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Islamic state

  • December 1, 2014
    IS/ISIS and the dark side of modernity

    Karen Armstrong, whose new book Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence invites far more subtle understanding of the relationship between faith and fratricide globally, has written a characteristically thoughtful piece on IS/ISIS for The New Statesman magazine: 'Wahhabism to ISIS: how Saudi Arabia exported the main source of global terrorism'.

  • October 6, 2014
    The Hennings horror: are we all responsible for ISIL?

    The West has a lot to answer for in terms of its colonial past, influence over the region and propping up of dictators. But this also means that it should have learned much over the years. So can it exercise some humility and apply those lessons intelligently? Ekklesia associate and MENA region expert Dr Harry Hagopian looks behind the horrific killing of Alan Hennings to ask what sustains IS/ISIL and what can be done to marginalise them.

  • October 5, 2014
    Churches' chief welcomes trenchant Muslim critique of IS

    The WCC General Secretary has welcomed publication of an open letter by a group of 126 Muslim scholars to Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, leader of IS.

  • October 4, 2014
    British Muslims condemn 'despicable' murder of Alan Hemmings

    Muslim leaders in Britain and across the world have condemned as 'despicable' the apparent murder of aid worker Alan Hemmings.

  • October 3, 2014
    How not to understand IS/ISIS

    The ever-productive Martin Marty Centre at the Divinity School in the University of Chicago has offered a powerful article in its 'Sightings' series on what can and cannot be known and understood about IS/ISIS at present.

  • October 2, 2014
    IS/ISIS in the wider context of Palestine and the Middle East

    Thinking about how to respond to ISIS/IS, and in view of the perilous realities of Iraq and Syria, have we tended to ignore the increasing tensions in Palestine and the relationship between all these? Regional commentator and Ekklesia associate Dr Harry Hagopian argues that ISIS cannot be dealt with by brute force and must be countered by political solutions that re-enfranchise the peoples of the region.

  • September 30, 2014
    Timor mortis and responding to Islamic State

    'Timor mortis conturbat me' – the fear of death disturbs me. These words, from the liturgy of the Roman Catholic church, first became a literary device in medieval times, bracketing human follies and fears within the ambit of our common mortality.

  • September 28, 2014
    Huge numbers of IS recruits galvanised by Western air strikes

    IS has recruited more than 6,000 new fighters since the US began targeting the violently militant group with air strikes in August 2014.

  • September 28, 2014
    Development not bombs needed to tackle IS, says priest

    Bombing plays into the hands of IS, whereas education, development and refugee support can begin to address underlying causes, says Giles Fraser.

  • August 13, 2014
    UN chief urges countries to do more to help Iraqi civilians

    UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged Iraqi security forces not to intervene in the country’s political process amid heightened tensions and the threat from the Islamic State.