Salem-News.com Terrorism articles Page 10

Open Our Eyes

A golden rule for all of us: welcome every idea, however strange it seems, as long as it doesn’t claim to be the absolute good, and as long as it doesn’t refuse differences, and let go of every idea that shuts the door for creation and progress.

(KABUL) - While catching up with each other over the challenges facing ordinary Afghans and Egyptians, Sherif Sameer and I talked about how ‘opening our eyes’ could go a long way toward building a better world. We decided to co-write this piece, from Ismailia, Egypt and Kabul, Afghanistan.

The truth is there, clear and burning like a sun. We only need to open our eyes and take a look. ‘Our eyes’ means ‘our minds’. The mind is that big thing on top of our necks inside of our heads, and it has a function called ‘thinking’.

The Beat Goes on and the Anger Grows

In this murderous drone bombing, 14 civilians were killed, including a baby and women. Baby killing does not elicit love and compassion from destroyed families; it promotes an intense hatred of the US government.

(JAMESTOWN, RI) - Three events occurred this week explain the ever growing worldwide anger towards the US. The first is the continued murder of innocents by US drones in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

‘There were pieces of my family all over the road,’ said Jan, recalling the deadly Sept. 7 late afternoon incident in an interview with the Los Angeles Times last week.

Taliban Shadow District Governor Killed in Herat Province

Adraskan district chief Haji Lal Mohammad Omarzai confirmed that the shadow governor and deputy governor of the Taliban group in Shindand were killed during the operations.

(KABUL) - According to local authorities in western Herat province of Afghanistan, Taliban shadow district governor for Shindand was killed during a military operation by Afghan special forces.

A local security official in Adraskan district confirmed the report and said seven other militants were also killed during the operation.

Taliban Militants Lay Down Arms in N. Afghanistan

More than 4,000 militants, according to Afghan officials, have laid down arms and joined the government-backed peace process over the past one year, a claim rejected by Taliban outfit as baseless.

( PUL-E-KHUMRI, Afghanistan Xinhua) - Fourteen members of the Taliban insurgent group laid down arms and surrendered in Afghanistan's northern Baghlan Province on Saturday, provincial police chief Aminullah Omarkhil said.

"A total of 14 Taliban militants handed over their weapons to police and joined the peace process in Dande Ghori district on Saturday morning," Amarkhil told newsmen at a press conference.

Sharif In Kabul Pledges Support For Peace Talks

Relations between the two countries have been marked by tensions, with Afghanistan often accusing Pakistan of aiding Taliban leaders sheltering across the border.

(KABULRadio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) - During a visit to Kabul, Pakistan's prime minister has said he supports Afghan efforts to seek peace with the Taliban. Nawaz Sharif was speaking after meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on November 30. He said the recent release of a senior Taliban leader shows he is committed to helping bring peace to Afghanistan.

"I have assured my brother, President Karzai, that Pakistan would continue to extend all possible facilitation for the Afghan peace process," he said.

Message of Hope in the Time of Trouble

“A voice is a human gift; it should be cherished and used, to utter fully human speech as possible. Powerlessness and silence go together.” Margaret Atwood

(LONDON) - Amidst the trials and un-ending problems for the Christians living in Pakistan, certainly no words or actions can pacify or comfort those living there.

Under constant threats and the fear of something might happen which will shatter their lives in the form of persecution, attack or blasphemy law, God’s hand is more powerful to strengthen the Christians of Pakistan in their faith.

Free Syrian Army Leader Defects, Exposing FSA as Saudi-Israeli Run Project

Saddam al-Jamal has since become associated with a group of jihadists called DAASH which are an even greater threat to the Syrian populace than the FSA.

(SACRAMENTO) - The leader of the "Free Syrian Army" (FSA) Eastern Front, Saddam al-Jamal, has broken ties with the FSA, citing that the group has been infiltrated with foreign spy agencies from the west since the beginning.

Al-Jamal, who was a member of the FSA Staff Board or Supreme Military Council, has recently dissociated himself from the FSA, its Military Council, and the National Coalition, aligning himself with al-Qaeda's "Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant," or DAASH as they refer to themselves. Sadly, the group poses a greater threat to Syria than the FSA.

Salafist Crimes in Syria Against Islam Escalate as Sunnis Join Shia in Repudiation

U.S. backed Salafist extremists are turning Syria into a living hell for women.

(DAMASCUS) - Reports from across Syria, increasingly arriving from such diverse locations as Aleppo, Qalamoun and Reqaa, lay bare massive crimes now being perpetrated against the Syrian people in areas under Salafist control.

A recent German domestic intelligence service annual report describes Salafism as the fastest growing Islamic movement in Syria. And indeed, interviews conducted by this observer recently in Damascus indicate that mainstream Salafism, with its emphasis on adherence to the Koran’s principles and standards for correct behavior towards humanity, is being deeply subverted in the Syrian Arab Republic by forces organized from outside this country.

Hauled Over the Coals - Incompetent Puppet Finally Gets the Boot

Christian and other minorities are losing their voice in Pakistan's political arena.

(ISLAMABAD) - Tahir Khalil Sindhu – the only Minister in Punjab province, resigned from his portfolio as provincial minister for health after Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif severely reprimanded him for inefficiency.

And Pakistan Times reported “Incompetent” Sindhu gets the boot. A Health Ministry’s spokesperson said the chief minister confronted Sindhu over his inability to implement precautionary measures.

Pakistan: Rise in Blasphemy Accusations After Peshawar Church Bombing

Reactions from the Muslim majority to the protests were mixed, which might signify how Christians are on the whole perceived in Pakistani society.

(PESHAWAR) - Two months ago, on September 22, two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside All Saints Church in Peshawar when congregants were leaving the church after the Sunday communion.

The incident was a landmark in the history of Pakistani Christians. To condemn this largest attack on the Christian community – in terms of loss of life – Christians from across the country held protest rallies, claiming that, as a recognised minority, the government fails to protect Christians.