Violence and Security

Christmas Reminds of Syrian Christian Plight from IS Cleansing

December 28, 2015

Refugee status in Lebanon is the Christmas reality for most of Syria's ancient Christian community, which originated in Biblical times and has gradually fled targeted beheadings, kidnappings-for-random, and property-and-livelihood-destruction by an Islamic State ("IS") militia aiming to cleanse Syria of its ten-percent Christian population.
IS Orders Torture of Civilians in Battle of Fallujah

December 28, 2015

Islamic State ("IS") leadership has issued orders to its fighters to dress like Iraqi government security forces and to film torture of civilians as part of any tactical retreat in the ongoing battle for Fallujah with Iraqi and international coalition forces.
Women Play Key Role in Civilian Fight Against Nigerian Islamists

December 28, 2015

Nigerian women are playing a noticeable role in the local intelligence activities of the civilian joint task force organized to counter the spread of Boko Haram, the violent Islamist group whose goal is implementation of sharia throughout the country.
"Anonymous" Hacktivists Target Turkey for Supporting IS

December 28, 2015

The international hacktivist group Anonymous has declared "counter-terrorism cyber-war" against Turkey for its support of the Islamic State ("IS"), staging a massive cyber attack on the Turkish sector of the internet and threatening to collapse the country's banking system because of Ankara's purchases of IS oil.
Global Relief Map of Islamic State Shows Expanding Caliphate

December 28, 2015

The Islamic State ("IS") has expanded the global presence of its caliphate since 2014 to locations in the Mideast, Africa, the Caucasus, and South Asia, through a network of jihadist groups that have pledged loyalty to IS and with a mixture of territorial conquest and control, as well as financial and propaganda support to the caliphate core in Syria and Iraq.
US Congress Seeks Firm Stand from President on Visa Waiver Reforms

December 28, 2015

POLITICO reports that as international objections arise over a US law that restricts the US visa waiver system in the wake of terrorist attacks associated with the Islamic State, members of the US Congress are calling for President Obama to stand firm on the restrictions in light of signals that the Administration may waive them for some Iranian and other nationals.
UN Officials Warn of Religious Hate Speech

December 22, 2015

Citing provisions in international human-rights instruments prohibiting the "advocacy of national, racial, or religious hatred," UN Special Advisers Adama Dieng and Jennifer Welsh have issued a joint statement calling on governments and political leaders to counter hostility toward and discrimination against Muslims in the wake of terrorist attacks linked to the Islamic State.
IS Depends on Cause and Comrades to Promote Its Global Islamist Revolution

December 21, 2015

Because the success of the Islamic State ("IS") in promoting its vision for a global Islamist caliphate has been built on the core logics of historical revolutionary movements, in the form of a revolutionary vanguard that assiduously cultivates followers committed to sacred cause and comrades, policies to defeat IS should draw on historical strategies for countering revolutionary movements.
British Government Review of Muslim Brotherhood Critiqued for Lack of Clarity

December 21, 2015

The British Government's release of its yearlong internal review of the Muslim Brotherhood ("MB") provoked criticism from some counter-terrorism experts, who chastised the report for its failure to provide practical value for Western policy planning, given the unclear language whereby the MB is not defined as a terrorist group, yet membership in the MB and a wide network of affiliate Islamic organizations is characterized as "possible indicators of extremism."
Jihadi Subculture Is a Form of Soft Power for Violent Islamism

December 21, 2015

Terrorism experts analyzing the expansive and complex subculture of militant jihadism made up of the continuous production of music, fashion, and poetry assert that this subculture glorifies extremist Islamism as a way of life and serve as a significant soft-power recruiting tool for the Islamic State ("IS").