#RawIslam : Coptic Christians Taken Captive by Islamic Militants

Four Coptic Christians in Sirte, Libya Are Still Missing  ICC's Egypt Representative

09/13/2014 Cairo, Egypt (International Christian Concern) - Life in Libya has become extremely dangerous since the revolution that ousted Muammar Gaddafi. There is chaos in the Libyan streets and lives of Egyptian Christian workers are endangered every day. Four Egyptians who were trying to return back to Egypt "were taken because of their religious identification; they were targeted because they are Christians," their family told International Christian Concern (ICC). Islamic militant groups like Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law) control Libya and threaten the lives of Egyptian Christians who often go to Libya in search of work. Seven Copts were executed earlier this year by militant members of Ansar al-Sharia. Many of the Egyptian Christian workers in Libya hope to return to Egypt, but the roads to the airport and the roads to leave the country are all unsafe.  They are afraid that the battalions of Ansar al-Sharia can reach them during their travels and kill them.   No Path of Escape On Monday, August 25, at 10:30 p.m. three Egyptian Christian brothers Gamal Matta Hakim, Raafat Matta Hakim, Romany Matta Hakim, and their cousin, Adel Sedky Hakim were abducted by masked gunmen as they attempted to return to Egypt. Wagih Matta Hakim, the brother of three of those abducted, told ICC that he had worked together with his brothers in Libya for a long time. They returned home to Asyut, Egypt four months ago, but then the contractor called and said he had work for them. "My brothers and cousin had to travel again to Libya, although their lives there are endangered because they couldn't find any work here to meet their families' needs," Wagih continued.  After finishing their work with the contractor, they felt that staying in Libya was unsafe and their lives were in danger, so they decided to return home, Wagih told ICC. They and three Egyptian Muslim workers found a Libyan driver to drive them to the Egyptian border. On their way to Egypt, as they passed Sirte City, a group of armed, bearded men wearing Libyan military clothes stopped the microbus. The militants asked the seven passengers to show them their passports, Wagih relayed to ICC. When they found out that there were four Christians among the seven passengers, they ordered the four Christians to get out of the microbus and told the Libyan driver and the three other Egyptians to leave. When the driver asked the gunmen about the reason for taking the four Christians and what they were going to do with them, the gunmen did not answer him, but again told him to leave, threatening to kill him if he didn't leave. The driver took the three Egyptian Muslims and fled, leaving the four Christians with the gunmen. The driver did not complete the trip to Egypt, but returned to Tripoli to try to help, Wagish said. "One of the other Egyptians in the car was able to contact one of my cousins in Egypt and told us about what happened," Wagih told ICC. "After we heard the news, my cousin called his brother who is still in Libya to check on the details," Wagih continued. "I have tried to call my brothers more times but their mobiles are shut off always and there is not any news about them." Wagih added, "On Wednesday, August 27, I went to the foreign ministry and the Libyan Embassy in Cairo and reported the situation." So far there has been no report. "I appeal the Egyptian foreign ministry to do its best and contact the responsible authorities in Libya to investigate the matter of four kidnapped Christians, because we are very worried about them." Targeted Because They Are Christians Karam Heshmat, whose wife is the cousin of the four men, told ICC "On Tuesday, August 26, my wife received a call from her brother, Riffat Rasmy Basta, who is a resident of Asyut, telling her about the kidnapping of her cousins. This bad news shocked my wife and me." Karam continued, "My wife's cousins were taken because of their religious identification, they were targeted because they are Christians." "There is a situation of sadness, worry and anxiety among all the members of the family because of the abductions of our four beloved. I'm afraid that the kidnappers belong to Ansar Al-Sharia and the fate of our four relatives will be the same fate of the Coptic Christians who were killed by these terrorist groups in Libya before." Still the family is holding out hope and continues to pray for their release and safe return. "We pray to God for protecting them, delivering them from any evil and for their safe return to us soon," Karam told ICC. The situation of the Egyptian Christian workers who are still in Libya and cannot return to their homeland remains extremely dangerous and worsens over time; their lives are endangered every day, and there is no protection for them there. To provide for the safe return of these four Egyptian Christian workers, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs must intervene and work with the Libyan authorities. As it is now, we will continue to see Christians in Libya targeted simply because they are Christians. For interviews, contact Todd Daniels, Regional Manager for the Middle East:  RM-ME@persecution.org # # #

You are free to disseminate this news story. We request that you reference International Christian Concern (ICC) and include our web address, www.persecution.org. ICC is a Washington D.C.-based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.     International Christian Concern 2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW #241, Washington, D.C. 20006 www.persecution.org  |  E-mail: icc@persecution.org

EXCLUSIVE: Never Before Seen Photos from 9/11 RELEASED

13 years on from the tragic day of 9/11

And many who have survived that horrendous day are still having a hard time coping with everything that happened. One of those people affected is Ricki, a survivor who lived through the worst of that day and is still suffering physically and mentally from the trauma. 

