<ul class="summary-list"><li>An <keyword id="824180" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Idaho">Idaho</keyword> woman said she had to act as though she had on "a freaking <keyword id="1151306" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="burka">burka</keyword>" so she could "avoid wearing a mask."</li><li>In a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CityofLewistonIdaho/videos/720924575290372">Facebook live stream</a> hosted by the <keyword id="10680027" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="city-of-lewiston">City of Lewiston</keyword>, <keyword id="10680026" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="katie-dugger">Katie Dugger</keyword> is seen wearing a colorful outfit which she says is the "only way she can avoid wearing a mask."</li><li>Dugger is a student at Lewis-Clark State College (LCSC) and said she had to take last semester off because of the mask mandate "nonsense."</li></ul>An anti-masker ranted about the "nonsense" of mask-wearing during a local city <keyword id="90087" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="council-meeting">council meeting</keyword> in Idaho. Katie Dugger is seen at a meeting hosted by the City of Lewiston on January 25 wearing a colorful outfit which she says is the "only way she can avoid wearing a mask.""You know why I'm wearing this?" Dugger asked city officials, according to video from a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CityofLewistonIdaho/videos/720924575290372">Facebook live stream</a>. "I'm wearing this because the only way I could go to school today was because I had to act like I had on a freaking burka like I'm a Muslim."Dugger is a student at Lewis-Clark State College (LCSC) and said she had to take last semester off because of the mask mandate "nonsense." Students, faculty, and staff to wear face coverings in campus buildings and classrooms. But, face coverings are not required for those who have medically-based reasons for not wearing them or if people are socially distanced while outside, <a href="https://www.lcsc.edu/communications/coronavirus">according to the school's website</a>.Dugger said she had to wear the Peruvian-made outfit all day to school, and said wearing masks affects her schooling.In the video, she also said that since childhood it has been "traumatizing for her to wear a mask." Dugger downplayed some of the COVID-19 protocols put in place in the city such as plastic partitions and signs saying "masks required.""C'mon, what is this gonna do?" Dugger asks while holding up her scarf. "Do you think the virus is smart enough to say 'Omg, she has on a burka. I'm gonna stop right here and not infect her or anybody else.'"Lewiston City Council met on January 25 to determine whether or not to extend the city's mask mandate. Many of the residents who spoke during the meeting did not wear a mask.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cdc-mandates-wearing-masks-on-public-transportation-2021-1">Starting Monday</a>, wearing masks on public transportation will be required, according to a new rule by the CDC.Wearing a mask was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cdc-recommending-cloth-masks-face-coverings-in-public-spaces-2020-4">introduced back in the early days of the pandemic</a> when there wasn't much evidence on whether masks helped prevent the virus from spreading.

An Idaho woman said she had no choice but to wear a burka 'like a Muslim' so she could avoid a mask mandate

<ul class="summary-list"><li>An elementary <keyword id="11900653" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="school" source="Orion">school</keyword> teacher allegedly pulled off a second-grader's <keyword id="11995677" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="hijab" source="Orion">hijab</keyword> in class, a family attorney told WABC-TV. </li><li>Following the alleged incident, the girl no longer wants to wear <keyword id="12039975" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="muslim" source="Orion">Muslim</keyword> garb, the family said.</li></ul>A <keyword id="11925139" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="new-jersey" source="Orion">New Jersey</keyword> family said a teacher at Seth Boyden Elementary School in Maplewood, New Jersey, pulled off their <keyword id="11907061" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="child" source="Orion">child</keyword>'s hijab in class. The child, 7-year-old Sumayyah Wyatt, was allegedly instructed by her teacher to remove her hijab on Wednesday, WABC-TV <a href="https://abc7ny.com/teacher-rips-hijab-off-girls-head-removed-second-grade-student-maplewood/11099813/">reported</a>.The second-grader said no and the teacher then forcibly removed it from her head in front of all her classmates, the family attorney said, according to the outlet. "Ultimately, the teacher succeeds in pulling the hijab off her head, followed by a bizarre statement which is, 'Your hair is beautiful,'" the attorney said. "It is incredibly disturbing. It is very, very, symbolic of disregard of her religion and certainly something that has affected my clients overall."Her mother, Cassandra, says the incident has made her daughter resistant to Muslim garb. "I have to go introduce her to a different world that I've been trying to protect her from," Cassandra said.The family expects the teacher to face repercussions. "She had to know that was a hijab," she said. "She has to pay for that. I'd love for her to apologize to my daughter, and then my daughter would feel better."A lawyer for the teacher called the accusation "misinformation" and denied that the educator pulled off the hijab, according to WABC-TV."In accordance with school policy, (the teacher) directed a student in her class to pull down the hood on what appeared to be a hooded sweatshirt because it was blocking her eyes - and immediately rescinded that request when she realized that the student was wearing the hood in place of, rather than on top of, her usual hijab," the lawyer said.The accusations have "caused tremendous harm to (the teacher) - a teacher who, after more than 30 years of devoting her heart and soul to children of all backgrounds, has now had to ask for police protection," she said.The South Orange Maplewood School District is conducting an investigation."The district takes matters of discrimination extremely seriously," school officials said, according to WABC-TV. "We remain committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout our schools, including providing anti-bias and anti-racism training for all educators in the district on a regular basis."

A New Jersey family says a teacher yanked off their 7-year-old's hijab in class: 'Your hair is beautiful'

