old was…
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European Kurds swap violins for Kalashnikovs
Hundreds of Kurds from across Western Europe are returning to Iraq’s Kurdistan region to join the peshmerga's ranks and help defend their ancestral lands from the jihadist threat. As the sun dips into the dusty horizon, Lukman Hassan and Hussein Mohammad emerge from their armoured personnel carrier emblazoned with the official flag of Iraq’s Kur…
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UNESCO warns IS militant group is destroying and looting Iraqi heritage sites
UNESCO is warning that members of the group calling itself Islamic State in Iraq are destroying and looting ancient heritage sites to sell valued artefacts on the black market. The extremist group has destroyed shrines, churches and precious manuscripts in Mosul, Tikrit and other areas of Iraq and excavated sites to sell objects abroad. UNESCO chief…
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