He has explained to us the shell shock and post traumatic stress he goes through almost everyday that made him close off and not develop the photos that he took that day. In an exclusive interview he gave WeAreChange, Ricki has entrusted us with those photos and told us to publish them. 

We are releasing all the photos that we were given for you, 13 years later that no one else has seen. Ricki still has other photos that have not been released, these are the photos that we are given and we are letting you make up your own mind about them. 

Please also note Ricki is not a professional photographer and grabbed what he could to take these photos.

see also video interview with Ricki

Blog Editor: YEAP EXPLOSIONS "DEMOLITION" 

Blog Editor: I would suggest: GWB AND GANG HAVE SOME SERIOUS CHARGES TO ANSWER TOO, ie. lying to the people of America for one, let alone and links to culpability over the 9/11 incident and they prevention of Truth and Justice being executed in the Post 9/11 investigations etc 

more images available here

New 9/11 Survivor Provides Explosive New Evidence

Published on 11 Sep 2014

The 9/11 Never Before Seen Photos Are Up on http://wearechange.org/exclusive-neve...

To find out more about the event this Saturday where the pictures will be released go to ae911truth.org

10 Arab Countries Join US in Fight ISIS

ISIS Fighters 'Three Times as Many' as CIA Feared; 10 Arab Countries Join US in Fight




Following a meeting with Secretary of State John Kerry in Saudi Arabia, ministers representing all said that they will provide both military support and humanitarian aid.

1. Bahrain
2. Egypt
3. Iraq
4. Jordan
5. Kuwait
6. Lebanon
7. Oman
8. Qatar
9. Saudi Arabia
10. United Arab Emirates 

The Arab countries said in a joint statement that they "shared commitment to stand united against the threat posed by all terrorism" and said that they had discussed a strategy to "destroy" the terror group wherever it operates.

Full Story Here

'Isis Strategy Speech'

President Barack Obama

Below you can find the full text of Obama's speech on the Islamic state and his strategy to counter it:

As Prepared for Delivery - "with critiques by blog editor"

My fellow Americans - tonight, I want to speak to you about what the United States will do with our friends and allies to degrade and ultimately destroy the terrorist group known as ISIL. 

As Commander-in-Chief, my highest priority is the security of the American people. Over the last several years, we have consistently taken the fight to terrorists who threaten our country. We took out Osama bin Laden and much of al Qaeda's leadership in Afghanistan and Pakistan. We've targeted al Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen, and recently eliminated the top commander of its affiliate in Somalia. We've done so while bringing more than 140,000 American troops home from Iraq, and drawing down our forces in Afghanistan, where our combat mission will end later this year. Thanks to our military and counterterrorism professionals, America is safer. 

Still, we continue to face a terrorist threat. We cannot erase every trace of evil from the world, and small groups of killers have the capacity to do great harm. That was the case before 9/11, and that remains true today. That's why we must remain vigilant as threats emerge. At this moment, the greatest threats come from the Middle East and North Africa, where radical groups exploit grievances for their own gain. And one of those groups is ISIL - which calls itself the "Islamic State."

Now let's make two things clear: opps 3 things

1. ISIL is not "Islamic." No religion condones the killing of innocents, and the vast majority of ISIL's victims have been Muslim. 

2. And ISIL is certainly not a state. It was formerly al Qaeda's affiliate in Iraq, and has taken advantage of sectarian strife and Syria's civil war to gain territory on both sides of the Iraq-Syrian border. It is recognized by no government, nor the people it subjugates. 

3. ISIL is a terrorist organization, pure and simple. And it has no vision other than the slaughter of all who stand in its way.

In a region that has known so much bloodshed, these terrorists are unique in their brutality. They execute captured prisoners. They kill children. They enslave, rape, and force women into marriage. They threatened a religious minority with genocide. In acts of barbarism, they took the lives of two American journalists - Jim Foley and Steven Sotloff.

