Germany shuts down mosque over ‘ISIS sponsoring & recruiting’

December 17, 2015 By administrator

German authorities have raided and shut down a mosque in Stuttgart on grounds of promoting violence and raising money for terrorist organizations such as Islamic State militants. Authorities said that some of its parishioners traveled to fight for IS to Syria.

Police raided a mosque and cultural center called the Islamic Educational and Cultural Center Mesdschid Sahabe (MSM) in the southwestern city of Stuttgart on Thursday. Computers, data storage devices, smartphones, documents were seized, while the center was closed, said Reinhold Gall, the interior minister of Baden-Wurttemberg state.

“The association supports, in the form of the so-called Islamic State, an Islamist group that carries out religiously-motivated attacks against persons and property,” he said as quoted by AFP.

Known Salafists and fundamentalist Islamists most of them from western Balkans have been frequent visitors of the mosque, he added. Ten people have travelled to Syria to fight for IS after visiting the center while three of them have since died, he said.

“Through the association, donations have been collected for terrorist groups and fighters recruited for the conflict in Syria. In addition, the association and its members glorify jihad and religiously motivated terrorism,” he said. “We do not tolerate associations that advocate the use of violence to promote religious concerns and collect donations for terrorist groups.”

The mosque and center was previously raided by police in March to gather evidence.
On Wednesday, Germany introduced a new special unit consisting of some 250 officers to counter terrorism threat. “The danger in Germany from international terrorism is high, as it is across Europe,” Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told reporters. “It was high, it is high, and it will remain high for the foreseeable future.”

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, police arrested a prominent German extremist preacher Sven Lau on suspicion of supporting IS. Ralf Jaeger, North Rhine-Westphalia’s interior minister, has described Lau as “one of the leading figures” among German Salafists. Lau is also known for organizing the so-called ‘Sharia police’ which was preaching Salafist morals outside casinos and bars in the city of Wuppertal. last year.

Since 2012, about 670 people have left Germany to join IS and other terrorist organizations in Syria and Iraq, according to figures provided by the Interior Ministry.

Source: RT

Turkey: Tens of thousands of mosques in Turkey, many of Armenian churches transformed into a mosque

October 18, 2015 By administrator

With churches-including many churches transformed into mosques arméniennes- and -including some mosques built by architects Arméniens- Turkey identifies several tens of thousands of mosques. Ankara has just released the list of cities that host the largest number of mosques. Istanbul naturally tops -in relation to its population of over 12 million inhabitants- but curiously, Konya came second to the capital Ankara. Below is the list of cities with the largest number of mosques:

Istanbul 3269
Konya 3115
Ankara 2955
Samsun 2674
Kastamonou 2601
Antalya 2161
Ordu 2079
Trabzon 1994
Diyarbakir 1968
Izmir 1864
Urfa 1849
Erzurum 1572
Adana 1417
Van 1347
Marash 1305
Ayntab 970
Kharpert 966
940 Malatia
Bitlis 692
Artvin 690
Mush 588
Erzincan 575
Kars 504
Ardahan 275
Igdir 243
Dersim 92

Krikor Amirzayan

13 dead as suicide bomber attacks Saudi mosque

August 6, 2015 By administrator

A suicide bomb attack inside a mosque in a local security forces headquarters in Abha city in south-west Saudi Arabia killed 13 people and wounded nine on Thursday, Aug 6, the Saudi state news agency reported, citing an interior ministry spokesman.

State television had earlier reported a death toll of 17, according to Reuters.

The mosque in Abha was part of the local headquarters of a state security unit called the Special Emergency Force, the spokesman was cited as saying.

Of those killed, 10 were members of the force, while three were workers in the compound. They were praying when the bomber struck within their ranks, he said.

In May, two suicide bomb attacks on Shi’ite mosques in Saudi Arabia were claimed by Islamic State. The first on a mosque in Qatif in the east of the kingdom killed 21 worshippers, and another four died in a bombing a week later at a mosque in Dammam.

Another bombing claimed by Islamic State on a Shi’ite mosque in Kuwait in June killed 27 people.

Istanbul, Turks call for reopening the Hagia Sophia Christian Church as a mosque

May 31, 2015 By administrator

Thousands of people performed the morning prayer on Sunday in front of the historic Hagia Sophia museum, a former church turned into a mosque after the conquest of Istanbul, while demanding that it be turned back into a mosque.

