Middle East Today
By: Dania Khan & Joseph McNabb
Iraq & Syria: ISIS
The ISIS terrorist group was formed in April 2013. It grew out of the terrorist group al-Qaeda. ISIS has become one of the main jihadist groups in the world. ISIS has been fighting government forces in Iraq and Syria. Also, this terrorist group has been killing thousands of non-Muslims in Iraq and Syria. Speaking at U.S. Central Command in Florida, Obama said that U.S. troops "do not and will not have a combat mission" in Iraq against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
Kenya: Terrorist Attacks 2011-2014
Timeline of Events
- 2012 Al-Shabaab attacks
- 2013 West gate Mall shooting- Al-Shabaab associated gunmen targeted and shot customers at Nairobi's West gate Mall Shopping Mall. Over 80 people were reportedly killed in the attack.
- 7 September 2011, a grenade shell was recovered within the premises of the office of the Prime Minister.
- 30 September 2012, the Sunday School of St Poly carp's church in Nairobi was attacked with grenades.One child was killed. Kenyan police blamed the attack on Al-Shabaab sympathizers.
- 1 April 2014, in the Eastleigh district of Nairobi, six people were killed and dozens more injured when terrorists exploded bombs at two separate locations about three hundred meters apart.
- On December 2,2014, Al-Shabaab militants attacked and killed a further 36 quarry workers,many of whom were non-Muslims,near Mandera Town.
Summary
Since late 2011, Kenya has seen an upsurge in violent terrorist attacks. Kenyan government officials asserted that many of the murders and blasts were carried out by Al-Shabaab. Estimates in 2014 placed the figure of Kenyan fighters at around 25% of Al-Shabaab's total forces. Now the Kenyan insurgents have a different profile from the Somali and Arab militants that allows them to blend in with the general population of Kenya, they are also often harder to track. Al-Shabaab is attempting to build an even more multi-ethnic generation of fighters in the larger region.
Contributions of Islam to the World
There are many things that Muslims have contributed to the world that many people don't know. For example, Arabs developed sine, tangent, and co-tangent in trigonometry. Also Camera Obscura was invented by ibn Haytham. Furthermore, Qaadhi Abu Bakr developed the theory of relativity in the 8th century. Finally, a Muslim named Naseeruddeen wrote the treatise on quadrilateral trigonometry, plain geometry, and spherical geometry.