The Rising Popularity of Female Jihadism

The image appears as Boumeddiene shooting a cross-bow

       The hunt is one for the 26 year-old woman wanted over Thursday's fatal shooting of a French policewoman.  Earlier reports suggested that Hayat Boumeddiene, might have escaped Friday from a kosher grocery store in easter Paris when French authorities mounted an operation to free hostages.  More recent reports are saying that she may have not even been in the country at the time.  Boumeddiene is said to have left for Turkey around January 2, final destination: Syria.  Photographs of Boumeddiene released by Le Monde show her shooting a crossbow while wearing a niqab.  This resonates as a puzzling image as jihad militant organizations support the Taliban-style rules, which allow women only to have a role within the house.  Strangely enough, the number of women from the West taking an operational role in Jihadist terrorist plots has increased.  For example, Colleen LaRose a Caucasian-American 46 year old from Pennsylvania traveled to Europe in 2009 to attack Lars Vilks a Swedish arist who had drawn a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed's head on the body of a dog.  

       To me, it seems like a strange kind of jihadist female equal opportunity.  The message being, you can be a part of this holy war that seeks to instal a Taliban style utopia that will make sure that you never have a job or get an education.  But numbers seldom lie, of the 455 people who have been publicly identified from around the world who have traveled or were arrested while attempting to travel to Syria to fight with a terrorist organization, an astonishing 36 of them were women from the West.  Thats remarkably 8%.  Even more remarkably is the fact that the mean age is only 18 years.  These women hail from Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, Britain and the United States amongst other.  In many cases, they are going to Syria with the fantasy that they will marry the jihadist militant of their dreams.  Many of these aspiring so called "ISIS Brides" come from The United States.  In October 2014, three teenage girls from Colorado were intercepted at Frankfurt airport in Germany as they were trying to make their way to Syria to join ISIS.  I think that it is horrible that these three girls were planning to give away their lives at such an early age just to try to do something that momentarily seemed like a formidable idea.  The main message is that the phenomenon of females joining the jihad has become far more common in the past few years, and I see this trend continuing to grow unless our countries take some action on the subject matter.   

William Deo

Adapted From: 

http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/10/opinion/bergen-female-jihadists/index.html

Search Continues for Charlie Hebdo Suspects

The iconic Eiffel Tower was plunged into darkness as
a mark of respect

       The search wears on, late through the night and into the early morning as authorities are attempting to use helicopters to track the suspects.  The current search area is a wooded area near Crepy-en-Valois, France.  Authorities claim sources viewed them entering the woods on foot.  The French government has deployed 80 000 personnel in an effort to locate and detain the duo.  The search is focused on the Picardy region of France where heavily armed officers roam.  The two suspects are Cherif Kouachi,32, and Said Kouachi, 34. A gas station attendant claims that the armed brothers threatened him near Villers-Cotterets in Picardy, stole fuel and food then drove off late Thursday morning.  Earlier Thursday, before the suspects reportedly stole from the gas station, a gunman dressed in black clothes resembling the Kouachi brothers shot and killed a female police officer in the Paris suburb of Montrouge.  Although it is largely probable, it has not been officially connected to the earlier slaying of 12 on Wednesday at the Satirical magazine's headquarters in Paris.  

       The utmost credit, however, must be given to the French Government.  I think that they have handled the case and managed their people very well.  They have portrayed the image that they are not afraid of the supposed terrorist and that they are ready to take on the suspects.  They have also put no limits on the strength that they have employed.  They are making sure that there is no possible way for these men to remain unconvicted by deploying over 80 000 officials.  These men are both in the US database of known or suspected international terrorists and one of the brothers (unspecified) had travelled to Yemen in 2005 to train with al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.  The Prime Minister, Manuel Valls has put both the Picardy and Ile-de-France regions on the highest alert level.  He has done all of this whilst managing to control and calm his people.  An ISIS radio broadcast on Thursday praised the attackers, even calling them "brave Jihadists".  However there was no claim of responsibility for the attack.  The French people have rallied together on Twitter creating the hashtag #JeSuisCharlie, in an attempt to commemorate those who were shot in the initial shooting.  Furthermore, the Eiffel Tower in Paris went dark at 8:00 PM in remembrance of the victims of the attack.

