Radicalisation
All topics-
Terrorist attacks in Brussels
A clash of what?
Culture, religion – or merely politics? Recent terrorist attacks against another European capital city in less than a year have once again shaken world politics to the core. Are we playing into the hands of Daesh? By Hakim Khatib
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Saudi Arabia and Iran
Defeat Islamic State - or become it
The dawn of 2016 has brought a new round of doomsday predictions that Saudi Arabia’s ruling Al Saud family cannot sustain its autocratic grip on power. The kingdom, pessimists argue, is caught in a perfect storm with economic problems, social challenges and foreign policy crises all converging at the same time. By James M. Dorsey
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FBI edits radical Islam out of anti-terror video game: who is the real 'puppet'?
The FBI has released a new edition of its anti-terror video game, Don’t Be a Puppet, that conforms to demands from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) to exclude Islamic jihad from a list of potential terror threats.
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Saudi intervention in Yemen
Stoking the fires
Riyadh′s support for militants fighting the Houthis has greatly benefited al-Qaida and the Islamic State in Yemen. Reversing their advances is likely to prove difficult. By Nasser Arrabyee
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Islamic State
Know your enemy
There is much the West does not understand about its latest enemy, in which it faces more than ″just″ extremists. IS ideology thrives on hatred, anger and resentment – the most effective response would therefore be to introduce and nurture values of tolerance, unity, mutual co-operation and peace. By Abdel Bari Atwan
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Caliphs and assassins
Between myth and reality
Although the Ottoman Caliphate was abolished in 1924, there remains a lasting fascination for this lost institution. The Tubingen Islamic studies scholar and historian Heinz Halm conducted meticulous research on the Fatimid caliphate in 11-12th century Egypt. Andreas Pflitsch read the book
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Facing partial eviction, migrants scramble in Calais′ ″Jungle″
French officials have called for a buffer zone to be cleared between a road leading to the Eurotunnel and the ″Jungle″ refugee camp, causing residents to scramble to save their dwellings. By Diego Cupolo
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Experts track down stolen art from Syria and Iraq
Experts from Syria are working together with German authorities to track down art stolen in Syria and Iraq. Much of it turns up on the internet. IS fighters are selling plundered art to fund their conquests.
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India and Islamic State
Everything under control?
India, the country with the largest Muslim minority, is forever issuing assurances that it remains unaffected by the deadly threat posed by IS. Only time will tell, however, whether the escalating confrontation seen by many as a symbolic struggle between the West and Islam continues to give the subcontinent a wide berth. An essay by Ronald Meinardus
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IS and its media
Calling all suicide bombers
The media is playing its part in today's horror as "Islamic State" showcases its terrorists in magazines, videos and on the Internet to recruit new members. Joseph Croitoru examines how IS strategy has developed and evolved
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France after the attacks
Of Islam, champagne and bombs
The situation in France continues to be tense following the latest attacks in Paris. But instead of solving the problems at home, the focus is solely on Syria. Details from Emran Feroz
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The French crime writer Karim Miske in interview
″There are no simple solutions″
In the wake of the Paris attacks, the question is how such an outbreak of hate and violence could have happened in France. French crime novelist Karim Miske described life in the desolate banlieues of Paris in his novel ″Arab Jazz″. In interview with Claudia Mende he advises against simplistic answers and talks about the difficulties French society has in accepting its immigrants, who feel more French than Arab