<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/49455154.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" />

	There are two types of places in this world. The one where you are happy. The one where they are. 
<br /><br />

	Our places are yet to be conquered. Even the ones who, among us, claim to have, are still in the process. Because happiness also, is just another step cousin of perfection - always a work in progress. 
<br /><br />

	The places that are theirs are coveted, well-respected, and the holiest. In any way, I am not talking about run of the mill temples, mosques, monasteries and other mundane places of worship. I am picking a bone with the Woodstock of the Meccas and Medinas. 
<br /><br /> Very recently, the headlines from this year's <keyword id="404503" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Haj-pilgrimage">Haj pilgrimage</keyword> grabbed the balls of our Amygdala - the rag-picker who hopelessly and endlessly rummages through the colossal garbage of fear-evoking data dumped by media corporations across the world to see which one specific news item increases our heart rate and decreases our chances of escaping, were we to encounter "something" like that. <br /><br />

	First of all, these are the holier than thou places, right? Which means Satan will have his rear kicked by the bouncers here. So does any form of evil. These places have the greatest form of insulation, from the bad things and blah blah.   
<br /><br /> However, what happens when the one you are going to take the purest form of blessings from, considering the place, is actually the bad boy in disguise? How can you verify the authenticity of the <keyword id="6357370" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="god">God</keyword> in that region? Or the miracle one is to receive from visiting such a spot at such a time (read:sacred) of the year. <br /><br /> Take for example, the very recent Haj (1,000 dead), <keyword id="6356611" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Amarnath">Amarnath</keyword> 1996 (256 dead), <keyword id="52356" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kumbh-Mela">Kumbh Mela</keyword> 1954 (800 dead), 1990 Mina Disaster (1,426 dead). We, somehow, have come to believe that taking a dip, touching the stone, kissing the Pope's ring is going to glorify the virility of our wishes and therefore, a better reality for us. It is a beautifully civilised shortcut. No doubt there. <br /><br />

	The hard truth is that these places are so little in their land size radius, it makes it impossible and very inconvenient for the prodigal numbers of people trying to live their moment of pious obligation in the G-spots (God Spots) set out in their mythological records that is deemed very legit and appropriate even to this date. 
<br /><br />

	When we were kids, our fathers and mothers would tell us don't do this and don't do that. Back then, we were kids. We had to listen to them. If we didn't, we were grounded or spanked. Then as we grow, we listen to them less and less. Eventually, we listen to them to nothing at all. 
<br /><br />

	Our Gods have never been shy in asking for blood offering. Be it from Abhraham. Be it from Muhammed. Be it from Jesus. I feel bad for Jesus though. Because in his case, he was the offering. 
<br /><br />

	God, as we have come to see, is no less than a bloody dictator. He wants this. He wants that. He tells us that if we didn't give him what he demands of us, shit will fall on our heads. Or we will fall into shit. Either way, we are shit out of luck. See the obligation that the Gods put us through. Yet somehow we still want to bloody please him, even if we are grown, old and haggard. Where is the dignity man is supposed to have? He is after all, a form of the God, right? We are made in his image. We may not be as broad, and magical and mystical as him, because for one thing we are here and bloody bleed. Whereas, he is hiding somewhere in the middle of nowhere, and simply follows the Rockefeller PR and exhibits that he is just planting his good seed for the human feed and that's him doing his good deed without a shred of greed. 
<br /><br />

	I think God is dead. Really. If those big stars up there have a shelf life, so do the Gods. They may be eternal. Again, eternity has a validity too. Ask your mobile service provider, he will tell you. They know what lifetime means. Even Hancock's people died. I say - God's live up to a maximum of 1000 years and that's it. They get bored of life too. Whether like the Egyptians they had their own personal, eccentric and artistic 'book of the dead' or not, eternity does also have a coffin.   
<br /><br />

	Remember the 40 days and 40 nights? That's what is happening here. The wars, the pilgrimages, the natural calamities, the deadly viral infections - all of these are established protocols of cleansing. In one way or another, we end up being a casualty in their headlines. 
<br /><br />

	The new technological superlatives which we spit and rhyme every other morning is only as strong as the last prayer we just made. I think as long as we have blood flowing through our veins, we will be superstitious. Because praying is believing that you may be, and you will be looked after by him. <br />
	<br />
	Image credit: Gonzalo Malpartida


Why does God want us to take the fall?