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57adea8dce38f2d6038b670b-2400/rtr329m4.jpg" alt="RTR329M4" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="A Chicago police officer pushes back protesters in May 2012">Thomson ReutersA Chicago police officer pushes back protesters in May 2012</img></div></div></div>A Muslim woman filed a federal lawsuit for civil rights violations against the city of Chicago and six of its officers on Thursday following an incident with officers last year.&#xa0;Itemid Al-Matar&#xa0;<a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/320941270/Al-Matar-Complaint#download">alleges</a>&#xa0;that she was walking up the stairs from a subway station on July 4 last year when she was "grabbed" by several officers, who "threw her down upon the stair landing" and then began "pulling at her and ripping off her hijab."She stated further that she was targeted specifically because of her religious garb, slamming the officers' actions as "intentional, willful and wanton" and a violation of her constitutional rights and religious freedom.A police report filed on the night of the incident indicated that officers thought that Al-Matar might have "incendiary devices" attached to her ankles."[Officers] believed that subject might be a&#xa0;<a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/muslim-woman-mistaken-for-terrorist-itemid-al-mata-sues-chicago-police/">lone wolf suicide bomber</a> and decided to attempt to take subject into custody," the report says, according to the Associated Press.Al-Matar <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-chicago-police-muslim-student-lawsuit-met-20160811-story.html">came to the United States from Saudi Arabia</a> two years ago to study English, according to the Chicago Tribune.Footage of the incident was captured on a nearby security camera. It appears to show five officers approaching Al-Matar from behind as she climbs of the train station.&#xa0;One of the officers then grabbed her by the shoulder and brought her to the ground, after which the other officers search her.&#xa0;<h2>The security camera footage&#xa0;can be viewed below:</h2><div><iframe width="739" height="416" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/6cgmo-t-L7I" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>Al-Matar was charged with&#xa0;reckless conduct and several counts of obstructing justice, but the charges were dismissed in June.Al-Matar&#xa0;claims that she suffered "violations of her constitutional rights, emotional anxiety, fear, humiliation, monetary loss, embarrassment, fear, pain and suffering and future pain and suffering" on account of the arrest.The officers allegedly followed&#xa0;Al-Matar because she carried a backpack and displayed "<a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/0a33e571bf8440b1bddd3d00e2f08ea0/muslim-woman-sues-chicago-6-officers-false-terrorist-id">suspicious behavior</a>" by "walking at a brisk pace, in a determined manner," according to the police report cited by the Associated Press. The officers cited&#xa0;orders to be on "high alert" for terrorist activity due to the Fourth of July holiday.The officers named as defendants in the suit have a total of over 35 complaints lodged against them, one of which accused an officer of use of force and was sustained.&#xa0;"It's unfortunate that in Chicago this incident reflects ingrained prejudice that some people still have," Gregory Kulis, one of Al-Matar's attorneys told the Chicago Tribune.The Chicago Police Department was the subject of intense scrutiny earlier this year, when a series&#xa0;of videos documenting police officers using force against or shooting at civilians were <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/04/us/chicago-police-misconduct.html?_r=0">released</a> by the city. Going as far back as 2011, the videos showed instances of officers using excessive, sometimes even deadly force against civilians, and marked a significant attempt by Chicago to be more transparent about its police department.&#xa0;&#xa0;Al-Matar also criticized the so-called code of silence within the ranks of Chicago's police, which condones a failure to "investigate and or discipline officers" accused of abusing their authority.Her criticism <a href="http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2015/12/08/mayor-emanuel-police-reform-accountability">was echoed by Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel</a> in December 2015, who acknowledged that the code of silence within the Chicago Police Department must be dealt with.&#xa0;&#xa0; <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mike-pence-question-11-year-old-donald-trump-republican-running-mate-2016-8">Watch this 11-year-old put Mike Pence on the spot with a tough question about his role as Trump's VP</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="VldjM1NTE6oGscb474lmvZObx5xccdt_" 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', 'VldjM1NTE6oGscb474lmvZObx5xccdt_',{ 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 Muslim woman is suing Chicago after officers arrested her thinking she was a potential 'lone wolf' terrorist

New Delhi, Apr 7 () A letter petition has been sent to Chief Justice of India S A Bobde seeking directions to the Centre and the Delhi government to impose "complete ban" on the activities of Tablighi Jamaat with immediate effect.At least 9,000 people had participated in the religious gathering at Tablighi Jamaat's headquarters in Delhi's Nizamuddin West last month. Out of over 4,000 cases of coronavirus in the country, at least 1,445 have been found to be linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi, the Union health ministry had said on Monday.The letter petition has sought a direction to the Centre and Delhi government to transfer the investigation to the CBI to probe into the alleged conspiracy of spreading coronavirus throughout India in the garb of congregation.The letter petition by Delhi-based Ajay Gautam has sought a direction to the Delhi government to demolish the building of the organization at Nizamuddin here under the provision of the MCD Act.Gautam had urged the CJI to treat his letter petition as a writ petition.It has also sought a direction to the authorities to take strict action against the officers of police and civil administration, who had failed in strict compliance of the orders by Delhi government which restricted gatherings to maximum of 50 persons, and later to 20.It said several persons from foreign countries, which were affected by coronavirus, had participated in the congregation held from March 12 to March 15 here.On April 6, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind had moved the apex court alleging that a section of media is spreading communal hatred over last month's Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi.The Muslim body has sought directions to the Centre to stop dissemination of "fake news" and take strict action against those responsible for it.The plea by Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and the secretary of its legal cell, through lawyer Ejaz Maqbool, has contended that the unfortunate incident of the Tablighi Jamaat was being used to "demonise" and blame the entire Muslim community.The plea by Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind has said that this "demonisation" of the community has led to serious "threat to life and liberty of Muslims", and has thus led to the violation of their "right to life under Article 21" of the Constitution. ABA MNL SJK SA

Letter petition to CJI seeks complete ban on activities of Tablighi Jamaat

Expressing solidarity with the people of Lakshadweep, the <keyword id="28504" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kerala">Kerala</keyword> Legislative Assembly on Monday unanimously passed a <keyword id="6359987" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Resolution">resolution</keyword> demanding the recall of island administrator Praful Khoda Patel and requesting the immediate intervention of the Centre to protect the lives and livelihood of the islanders. With this, Kerala has become the first state in the country to come up with a resolution to support the people of the union territory over the recent developments. An archipelago located in the Arabian Sea, Lakshadweep is witnessing protests by local people for some days over the recent actions and administrative reforms being implemented by Patel. Chief Minister Pinarayi <keyword id="6388414" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="vijayan">Vijayan</keyword> moved the government resolution, the first such motion in the 15th <keyword id="144407" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="state-Assembly">state Assembly</keyword>, reminiscing the historic and cultural bond between Kerala and Lakshadweep and criticising the Centre for allegedly trying to destroy the natural democracy there. Stating that the future of Lakshadweep is a matter of concern, he said any attempt to undermine its unique culture and indigenous lifestyle is unacceptable. Anyone who upholds Constitutional values should register a strong disagreement against the actions of the administrator of Lakshadweep, the Chief Minister urged. Setting aside their political differences, members of the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front and the Congress- headed United Democratic Front unanimously backed the resolution, except some amendments suggested by the latter. The hard-hitting resolution allegedthat attempts were being made to impose "saffronagendas" and "corporate interests" by destroying the unique way of life of Lakshadweep people. The implementation of the agenda, rolled out in the name of reforms, began with the painting of coconut trees with saffron colour and it has now grown to the level of destroying the traditional habitat, life and natural relationships of the island dwellers, it alleged. Steps have been taken to bring in the Goonda Act in the island where the crime rate is exceptionally low, it said. Pointing out that the authorities also aimed at destroying their traditional livelihood of fishing, the resolution said tents, where the fishermen's boats and nets are kept, have been rampantly destroyed. Through the attempt to exclude beef, which is part of the natural diet of the people of the territory, the Sangh Parivar agenda of banning cow slaughter was being implemented through the backdoor, it alleged. Thus, the administrator has taken the lead in annihilating the indigenous life and culture of the people of a territory inch by inch, the brief resolution further charged. Criticising the Centre's act of giving the administrator special powers to intervene into the affairs of various government departments, Vijayan said it amounted to undermining the island's natural democracy by deploying officials of their choice. "The recent developments in Lakshadweep should be seen as a laboratory of the Sangh Parivar agenda. They are attempting to change the culture, language, lifestyle and food habits of people of the country in tune with their ideology," the Chief Minister alleged. Strong resistance should be raised against this bid to enslave people of a territory to "corporate interests and Hindutva politics", he said. Stating that the central government has the responsibility to ensure that the unique features of the union territory and the native people are well-preserved, the Left veteran said the administrator, who posed a challenge to this, should be stripped of his responsibilities. Opposition <keyword id="1575" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Congress">Congress</keyword> leader V D Satheesan backed the resolution and said the agenda, being implemented by Patel under the garb of reforms, should be thrown in the Arabian Sea. The Congress and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) urged the government to directly criticise the BJP-NDA government at the Centre in the resolution. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/good-nutrition-is-vital-if-you-are-recuperating-from-the-coronavirus-here-is-what-you-should-have/articleshow/83083748.cms">Good nutrition is vital if you are recuperating from the Coronavirus — here is what you should have</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/from-bhel-to-heg-and-cg-power-these-infrastructure-stocks-have-turned-10000-to-as-much-as-30600-in-just-six-months/slidelist/83104471.cms">From BHEL to HEG and CG Power ⁠— these infrastructure stocks have turned ₹10,000 to as much as ₹30,600 in just six months</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/apple-iphone-se-3-smartphone-launch-date-specifications-expected-price-in-india/articleshow/83107752.cms">iPhone SE 3 launch date, specifications, price in India and everything else we know so far</a>