So ISIL poses a threat to the people of Iraq and Syria, and the broader Middle East - including American citizens, personnel and facilities. If left unchecked, these terrorists could pose a growing threat beyond that region - including to the United States. While we have not yet detected specific plotting against our homeland, ISIL leaders have threatened America and our allies. Our intelligence community believes that thousands of foreigners - including Europeans and some Americans - have joined them in Syria and Iraq. Trained and battle-hardened, these fighters could try to return to their home countries and carry out deadly attacks.

I know many Americans are concerned about these threats. Tonight, I want you to know that the United States of America is meeting them with strength and resolve. Last month, I ordered our military to take targeted action against ISIL to stop its advances. Since then, we have conducted more than 150 successful airstrikes in Iraq. These strikes have protected American personnel and facilities, killed ISIL fighters, destroyed weapons, and given space for Iraqi and Kurdish forces to reclaim key territory. These strikes have helped save the lives of thousands of innocent men, women and children. 

But this is not our fight alone. American power can make a decisive difference, but we cannot do for Iraqis what they must do for themselves, nor can we take the place of Arab partners in securing their region. That's why I've insisted that additional U.S. action depended upon Iraqis forming an inclusive government, which they have now done in recent days. So tonight, with a new Iraqi government in place, and following consultations with allies abroad and Congress at home, I can announce that America will lead a broad coalition to roll back this terrorist threat.

Our objective is clear: we will degrade, and ultimately destroy, ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counter-terrorism strategy.

First, we will conduct a systematic campaign of airstrikes against these terrorists. Working with the Iraqi government, we will expand our efforts beyond protecting our own people and humanitarian missions, so that we're hitting ISIL targets as Iraqi forces go on offense. Moreover, I have made it clear that we will hunt down terrorists who threaten our country, wherever they are. That means I will not hesitate to take action against ISIL in Syria, as well as Iraq. This is a core principle of my presidency: if you threaten America, you will find no safe haven. 

Second, we will increase our support to forces fighting these terrorists on the ground. In June, I deployed several hundred American service members to Iraq to assess how we can best support Iraqi Security Forces. Now that those teams have completed their work - and Iraq has formed a government - we will send an additional 475 service members to Iraq. As I have said before, these American forces will not have a combat mission - we will not get dragged into another ground war in Iraq. But they are needed to support Iraqi and Kurdish forces with training, intelligence and equipment. We will also support Iraq's efforts to stand up National Guard Units to help Sunni communities secure their own freedom from ISIL control.

Across the border, in Syria, we have ramped up our military assistance to the Syrian opposition. Tonight, I again call on Congress to give us additional authorities and resources to train and equip these fighters. In the fight against ISIL, we cannot rely on an Assad regime that terrorizes its people; a regime that will never regain the legitimacy it has lost. Instead, we must strengthen the opposition as the best counterweight to extremists like ISIL, while pursuing the political solution necessary to solve Syria's crisis once and for all. 

Third, we will continue to draw on our substantial counterterrorism capabilities to prevent ISIL attacks. Working with our partners, we will redouble our efforts to cut off its funding; improve our intelligence; strengthen our defenses; counter its warped ideology; and stem the flow of foreign fighters into - and out of - the Middle East. And in two weeks, I will chair a meeting of the UN Security Council to further mobilize the international community around this effort.

Fourth, we will continue providing humanitarian assistance to innocent civilians who have been displaced by this terrorist organization. This includes Sunni and Shia Muslims who are at grave risk, as well as tens of thousands of Christians and other religious minorities. We cannot allow these communities to be driven from their ancient homelands. 

This is our strategy. And in each of these four parts of our strategy, America will be joined by a broad coalition of partners. Already, allies are flying planes with us over Iraq; sending arms and assistance to Iraqi Security Forces and the Syrian opposition; sharing intelligence; and providing billions of dollars in humanitarian aid. Secretary Kerry was in Iraq today meeting with the new government and supporting their efforts to promote unity, and in the coming days he will travel across the Middle East and Europe to enlist more partners in this fight, especially Arab nations who can help mobilize Sunni communities in Iraq and Syria to drive these terrorists from their lands. This is American leadership at its best: we stand with people who fight for their own freedom; and we rally other nations on behalf of our common security and common humanity. 

My Administration has also secured bipartisan support for this approach here at home. I have the authority to address the threat from ISIL. But I believe we are strongest as a nation when the President and Congress work together. So I welcome congressional support for this effort in order to show the world that Americans are united in confronting this danger.

