Islamic research

The Iraqi government will provide weapons and equipment to citizens who volunteer to fight against jihadist fighters, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said on Tuesday. Maliki, in a statement broadcast on state TV, said the cabinet has “created a special crisis cell to follow up on the process of volunteering and …

BAGHDAD — The infantryman and his colleagues were already worn down after six months of fighting militants in western Iraq, men flush with weapons and zeal. Army commanders had no answer for the daily deadly ambushes and no broader strategy for prevailing in the longer war. The final straw was …

With thousands of Arab and foreign militants and a commander with designs on the leadership of al-Qaeda, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has become the gravest threat in Iraq and Syria. Despite the loss of two leaders, and earning the fury of even the core al-Qaeda …

Influential Iraqi Shia cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, has called for the formation of a special force to defend religious sites in Iraq. Sadr, who once ran the powerful Mahdi Army, said in a statement on Wednesday that he was ready to help create “peace units to defend the holy sites of …

IHRC believes that all criminal defendants should enjoy the fundamental right to open justice The impending trial of two suspects charged with terrorism offences in secret in a closed court would amount to an abandonment of the fundamental right to a fair trial and disproportionately impact Muslims. The trial of …

The Moroccan sales manager Madiha Zoubiri is like many Abu Dhabi residents. She prefers not to travel during Ramadan. “My concept of a holiday is to take a break from everything related to real life,” she says. “If I was fasting, I wouldn’t be able to do all of the …

Iraqi security forces have repelled a large-scale attack by militants on the central city of Samarra, officials say. Gunmen travelling in dozens of vehicles attacked checkpoints on the east and west on Thursday morning before taking control of several areas. The army responded with helicopter strikes in which officials said …

A statement by the Royal College of Psychiatrists that people are not born gay has been welcomed as “a major admission” by a Christian charity that helps men and women change unwanted same-sex feelings. Core Issues Trust (CIT), which is campaigning against a ban on therapy being offered to people …

Aminur Chowdhury from Bradford was racially abused by Ben Gallon, but instead of insulting him back, he decided to engage in conversation by inviting the homeless man for a drink. Mr Chowdury said: “Initially I turned the other cheek but then I was challenging Ben about what he had said to …

Asda seems to have scored an own goal with a “wearable England flag” launched for the World Cup that shoppers have compared to a Ku Klux Klan outfit. Yours for £3, the accessory has a large St George’s Cross with the world “England” and a triangular white hood. Members of …