Kerala Assembly passes resolution seeking recall of Lakshadweep administrator

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rudy-giuliani-trump-should-review-mueller-report-executive-privilege-2019-1" data-analytics-position="3" data-analytics-module="homepage-river"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c3c2229bd773033107669f3-2000/ap17222737943383.jpg" border="0" alt="donald trump" data-mce-source="Evan Vucci/AP" data-mce-caption="President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after a security briefing at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017." data-link="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Trump/5fd206b743564e558ae4938b6af43cc1/28/0" /></a><a href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Trump/5fd206b743564e558ae4938b6af43cc1/28/0">Evan Vucci/AP</a>President Donald Trump</div></div></div>Hello! Here's everything you need to know on Monday, January 14.1. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-tweets-warrens-campaign-ad-would-have-been-a-smash-if-her-husband-wore-indian-garb-2019-1" data-analytics-position="1" data-analytics-module="hero_tout">President Donald Trump has gone on a Sunday night Twitter rant demeaning and mocking Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren.</a> Trump took aim at Warren's campaign announcement suggesting it 'would have been a smash' if her husband had dressed up in 'Indian garb'2. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jan-12-13-weekend-wrap-up-us-government-shutdown-record-edition-2019-1" data-analytics-position="2" data-analytics-module="big_picture">Here's some of the excitement that you missed on a busy second weekend of 2019:</a> The US government shutdown evolved into the longest on record and the president tweeted his frustration and fury at being called a Russian agent.3. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trumps-iran-attack-national-security-team-john-bolton-asked-for-options-alarming-officials-2019-1" data-analytics-position="4" data-analytics-module="featured_post">Trump's national security team reportedly asked for military options to attack Iran last fall.</a> The noted hawk and former neo con John Bolton apparently spearheaded the request that shocked US officials<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-organization-putin-penthouse-trump-tower-moscow-2018-11"></a>4. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/indonesia-has-located-the-cockpit-voice-recorder-of-lion-air-flight-jt-610-2019-1" data-analytics-position="17" data-analytics-module="onecolumn-post_image">Indonesia has finally located the cockpit voice recorder of Lion Air flight JT 610. </a> The Boeing Max 8 fell into the Java Sea in October, killing everyone on board.5. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rudy-giuliani-trump-should-review-mueller-report-executive-privilege-2019-1" data-analytics-position="3" data-analytics-module="homepage-river">Rudy Giuliani doubled down on yet another dubious claim on President Donald Trump's behalf.</a> The president's lawyer and former New York mayor has said that the administration should be allowed to edit Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report into Russian collusion before anyone else reads it. 6. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-execs-who-might-leave-next-insiders-2018-12" data-analytics-position="11" data-analytics-module="homepage-river">And now for a list of all the key Facebook players...</a> The ones who insiders think might be the next out the door of the social media giant.7. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pakistan-wont-call-out-china-uighur-oppression-shows-power-of-money-2019-1" data-analytics-position="8" data-analytics-module="big_picture">China's one reliable ally, Pakistan, abruptly stopped suggesting the communist party's mass oppression of Muslims needed a rethink. </a> Critics say Beijing bought its silence<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-ceo-tells-employees-self-driving-car-unit-screwed-up-2018-11"></a> 8. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kerry-washington-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-cbs-2020-election-team-diversity-2019-1" data-analytics-position="15" data-analytics-module="big_picture">Kerry Washington and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have come out strongly against CBS. </a> The pair led criticism of the broadcaster after its 2020 election coverage team appears to lack a single black staffer<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/at-least-2-dead-in-what-may-have-been-a-car-chase-with-border-patrol-2018-11"></a>9. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ibm-unveils-ibm-q-system-one-the-first-commercial-quantum-computer-2019-1" data-analytics-position="10" data-analytics-module="homepage-river">IBM has unveiled a quantum leap forward in business computing. </a> It's the world's first quantum computer that businesses can actually use to solve previously impossible problems.10. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lora-dicarlo-accuses-ces-of-sexism-after-innovation-award-was-revoked-2019-1">A robotic-sex-toy company thought it was being pretty innovative. </a> But after being stripped of an innovation award its come out swinging, accusing the world's biggest tech show of sexism.And finally ...<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/conservative-mps-blame-theresa-may-for-collapse-of-discipline-ahead-of-brexit-meaningful-vote-2019-1" data-analytics-position="1" data-analytics-module="hero_tout">Conservative MPs are pointing the finger at British Prime Minister Theresa May's 'dysfunctional' leadership for what looks like an inexorable Brexit deal defeat</a>, in a Business Insider exclusive. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-kim-jong-un-scariest-dictators-2016-1">North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un is 35 - here's how he became one of the world's scariest dictators</a></h3> <div> <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/nyjbDyJ4-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script> </div> </div>