New Delhi, Jun 23 () The government has decided that Muslims from India will not travel to Saudi Arabia for Haj 2020 after the kingdom conveyed that pilgrims should not be sent this year in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Tuesday. <p>The decision was taken after Saudi Arabia's Haj and Umrah minister Mohammad Saleh bin Taher Benten telephoned last night and suggested not to send pilgrims from India for Haj this year, Naqvi told reporters. </p><p>Saudi Arabia on Monday said it has barred international visitors from making the Islamic pilgrimage, in a bid to control the coronavirus pandemic. It said only a very limited number of people currently living in the kingdom may take part. </p>"This decision was taken to ensure haj is performed in a safe manner from a public health perspective," a Saudi government statement said. ASK NSD NSD

COVID-19: Indian pilgrims will not travel to Saudi Arabia for Haj 2020, says Naqvi

Nearly five billion people globally, including 619 million from <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="India" source="keywords">India</keyword>, experienced climate-change-driven <keyword id="20563038" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="extreme-heat" source="keywords">extreme heat</keyword> over nine days in June, according to a new analysis by an independent group of scientists based in the US. The report by <keyword id="21707400" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Climate-Central" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Climate Central" meta.hostid="83" meta.entityid="Climate Central">Climate Central</keyword> said that the blistering heat in June impacted 619 million people in India, 579 million in China, 231 million in Indonesia, 206 million in Nigeria, 176 million in Brazil, 171 million in Bangladesh, 165 million in the US, 152 million in Europe, 123 million in Mexico, 121 million in Ethiopia, and 103 million in Egypt. <br /><br /> "More than 60 per cent of the world population faced extreme heat that was made at least three times more likely by <keyword id="19907392" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-change" source="keywords">climate change</keyword> during June 16-24," it said. <br /><br /> Andrew Pershing, chief program officer at Climate Central, said, "More than a century of burning coal, oil, and natural gas has given us an increasingly dangerous world. The heat waves around the world this summer are unnatural disasters that will become more common until <keyword id="21263223" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="carbon-pollution" source="keywords">carbon pollution</keyword> stops." <br /><br /> Climate Central's Climate Shift Index (CSI) determines the influence of climate change on <keyword id="19894893" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="temperatures" source="keywords">temperatures</keyword> around the globe. <br /><br /> "Between June 16-24, 4.97 billion people experienced extreme heat reaching CSI levels of at least 3, indicating that climate change made these temperatures at least three times more likely to occur," the report said. <br /><br /> India, which experienced one of its hottest and longest heat waves, recorded more than 40,000 suspected heat stroke cases and over 100 heat-related deaths. The intense heat overwhelmed the water supply system and power grids, with Delhi grappling with a severe water crisis. <br /><br /> According to the India Meteorological Department, around 40 per cent of the country recorded double the number of heatwave days than usual during the April to June period. Temperatures breached 50 degrees Celsius in parts of Rajasthan, with nighttime temperatures hovering around 35 degrees Celsius in many places. <br /><br /> In Delhi, which logged 40 consecutive days of temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius since May 13, there have been around 60 heat-related deaths this year, according to media reports. <br /><br /> In Saudi Arabia, at least 1,300 people died from heat-related illnesses during the annual Haj pilgrimage. Temperatures were extremely high, with some cities surpassing 50 degrees Celsius.  <br /><br /> Climate Central's analysis found that the city of Mecca experienced temperatures made at least three times more likely due to climate change every day since May 18, and five times more likely since May 24.  <br /><br /> A previous analysis by climate scientists at Climameter, an EU-funded initiative, found that climate change made the heat wave in Saudi Arabia up to 2.5 degrees Celsius hotter. <br /><br /> The US suffered two back-to-back heat episodes during the last two weeks of June. The first heat wave affected the southern part of the country, Mexico, and countries in Central America.  <br /><br /> In Mexico, at least 125 people died, with temperatures reaching 52 degrees Celsius in the Sonora state on June 21. A study by the World Weather Attribution group found that climate change made the extreme heat of May and June 35 times more likely. <br /><br /> In Egypt, high temperatures nearing 50 degrees Celsius have been recorded in recent days. In the southern province of Aswan, at least 40 people have died.  <br /><br /> The high temperatures have caused a surge in energy consumption across the country, forcing the government to impose daily power cuts to avoid overloading the electrical grid.

