Terrorism

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 […]

Counter-Terrorism

Not Serious re: Terrorism: GOP House Cut out funding for al-Qaeda, Iraq Records & Research

Juan Cole

Representatives on the Hill talk a good game about going back into Iraq or pursuing a global war on terror, but they aren’t actually very interested in all that. Exhibit A: they’ve applied the same austerity to the Conflict Records Research Center as they did to the working poor and Veterans on food stamps. This […]

Iraq

Iraq: Al-Baghadi Criticizes Wealthy Gulf Leaders, as Russia, Iran, Gun for Him

contributors

By: Sami Kleib There was no mention of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s speech. However, he did make a statement that Gulf leaders should not take lightly. He said: “I do not promise you prosperity and security the way kings and leaders promise their followers and subjects…” This criticism of kings […]

Democracy

Exiled Governor of Mosul: We Need Local Troops to Take it Back

contributors

niqash | Special Correspondent | Erbil | Prominent Sunni Muslim politician, Atheel al-Nujaifi, who is also the governor of Ninawa province in-exile, talks about why he fled the city when Sunni Muslim extremists attacked. He also explains why the solution for the current Iraqi crisis must come from within the Sunni Muslim population, and why […]