The 10 most important things in the world right now

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/59fa293758a0c131008b528c-787/screen shot 2017-11-01 at 35736 pm.png" alt="screenshot coleman boyle family" data-mce-source="Screenshot via YouTube/HBwoodTV - Media Collections" data-mce-caption="Joshua Boyle and Caitlan Coleman sit with their children before leaving Pakistan for Canada." data-link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bfczZ7HfN8" /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bfczZ7HfN8">Screenshot via YouTube/HBwoodTV - Media Collections</a>Joshua Boyle and Caitlan Coleman sit with their children before leaving Pakistan for Canada.</div></div></div><ul><li>Given their statements and attitudes after their release from captivity, it is likely that Caitlan Coleman and Joshua Boyle, the couple who were held in captivity for five years in Afghanistan in Pakistan by a Taliban-affiliated group, converted to Islam during their ordeal.</li><li>Several prominent terror hostages like James Foley, who was beheaded by ISIS in 2014, also converted as a hostage.</li><li>Experts say that the unique combination of a need to survive, end-of-life self-reflection, and exposure to religious ideas helps explain why voluntary conversions occur in terror hostage situations.</li></ul><hr /> Caitlan Coleman and Joshua Boyle, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/a-family-held-captive-by-the-taliban-in-pakistan-was-just-freed-2017-10">the couple who were recently rescued</a> after being held hostage by the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network in Afghanistan and Pakistan for five years, most likely converted to Islam during the course of their captivity.Even though they have not addressed the issue publicly, and experts say that under the intense emotional stress that people in hostage situations experience, it is not uncommon for people to reevaluate their core spiritual or ideological beliefs.<h2>The couple's statements reveal they might have joined several other former hostages who converted to Islam during captivity</h2>After being rescued by Pakistani security forces earlier this month, Coleman, Boyle, and the three children they had in captivity <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-canadian-couple-taliban-hostages-freed-return-to-canada-2017-10">flew back to Toronto</a>, where days later, Coleman gave an <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2017/10/23/in-first-sit-down-interview-caitlan-coleman-tells-of-forced-abortion-disputes-official-account-of-her-rescue-in-pakistan.html">interview</a> to the Toronto Star in which she declined to say whether she had converted to Islam. But Coleman has continued to wear a hijab and abaya, traditional Islamic garb for women, and Boyle has maintained a cropped beard that is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/28/muslim-men-beards-facial-hair-islam">closely associated</a> with Islamic expressions of faith. In addition, Boyle's statements to the media have often included allusions to Islamic ideas and phrases."In the final analysis, it is the intentions of our actions, not their consequences, on which we will all eventually be judged," Boyle said to the media in Toronto on October 15, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/28/muslim-men-beards-facial-hair-islam">according to ABC News. </a>This sentiment is <a href="http://sunnahonline.com/library/purification-of-the-soul/217-hadith-of-intention-the">expressed</a> in <a href="http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/360/viewall/actions-and-intentions/">a number</a> of Islamic hadiths, or sayings of the prophet. Boyle has also used the Islamic phrase "Alhamdulillah," or praise God in Arabic, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bfczZ7HfN8">in a video</a> the family released before they were sent home from Pakistan.This would not be the first time hostages of Islamist terrorist groups have converted voluntarily during captivity. Tourists Johan Gustafsson of Sweden and Stephen McGowan of South Africa were captured by Al-Qaeda militants while in Mali in 2011, and <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/islam-conversion-saved-my-life-al-qaeda-hostage-mali-recounts-six-year-desert-670248">both reportedly converted</a> to Islam in captivity. After their release six year later, McGowan held on to his faith, and said he had converted of his own accord."I'm a God-fearing person so I do believe," McGowan <a href="http://ewn.co.za/2017/08/10/mcgowan-i-got-tired-of-believing">told Eyewitness News</a> after his release earlier this year. "They did not force me to enter into Islam. I see many very good things in Islam, many things that I like."James Foley, the journalist kidnapped and eventually beheaded by the terrorist group ISIS in Syria, also reportedly <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/22/world/europe/keeping-the-faith-in-brutal-captivity.html">converted to Islam</a> voluntarily before his death in August 2014.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/59fca5804d05acde0a8b491a-1950/rts1b7wj.jpg" alt="stephen mcgowan" data-mce-source="Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters" data-mce-caption="Stephen McGowan with his wife at a media event in Johannesburg, South Africa in August, 2017" />Siphiwe Sibeko/ReutersStephen McGowan with his wife at a media event in Johannesburg, South Africa in August, 2017</div></div></div><h2>Experts say that in the harrowing conditions of captivity, physical and emotional self-preservation drives most hostage behaviors</h2>Arie Kruglanski, a distinguished professor of psychology at the University of Maryland, said that because of the link between motivation and cognition, the best way to explain hostage conversions in these situations is to think of them as survival mechanisms."The dynamic of this is very interesting because you are motivated to survive," Kruglanski said. "So it's the motivation to survive, to be saved, to be spared by the captors that drives their beliefs, and their beliefs are adjusted with those of their captors because similarity of beliefs presumably leads to liking and sympathy."Kruglanski stated that in a situation like the one Coleman and Boyle were in, when fear is the primary motivator for people's cognition, the ideas religion presents can help people deal with their fear more easily."They are definitely in a state of fear," he said. "And under those conditions, their cognitive system is very heavily influenced by that motivation. So the chances are that they were not at that point particularly motivated by their desire for the truth. They were primarily motivated by their fear, by their desire to save their life. Once [they] adopted the religion, the religion can lead to a great deal of comfort because it provides certainty, it provides answers to almost all existential questions."Max Taylor, a forensic and legal psychologist at University College London, noted that the emotional fragility that people in hostage situations exhibit leaves them more open to ideas that might ease their suffering."It would not seem to me to be unreasonable to suggest that what you're looking at is a conversion that has something to do with people dealing with the emotional vulnerability that PTSD causes," Taylor said. "That vulnerability is manipulated."While it might seem counterintuitive that hostages would accept the religious beliefs that their violent captors claim to espouse, Kruglanski says that in the context of the captive situation, the redemptive narrative of Islam may have been the only one available for captives to use to make sense of their predicament."Just the fact that he had the religion might well have helped him adjust to the prison situation, and take a more metaphysical point of view that the religion supplies, that there is God, there is justice, and so forth and so on," he said.Following their release to freedom though, many hostages like McGowan or Coleman and Boyle retain the religious views they developed while in captivity. Taylor says that while the freed captives may have had a negative association with their captors, it is possible to separate that association from their newfound religion."[For] some of these guys who continue to retain their religious commitment, it may be that ... the emotional involvement is already such that you can't let go of it," Taylor said. "You might be able to shed the periphery, or the individuals who got you to that point, but you can't shed that core emotional solution to your problems."In the video Coleman and Boyle released from Pakistan immediately after their capture, Boyle seemed to do just that."There are good Muslims, there are bad Muslims, and there are those who are not Muslim, they are pagan," Boyle <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&amp;v=7vROrHstuIc">said to the camera</a>. "The criminals who held us, they were not good Muslims, they were not even bad Muslims, they were pagan."Kruglanski added that, in fact, hostages' new spiritual beliefs can be strengthened as a result of life after captivity."Upon release, that person can face a great deal of dissonance," he said, referring to the clash between their previous identities and their newly-acquired religion. "In an effort to rationalize the fact that he or she converted to Islam, to harmonize that, they actually come to believe that point of view with even greater force. It's called in psychology 'dissonance reduction.'"As Taylor noted, this dissonance reduction is necessary because, in many cases, the fact that a profound spiritual experience played a role in helping captives survive the lengthy trauma of captivity makes it difficult to cast it aside after being released.Brain Jenkins, senior advisor to the president of the RAND Corporation and a terrorism expert, said his experience in the military with soldiers going into battle has given him a unique window into the psychological state of individuals who fear that death might be imminent."People facing death, people whose focus is concentrated either because of combat experience or captivity... this is an occasion where examining one;s own soul is not unusual," Jenkins said. "People who realize that they may be murdered at any moment, are certainly going to think about things that we ordinarily don't get up and think about every morning, and are going to think about them in a very very different way. And so the fact that this might lead to some fundamental shifts in their spiritual thinking, in how they view their relationship with God, whatever god that may be, all of these are front and center in a very compelling way. At this point you're beyond psychologists, you're into theologians that can address this." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/president-donald-trump-symptom-failure-establishment-politics-yanis-varoufakis-greece-finance-minister-angela-merkel-2017-11">How Donald Trump rose to power in America, according to former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis</a></h3> <div> <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/cyUmosMo-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script> </div> </div>