William Deo

Adapted from: http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/08/europe/charlie-hebdo-paris-shooting/index.html

Discovery of Flight QZ8501's Tail Might Have Further Rewards

The word Air from the tail section discovered in the Java Sea

       It would appear that early Wednesday Morning, search and rescue teams have stumbled upon the tail section of AirAsia Flight QZ8501.  This major breakthrough in the case was discovered in the murky waters of the Java Sea, made even more difficult by thunderstorms and high waves.  Divers on sight were able to take the first pictures of what would appear to be the wreckage of the Airbus A320-200.  Why the tail section is so vital in the investigation is because this section contains the flight data and voice recorders, known as the "black boxes".  According to aviation executives, both the flight data and cockpit voice recorders are absolutely crucial in gaining and understanding as to what has happened.  However, it is still quite uncertain if the black boxes are actually contained in this piece of wreckage.  It is improbable, but entirely possible that the flight recorders did come loose during the impact between the plain and the water.  This leads investigators to the realization that the recorders may have "fallen free" of the tail section.  Nevertheless, these possibilities did not prevent AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes from sending out an optimistic tweet announcing that the black boxes "should be there".

       I think the recorders are definitely the most important pieces of evidence when it comes to investigating a case like the one of QZ8501.  It is extremely difficult, if not impossible to formulate a great understanding of what had happened solely based on wreckage from the plane.  Officials are still puzzled by what have brought down a reliable jet-liner with an extremely experienced crew from 36 000 ft in the sky.  The plane had 162 passengers on board and was set to fly from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore.  Unfortunately the destination would never be realized for those from Indonesia, Britain, France, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea.  I think this is especially devastating for families of those onboard, particularly those who had more than one family member onboard the plane.  Many schoolchildren were returning to Singapore after vacationing in Indonesia over the Christmas break.  The devastatement was incredible to those who had lost their friends and classmates.  Still the airline announced their offer of roughly $100 000 USD in addition to the $24 000 initially offered to the families of each member on board.  I do not think that this is enough to compensate for a lost loved one, but then again, what sum of money will.  Of the 40 bodies discovered, only 16 have been identified.  I hope that the families, will be reunitied with their loved ones and come to peace with the fate that they have unfortunately suffered.  

William Deo

Adapted From: 

http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/07/asia/airasia-disaster/index.html

Jihad Leader Killed in Northern Mali

MUJWA is just one of the Jihadist groups in West Africa

       The man purportedly behind numerous high profile attacks and kidnappings has been killed by French troops.  The man, Ahmed el Tilemsi, was the military head and co-founded the jihadist group called the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJWA).  He ran one of the several groups active in the region.  In December 2012, the U.S. Government designated el Tilemsi as a terrorist and offered up to $5 million for information leading to him.  He was killed on Wednesday night in a French military operation, which was coordinated with the Malian forces.  Approximately 10 other suspected terrorists were "neutralized" in the same operation.  The former colony of France says they were either killed or taken captive.  The group has previously abductee aid workers, attacked police bases and kidnapped diplomats.  The attacks all took place in Algeria and since 2012 the group has been relatively quiet.  

       This man had been a known suspect for a number of years and I think that the french government was correct in their actions and reasonings.  Upon further investigation, el Tilemsi was a former member of al Qaeda and in September 2011, broke off into the Islamic Maghreb.  This man has been a known terrorist for many years past.  However, over the past two years, el Tilemsi and his group have been rather quiet in the realm of jihadists.  Many argue that the price of death is wrongful to impose on a person because of their actions.  They go on to say that life was not given to you by a government therefore, the government should not be able to take that away from you.  There are definitely pros and cons to all beliefs and thoughts towards this matter.  However, European governments do not seem to be open to other thoughts on this matter.  I think we can all agree though that it is a good thing that people like el Tilemsi are put to rest.

William Deo

Adapted from:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/11/world/africa/jihadist-leader-killed-mali/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

The Garner Verdict Will Not Be Let Up

Obama on Garner verdict: 'We are not going to let up'

       On Wednesday President Barack Obama said that he and Attorney General Eric Holder are not going to let up in the effort to solve the problem of racial tensions that exists between law enforcement officers and minorities in communities nationwide.  These remarks came after the second controversial non-indiction of a police officer in the past month.  Eric Garner, an unarmed black man was subject of a chokehold death in July.  The Justice Department is currently investigating the death of Eric Garner and whether civil rights were violated. Obama claims that the government must work to strengthen the trust and accountability that exists between American communities and law enforcement division.  Many white representatives thank the Staten Island grand jury for doing justice even though, unlike in Ferguson incident, there is video evidence of the police's confrontation with Mr. Garner that exists. 

