Charlie Hebdo survivor speaks out bravely

Her colleagues were brutally murdered by Islamic terrorists in January last year. She escaped because she just happened to be outside the office of Charlie Hebdo on that day. She is under very specific death threat now. But that is not stopping her from speaking out. Meet Zineb El Rhazoui, the most protected French woman.

Shaken but undeterred by the fatwas and relentless, precise death threats issued via social media to “kill the bitch” since she helped produce the publication’s first survivors’ issue following the attack — and spoke about it in Arabic for the Arab press — the Moroccan-French writer refuses to assume an anonymous identity. Fleeing Paris or abandoning her human rights activism, and her unforgiving critiques of the religion she grew up with, are also out of the question.

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Zineb El Rhazoui,   nylive – nytimes 

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17 Indian soldiers killed in terrorist attack in Kashmir

Islamist terror strike from across the border on an Indian Army camp in Kashmir resulted in deaths of 17 soldiers. All four terrorists were killed later in a gun battle.

Terrorists have killed 17 Army soldiers and injured 19 in a suicide attack on an Army camp in Kashmir. Four terrorists struck the camp close to the headquarter of the 12th Brigade at Uri in Baramulla District . This makes it one of the deadliest terrorist strikes on security forces in recent times.
To put the death toll in perspective, seven military personnel had been killed in the Pathankot terror attack in January 2016. The attack on the Indian Air Force base there has since become a major international diplomatic incident.
The high number of casualties in the Uri terror attack could be attributed to the fact that a large number of soldiers, from the Dogra Regiment, had been stationed at the camp in tents and other temporary structures. Some of these tents caught fire during the attack, and the fire spread to other parts of the barracks. The soldiers had been stationed there as they were turning over from a tour of duty.

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Credit – BBC

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Bomb blast in a hospital kills 63 in Pakistan

This terror attack was on a hospital. It happened at a time when mourners were gathering at the hospital  hearing the news of gunning down of a lawyer. Most of them killed were lawyers. Police say it might have been a suicide attack.

This happened in the biggest civil hospital in Quetta, the capital,of troubled Balochistan province. Balochistan has a history of lingering separatist problem and also Islamist violence. No one has claimed responsibility yet.

 At least 63 people were killed and over 40 others were injured when a bomb exploded inside Quetta’s Civil Hospital on Monday.

The blast, followed by firing, occurred as mourners gathered at the hospital after president of Balochistan Bar Association Advocate Bilal Anwar Kasi was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Quetta.

Image credit : AFP

Image credit : AFP

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Hazaras massacred for not being true Muslims

One after another, the bodies arrived on the steep hill in western Kabul.

For much of Sunday afternoon, an excavator was flattening the dusty area as men with shovels and pickaxes dug graves — four rows of 20 or so, packed so close that if the dead could stretch out their arms, they would touch those next to them.

ethnic Hazara man cries next to empty caskets on Sunday during burial ceremonies at a cemetery in the Omid-e-Sabz Township near Kabul, Afghanistan. Credit Adam Ferguson for The New York Times

The ethnic Hazara man cries next to empty caskets on Sunday during burial ceremonies at a cemetery in the Omid-e-Sabz Township near Kabul, Afghanistan. Credit Adam Ferguson for The New York Times

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Islamist extremists assault an upcoming writer

An upcoming writer was brutally assaulted in Kerala, India yesterday. It happened near my place around 40 miles from here. Twenty six years old P Jimshar was waiting for bus at the bus stop in Kootanad. An unknown person started a pleasant conversation with him. Few others joined and suddenly they began beating him. Luckily they did not had any weapons. Though severely beaten he survived without any critical injuries.

Jimshar.P (from Facebook)

Jimshar.P (from Facebook)

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The month of holy violence ?

On Friday night in the Dhaka restaurant they were choosy. On Saturday night in Baghdad,  when they killed 126 people including 25 children enjoying an evening out in the holy month of Ramzan, they were not.

Wait, it seems they were choosy on Saturday too.

Iraqi firefighters and civilians carry bodies of victims killed in a car bomb at a commercial area in Karada neighborhood, Baghdad, Iraq on Sunday. Khalid Mohammed / AP

Iraqi firefighters and civilians carry bodies of victims killed in a car bomb at a commercial area in Karada neighborhood, Baghdad, Iraq on Sunday. Khalid Mohammed / AP

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Killed for not being able to recite Koran and not wearing a veil

Twenty people who were dining in a restaurant in Dhaka, Bangladesh were killed by Islamic terrorists for not being able to recite Koran and not wearing a veil.

