Location: United Kindom
A damning report by the UK’s terrorism watchdog has exposed British prisons as dangerous breeding grounds for jihadist recruitment and extremist control. The independent review, led by Jonathan Hall QC, revealed that Islamist inmates wield alarming influence, appointing their own "emirs" to control prison wings and even establish Sharia courts that mete out punishments like flogging. “Islamist group behavior has come to be seen as part of the prison landscape,” Hall warned, adding that these extremists often gain a "heroic profile" among prisoners for their perceived anti-state actions. Guards, intimidated by insincere accusations of Islamophobia and overwhelmed by violent group behavior, often turn to these "emirs" for help maintaining order. The report also criticized the lack of a national system to track Islamist activity in prisons, leaving authorities blind to the scale of the threat. Hall urged urgent legislative changes to combat these issues, noting how dangerous figures like Sudesh Amman and Usman Khan carried out attacks shortly after release, highlighting the grave risks of inaction.
Location: United States
In August 2024, tensions flared at George Mason University when radical protesters defaced the campus with spray-painted calls for a "student intifada." At the center of the controversy were sisters Jena and Noor Chanaa, leaders of the university’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter, accused of orchestrating the incident. What seemed like a case of vandalism quickly escalated into something far more alarming. When police searched the Chanaa family home in November, they uncovered a shocking arsenal: firearms, piles of ammunition, flags of Hamas and Hezbollah, and chilling signs declaring "death to America" and "death to Jews." Authorities seized the weapons under Virginia’s red flag laws, citing concerns that the sisters’ brother, Mohammad Chanaa, posed a danger due to his connection to "terroristic materials." Although Mohammad later petitioned successfully to regain his firearms, the fallout for Jena and Noor was swift and severe. George Mason University suspended the SJP chapter and banned the sisters from campus for four years. Under their leadership, the SJP chapter had openly endorsed Hamas. What began as a campus protest unearthed deeper questions about extremism, safety, and the line between free speech and incitement.
Location: Afghanistan
The Taliban’s latest decree banning women from training as nurses and midwives has drawn global condemnation, with activists calling it “an outrageous act of ignorance” that threatens the lives of millions of Afghan women. Announced on December 2 by the Taliban's Ministry of Public Health, the ban has already shuttered medical training institutions for female students across Afghanistan. Heather Barr of Human Rights Watch warned of the devastating implications: “If you ban women from being treated by male healthcare professionals, and then you ban women from training to become healthcare professionals, the consequences are clear: women will not have access to healthcare and will die as a result.” Protests erupted in Herat as women chanted, “Education is our right,” while experts highlighted the dire consequences of this policy in a country where maternal healthcare was already among the worst globally, with 620 deaths per 100,000 live births. Activists fear the ban will leave women giving birth alone, without skilled healthcare workers, exacerbating Afghanistan’s healthcare crisis.
Location: Iran
Iran’s escalating use of amputations as punishment for theft under Islamic law has drawn fierce international condemnation, with human rights advocates labeling the practice as “inhumane, cruel, and degrading.” Despite global pressure, the Iranian regime has reportedly carried out at least 129 amputations since 2000, and the actual numbers are believed to be higher due to state efforts to suppress publicity. Defending the practice, Iran’s judiciary head, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, stated, “If theft is proven under the conditions set by Islam, the thief’s fingers must be amputated… This is a ruling from God.” Critics argue these punishments violate Iran’s commitments under international human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibits inhumane or degrading treatment. Mahmood Amiry Moghadam of Iran Human Rights called for global accountability, emphasizing that such actions “constitute a serious violation of the conventions that the Islamic Republic of Iran has signed and pledged to uphold.”
Location: United Kindom
The Tawheed Islamic Education Centre (TIEC) in Maidenhead is under fire for alleged extremism and misogyny, sparking widespread condemnation. The center employed Dzhamilya Timaeva, a 20-year-old Chechen refugee recently on trial for disseminating terrorist materials. Prosecutors revealed that Timaeva created lesson plans using the book Little Muwahideen, which glorifies jihad and includes a section titled “Hatred for the Sake of Allah.” Gareth Weetman, prosecuting, described the material as “not just about teaching the basics of Islam but indoctrinating young minds.” Compounding the controversy, a 2022 sermon by TIEC leader Ustadh Yahya Al-Raaby advocated forcing women to wear hijabs, stating men should "admonish" their wives and use a "harsher, stern approach" if they refuse. The National Secular Society called on regulators to act, denouncing the charity for promoting extremism and misogyny. “It is shocking to hear these views in 21st-century Britain,” said Megan Manson, head of campaigns at the NSS. “Charities must not be used as a vehicle for misogyny and extremism.”