Now, it will take time to eradicate a cancer like ISIL. And any time we take military action, there are risks involved - especially to the servicemen and women who carry out these missions. But I want the American people to understand how this effort will be different from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It will not involve American combat troops fighting on foreign soil. This counter-terrorism campaign will be waged through a steady, relentless effort to take out ISIL wherever they exist, using our air power and our support for partner forces on the ground. This strategy of taking out terrorists who threaten us, while supporting partners on the front lines, is one that we have successfully pursued in Yemen and Somalia for years. And it is consistent with the approach I outlined earlier this year: to use force against anyone who threatens America's core interests, but to mobilize partners wherever possible to address broader challenges to international order. 

My fellow Americans, we live in a time of great change. Tomorrow marks 13 years since our country was attacked. Next week marks 6 years since our economy suffered its worst setback since the Great Depression. Yet despite these shocks; through the pain we have felt and the grueling work required to bounce back - America is better positioned today to seize the future than any other nation on Earth.

Our technology companies and universities are unmatched; our manufacturing and auto industries are thriving. Energy independence is closer than it's been in decades. For all the work that remains, our businesses are in the longest uninterrupted stretch of job creation in our history. Despite all the divisions and discord within our democracy, I see the grit and determination and common goodness of the American people every single day - and that makes me more confident than ever about our country's future.

Abroad, American leadership is the one constant in an uncertain world. It is America that has the capacity and the will to mobilize the world against terrorists. It is America that has rallied the world against Russian aggression, and in support of the Ukrainian peoples' right to determine their own destiny. It is America - our scientists, our doctors, our know-how - that can help contain and cure the outbreak of Ebola. It is America that helped remove and destroy Syria's declared chemical weapons so they cannot pose a threat to the Syrian people - or the world - again. 

And it is America that is helping Muslim communities around the world not just in the fight against terrorism, but in the fight for opportunity, tolerance, and a more hopeful future.

America, our endless blessings bestow an enduring burden. But as Americans, we welcome our responsibility to lead. From Europe to Asia - from the far reaches of Africa to war-torn capitals of the Middle East - we stand for freedom, for justice, for dignity. These are values that have guided our nation since its founding. Tonight, I ask for your support in carrying that leadership forward. I do so as a Commander-in-Chief who could not be prouder of our men and women in uniform - pilots who bravely fly in the face of danger above the Middle East, and service-members who support our partners on the ground.

When we helped prevent the massacre of civilians trapped on a distant mountain, here's what one of them said. "We owe our American friends our lives. Our children will always remember that there was someone who felt our struggle and made a long journey to protect innocent people."

That is the difference we make in the world. And our own safety - our own security - depends upon our willingness to do what it takes to defend this nation, and uphold the values that we stand for - timeless ideals that will endure long after those who offer only hate and destruction have been vanquished from the Earth.

May God bless our troops, and may God bless the United States of America. original source

#RawIslam ISIS Affiliates in Egypt Behead Accused Israeli Spy

By Lea Speyer September 11, 2014 , 12:05 pm

A beheaded corpse was found by residents of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula on Wednesday in what is believed to be an act of murder carried out by ISIS affiliated terrorists.

Found with the body was a note accusing the victim of being an Israeli spy

This is the eighth beheading that the ISIS linked terror group, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, claims to have carried out in under a month. ISIS has been condemned internationally for their brutal killings and is now the target of US air strikes in Iraq.

Terrorists from Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis reading out death sentences to four Egyptian men before their beheadings. (Photo: YouTube Screenshot)

Full Article here

July 12, 2011 Will ISIS find fertile ground in Egypt's Sinai?  
Tribal elders in the Sinai Peninsula say links are growing between local jihadists from Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis and the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). Full Article Here: 


Answer: YES see article above By Lea Speyer September 11, 2014 , 12:05 pm

Texas Sheriff’s Brutal Warning to the ISIS

"We'll Send them to Hell"
Should Send a Chill Through Every Terrorist: 

Midland County Sheriff Gary Painter also revealed that he received an alert bulletin warning that Islamic State militants may have a terrorist cell formed near Ciudad Juarez, Mexico — just miles across the border from El Paso, Texas. Law enforcement officers in the area are being advised to be on alert for any suspicious, potential terrorist activity.

Watch the segment via CNN below:

Painter, who worked near the U.S. border for nearly a decade, told CNN that it would be “naive to say” the Islamic State is not in the United States. He criticized the federal government for not doing enough to keep the border secure and the country safe.

Full article here