The huge group prayer in front of the Hagia Sophia, called Aya Sofya in Turkish, was held to commemorate the 562nd anniversary of the conquest, according to organizers.

A number of groups from across İstanbul and Turkey gathered in front of the Hagia Sophia at 4 a.m. on Sunday as part of an event organized by the Anatolian Youth Association (AGD), which aims for the Hagia Sophia museum to be open for prayer again. The organization made statements such as “Chains to be broken, Aya Sofya to be opened” and “Come with your prayer rug.”

Speaking to the crowd gathered in front of Hagia Sophia, AGD head Salih Turhan called for the museum to be turned into a mosque again. “You demonstrated an important stance by coming here from the different parts of Turkey to break the chains of Aya Sofya,” Turhan said. AGD İstanbul head Ali Uğur Bulut defined the Hagia Sophia as the symbol of İstanbul and the conquest and stated that it is unacceptable for it to be closed to prayer.

After the speeches delivered by AGD members, Firas Qazzaz, the muezzin of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, appeared on the platform established by the AGD, and recited the adhan (call to prayer). Following the adhan, Seccad Mustafa lead the morning prayer.

After the morning prayer, Abdurrahman Sadien, who won first place in an international Quran memorization and recitation contest, read the Quran to the crowd.

The Hagia Sophia Museum was first dedicated as an Orthodox patriarchal basilica in the year 360. Until 1453 it served as the Greek Patriarchal cathedral of Constantinople, as the city was then named. Following the city’s conquest by the Ottoman Empire, the building was turned into a mosque in 1453 and remained a mosque until 1931, when it was closed to the public for four years. It was reopened by the Turkish republican authorities in 1935 as a museum.

Nationalist Turks believe that barring worship at Hagia Sophia is an affront against Sultan Mehmet, who designated it as a mosque and who, like other Ottoman leaders, served as caliph to the Islamic world.

There have been claims that Hagia Sophia will be reopened as a mosque in the run up to the general election on June 7 to boost support for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) among religious Turks. The office of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan denied last week a report which claimed that the president was planning to perform a prayer at the Hagia Sophia with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu on Saturday, May 30, a day which coincided with official celebrations of the conquest of İstanbul.

IHH members perform morning prayer in front of Israeli Embassy on Mavi Marmara incident anniversary

In another incident over the weekend, a group gathered in front of the Israeli Embassy building and performed the Islamic morning prayer on Sunday to commemorate fifth anniversary of the raid on the Mavi Marmara ship in 2010.

A group of people who set off from the central Anatolian city of Konya to attend a march for the liberation of Jerusalem organized by the Humanitarian Aid Foundation (İHH) in İstanbul made a stop in the capital city of Ankara.

Gathering in front of the Israeli Embassy building, the group laid their prayer rugs and performed the morning prayer.

The Mavi Marmara was a Turkish ship that was stormed by commandos enforcing the Israeli naval blockade of the Palestinian-governed Gaza Strip. The incident resulted in the deaths of eight Turkish nationals and one Turkish-American activist on May 31, 2010. The aid vessel had been attempting to break Israel’s long-standing naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Source: Zaman

Phoenix AZ: Despite Extreme Tension, ‘Free Speech’ Protest Outside Phoenix Mosque Remains Peaceful

May 30, 2015 By administrator

Some images included in this story contains strong language.

A “free speech” protest was held in Phoenix Friday evening, with anti-Islam protesters gathering to demonstrate outside a mosque following a “draw Muhammad” contest.

While tense, the protest appeared to remain peaceful as participants clashed with mosque and Muslim community supporters who came out to hold a counter-demonstration.

A spokesperson for the Phoenix Police department said there were no arrests or reports of injuries.

Police divided anti-Islam protesters from counter-demonstrators. Members of both parties, however, engaged in heated shouting matches across the police line.

Many anti-Islam protesters could be seen wearing “f*** Islam” shirts and holding similar signs. Those counter-demonstrating held “peace” and “f*** ISIS not Islam” signs.

Source: theblaze.com

Turkey’s Erdogan, Began the Turkification of South America by using Islam again

February 12, 2015 By administrator

Erdoğan presents Cuba mosque

“Turkey understand the power of Islam that’s how they used to concur three continent”

It was Turkey who created Cuban missiles crisis almost US and Russia destroyed each others

Turkish President Erdoğan presents Cuba mosque project to Castro,

Although Cuban officials have already agreed with Saudi Arabia for the construction of a mosque in Havana, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has told Cuban President Raul Castro that Ankara would like to conduct its own project similar to Istanbul’s iconic Ortaköy mosque in another Cuban province.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with Castro in Havana on Feb. 11, Erdoğan said Cuban officials had already made an agreement with Saudi Arabia for the construction of a mosque in Havana.