Why people held captive by terrorist groups sometimes convert to Islam

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54ad3460dd089549538b45fb-1200-924/charlie-hebdo-3112011.jpg" border="0" alt="Charlie Hebdo 3.11.2011">MEHDI FEDOUACH/AFP/Getty Images</img>In February 2006 French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo published a series of 12 cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad which had been featured in the Nordic daily&#xa0;Jyllands-Posten the previous year. The Danish publication triggered anti-Danish protests across the Muslim world. It was the start of the story that would ultimately lead to the magazine becoming a prime terrorist target.
Twelve people were <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/photo-and-video-of-charlie-hebdo-shooters-in-paris-2015-1">shot dead at the Charlie Hebdo office</a> today. 
Depictions of the prophet are strictly taboo in Islam. The&#xa0;French Council of Muslim Faith (CFCM) and the Grand Mosques of Paris and Lyon had unsuccessfully attempted to sue Charlie Hebdo to prevent publication of the images on the grounds that they were offensive to France's Muslim community.
Their failure, however, led to much more serious repercussions. 
As the debate over the publication of the images intensified in France, a group of 12 prominent writers including Salman Rushdie and&#xa0;Bernard-Henri Levy&#xa0;<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4764730.stm">published an article in Charlie Hebdo speaking out against Islamic "totalitarianism"</a>. They wrote:
"Like all totalitarian ideologies, Islamism is nurtured by fear and frustration...Islamism is a reactionary ideology that kills equality, freedom and secularism wherever it is present."
By publicly denouncing Islamism, the magazine became a target of threats forcing some&#xa0;staff to be placed under police protection. But the attempt at intimidation failed. In fact, it had the opposite effect, emboldening the magazine's staff.
In 2011, the magazine named the Prophet Muhammad as its "editor-in-chief." The cover once again carried a cartoon depicting him making a glib remark.
This time, however, the response was not just threats. A day after its publication <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15550350">the offices of the magazine were firebombed</a> and its website hacked. Fortunately, no-one was injured.
Stephane Charbonnier, the magazine's editor-in-chief, responded as robustly as ever.
He said: "If we can poke fun at everything in France, if we can talk about anything in France apart from Islam or the consequences of Islamism, that is annoying."
In response he set out to publish the most controversial editions yet. They first produced an issue with the cover showing a man dressed in traditional Muslim garb passionately kissing a Charlie Hebdo cartoonist.
<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54ad3460dd089549538b45fc-1200-924/charlie-hebdo-1992012.jpg" border="0" alt="Charlie Hebdo 19.9.2012">THOMAS COEX/AFP/GettyImages</img>This was then followed up by a cover showing a Muslim man in a wheelchair pushed by an Orthodox Jew under the title&#xa0;"Untouchables 2",&#xa0;<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1675434/">an imaginary sequel to a recently released French film</a>. The pair are saying (rough translation) "You must not mock us!". 
The publication was condemned by the French foreign minister&#xa0;Laurent Fabius as a "provocation". The French government was so concerned&#xa0;about the possibility of a backlash in Muslim countries, following the response to the 2006 cartoons, that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/france-plans-to-close-20-embassies-after-charlie-hebdo-publishes-mohammed-cartoon-2012-9?IR=T">it decided to&#xa0;temporarily closed 20 embassies as a precaution</a>.
Yet Charlie Hebdo was not done yet. In 2013 the magazine went further still, publishing what it called a "halal" comic book on the life of Islamic prophet Mohammad. The book was created with&#xa0;the help of a Islamic Franco-Tunisian sociologist and&#xa0;Charbonnier claimed, somewhat implausibly given his experiences, that there was no reason why anyone would take offence.
<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54ad3460dd089549538b45fd-480-705/charlie-hebdo-5.jpg" border="0" alt="charlie hebdo"><a href="http://www.charliehebdo.fr">Charlie Hebdo</a></img>
Even those who have defended the magazine's right to publish have admitted the articles have been crass. But Charbonnier told <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjM36w_X-N4&amp;feature=youtu.be">Al Jazeera in a 2012 interview</a>, that his argument has always been that free speech must be upheld and cannot be bounded by what will and will not cause offence.
Today, the Charlie Hebdo story took a gruesome turn as two gunmen burst into its offices and shot dead at least 12 people. They shouted "<a href="http://news.sky.com/story/1403662/gunmen-hunted-after-12-killed-at-paris-magazine">we have avenged the prophet!</a>" according to Sky News.

