When Pope Francis visits Egypt’s Al-Azhar this week, he will find support for his message of peace in the venerable Islamic authority praised as a bulwark against extremism. But his visit comes as Al-Azhar, which runs one of the world’s oldest universities, is under fire from critics within Egypt who say the Sunni Muslim institution … Read more
Two militants were killed in Thailand’s violence-plagued deep south after a bomb they were transporting prematurely exploded, the military said Thursday. Their deaths came during a night of violence across a region plagued by unrest for over a decade as ethnic Malay rebels battle Thai troops for more autonomy from the Buddhist-majority state. Colonel Yutanam … Read more
The most prominent insurgent group in Thailand’s south rejected the military’s peace plan in a rare statement on Monday, underscoring Bangkok’s inability to open negotiations with the actual fighters in the conflict. The country’s southernmost border provinces, which were annexed by Thailand more than a century ago, have been plagued with violence for over a … Read more
Five people linked to the so-called Islamic State (IS) group have been arrested in co-ordinated raids in Germany, including a senior Islamist figure, reports say. Flats were raided in northern and western Germany and a mosque was searched near Hanover. Among those arrested was an Iraqi who goes by the alias Abu Walaa, or “the … Read more