“Under Umar, the caliphate expanded to include many regions of the world such as the lands of the former Byzantine and Sassanian empires in Asia Minor, Persia and Central Asia.” Yeah, how exactly did that “expansion” occur? In reality, beyond the pseudo-academic whitewash and fantasy below, the caliphates always behaved much like the Islamic State, […]
Why was the Islamic State’s caliph al-Baghdadi given Islamic burial rites?
Didn’t everyone agree he was not Muslim? My FrontPage column: According to Reuters, “the United States has given the remains of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi a burial at sea and afforded him religious rites according to Islamic custom after he was killed in a U.S. commando raid in Syria on Saturday.” This information […]
Repentant Islamic State bride: “‘We are winning’ the battle against radical Islam”
These are comforting words, and that’s fine, but imagine the embarrassment of everyone in the West when they discover that the Islam of al-Baghdadi and John Georgelas and other jihadis is not radical, but mainstream, and that violent jihad against unbelievers is a constant feature of Islamic history. Here is proof. Also, how can it […]
How could Turkey not have known that al-Baghdadi was just a few miles from the Turkish border?
Clueless or complicit? The abundant evidence of Turkey aiding Islamic State jihadis points to the latter. “Why did Turkish intelligence fail at finding Baghdadi?,” by Seth J. Frantzman, Jerusalem Post, November 3, 2019: …How did Turkish intelligence not know what was going on within shouting distance of its border? How did a NATO ally as […]
France: No joy over death of al-Baghdadi, as the Islamic State has “inexorably altered” the fabric of daily life
“The killing of the Islamic State leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was met this week with no outpouring of joy or even relief in France, even though this is the European country that suffered most from his depredations. The reason is simple: the Islamic State’s crimes, and the fear they instilled in the national psyche, are […]
What Baghdadi’s Death Tells Us About the Real Terror Threat
Always look for the country behind the curtain. What’s the best place to look for the terrorist leader of a defeated Islamic terrorist group? When his men are on the run, look for his hideout in or near the country that sponsors him. We didn’t find Osama bin Laden hiding in a cave in Afghanistan, […]
Islamic State caliph al-Baghdadi’s underground bunker was filled with Islamic texts
Didn’t Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi realize that the Islamic State was un-Islamic and that Islam had nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism? Why didn’t Pope Francis pay him a visit in his underground bunker and explain to him that “authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran are opposed to every form of violence”? “The […]
Al-Baghdadi Dead, Leftists Crestfallen
A hero of the Left has passed away. My latest in FrontPage: Just in time for Halloween, one of the most famous undead people in the world, the Islamic State (ISIS) caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been reported dead yet again, and this time it actually appears to be true. President Trump announced the news […]
US gives Islamic State’s al-Baghdadi burial at sea with Islamic rites
US officials and the establishment media need to make up their mind. On the one hand we are told that the Islamic State, and jihad terrorism in general, has nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism, that terrorists have “hijacked” Islam, as Karl Rove repeated on Fox yesterday, and then we see the world’s biggest terror […]
Trump releases photo of “the wonderful dog that did such a GREAT JOB in capturing and killing the Leader of ISIS”
Watch for Dana Shell Smith and other Leftists to be enraged that Trump allowed a dog to be set on al-Baghdadi, since dogs are unclean in Islam; it was disrespectful, and above all, we must show respect to those who would destroy us. “Once Gabriel promised the Prophet (that he would visit him, but Gabriel […]
Austere Religious Scholar or Muslim Master of Mayhem? Or Both?
The Washington Post has unwittingly demonstrated the truth that Islam is not a religion of peace, a message it has been loath to acknowledge. On Sunday, it carried the obituary of self-styled ISIS Caliph Ibrahim, also known as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, under this original headline: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Islamic State’s ‘terrorist-in-chief,’ dies at 48. Inexplicably, […]
The ISIS Caliph Is Dead – But Who Was Protecting Him?
My latest in PJ Media: Islamic State (ISIS) caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead, killed by an American airstrike in northwest Syria. President Trump announced this morning: “U.S. Special operations forces executed a dangerous and daring night-time raid in northwestern Syria, and accomplished their mission in grand style. The U.S. personnel were incredible.” But the question now should not be […]
Washington Post hails al-Baghdadi as “austere religious scholar”
The Washington Post has now changed this headline, apparently after receiving torrents of ridicule for it, but consider this: imagine if a prominent foe of jihad terror died, and the Washington Post was writing about his death. Imagine that this individual had never called for or condoned any violence, much less terrorism, and had stood […]
Obama’s envoy to Qatar says Trump’s description of al-Baghdadi’s death “will endanger our personnel in the region”
This gruesome, vivid and probably exaggerated description of dogs chasing down Baghdadi will endanger our personnel in the region. — Dana Shell Smith (@AmbDana) October 27, 2019 When bin Laden was killed, we were careful to be clear that he had been given a proper Muslim burial. Not because we gave a damn about him […]
ISIS supporters: “The manifestation and continuation of this religion does not reside on the shoulders of people”
As I noted here early this morning, “it hardly matters whether he is dead or alive.” This is because jihadis don’t turn to jihad because they’re following some charismatic leader. They turn to jihad because they believe that in doing so, they are pleasing Allah and winning a place in Paradise. But of course our […]
Trump: Islamic State caliph died “crying, whimpering and screaming”
What was that you media folks were saying about how Trump had enabled a resurgence of ISIS in Syria? “Trump: Terrorist Leader Died ‘Crying, Whimpering And Screaming,’” Associated Press, October 27, 2019: WASHINGTON (AP) — The shadowy leader of the Islamic State group who presided over its global jihad and became arguably the world’s most […]
Islamic State’s caliph al-Baghdadi reported dead yet again
The Islamic State’s caliph has been reported dead. But he has been dead before: Islamic State’s caliph al-Baghdadi said to be severely injured, flees to Syria July 5, 2014 Several months later, after widespread reports that he had been killed in an airstrike: Islamic State caliph undead, calls for “volcanoes of jihad” November 13, 2014 […]
Muslim who says he grew up in UK says ISIS will “establish the sharia over your necks whether you like it or not”
Judging from the consistent behavior of British authorities, it looks as if they like it just fine. But doesn’t this fellow know that the Islamic State has nothing to do with Islam or Sharia? Why does this message come through loud and clear to non-Muslims in the West, but not to jihadis themselves? “‘GO TO […]
Keeping up with the Qardashians: Islamic State caliph al-Baghdadi names successor, Abdullah Qardash
The caliph without a caliphate, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is apparently still alive, at least as of April 9, but may be in ill health, as he has apparently named a successor, Abdullah Qardash. Qardash “had served as a religious commissar for Al Qaeda before joining ISIS.” “Religious commissar”? Don’t these people realize that al-Qaeda and […]
Syria: Wives of Islamic State jihadis stab guards, stone aid workers in refugee camp
By all means, let the Europeans and North Americans among them return to their countries of origin! What could possibly go wrong? “Aid workers are stoned and guards stabbed by wives and children of ISIS fighters at Syrian refugee camp,” AFP, July 29, 2019 (thanks to The Religion of Peace): Guards have been stabbed and […]