Nearly 5 billion people endured extreme heat in June; 619 million affected in India: Report

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55fbf3836bb3f79e27e92c25-2208-1656/saudi-security-forces-2.jpg" alt="saudi security forces" data-mce-source="Reuters/Ahmad Masood" data-mce-caption="Members of Saudi security forces take part in a military parade in preparation for the annual Haj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca." data-link="https://pictures.reuters.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&amp;ALID=2C0FQE3U3TQD#/SearchResult&amp;ALID=2C0FQE3U3TQD&amp;VBID=2C0FC0E3XZ4S&amp;POPUPPN=5&amp;POPUPIID=2C0FQE3IW2_9" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://pictures.reuters.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&amp;ALID=2C0FQE3U3TQD#/SearchResult&amp;ALID=2C0FQE3U3TQD&amp;VBID=2C0FC0E3XZ4S&amp;POPUPPN=5&amp;POPUPIID=2C0FQE3IW2_9">Reuters/Ahmad Masood</a></span></p><p class="caption">Members of Saudi security forces take part in a military parade in preparation for the annual Haj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Next week starts the beginning of the Hajj, an annual Muslim pilgrimage to the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca. </p><p>The Hajj is one of the largest gatherings of people in the world, with over 2 million pilgrims <a href="http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/hajj-2015-when-does-annual-islamic-pilgrimage-mecca-start-1520258">expecting</a> to make the journey. In preparation for the crush of people and the general volatility rocking the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is putting its security forces at high alert. </p><p>Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef has <a href="http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/09/18/Saudi-Arabia-We-are-ready-to-thwart-any-Hajj-attacks.html">said</a> that the kingdom is "ready prevent the exploitation of the Hajj season for political or propaganda reasons."</p><p>And the kingdom has <a href="http://www.mintpressnews.com/isis-attacks-in-saudi-arabia-test-security-of-hajj/209403/">stepped up policing</a> over concerns that ISIS could use the Hajj as the perfect opportunity to launch attacks throughout the country. </p><p> As part of Saudi Arabia's preparations, the country is marshaling its security forces and deploying them in massive show of force military parades. </p>

Here's how Saudi Arabia's security forces are preparing for one of the largest gatherings of people in the world

