Islamic State of Iraq and Syria

By Khales Joumah | Mosul | via Niqash.org Over the weekend, the Sunni Muslim extremist group, Islamic State, entered the Sinjar area in northern Iraq. Their arrival saw the population, mostly members of the ethno-religious Yazidi group, flee. NIQASH spoke with three refugee families, one trapped in the mountains, another that made it to relative […]

Iraq

The Capital of the Caliphate: VICE on the so-called “Islamic State” in Syria & Iraq

contributors

By VICE: “The Islamic State, a hardline Sunni jihadist group that formerly had ties to al Qaeda, has conquered large swathes of Iraq and Syria. Previously known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the group has announced their intention to reestablish the caliphate and declared their leader, the shadowy Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, […]

Christianity

In Orgy of Destruction, IS Radicals reduce Ancient Iraqi Holy Sites To Rubble

contributors

By RFE/RL The Islamic State initially exhibited some restraint after entering northwestern Iraq in June, focusing on establishing control of the territories it held and gaining the trust of local Sunni communities. But as the self-declared caliphate has grown more comfortable in its surroundings, it has revealed its radical aims by destroying anything that conflicts […]

Christianity

The Persecution of Christians by ISIS contradicts idea of a Caliphate

contributors

By Erica C D Hunter, SOAS, University of London – via The Conversation ISIS conquests across northern Iraq have been comprehensive in recent weeks. Taking control of large parts of the region, they declared a Caliphate last month. And one group who have especially suffered at their hands are the Christians that have been a […]

Christianity

Iraq: Christians Say Terror Drove Them From Mosul

contributors

By Abdul Hamid Zebari via RFE/RL Rawan Jinan, a 25-year-old Iraqi Christian, says when she received an order on June 18 to leave Mosul within 24 hours, she could not believe her eyes. The order came in the form of a letter delivered to every Christian home by the Islamic State, formerly known as the […]

Christianity

Mosul w/out Christians for First time in 1,900 Years as Radical Fundamentalists Threaten Minorities

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole For the first time in nearly 2000 years, there are virtually no Christians in the city of Mosul in northern Iraq. The community is reported to have fled en masse after the so-called “Islamic State” (IS) of radical fundamentalists warned them that they faced the choice of converting to Islam, paying a […]

Islam

The Pretender-Caliph and Islamic History: The Truth about Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

contributors

By Asma Afsaruddin So Muslims of the twenty-first century have a caliph, do they? According to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the abolition of the caliphate in 1924 has now been reversed and the institution has been revived after an interregnum of ninety years. The new caliph is even called Abu Bakr, […]

Dissent

Escaping Mosul and ISIS Assassination Campaigns

contributors

niqash | Special Correspondent | Mosul | Refugees from the Ninawa province, of whihc Mosul is the capital, queue to get into Iraqi Kurdistan. One local journalist explains why streets in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul are so quiet, what’s worrying his family and friends there the most and how he himself managed to […]

al-Qaeda

Oil and Terrorist Groups: Iraq’s ISIS, others Seeking Black Gold

contributors

By Michael T. Klare via Tomdispatch Iraq, Syria, Nigeria, South Sudan, Ukraine, the East and South China Seas: wherever you look, the world is aflame with new or intensifying conflicts. At first glance, these upheavals appear to be independent events, driven by their own unique and idiosyncratic circumstances. But look more closely and they share […]