Gruesome image (blurred) released by ISIS

Gruesome image (blurred) released by ISIS

Which verse they should have recited ? Though not born a Muslim , I can tell the English translation of a few, though not by heart.

Should they recite this

Indeed, the penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and strive upon earth [to cause] corruption is none but that they be killed or crucified or that their hands and feet be cut off from opposite sides or that they be exiled from the land. That is for them a disgrace in this world; and for them in the Hereafter is a great punishment,              5:33

 

or this

And you did not kill them, but it was Allah who killed them. And you threw not, [O Muhammad], when you threw, but it was Allah who threw that He might test the believers with a good test. Indeed, Allah is Hearing and Knowing                                                                                         8:17

If those verses were recited, it would have reinforced the belief of the terrorist that heinous cruelty they are doing against those who cannot recite their holy book is for the mythical god and they will land up in heaven.

People may still say it has nothing to do with religious beliefs !

Shooting , hostage situation in Dhaka , Bangladesh

After the recent terror strike in Istanbul airport that killed 44 people, more disturbing news coming, this time from Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Police exchanged gunfire with armed attackers Friday in a diplomatic zone of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Gunmen are holding about 20 people hostage at Holey Artisan Bakery, a cafe popular with expats, cafe owner Sumon Reza told CNN. A police officer in charge of a nearby police station was shot dead.

Another report :

Sumon Reza, superviser at the bakery, who escaped the attack, told reporters that at least 20 people were at the bakery when the attack began and all of them were foreigners. He saw two attackers and both of them were slim and appeared to be under 30. He said they had small firearms and at least one was carrying a sharp weapon. He said the attackers were shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ when coming into the bakery. Two of the bakery’s staff are also foreigners, he said. One baker, an Italian, had escaped the attack but the other one, an Argentine, could not, according to Reza. His information could not immediately be verified.

Holy month becoming a very violent month?

Orlando transcript – Obama’s self goal

The FBI first came out with a censored transcript of conversation between Islamist terrorist and Orlando Police control room. The censoring was supposed to be to prevent further publicity to ISIS. Later after pressure from social media and Republicans they were forced to come out with full transcript.
What is the purpose of hiding the well known fact that the killer proclaimed allegiance to ISIS ?
Does the Obama administration think releasing full transcript will help Right wingers like Trump ?
Actually it’s a self goal by Obama.
It is such censoring that make people think Trump is right when he says the Administration is weak against terrorism and Islamism.

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Censored version:

Orlando Police Dispatcher (OD)
Shooter (OM)

OD: Emergency 911, this is being recorded.

OM: In the name of God the Merciful, the beneficial [in Arabic]

OD: What?

OM: Praise be to God, and prayers as well as peace be upon the prophet of God [in Arabic]. I let you know, I’m in Orlando and I did the shootings.

OD: What’s your name?

OM: My name is I pledge of allegiance to [omitted].

OD: Ok, What’s your name?

OM: I pledge allegiance to [omitted] may God protect him [in Arabic], on behalf of [omitted].

OD: Alright, where are you at?

OM: In Orlando.

OD: Where in Orlando?

[End of call.]
Uncensored version:

OD) Orlando Police Dispatcher
(OM) Omar Mateen
OD: Emergency 911, this is being recorded.
OM: In the name of God the Merciful, the beneficent [Arabic]
OD: What?
OM: Praise be to God, and prayers as well as peace be upon the prophet of God [Arabic]. I wanna let you know, I’m in Orlando and I did the shootings.
OD: What’s your name?
OM: My name is I pledge of allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi of the Islamic State.
OD: Ok, What’s your name?
OM: I pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi may God protect him [Arabic], on behalf of the Islamic State.
OD: Alright, where are you at?
OM: In Orlando.
OD: Where in Orlando?
[End of call.]

Hindu outfit leader arrested for Indian rationalist’s murder

In India many ‘well meaning’ followers of Hinduism believe that Hindus will never involve in religion inspired terrorism. Even today a friend talking about Orlando massacre mentioned such a naive belief. He repeated the Hindutva propaganda saying “though all Muslims are not terrorists all terrorists are Muslims”.

“Aren’t you aware of the arrest of a Hindu outfit leader for the cold-blooded murder of the famous rationalist Dabholkar two days ago ? And did you forget the most infamous of all terrorist action in India, the Mahatma Gandhi assassination? “I had to ask.

The question got the expected excuses as reply. Usually such excuses ranges from “that is a fringe group” to “it has nothing to do with ‘real’ Hinduism” and “why should they hurt religious sentiments and provoke believers”.

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