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55fc1e60bd86ef10008bb52d-4112-2820/rts1m2p.jpg" alt="Saudi Arabia military parade" data-mce-source="Ahmad Masood/REUTERS" data-mce-caption="Members of Saudi security forces take part in a military parade in preparation for the annual Haj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca September 17, 2015." /><p class="source"><span>Ahmad Masood/REUTERS</span></p><p class="caption">Members of Saudi security forces take part in a military parade in preparation for the annual Haj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca September 17, 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Saudi Arabia just launched what it describes as the <a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/news-wrap-saudi-arabia-launches-its-largest-war-games-ever/">largest war game in the country's history</a>.</p><p>On February 14th, the <a href="http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/20-states-join-major-military-manoeuvre-in-saudi-arabia-1.1672382">"Northern Thunder" military exercise</a> began, involving troops from 20 countries.</p><p>Saudi Arabia's state news <a href="http://www.spa.gov.sa/viewstory.php?lang=en&amp;newsid=1466904">describes Northern Thunder as</a><span> "the largest military exercise of its kind in terms of the number of participating countries and qualitative military equipment." </span></p><p>David Weinberg, a senior fellow at the Foundation for <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">Defense</keyword> of Democracies, told Business Insider that Riyadh's claims shouldn't be taken at face value - and that the exercise might not have a specific political objective either.<span> </span></p><p><span>"Even year in recent years the Saudis announce some sort of 'biggest' military exercise, and people always try to find a message," Weinberg says, noting that Northern Thunder includes participants like Egypt, Pakistan and Oman "which <span>have balked at recent Saudi military requests."</span></span></p><p>Still, the exercise comes at a time when Riyadh is badly in need of effective hard power projection.</p><p>Saudi Arabia is in an ambiguous geopolitical position, losing on a number of important fronts while gaining in military power and regional importance.</p><p>In Syria, Russian and Iranian support has enabled crucial battlefield gains for the the regime of Bashar al-Assad - advances that have come at the expense of Saudi-supported rebel groups.</p><p>The Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, which is fighting to restore the country's internationally recognized government after Iranian-backed Houthi rebels deposed it in early 2015, has made little progress in recent months and is widely thought of as <a href="http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/06/yemen-saudi-arabia-iran-houthis-support-military.html">a strategic misstep</a>.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56b98af25124c9a97a8b4567-728-484/wave-of-aden-killings-tests-gulf-role-in-yemen.jpg" alt="Saudi troops walk at their base in Yemen's southern port city of Aden September 28, 2015. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser " data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="Saudi troops walk at their base in Yemen's southern port city of Aden" /><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Saudi troops walk at their base in Yemen's southern port city of Aden</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-16/saudi-arabia-and-russia-agree-oil-output-freeze-in-qatar-talks">recent agreement</a> between Saudi Arabia, Russia, Qatar and Venezuela to cap oil production could lead to an OPEC production level freeze that would hurt Iran, restraining the Saudi rival's output just as <keyword id="6356001" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">international</keyword> sanctions against the country are lifted.</p><p>At the same time, Saudi Arabia's primary regional opponent still plans on spending <a href="http://freebeacon.com/national-security/iran-spend-8-billion-russian-weapons/">a reported $8 billion on Russian arms</a> and is seeing its global standing improve after the January implementation of its nuclear deal with a US-led group of world powers.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Reuters" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56c5e0e16e97c625048b7eec-960/screen shot 2016-02-18 at 10.18.22 am.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56c5e0e16e97c625048b7eec-529-699/screen shot 2016-02-18 at 10.18.22 am.png" alt="Screen Shot 2016 02 18 at 10.18.22 AM" data-mce-source="Reuters" /></a><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Saudi Arabia is facing internal pressures as well.</p><p>Low oil prices are forcing Riyadh to cut <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-is-worried-about-the-future-2016-1">social services and impose unprecedented taxation measures</a>, while the government plans on raising money through privatizing some of Saudi Aramco, the country's multi-trillion-dollar state oil concern.</p><p>Despite these challenges, Saudi Arabia is arguably the most powerful of the Arab states, thanks in part to its low break-even price for oil production and the effect of ongoing conflict and dysfunction on traditional regional leaders like Syria, Egypt, and Iraq.</p><p>Despite cuts in its defense budget, Saudi was the world's <a href="https://www.iiss.org/-/media//images/publications/the%20military%20balance/milbal2016/mb%202016%20top%2015%20defence%20budgets%202015.jpg?la=en">third-largest military spender</a> in 2015 and its <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/09/saudi-arabia-becomes-worlds-biggest-arms-importer">largest arms importer in 2014</a>. </p><p>Riyadh has also carried out increasing military exercises in order to display the country's firepower, Weinberg explained to Business Insider.</p><p>"The increasing tempo of major Saudi military exercises reflects the kingdom's broader investment in military spending and operational capacity, which is first and foremost driven by the perceived conventional and unconventional threats posed by Iran."</p><p>An exercise like Northern Thunder sends the message that Saudi Arabia intends to keep up an assertive regional policy despite its recent setbacks.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/america-answer-north-korean-threats-south-korea-thaad-defense-missile-bomb-lockheed-martin-2016-2">Meet THAAD: America's answer to North Korean threats</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="9wOHVyMDE6hAGvGg83idQrRdjT0_QzVs" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', '9wOHVyMDE6hAGvGg83idQrRdjT0_QzVs',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

