Tag: Iraq

Do Not Blame the Salafis | By Imam Zaid Shaker

By Imam Zaid Shaker  Twitter @ImamZaidShakir This article was originally posted on Thu 10 Dec 2015 on New Islamic Directions' website. I wrote this essay almost five months ago, but did not post it until now because every time I was ready to post it I would encounter a virulent “Salafi” attack on a colleague … Continue reading Do Not Blame the Salafis | By Imam Zaid Shaker

Foreign Affairs: ISIS Is Not a Terrorist Group – Why Counterterrorism Won’t Stop the Latest Jihadist Threat

By Audrey Kurth Cronin Twitter @akcronin On a roll: an ISIS fighter in Raqqa, Syria, June 2014. (Stringer / Courtesy Reuters) After 9/11, many within the U.S. national security establishment worried that, following decades of preparation for confronting conventional enemies, Washington was unready for the challenge posed by an unconventional adversary such as al Qaeda. … Continue reading Foreign Affairs: ISIS Is Not a Terrorist Group – Why Counterterrorism Won’t Stop the Latest Jihadist Threat

Islamic State ISIS beheading UK aid volunteer Alan Hedding

Ismail Y Syed Twitter: @IsmailYSyed News about ISIS released a video purporting to show the beheading of aid volunteer, Alan Henning, a UK citizen who went there with no other noble purpose other than just helping out fellow human citizens who have been caught up amidst all the turmoil. He could have spent his holiday … Continue reading Islamic State ISIS beheading UK aid volunteer Alan Hedding

Russia and the current crises: There needs to be consistency on sanction polices | Ismail Y Syed

Given the current crises being faced by Ukraine and recent annexation of its territory Crimea by Russia, there has been extensive discussion on what steps needs to be taken to deal with the current crises. Sanctions came on top of the list and the issue was compared with Iran under the sanctions. Many authors argued either for comprehensive set of sanctions or for useless set of sanctions with limited effect on Russia yet implicitly justifying for such sanctions to remain in place for Iran or at least remaining silent as seen from the recent article by Lee S. Wolosky in Foreign Affairs, 19 March 2014. I tried explaining in my comment that such inconsistency in the policy as well as when it comes to dealing with the countries concerned only fuels further grievances that can only explode into further threat. Best way to contain the threat is being consistent with the policy rather than showing half hearted action that reflects indecisiveness.