“We want to build the mosque ourselves. We don’t want a partner. If you find it appropriate, we would like to build it in Havana. But if you have promised a Havana mosque to other people, then we can build our Ortaköy Mosque in another Cuban province,” Erdoğan quoted himself as saying to Castro.

Mustafa Tutkun, the vice general manager of Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), announced in November 2014 that Ankara had been negotiating with Cuban officials to build a mosque on two hectares of land in Havana’s historic center. The Diyanet had proposed the construction of a mosque similar to the picturesque Ortaköy Mosque in Istanbul, which was built by Ottoman Armenian architects Garabet and Nigoğayos Balyan in 1856.

Erdoğan added on Feb. 11 that “Cuban officials have no negative attitude” regarding the issue, stressing that the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), as well as the Diyanet, will finalize the deal.

Turkey’s neo-ottoman architect Davutoğlu to build Balkans’ largest mosque in Tirana

October 27, 2014 By administrator

The new mosque will be able to host 4,500 worshipers at the same time, Diyanet officials have said. AA Photo

Turkey’s Directorate for Religious Affairs (Diyanet) has announced plans to build the largest mosque in the Balkans, in the Albanian capital Tirana, citing the low capacity in the city’s sole existing mosque.

Only 60 people are able to worship at the same time in the Et’hem Bey Mosque, despite the fact that 70 percent of Tirana’s population of over 300,000 is Muslim, İsmail Palakoğlu, the head of the Diyanet Foundation (TDV), told state-run Anadolu Agency on Oct. 27. Palakoğlu said they planned to build the new mosque on one hectare of land.

People are worshipping in the Tirana Square during holidays because the Et’hem Bey Mosque is not big enough, he said. “There is difficulty during rainy weather. But in the new mosque, which will have four minarets, 4,500 people will be able to pray,” he added.

Palakoğlu said the license procedure was still ongoing, but added that they planned to complete the construction of the mosque within two to three years.

Following Turkey’s presidential election in late August, incoming Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu brought the Diyanet under his subordination as part of reassignments in the new Cabinet. Though previously subordinated to another ministry, the Diyanet is the highest religious authority in Turkey, which despite being a Muslim majority country has been a secular state since the 1920s.

The TDV has been involved in a number of high profile activities abroad this year, paying the wages of imams in the flood-hit Bosnia and Herzegovina in addition to restoring mosques and other religious buildings that were damaged in the flood.

In Istanbul, ISIS Operated Mosques Said to Be Training Azeri Jihadists

July 28, 2014 By administrator

ISTANBUL (Panorama.am)—The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the terrorist organization that has been waging war in Syria and now Iraq, is reportedly known to be operating mosques in Istanbul, where Azerbaijani jihadist recruits, among others, are trained for the war in Syria, according to a report by Azerbaijani news agency Haqqin, citing an announcement by one of the leaders of the clerical community of Istanbul, Hasan Kanaalti.

Kanaalti reported that ISIS has taken control of a number of mosques in the neighborhoods of Fatih, Ataşehir, Esenyurt, and Bağcılar. Young people from Azerbaijan undergo training in these mosques, he says, after which they are sent to war in Syria.

“The authorities do nothing and we are going to ensure the security of our community ourselves. We have called for meetings with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but we haven’t received any response from him for more than 10 days,” said Kanaalti.

According to the source, just days ago an attack occurred on Istanbul’s Muhammadi Mosque, where members of the Jafari Muslim community were holding a gathering. The attack was probably carried out by members of ISIS, Kanaalti says.

“We were told that we would not be allowed to pray Azan. One of the neighborhoods in which ISIS is based is Fatih. There the Salafis distribute booklets and fuel anti-Shia aggression. They have created an extended network of their missions in Ataşehir [district in Istanbul] where prior to being sent to Syria young jihadists from Azerbaijan are hosted for a couple of days. The government cannot but know about this,” Kanaalti explained.

As reported by Iranian news agency IRNA, the restraints on political and religious activities in Azerbaijan are one of the main reasons why ISIS considers the country a fertile land for the recruitment of jihadists.