A nervous Saudi Arabia just launched a massive military exercise

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55fba7fcdd08958b3d8b4635-2210-1658/rts1m2w.jpg" alt="Saudi fire climbing special forces" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Ahmad Masood" data-mce-caption="Members of Saudi security forces take part in a military parade in preparation for the annual Haj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca September 17, 2015." /><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Ahmad Masood</span></p><p class="caption">Members of Saudi security forces take part in a military parade in preparation for the annual Haj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca September 17, 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Good morning! Here's what you need to know. </p><p><strong>The Fed is still on hold.</strong> On Thursday, <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/federal-reserve-announcement-september-17-2015-9">the Federal Reserve kept its benchmark interest rates pegged at 0%-0.25%, where they've been since December 2008</a>. Thursday's meeting was highly anticipated as many thought it could be the first time the Fed changed its crisis-era positioning since the end of the financial crisis.</p><p><strong>A new poll suggests Greece's centre-right party has pulled ahead of Syriza. </strong>Greece's conservative <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-greek-conservative-party-pulls-ahead-of-leftist-syriza-poll-2015-9">New Democracy party has a 1.4 percentage point lead over the leftist Syriza party, a Metrisi poll for Eleftheros Typos newspaper showed on Friday</a> ahead of a national election on September 20.</p><p><strong>Major institutions will vote to strip Bank of America's CEO and chairman of one of his roles. </strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-nyc-to-vote-to-strip-bank-of-america-ceo-of-chairmanship-2015-9">New York City's $165 billion (£105.92 billion) pension funds will vote to strip Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan of his chairman title</a>, a spokesman for the funds told Reuters on Thursday.</p><p><strong>A Chinese firm signed a deal for a US high-speed rail link. </strong>A unit of China's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-china-firms-sign-deal-for-high-speed-las-vegas-los-angeles-rail-link-ahead-of-xis-us-visit-2015-9">CRRC Corp, the world's biggest train maker by revenue, on Thursday joined a group of its domestic peers in agreeing a deal to help build a high-speed link from Las Vegas to Los Angeles</a>, underlining the rail giant's lofty overseas ambitions.</p><p><strong>The White House is getting ready to weaken the Cuban trade embargo. </strong><a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/white-house-to-weaken-cuba-embargo-2015-9">The White House is drafting sweeping regulations to further weaken the US trade embargo on Cuba that would ease restrictions on US companies and make it safer for Americans to travel there</a>, US government sources said on Thursday. The regulations could be announced as soon as Friday.</p><p><strong>Asian markets are mixed. </strong>China's stocks are up, with Hong Kong's Hang Seng 0.51% higher and the Shanghai Composite 0.86% higher, but Japan's Nikkei is down 1.55%.</p><p><strong>Brazil's opposition parties want to impeach Dilma Rousseff. </strong><a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/r-brazil-opposition-seeks-rousseff-impeachment-for-fiscal-crimes-2015-9">Brazil's opposition parties on Thursday filed a request in Congress to impeach President Dilma Rousseff for breaking fiscal rules</a><span> by allegedly manipulating government finances to benefit her re-election last year.</span></p><p><strong>JP Morgan chief Jamie Dimon says there's no point in slashing CEO pay.</strong> "It is true that income inequality has kind of gotten worse," Dimon said at a Detroit event, according to Bloomberg. But "<a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/jamie-dimon-on-ceo-pay-and-inequality-2015-9">you can take the compensation of every CEO in America and make it zero and it wouldn't put a dent into it. What really matters is growth</a>."</p><p><strong>The eurozone's current account data is coming. </strong>July's data, which effectively records whether a nation is a net lender to or a net borrower from the rest of the world, is out at 9 a.m. <keyword id="6354868" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="UK">UK</keyword> time (4 a.m. ET). Analysts expect the eurozone to have a surplus of €21.3 billion ($24.30 billion, £15.60 billion). </p><p><strong>Saab says a major defence contract bid could lead to more cooperation with Boeing. </strong>Sweden's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-saab-ceo-says-trainer-bid-could-spur-co-operation-with-boeing-2015-9">Saab is confident of selling training jets to the U.S. Air Force, but believes its bidding partnership with Boeing could lead to further co-operation whoever wins the $11 billion (£7.06 billion) contest, its chief executive said</a>. Boeing and Saab are among contenders for a deal to replace the aging T-38 trainer in a competition known as T-X.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/50-cent-lifestyle-illusion-testifies-court-bankruptcy-curtis-jackson-2015-7">50 Cent testifies his lifestyle is an illusion</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="BoeGRmdjoMc4sxqQrQiRAH_i98W5p0IW" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'BoeGRmdjoMc4sxqQrQiRAH_i98W5p0IW',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