       I think that the American government needs to realize that this is an American problem.  Not just simply a black or minority problem.  The entire identity of the country is tarnished if every person is not being treated equally under the law.  I think Obama needs to spread this message to his people.  I think now that multiple examples of such cases have taken place, law enforcement need to improve training and become more accountable in order to regain and strengthen trust within local communities.  I think that the government needs to be entirely scrupulous in researching and investigating cases where accountability and partiality are concerns.  Charlie Rangel, a representative for the 13th District of New York said that we need to take this cancer in the American system and cut it out once and for all.  I fully agree with Rangel, all law enforcement must be completely impartial and accountable for all actions. 

William Deo

Adapted from: http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/03/politics/obama-eric-holder-on-eric-garner/index.html?iref=allsearch 

We Never Talk About Race Until Something Bad Happens

Often criticized for speaking out, Mr. Barkley provides
some harsh realities.

       Is it true?  In a recent interview with CNN, Charles Barkley, the man that does not mean to create controversies, just bring them to our attention, is once again doing his job.  Barkley said that he firmly stands by his comments he recently made.  Those include calling people who torched Ferguson buildings "Scumbags" and fellow black men degrading successful African-Americans as not black enough.  Barkley also agreed with the grand jury's decision not to indict former Officer Darren Wilson.  During the interview, Barkley repeatedly returned to the point that he does not believe that white cops are out to shoot black people because of racism.  He claims that we never discuss race in this country until something bad happens, even then, it usually reflects the tribe mentality.  This tribe mentality trumps everything else our minds, giving us the thought that no matter what, our group is correct, regardless of any other thoughts in our minds.  Barkley reminds that the black community has a lot of crooks and thieves, and that is that main reason that the police racially profile the African-American community, something Barkley does not always see as correct.  

       It is with extreme caution that I say that I agree with the words of Mr. Barkley.  While they are slightly too extreme for me to utter, this idea is something that is logical.  The fundamental idea is that this racial profiling has been brought upon black people, by black people.  Over decades and decades.  I disagree with the angry and destructive protests that ended up taking place after the grand-jury had announced their decision.  Anybody who is willing to peacefully protest is a great symbol of the United States of America, because that is the way that the country has developed and evolved.  This was shown most beautifully when NFL players held up their hands towards the sky as a symbolic gesture to Michael Brown and his family.  However, burning property, police cars and destroying houses of unknown owners is completely unnecessary and just leads to further racial profiling.  The police truly aren't out and about looking for black people to kill, the black community needs to engage in some self-examination in order to understand exactly what is happening in my opinion.   

William Deo

Adapted from: http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/02/us/charles-barkley-on-race/index.html?hpt=us_c2

ISIS Wife arrested in Lebanon

The woman suspected of being al-Baghdadi's wife

       According to a source, Lebanese authorities have arrested a wife of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.  He is the man spearheading the Islamist terror group's rampage across Syria and Iraq. According to the source, Saja al-Dulaimi is one of Baghdadi's two wives.  Her arrest came after weeks of planning this operation.  She is recognized as a powerful figure that is heavily involved in the movement.  However, this claim has not been without opposition.  Other sources claim that this woman is al-Baghdadi's ex-wife, not a current one.  Nevertheless, Al-Baghdadi is calling for the release of his son who was captured along with his wife at the border.  Al-Dulaimi was released from Syrian custody in March as part of a group of 150 women who were freed in exchange for a group of Syrian Nuns.  

       Mystery surrounds the arrest of a woman who may be the ISIS leader's wife.  I think that the plan of capturing all suspected members of ISIS at first hint is a good one.  Not only does this exclude them from all operations for the time being, but it can also lead to crucial information being released in an effort to stop the radical movement.  While little is known such as the exact date or even the gender of al-Dulaimi's child, we do know that this event took place.  Lebanon in recent years has been cracking down on border security in an attempt to prevent members of ISIS seeping into Lebanon.  They are trying to avoid problems spilling over from Iraq and Syria.  However, there are many questions as to why al-Dulaimi might be trying to escape Syria to enter Lebanon.  Is he estranged from them?  Were they trying to escape from him?  These all are possibilities, although nothing has been proven yet.  Yet the question still remains, is she simply an ex-wife who was married to a bad guy and had  a child?  Until this question has been answered, no further assumptions can be made.  

William Deo

Adapted from: http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/02/world/meast/lebanon-isis-leader-family/index.html?hpt=hp_t2