How Charlie Hebdo Became A Terrorist Target

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54ad3460dd089549538b45fb-1200-924/charlie-hebdo-3112011.jpg" alt="Charlie Hebdo 3.11.2011" border="0">MEHDI FEDOUACH/AFP/Getty Images</img>In February 2006 French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo published a series of 12 cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad which had been featured in the Nordic daily&#xa0;Jyllands-Posten the previous year. The Danish publication triggered anti-Danish protests across the Muslim world. It was the start of the story that would ultimately lead to the magazine becoming a prime terrorist target.
Twelve people were <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/photo-and-video-of-charlie-hebdo-shooters-in-paris-2015-1">shot dead at the Charlie Hebdo office</a> today. 
Depictions of the prophet are strictly taboo in Islam. The&#xa0;French Council of Muslim Faith (CFCM) and the Grand Mosques of Paris and Lyon had unsuccessfully attempted to sue Charlie Hebdo to prevent publication of the images on the grounds that they were offensive to France's Muslim community.
Their failure, however, led to much more serious repercussions. 
As the debate over the publication of the images intensified in France, a group of 12 prominent writers including Salman Rushdie and&#xa0;Bernard-Henri Levy&#xa0;<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4764730.stm">published an article in Charlie Hebdo speaking out against Islamic "totalitarianism"</a>. They wrote:
"Like all totalitarian ideologies, Islamism is nurtured by fear and frustration...Islamism is a reactionary ideology that kills equality, freedom and secularism wherever it is present."
By publicly denouncing Islamism, the magazine became a target of threats forcing some&#xa0;staff to be placed under police protection. But the attempt at intimidation failed. In fact, it had the opposite effect, emboldening the magazine's staff.
In 2011, the magazine named the Prophet Muhammad as its "editor-in-chief." The cover once again carried a cartoon depicting him making a glib remark.
This time, however, the response was not just threats. A day after its publication <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15550350">the offices of the magazine were firebombed</a> and its website hacked. Fortunately, no-one was injured.
Stephane Charbonnier, the magazine's editor-in-chief, responded as robustly as ever.
He said: "If we can poke fun at everything in France, if we can talk about anything in France apart from Islam or the consequences of Islamism, that is annoying."
In response he set out to publish the most controversial editions yet. They first produced an issue with the cover showing a man dressed in traditional Muslim garb passionately kissing a Charlie Hebdo cartoonist.
<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54ad3460dd089549538b45fc-1200-924/charlie-hebdo-1992012.jpg" alt="Charlie Hebdo 19.9.2012" border="0">THOMAS COEX/AFP/GettyImages</img>This was then followed up by a cover showing a Muslim man in a wheelchair pushed by an Orthodox Jew under the title&#xa0;"Untouchables 2",&#xa0;<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1675434/">an imaginary sequel to a recently released French film</a>. The pair are saying (rough translation) "You must not mock us!". 
The publication was condemned by the French foreign minister&#xa0;Laurent Fabius as a "provocation". The French government was so concerned&#xa0;about the possibility of a backlash in Muslim countries, following the response to the 2006 cartoons, that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/france-plans-to-close-20-embassies-after-charlie-hebdo-publishes-mohammed-cartoon-2012-9?IR=T">it decided to&#xa0;temporarily closed 20 embassies as a precaution</a>.
Yet Charlie Hebdo was not done yet. In 2013 the magazine went further still, publishing what it called a "halal" comic book on the life of Islamic prophet Mohammad. The book was created with&#xa0;the help of a Islamic Franco-Tunisian sociologist and&#xa0;Charbonnier claimed, somewhat implausibly given his experiences, that there was no reason why anyone would take offence.
<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54ad3460dd089549538b45fd-480-705/charlie-hebdo-5.jpg" alt="charlie hebdo" border="0"><a href="http://www.charliehebdo.fr">Charlie Hebdo</a></img>
Even those who have defended the magazine's right to publish have admitted the articles have been crass. But Charbonnier told <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjM36w_X-N4&amp;feature=youtu.be">Al Jazeera in a 2012 interview</a>, that his argument has always been that free speech must be upheld and cannot be bounded by what will and will not cause offence.
Today, the Charlie Hebdo story took a gruesome turn as two gunmen burst into its offices and shot dead at least 12 people. They shouted "<a href="http://news.sky.com/story/1403662/gunmen-hunted-after-12-killed-at-paris-magazine">we have avenged the prophet!</a>" according to Sky News.

How Charlie Hebdo Became A Top Terrorist Target

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5602de2ebd86ef16008bc8cd-1205-603/screen%20shot%202015-09-23%20at%201.14.21%20pm.png" alt="Screen Shot 2015 09 23 at 1.14.21 PM" data-mce-source="video provided by CNN/screengrab" data-mce-caption="Don Lemon interviews Hillary Clinton.">video provided by CNN/screengrabDon Lemon interviewed Hillary Clinton.</img></div></div></div>CNN anchor Don Lemon <a href="http://www.mediaite.com/online/hillary-clinton-confronted-by-cnns-don-lemon-on-whether-she-created-birtherism/">confronted</a> former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday with the allegation that her 2008 presidential campaign pushed conspiracy theories against then-Sen. Barack Obama."Did you or your campaign start the whole 'birther' thing?" Lemon asked Clinton during a radio interview on "The Tom Joyner Morning Show," <a href="http://www.snappytv.com/tc/842169">according to audio provided by CNN</a>.The Democratic presidential front-runner directly denied any involvement."That is so ludicrous, Don," she responded. "It is totally untrue."The "birther" debate <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cnn-jake-tapper-donald-trump-muslim-bigotry">emerged again last week</a> when Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump declined to correct a supporter who declared that Obama was a Muslim foreigner.Trump was one of the most prominent people challenging the authenticity of Obama's birth certificate and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-obama-birth-certificate-meet-the-press">continues to decline</a> to say the president was in fact born in the US and therefore is eligible for the Oval Office.With the issue back in the news cycle, conservatives and other Clinton critics are pointing to the role her 2008 presidential campaign had in making Obama seem more foreign.During the fierce primary contest, Obama's campaign manager accused the Clinton team of circulating <a href="http://www.mediaite.com/online/hillary-clinton-horrified-by-obama-rumors-her-campaign-helped-create/">a photo of Obama dressed in traditional African garb</a>, calling it "shameful, offensive fearmongering." According <a href="http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/02/25/obama-camp-slams-clinton-team-on-controversial-photo/">to CNN</a>, Clinton's campaign said at the time that Obama was trying to "distract" voters with the accusation, but it did not deny circulating the photo.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5602ed5e9dd7cc1a008bc7bb-2200-1428/rtr1ljfp.jpg" alt="obama hillary" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES)" data-mce-caption="Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) (R) stands in front of Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) as they arrive for U.S. President George W. Bush's annual State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington January 23, 2007.">REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES)Then-Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton at President George W. Bush's State of the Union speech at the US Capitol in 2007.</img></div></div></div>And as Bloomberg <keyword id="6358883" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Politics">Politics</keyword> <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-09-18/white-house-rips-trump-republicans-over-muslim-remark">noted last week</a>, a top 2008 Clinton campaign adviser <a href="https://www.scribd.com/doc/4097983/Penn-Strategy-Memo-3-19-07">wrote a 2007 memo</a> that said Obama's "roots to basic American values and culture are at best limited.""I cannot imagine," the memo said, "America electing a president during a time of war who is not at his center fundamentally American in his thinking and his values."Even Trump accused Clinton of promoting the "birther" issue in a tweet published Tuesday night:<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">Just remember, the birther movement was started by Hillary Clinton in 2008. She was all in!- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/646508464085311488">September 23, 2015</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Other recent <a href="http://www.mediaite.com/online/hillary-clinton-horrified-by-obama-rumors-her-campaign-helped-create/">reports</a> have <a href="http://www.mediaite.com/online/hillary-clinton-horrified-by-obama-rumors-her-campaign-helped-create/">documented</a> other alleged Clinton transgressions on the subject. The national Republican Party also <a href="https://gop.com/clinton-falsely-claims-no-role-in-birther-controversy/">shared its own research on the issue</a> in reaction to Clinton's Wednesday interview with Lemon."It must be getting hot inside Hillary Clinton's glass house," Republican National Committee spokesman Michael Short told Business Insider. "Hillary Clinton can't ignore the fact her 2008 campaign pioneered the questioning of Barack Obama's faith and citizenship."For her part, Clinton told Lemon that she had never even heard of the allegation that her campaign supported the "birther" theories and that Obama had never confronted her about it."I have been blamed for nearly everything [but] that was a new one to me," she said. "I'll just keep going and talking about what I want to do to get incomes rising and making college affordable and making all of the positive changes that we have to be worried about."<h3><a href="http://www.snappytv.com/tc/842169">Click here to listen to that segment of the interview on 'The Tom Joyner Morning Show.'</a></h3> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tourists-captured-by-gunmen-at-a-philippine-resort-2015-9">Footage shows tourists captured by gunmen at a Philippine resort</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="1pdWludzr-Z739unKqQFZY7SiOx7B73s" 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', '1pdWludzr-Z739unKqQFZY7SiOx7B73s',{ 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>