10 things you need to know before European markets open

<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/564a22085afbd322218b456b-800-493/exclusive-after-paris-americans-want-us-to-do-more-to-attack-islamic-state---reuters/ipsos-poll.jpg" alt="General view of the scene with rescue service personnel working near covered bodies outside the Le Carillon restaurant following shooting incidents in Paris, France, November 13, 2015.   REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="General view of the scene with rescue service personnel working near covered bodies outside a restaurant following shooting incidents in Paris, France" /><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">General view of the scene with rescue service personnel working near covered bodies outside a restaurant following shooting incidents in Paris, France</p></div><p></p></div></div>The world stands in solidarity with France, after a horrifying attack on November 13th that left at least 129 people dead. </span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">In the face of so much bloodshed, we must not forget that terrorism cannot be defeated by bombs and bullets alone.</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">Terrorism wins the hearts and minds of potential recruits before those recruits go on to kill and die for their cause. Unless we find a way to stop this recruitment and radicalization, success in the fight against terrorism can never be guaranteed.</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">At times like these, we are liable to fall back on biases, stereotypes and assumptions, rather than what the evidence tells us about why people become violent radicals. After events like the Paris attacks, the hardest questions become the most urgent as well: What factors contribute to the radicalization process? What role does religion really play in that process? And what more can be done to dissuade marginalized or disaffected youth of today from becoming the extremists of tomorrow?</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1"><strong>Terrorists versus Muslims</strong></span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">Earlier this year, the New York Times published a story titled "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/28/world/americas/isis-online-recruiting-american.html?_r=0"><span class="s2">ISIS and the Lonely American</span></a>" which offers some interesting answers to these questions, even as it challenges our expectations. </span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">Alex, the subject of the story, made "a new group of friends online," a cohort described as "the most attentive she ever had." They were part of the social media presence of Daesh (the more pejorative Arabic term for ISIS) and worked diligently to push her to accept their religion and their ideology - and to join the group in Syria. They told her Islam required it.</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">But when Alex, who was a recent convert to Islam, found a mosque just miles from her home, her online contacts turned sullen. They strongly dissuaded her from visiting the mosque, insisting American Muslims were "persecuted." Under no circumstance, they stressed, could she reveal her new Islamic beliefs to other Muslims.</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/564a109a2491f9c22b8b5536-1280-720/isis flag.jpg" alt="ISIS Islamic State" data-mce-source="Nashir" data-mce-caption="An ISIS militant with an ISIS flag." /><p class="source"><span>Nashir</span></p><p class="caption">An ISIS militant with an ISIS flag.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Alex's experience is similar to many others that Daesh has targeted for recruitment from both within the Muslim world and outside of it. Alex wasn't radicalized inside of a mosque. She was radicalized because she <em>never</em> went to a mosque.</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">Her Daesh recruiters tried to keep her from any mainstream, widely accepted expression of Islam because they feared it might thwart their brainwashing attempts.</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">That's because mainstream Islamic values and the Daesh worldview simply do not match up.</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">This is presumably why time and again, both studies and expert opinion demonstrate that those with a strong understanding of Islam are among the most resistant to radicalization.</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">Former National Security Council Director Quintan Wiktorowicz reached this exact conclusion <a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/01/24/133125267/new-terrorism-adviser-takes-a-broad-tent-approach"><span class="s2">after interviewing hundreds of Islamists</span></a> in an attempt to uncover key drivers of radicalization.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">A <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2008/aug/20/uksecurity.terrorism1"><span class="s2">2008 briefing note on radicalization prepared by MI5's behavioral science unit</span></a> noted "a well-established religious identity actually protects against violent radicalization" and that many terrorists "lack religious literacy." It should have come as no surprise to find that would-be Daesh recruits Yusuf Sarwar and Mohammed Ahmed purchased books like "<span class="s2"><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-12-05/koran-for-dummies-jihadists-jailed-for-martyrdom-mission">Islam for Dummies</a>"</span> before trying to join the group.