Citizens of Azerbaijan are reportedly fighting among various terrorist groupings in Syria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. According to the data of Azerbaijani information agency Vesti.az, the total number of Azerbaijani terrorists in these countries is 300. Meanwhile, according to information provided by the Azerbaijani media, about 200 Azerbaijani terrorists have died within the last three years in Syria alone.

ISIS militants blow up Prophet Jonas’ tomb in Mosul – (video)

July 25, 2014 By administrator

(Reuters) People walk through the rubble of the Prophet Younis Mosque after it was destroyed in a bomb attack by militants of the Islamic State, formerly known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the city of Mosul, July 24, 2014.

The shrine of Jonas – revered by Christians and Muslims alike – has been turned “to dust” near Iraq’s Mosul. Footage of the event was posted online, and witnesses said it took ISIS militants just an hour to stuff the mosque with explosives.

“ISIS militants have destroyed the Prophet Younis (Jonah) shrine east of Mosul city after they seized control of the mosque completely,” an anonymous security source told the Iraq-based al-Sumaria News.

The extremist group ISIS changed its name from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS/ISIL) to just the Islamic State (IS), after formally declaring a new caliphate in Syria and Iraq at the end of June.

Muslims know the tomb as the shrine of Younis, whereas Christians refer to it as the tomb of Jonas.

Jonas is renowned for having been swallowed by a fish or a whale in the Bible’s Old Testament, with a similar story being present in the Koran. The site upon which the mosque had been built dated back to the eighth century BC.

“[The] Islamic State completely destroyed the shrine of Nabi Yunus after telling local families to stay away and closing the roads to a distance of 500 meters from the shrine,” an anonymous official from the Sunni Endowment, which manages Sunni religious affairs in Iraq, told AFP.

Israel hits mosque in Gaza strike as death toll tops 120

July 12, 2014 By administrator

Airstrikes by the Israel Defense Forces on Gaza have hit a mosque and a center for the disabled, killing two women. That raises the death toll from the IDF‘s “Operation Protective Edge” to more than 120.

Officials claim the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) targeted the mosque because militants had stored rockets there. Since Israel launched “Operation Protective Edge” Tuesday, militants have launched 700 rockets into the country, killing no one so far, perhaps thanks in part to the Iron Dome missile-defense system, which has intercepted 140 such attacks so far.

“We have accumulated achievements as far as the price Hamas is paying and we are continuing to destroy significant targets of it and other terror organizations,” Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said after a meeting with top security officials on Saturday. “We will continue to punish it until quiet and security returns to southern Israel and the rest of the country.”

Air raid sirens have sounded as far north as Haifa, 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Gaza, previously thought out of missile range. A rocket struck a gas station Friday in the southern city of Ashdod, leaving eight people injured, one man seriously. In another incident, a rocket launched from Gaza made a direct hit on a house in Beersheba, though the family living there was out.

The UN, which say some three-quarters of the Palestinians killed in Gaza are civilians, said the campaign may violate international law. On Saturday, the organization called for a ceasefire, saying it was worried about the possibility of escalating casualties on both sides.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has asked Hamas to tell militants to hold their fire. “I don’t like it when Palestinian blood is being traded,” Abbas told Lebanese television. He said the IDF had superior firepower and that, “with great sorrow, Israel does not treat us as humans or people.”

Relations between Israeli and Palestinian officials were at a low even before “Operation Protective Edge” began.

‘Deeply disturbing reports’

In Israel’s last major Gaza assault, 2012‘s weeklong “Operation Pillar of Defense,” airstrikes killed 100 Palestinians and the IDF earned accusations of war crimes for bombing civilians and media. In “Protective Edge,” Israel has killed 120 people, as many as two-thirds of them civilians, including the two women killed Saturday at the center for people with disabilities, and more than 20 of those children.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would press the campaign until militants ceased fire. IDF troops have massed along the border ahead of a possible ground invasion, creating worry of a repeat of “Operation Cast Lead,” in which more than 900 Palestinian civilians were killed in a three-week period at the end of 2008 and beginning of 2009.

By Saturday, the IDF had struck more than 1,100 targets, including rocket launchers, command centers and weapons facilities. Gaza officials say the strikes have also hit places of worship, health care centers and homes. Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Kidra said on Saturday that, in addition to the 120 Palestinians killed, more than 920 had been wounded in the attacks by Israel.

mkg/rc (Reuters, AFP, dpa, AP)