Violence and Security

German State Debates Headscarf Ban for Girls

April 17, 2018

A bill in the German state of North-Rhine Westphalia proposing a ban on Islamic headscarves by girls younger than 14 has generated intense debate over the religious freedom rights guaranteed by Germany's Constitution and on concerns about the optimal methods for preventing versus unintentionally provoking Islamist radicalization among Germany's sizable Muslim population.
Press NGO Launches Anti-"Fake News" Initiative

April 16, 2018

The nongovernmental journalist organization Reporters Without Borders and its media partners have launched a Journalism Trust Initiative aimed at restoring trust in journalism through self-regulation based on a jointly agreed set of "trust and transparency standards," paving the way for a certification process designating purveyors of "real" news.
NGO Warns of Online Censorship in Asia-Pacific

April 16, 2018

Amnesty International has published a report warning of the potential consequences of a proposed law in Singapore that would crack down on the propagation of deliberate "online falsehoods," asserting that the legislation is part of a broader legislative effort in the Asia-Pacific region toward internet censorship.
CoE Movement Targets "Hate Speech" as Rights Violation

April 13, 2018

At a recent conference hosted by the Council of Europe (CoE), members of national campaign committees of the youth campaign called "No Hate Speech Movement" highlighted the movement's efforts since 2012 to encourage the recognition by governments and others of online "hate speech" as a violation of human rights.
CoE Committee Presents Anti-Radicalization Proposals

April 12, 2018

The Council of Europe's (CoE) Committee of Ministers has adopted a recommendation outlining measures member states should take in preventing the radicalization of individuals in their territories and calling for increased international cooperation to deal with the issue of "lone wolf" terrorist attacks and foreign fighters returning from Iraq and Syria.
German Official Supports Removal of Migrants over Anti-Semitism

April 11, 2018

Deutsche Welle reports that German Deputy Minister of the Interior Stephan Mayer has supported a proposal to remove migrants who have committed an offense motivated by anti-Semitism, as such action shows they "oppose the core values and beliefs of our democratic system."
IS Operatives Face Death Penalty for Attacks in Egypt

April 11, 2018

36 operatives from an Egyptian branch of the Islamic State (IS) face possible death sentences after a Cairo military tribunal found them guilty of a spate of lethal attacks in 2016 and 2017 against Coptic Christian Churches and an Egyptian military checkpoint.
US Airstrike Kills Islamist Militant Leader in Afghanistan

April 11, 2018

The US military issued a statement confirming the airstrike kill of a senior leader of an Islamic State (IS) cell formerly affiliated with IS radicals in Uzbekistan, in territory in northern Afghanistan under siege between competing Islamic State and Taliban militias.
Books Reveal West's Confusion in Dealing with Global Islamism

April 09, 2018

Recent publications have underscored the confusion of US and British foreign policymakers in trying to differentiate violent from non-violent forms of political Islamism, especially in terms of deciphering the commitment to violence, religious exclusivity, and totalitarianism by the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement with the broadest global impact.
Education Remains Hostage Under Afghan Taliban

April 09, 2018

The Taliban, which is committed to strict religious education and restrictions on education of girls and women as part of the militant Islamist group’s ideology, closed at least 30 schools in an area south of the Afghan capital of Kabul in the aftermath of the killing of a local Taliban commander by the Afghan military.