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">These facts point to a simple reality that Daesh routinely exploits. Those with a poor or superficial understanding of Islam can often make good recruiting candidates.</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">That's why the <a href="http://www.oic-oci.org/oicv2/page/?p_id=52&amp;p_ref=26&amp;lan=en"><span class="s2">Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC),</span></a> the world's second largest inter-governmental body after the UN with 57 member-states, is in the process of launching an anti-extremism messaging center that connects leading Muslim-world religious scholars with the latest social media tools and strategies.</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1"><strong>A major Muslim response to Daesh</strong></span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">The Center's first priority is to work to discredit the perceived religious legitimacy that Daesh believes has given it the authority to order and inspire abhorrent acts of violence, like those committed in Paris. If Islam is falsely peddled as the justification for these acts, it must be the Islamic world that corrects this misconception.</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/564867bc2491f973008b539f-8688-5792/gettyimages-497162324.jpg" alt="paris" data-mce-source="Getty Images" /><p class="source"><span>Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">A memorial for victims of the November 13th attacks in Paris.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span><span class="s1">To this end, the OIC has partnered with its subsidiary organ the <a href="http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/organizations/islamic-fiqh-academy"><span class="s2">International Islamic Fiqh Academy</span></a> (IIFA), a body of senior Islamic scholars from across the world specializing in Islamic jurisprudence and knowledge.</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">As it is, Fiqh (jurisprudence) happens not to be one of Daesh's strong suits. A proper exegesis of the Quran and Hadith (the reports of actions and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) for the purpose of inferring a legal injunction is a complex and considered process. Daesh diverges from it constantly.</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">For instance, under normative Islamic practice, a legal judgment cannot be passed without referring to all mention of that issue within religious scripture. An understanding of the conditions of revelation for each verse is also required as some are limited in application to 7th century Arabia, the place and time when these verses were revealed.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">There is also a tradition of abrogation in Qur'anic exegesis where certain verses overrule others, not to mention centuries of jurisprudential commentary that informs how legal injunctions are applied. The Hadith that Daesh so wantonly cherry-pick to justify their violence relate to hundreds of thousands of reports of varying degrees of reliability, some deemed credible, but others deemed fabrications. Indeed, within certain contexts, learned scholars can use the same methodology and arrive at different but equally valid conclusions - such is the complexity of scriptural exegesis.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">But the good work of Islamic scholars in highlighting Daesh's failure to conform to basic Islamic legal and moral principles simply hasn't been communicated in ways likely to resonate with those who need to hear this message the most. After all, a body of scholarly work discrediting the religious basis for Daesh's extremism already exists.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">The Fiqh Academy, for example, has endorsed the <a href="http://www.ammanmessage.com/"><span class="s2">Amman Message</span></a>, which establishes preconditions for Islamic legal rulings and actually forbids apostasy charges, like the ones that Daesh has infamously issued. And a 17-page <a href="http://www.lettertobaghdadi.com/"><span class="s2">open letter to al-Baghdadi</span></a> from 126 Islamic scholars and leaders from across the world refers to religious legal precedent and scripture to meticulously dismantle the authenticity of the "Islamic State."</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">Connecting such religiously authoritative critiques of Daesh with cutting-edge social media strategies offers real scope to disrupt Daesh's online messaging. It could discredit their self-portrayal as an authentic, modern-day Caliphate, something that's central to their appeal in the eyes of impressionable young potential recruits.</span></p><p class="p2"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56461f4211231419008b4f22-1181-779/isis reach map.jpg" alt="ISIS reach map" data-mce-source="Reuters" data-mce-caption="Attacks across the greater Middle East attributed to ISIS as of mid-2015." /><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Attacks across the greater Middle East attributed to ISIS as of mid-2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div><span class="s1">But scholarly messages on religion alone are not enough.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Daesh hijacks religion for another dangerous purpose as well: to aggravate sectarian and religious hatred. </span><span class="s1">Here too, religious-based messaging can help counter the sectarian sentiment Daesh both stokes and exploits during the radicalization process.