CNN's Don Lemon confronts Hillary Clinton: 'Did you or your campaign start the whole birther thing?'

<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/532ca61a69beddb66af33da6-400-300/putin.png?maxX=480" border="0" alt="Putin" width="480" />The Economist</div></div>The post-Soviet world order was far from perfect, but Vladimir Putin's idea for replacing it is much worse.
"In people's hearts and minds," Vladimir Putin told Russia's parliament this week, "Crimea has always been an inseparable part of Russia."
He annexed the peninsula with dazzling speed and efficiency, backed by a crushing majority in a referendum (see "The Ukraine crisis: Responding to Mr Putin"). He calls it a victory for order and legitimacy and a blow against Western meddling.
The reality is that Mr Putin is a force for instability and strife. The founding act of his new order was to redraw a frontier using arguments that could be deployed to inflame territorial disputes in dozens of places around the world. Even if most Crimeans do want to join Russia, the referendum was a farce. Russia's recent conduct is often framed narrowly as the start of a new cold war with America. In fact it poses a broader threat to countries everywhere because Mr Putin has driven a tank over the existing world order.
<h3>The embrace of the motherland</h3>
Foreign policy follows cycles. The Soviet collapse ushered in a decade of unchallenged supremacy for the United States and the aggressive assertion of American values. But, puffed up by the hubris of George Bush, this "unipolar world" choked in the dust of Iraq. Since then Barack Obama has tried to fashion a more collaborative approach, built on a belief that America can make common cause with other countries to confront shared problems and isolate wrongdoers.
This has failed miserably in Syria but shown some signs of working with Iran. Even in its gentler form, it is American clout that keeps sea lanes open, borders respected and international <keyword id="6355470" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Law">law</keyword> broadly observed. To that extent, the post-Soviet order has meaning.
Mr Putin is now destroying that. He dresses up his takeover of Crimea in the garb of international law, arguing for instance that the ousting of the government in Kiev means he is no longer bound by a treaty guaranteeing Ukraine's borders that Russia signed in 1994, when Ukraine gave up nuclear weapons. But international law depends on governments inheriting the rights and duties of their predecessors.
Similarly, he has invoked the principle that he must protect his "compatriots"--meaning anybody he chooses to define as Russian--wherever they are. Against all evidence, he has denied that the unbadged troops who took control of Crimea were Russian. That combination of protection and subterfuge is a formula for intervention in any country with a minority, not just a Russian one.
Brandishing fabricated accounts of Ukrainian fascists threatening Crimea, he has defied the principle that intervention abroad should be a last resort in the face of genuine suffering. He cites NATO's bombing of Kosovo in 1999 as a precedent, but that came after terrible violence and exhaustive efforts at the UN--which Russia blocked. Even then Kosovo was not, like Crimea, immediately annexed, but seceded nine years later.
Mr Putin's new order, in short, is built on revanchism, a reckless disdain for the truth and the twisting of the law to mean whatever suits those in power. That makes it no order at all.
Sadly, too few people understand this. Plenty of countries resent American primacy and Western moralising. But they would find Mr Putin's new order far worse. Small countries thrive in an open system of rules, albeit imperfect ones. If might is right, they have much to fear, especially if they must contend with an aggressive regional power. Larger countries, especially the new giants of the emerging world, face less threat of bullying, but an anarchic, mistrustful world would harm them all the same.
If international agreements are robbed of their meaning, India could more easily be sucked into a clash of arms with China over Arunachal Pradesh or Ladakh with Pakistan. If unilateral secession is acceptable, Turkey will find it harder to persuade its Kurds that their future lies in making peace. Egypt and Saudi Arabia want Iran's regional ambitions to be tamped down, not fed by the principle that it can intervene to help Shia Muslims across the Middle East.
Even China should pause. Tactically, Crimea ties it in knots. The precedent of secession is anathema, because of Tibet; the principle of unification is sacrosanct, because of Taiwan. Strategically, though, China's interests are clear. For decades, it has sought to rise peacefully within the system, avoiding the competition that an upstart Germany launched against Britain in the 19th century and which ended in war. But peace is elusive in Mr Putin's world, because anything can become a pretext for action, and any perceived aggression demands a riposte.
<h3>Act now or pay later</h3>
For Mr Obama, this is a defining moment: he must lead, not just co-operate. But Crimea should also matter to the rest of the world. Given what is at stake, the response has so far been weak and fragmented. China and India have more or less stood aside. The West has imposed visa sanctions and frozen a few Russians' assets. The targets call this a badge of honour.
At the very least, the measures must start to exceed expectations. Asset freezes can be powerful, because, as the Iran sanctions showed, international finance dreads being caught up in America's regulatory machinery. Mr Putin's kleptocratic friends would yelp if Britain made London unwelcome to Russian money linked to the regime (see "Russian money in Britain: Honey trapped").
France should withhold its arms sales to Russia; and, in case eastern Ukraine is next, Germany must be prepared to embargo Russian oil and gas. Planning should start right now to lessen Europe's dependence on Russian energy and to strengthen NATO.
Ukraine needs short-term money, to stave off collapse, and longer-term reforms, with the help of the IMF, backed by as much outside advice as the country will stomach. As a first step, America must immediately pay its dues to the fund, which have been blocked by Congress for months.
Even if the West is prepared to take serious measures against Mr Putin, the world's rising powers may not be inclined to condemn him. But instead of acquiescing in his illegal annexation of Crimea, they should reflect on what kind of a world order they want to live under. Would they prefer one in which states by and large respect international agreements and borders? Or one in which words are bent, borders ignored and agreements broken at will?
Click <a href="https://subscriptions.economist.com/nwcd">here</a> to subscribe to The Economist.
<img class="nc_pixel" src="http://pixel.newscred.com/px.gif?key=YXJ0aWNsZT00OTA4MDJlZWUyMzdlM2JlZTJjMzJmMDFkOGI2Mjg4YSZub25jZT02NjRkMGMxYS0yZmYyLTQyOWItYjE1OC1iNDNiMGJlMTM5MDgmcHVibGlzaGVyPThjMDBmYmVlNjFkNWJjZjBjNjA5MmQ4YjkyZWJiY2Ex" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" />

