-
IS Drone Use Rises in Iraq, Syria
January 17, 2017
Forces fighting in the anti-Islamic State (IS) coalition report a significant uptick in the use of drones by IS fighters, fueling anticipation among Western military experts that IS will continue to improve its capacity to weaponize drones for lethal jihadi activities.
-
IS Attack Signals New Islamist Phase in Indonesia
January 17, 2017
Security experts are suggesting that the recent suicide bombing attack perpetrated in Jakarta, Indonesia, by Islamic State (IS) supporters may signal a new phase of aggressive expansion of radical Islamist ideology and violence in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, with IS targeting Indonesia as an important base for jihadi expansion throughout Southeast Asia.
-
Morocco Bans Burqa on Grounds of Preventing Religious Extremism
January 17, 2017
Morocco's Ministry of the Interior is justifying the government's gradual ban of the burqa as a preventive security measure against penetration of Islamist extremist beliefs and practices viewed as alien to the country's indigenous Islamic culture and associated with Arabian Gulf Islamist regimes.
-
Activists Disappear After Critique of Pakistan's Military
January 16, 2017
In the aftermath of their most recent critiques of the authoritarian collaboration between Islamist clerical hardliners and state security institutions, four of Pakistan's most prominent civil and religious rights activists have disappeared, and the government has shut down their blogs.
-
Saudi Prince Prepares for Opposition to Reform Program
January 16, 2017
The Saudi Arabian Deputy Crown Prince who is spearheading the country's Vision 2030 economic reform package has announced a multifaceted strategy, combining punitive measures and dialogue, to ameliorate anticipated opposition to reform from the Islamist extremist Wahhabi religious establishment.