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">The human narrative can also be of invaluable help. Personal accounts and stories of victims of sectarian and terrorist violence are a uniquely powerful tool for hindering the dehumanization of the "other," making it difficult to color ethnic, religious and sectarian relations in simplistic black-and-white terms.</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">Perversely, the human narrative is among the most powerful tools in Daesh's own PR arsenal. Daesh recruitment videos directed at a particular nation often include recruits from the same communities telling their stories in ways that ordinary people can understand and relate to.</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">Daesh knows the power of humanizing its message. So must any counter-response.</span></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"><span class="s1"> That's why the OIC messaging center will ensure the defeat of Daesh's ideology works hand-in-hand with promoting the narratives of the group's victims, as well as those who have become disillusioned with Daesh or have experienced and witnessed the depravities of the group first-hand. The center will build the capacity of civil society voices on social media as well.</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">There are other challenges too. Marginalization and disaffection can create ideal conditions for radicalization to occur. This is in part why Daesh's vision of success is so resonant for some. Wider socio-economic action is undoubtedly needed to address some of these deeper root causes of radicalization. This is all the more reason a better alternative to Daesh's narrative is needed in any counter-messaging strategy.</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">That counter-narrative is something the OIC messaging center, in conjunction with the Islamic Fiqh Academy, will work to formulate and promote. In the present and throughout history, religion has unfortunately been hijacked for violent, perverse ends all over the world.</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1"> But it has also offered hope, been a source of solace and peace and given those who suffer pain, marginalization and distress the patience to overcome those challenges. The vast majority of the world's believers derive meaning form religion without resorting to anger, hate and violence.</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56028c155afbd3343c8b4567-800-535/islams-pilgrims-pray-for-peace-in-muslim-countries-wracked-by-war-2015-9.jpg" alt="A Muslim pilgrim prays on Mount Mercy on the plains of Arafat during the annual haj pilgrimage, outside the holy city of Mecca September 23, 2015.  REUTERS/Ahmad Masood" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="A Muslim pilgrim prays on Mount Mercy on the plains of Arafat during the annual haj pilgrimage, outside the holy city of Mecca " /><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">A Muslim pilgrim prays on Mount Mercy on the plains of Arafat during the annual haj pilgrimage, outside the holy city of Mecca </p></div><p></p></div></div></span><span class="s1">It is that message of peace, tolerance and pluralism that the OIC's messaging center will stress through credible, authoritative reading of scripture. It is a far cry from Daesh's narrative of conflict, retribution and immediate gratification, grounded in Deash's dehumanizing of all who do not share their beliefs.</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1"><strong>The Scope and the Scale</strong></span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">Volume will be a challenge. Daesh disseminates an extraordinary amount of social media content, driven by a vast support network. According to the Brookings Institution, between October and December 2014, there were 46,000 Twitter accounts <a href="http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2015/03/isis-twitter-census-berger-morgan/isis_twitter_census_berger_morgan.pdf"><span class="s2">supporting Daesh narratives</span></a>.</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">Any effective response requires a support network of our own. That means engagement with civil society partners already operating in this space. Such a diverse collaboration means there won't be agreement on every issue. But it is precisely this ability to acknowledge difference while uniting against violent extremism that must distinguish the Muslim world from Daesh's narrow, divisive ideology.</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1">The very existence, <a href="http://themuslim500.com/the-oic-more-necessary-than-ever"><span class="s2">structure and mission of the OIC embodies that principle</span></a>. Its fifty-seven member-states span four continents, many different types of governments, various ethnicities and sects, and numerous approaches to Islam. It represents the diversity of Muslim life and practice that sectarian extremists like Daesh fear and despise.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Whether that diversity survives or fractures depends on the outcome of a battle for hearts and minds that's taking place across social media and in the wider world. In the aftermath of the November 13th attacks on Paris, it is an ideological battle the Muslim world has a unique responsibility to confront, one that requires a pan-Muslim and transnational response.</span></p><p class="p2"><span class="s1"><em>Mr. Amanul Haq is a Director in the Cabinet of the OIC Secretary General and Head of the OIC's Peace, Security and Mediation Unit. Prior to joining the OIC, Mr. Haq served as Consul in the Consulate General of Bangladesh in New York.</em></span></p><p class="p1"> </p>

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