Author archives: Faith Matters

World’s largest cemetery grows bigger as Shi’ite militias bury their dead
August 23, 2016 By Faith Matters

World’s largest cemetery grows bigger as Shi’ite militias bury their dead

The world’s largest cemetery, in Iraq’s Shi’ite holy city of Najaf, is expanding at double its usual rate as the nation’s death rate increased with the war on Islamic State. The Wadi al-Salam cemetery, Arabic for “Peace Valley,” has a special place in the hearts of Shi’ite Muslims as it surrounds  the Mausoleum of their […]

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Europeans turn to weapons in growing numbers after attacks
August 23, 2016 By Faith Matters

Europeans turn to weapons in growing numbers after attacks

Europeans in a number of countries are seeking to arm themselves with guns and self-defence devices in growing numbers following a series of attacks by militants and the mentally ill. Some weapons sellers also link their increased business to the arrival of huge numbers of migrants in Europe, although a German police report stated that […]

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Islamist rebel apologises for wrecking Timbuktu shrines in landmark trial
August 22, 2016 By Faith Matters

Islamist rebel apologises for wrecking Timbuktu shrines in landmark trial

A former Islamist rebel admitted wrecking holy shrines during Mali’s 2012 conflict and apologised at the start of his trial at the International Criminal Court on Monday – its first case to focus on cultural destruction as a war crime. Mahdi asked for forgiveness and said he had been swept up in an “evil wave” […]

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Turkey asks Germany for help with Gulen crackdown
August 20, 2016 By Faith Matters

Turkey asks Germany for help with Gulen crackdown

Turkey’s government has sent German authorities requests for 40 searches and three extraditions linked to supporters of Fethullah Gulen, the U.S-based Muslim cleric it blames for last month’s attempted coup, magazine Der Spiegel reported on Saturday. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accuses a network of schools, charities and businesses led by Gulen, and built up in […]

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Migrants rescued off Libyan coast
August 19, 2016 By Faith Matters

Migrants rescued off Libyan coast

Dozens of migrants bound for Italy are rescued off the Libyan coast by a Spanish volunteer rescue ship, including one boat that is in the middle of sinking. A dramatic rescue at sea. Migrants bound for Italy plucked out of the sea after their dingy sank off the Libyan coast. Later they sit safely aboard […]

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Trump statue removed from Union Square in NYC
August 19, 2016 By Faith Matters

Trump statue removed from Union Square in NYC

A video posted on social media shows the removal of the nude Donald Trump statue that was placed in Union Square, New York City, on Thursday (August 18). Art collective ”INDECLINE” claimed responsibility for erecting the statue, entitled ”The Emperor Has No Balls”. The video shows NYC park officials driving away with the statue face-down […]

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Orthodox Jew stabbed in French city of Strasbourg
August 19, 2016 By Faith Matters

Orthodox Jew stabbed in French city of Strasbourg

An Orthodox Jew was stabbed in the stomach in broad daylight in the French city of Strasbourg on Friday, local authorities said, by an attacker who several witnesses said shouted an Islamic religious phrase. The 62-year-old man was recovering in hospital and his life was not in danger, a Strasbourg rabbi told Reuters. His assailant […]

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Islamic State claims responsibility for attack on Russian traffic police
August 19, 2016 By Faith Matters

Islamic State claims responsibility for attack on Russian traffic police

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for an attack on a traffic police post outside Moscow on Wednesday in which both attackers were killed, calling it revenge for Russia’s aerial bombing campaign in Syria. The militant group made the claim via the Amaq news agency, which it regularly uses to issue statements, and released a video […]

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Harrowing video shows dazed, bloodied boy pulled from Aleppo rubble
August 18, 2016 By Faith Matters

Harrowing video shows dazed, bloodied boy pulled from Aleppo rubble

His face bloodied and completely covered in dust, the little boy sits quietly, staring ahead, dazed and shocked after an apparent air strike in the Syrian city of Aleppo. Alone in an ambulance, the boy – identified by doctors as five-year-old Omran Daqneesh – tries to wipe the blood off his head, unaware of the […]

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Who is an extremist? UK faces legal challenge over strategy to stop radicals
August 17, 2016 By Faith Matters

Who is an extremist? UK faces legal challenge over strategy to stop radicals

To his detractors, including the British government, Salman Butt is an extremist whose views on Islam fly in the face of Britain’s values and help foster an atmosphere where young Muslims can be radicalised by militants. Even though he is not accused of supporting militant groups or violence, the British authorities believe it is only […]

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