Putin's New World Order Is A Threat To Countries Everywhere

<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/532ca61a69beddb66af33da6-400-300/putin.png?maxX=480" border="0" alt="Putin" width="480" />The Economist</div></div>The post-Soviet world order was far from perfect, but Vladimir Putin's idea for replacing it is much worse.
"In people's hearts and minds," Vladimir Putin told Russia's parliament this week, "Crimea has always been an inseparable part of Russia."
He annexed the peninsula with dazzling speed and efficiency, backed by a crushing majority in a referendum (see "The Ukraine crisis: Responding to Mr Putin"). He calls it a victory for order and legitimacy and a blow against Western meddling.
The reality is that Mr Putin is a force for instability and strife. The founding act of his new order was to redraw a frontier using arguments that could be deployed to inflame territorial disputes in dozens of places around the world. Even if most Crimeans do want to join Russia, the referendum was a farce. Russia's recent conduct is often framed narrowly as the start of a new cold war with America. In fact it poses a broader threat to countries everywhere because Mr Putin has driven a tank over the existing world order.
<h3>The embrace of the motherland</h3>
Foreign policy follows cycles. The Soviet collapse ushered in a decade of unchallenged supremacy for the United States and the aggressive assertion of American values. But, puffed up by the hubris of George Bush, this "unipolar world" choked in the dust of Iraq. Since then Barack Obama has tried to fashion a more collaborative approach, built on a belief that America can make common cause with other countries to confront shared problems and isolate wrongdoers.
This has failed miserably in Syria but shown some signs of working with Iran. Even in its gentler form, it is American clout that keeps sea lanes open, borders respected and international law broadly observed. To that extent, the post-Soviet order has meaning.
Mr Putin is now destroying that. He dresses up his takeover of Crimea in the garb of international law, arguing for instance that the ousting of the government in Kiev means he is no longer bound by a treaty guaranteeing Ukraine's borders that Russia signed in 1994, when Ukraine gave up nuclear weapons. But international law depends on governments inheriting the rights and duties of their predecessors.
Similarly, he has invoked the principle that he must protect his "compatriots"--meaning anybody he chooses to define as Russian--wherever they are. Against all evidence, he has denied that the unbadged troops who took control of Crimea were Russian. That combination of protection and subterfuge is a formula for intervention in any country with a minority, not just a Russian one.
Brandishing fabricated accounts of Ukrainian fascists threatening Crimea, he has defied the principle that intervention abroad should be a last resort in the face of genuine suffering. He cites NATO's bombing of Kosovo in 1999 as a precedent, but that came after terrible violence and exhaustive efforts at the UN--which Russia blocked. Even then Kosovo was not, like Crimea, immediately annexed, but seceded nine years later.
Mr Putin's new order, in short, is built on revanchism, a reckless disdain for the truth and the twisting of the law to mean whatever suits those in power. That makes it no order at all.
Sadly, too few people understand this. Plenty of countries resent American primacy and Western moralising. But they would find Mr Putin's new order far worse. Small countries thrive in an open system of rules, albeit imperfect ones. If might is right, they have much to fear, especially if they must contend with an aggressive regional power. Larger countries, especially the new giants of the emerging world, face less threat of bullying, but an anarchic, mistrustful world would harm them all the same.
If international agreements are robbed of their meaning, India could more easily be sucked into a clash of arms with China over Arunachal Pradesh or Ladakh with Pakistan. If unilateral secession is acceptable, Turkey will find it harder to persuade its Kurds that their future lies in making peace. Egypt and Saudi Arabia want Iran's regional ambitions to be tamped down, not fed by the principle that it can intervene to help Shia Muslims across the Middle East.
Even China should pause. Tactically, Crimea ties it in knots. The precedent of secession is anathema, because of Tibet; the principle of unification is sacrosanct, because of Taiwan. Strategically, though, China's interests are clear. For decades, it has sought to rise peacefully within the system, avoiding the competition that an upstart Germany launched against Britain in the 19th century and which ended in war. But peace is elusive in Mr Putin's world, because anything can become a pretext for action, and any perceived aggression demands a riposte.
<h3>Act now or pay later</h3>
For Mr Obama, this is a defining moment: he must lead, not just co-operate. But Crimea should also matter to the rest of the world. Given what is at stake, the response has so far been weak and fragmented. China and India have more or less stood aside. The West has imposed visa sanctions and frozen a few Russians' assets. The targets call this a badge of honour.
At the very least, the measures must start to exceed expectations. Asset freezes can be powerful, because, as the Iran sanctions showed, international finance dreads being caught up in America's regulatory machinery. Mr Putin's kleptocratic friends would yelp if Britain made London unwelcome to Russian money linked to the regime (see "Russian money in Britain: Honey trapped").
France should withhold its arms sales to Russia; and, in case eastern Ukraine is next, Germany must be prepared to embargo Russian oil and gas. Planning should start right now to lessen Europe's dependence on Russian energy and to strengthen NATO.
Ukraine needs short-term money, to stave off collapse, and longer-term reforms, with the help of the IMF, backed by as much outside advice as the country will stomach. As a first step, America must immediately pay its dues to the fund, which have been blocked by Congress for months.
Even if the West is prepared to take serious measures against Mr Putin, the world's rising powers may not be inclined to condemn him. But instead of acquiescing in his illegal annexation of Crimea, they should reflect on what kind of a world order they want to live under. Would they prefer one in which states by and large respect international agreements and borders? Or one in which words are bent, borders ignored and agreements broken at will?
Click <a href="https://subscriptions.economist.com/nwcd">here</a> to subscribe to The Economist.
<img class="nc_pixel" src="http://pixel.newscred.com/px.gif?key=YXJ0aWNsZT00OTA4MDJlZWUyMzdlM2JlZTJjMzJmMDFkOGI2Mjg4YSZub25jZT02NjRkMGMxYS0yZmYyLTQyOWItYjE1OC1iNDNiMGJlMTM5MDgmcHVibGlzaGVyPThjMDBmYmVlNjFkNWJjZjBjNjA5MmQ4YjkyZWJiY2Ex" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" />

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