Syrian Woman Secretly Films Life in Raqqa Under ISIS

A mystery woman has covertly provided the world with a rare glimpse of life in the heartland of the Islamic State using a camera concealed beneath her niqab.

The extraordinary footage was taken in the Syrian city of Raqqa, the 'capital' of the militant regime since March.

She is forced to wear the traditional Islamic clothing, which covers the entire face except for the eyes, under the strict Sharia law imposed by IS, which has taken vast swathes of Iraq and Syria in a bloody campaign.

The footage covertly shows men wielding Kalashnikov assault rifles everywhere in the city which is about 100 miles from Aleppo, Syria's largest city.

It is not just men who have taken up arms to defend IS nascent regime as a niqab-garbed woman, taking her children to the park, is seen with a Kalashnikov assault rifle slung over her shoulder.

There is also a heart-stopping moment when an armed man in a car calls over the woman filming, telling her she has to 'behave better' in public.

Her crime? Her face can be seen, something forbidden by the militants' interpretation of Islam.

She apologises for the transparency of her veil, to which the man responds: 'You have to pay attention by covering up. God loves women who are covered.' 

The report, aired on a French TV channel, describes forced prayer times and how there is no music and no entertainment.

It also features some of the estimated 150 women who have chosen to leave France to live in the Islamic State.

The camerawoman enters an internet cafe where women are seen talking in French and contacting family members they have left behind.

One woman tells her mother: 'I am not going back, mom. I am telling it to you bluntly. You have to get it through your head that I am not returning.

'I did not take the risk by coming here to go back to France. I do not want to return because I am doing well here mom. There is nothing to gain from weeping or being afraid.'

The daughter, defends her new homeland, adding: 'All I see on TV is false. They exaggerate everything on TV.'

Her mother's anguish is justified. Raqqa was targeted by the U.S. and its Arabic allies in a series of air strikes this week.

Adapted from: Daily Mail UK

Muslim Clergymen Begin Miracle Healing Crusades

AFRICAN Muslim clergymen have begun performing miracle healing crusades like their Christian counterparts in an new development that recently saw Sheikh Salawatiya Rashid Imam hold an open air session near Accra. 

Taking a leaf from his Christian brethren, Sheikh Imam held a healing crusade at the Kawokudi Park at Mamobi, just outside Accra. During the event, thousands of sick, infirm and needy people gathered to be prayed for and blessed by him in the hope that they would be healed.

Among those who turned up were the blind and cripple, who queued desperately to be blessed with holy water and be touched by the sheikh. To ensure there was enough water for them, Sheikh Imam hired a water tanker and its contents were used to wash the faces of the crowd as well as given to them to drink.

Sheikh Imam said: "Prophet Mohammed said this is the best way to go. If you eat of this and get money from this it is one of the best types of money. "Our Prophet Mohammed used to use water from absolutions and give it to sick people to drink. He also used to recite verses from the Koran and give it to sick people and they became healed." 

Ghana and Nigeria are the two countries with the fastest growing evangelical movements in the world as thousands of pentecostal churches have sprung up in both nations recently. It is mainly Nigerian pastors who have exported their trade to Ghana where they have found a lucrative market as the needy throng to such churches in search of help. Given the cultural and linguistical similarity between both countries, it is easy to adopt whatever work in one nation to the other. With Islamic miracle healing crusades haven taken off in Ghana, it is now only a matter of time before the practise gets exported to Nigeria.

Source: Nigerian Watch

10 Reasons to Not Date a Married Man

There are no positive reasons for dating a married man. Even the good reasons don't stand the test of time and turn out to be bad ideas in good ideas' clothing. He’ll NEVER stay that into you, regardless of what you foolish women believe. If you find yourself on the brink of temptation, look at these 10 truths before you leap:

1. He won't commit to a future with you. A man who is in a very unhappy or unsatisfying marriage can feel swept away by how wonderful you make him feel. He may even blurt out, "I've never felt this way before and I can see spending the rest of my life with you." This may sound like a commitment to a future with you. It's not. Don't confuse his loving the way you make him feel with his loving you and making a commitment to you.

2. Cheating on his wife tells you how he deals with any situation he doesn't like. You are evidence of his avoiding dealing with unpleasant situations head on. This means that he's likely to resort to some devious behavior with you if the two of you encounter relationship problems.

3. Hiding is exhausting. Having to keep your relationship a secret can attack your self-esteem and cause you to miss out on one of the wonderful aspects of a relationship. Walking together freely and radiantly through the world can fill you with the glow of being with someone who is proud to be with you.

4. He's got his cake and is eating it, too. He has a legitimate married relationship that helps his public persona and he has an illegitimate one with you to make up for what hes missing in his marriage. As appreciative as he sounds, many women who are involved with married men come to resent his having the best of both worlds, when she has the least.

5. Can you love someone who is so disrespectful of his wife? The existence of your relationship with a married man tells you how little he respects his wife by lying to her instead of being a man and telling her he wants out.

6. Lose his respect and it's over. Even though he's the one who pursued you. Even though he's the one that made it difficult to say "No." And even though he tells you how wonderful you are. At some level, he's going to have trouble respecting you for settling for such a flawed relationship. What kind of woman would demean herself that way and why would anyone ever keep such an obviously flawed individual in their life? Think about it ladies, you will always be the one to come off looking cheap and not worth keeping.

7. You're a home wrecker, and an accomplice. Like it or not, you are a willing participant in a man violating his vows and betraying the trust of his wife -- not to mention grossly disappointing his children and making it difficult for them to see him as a role model.

8. You're kidding yourself. Despite his reassuring you how much you mean to him, his not ending his relationship with his wife in an above-board and respectful way -- and not beginning a legitimate relationship with you -- are actions that speak louder than words.

9. Beware the guilt boomerang. Many men (and women) have difficulty accepting full responsibility for their deceitful actions. Human nature finds it easier to blame than to accept shame. If he is caught by his wife or conscience, don't be surprised if he tries to blame you and get you to take the fall.

10. Time is too precious to waste. Ever notice how quickly the years go as you get older? Because it's convenient and comfortable, a relationship with a married man can go on for a long time -- and before you know it, eat up the precious time you might have had in a healthy relationship with a chance of flourishing. When people who have been involved with married men finally move on, they often regret having wasted the time in a dead-end affair.

By Mark Goulston, M.D., F.A.P.A. 

5 Unbelievable Wedding Traditions from Around the World

CHINA

If You Thought You Were a Crier ...

Brides and females of the Tujia people in China take wedding tears to a whole different level. Starting one month in advance the bride starts to cry for one hour everyday. Ten days into the waterworks extravaganza her mother joins the picture, and 10 days after that grandma does the same. By the end of the month every female in the family is crying alongside the bride. The tradition is believed to be an expression of joy, as the women weep in different tones, reminiscent of a song. Coincidentally enough, this is exactly how we sound when listening to Joni Mitchell.

SWEDEN

Hope You're Not the Jealous Type ...

In Sweden, whenever the bride leaves the table to run to the powder room, all the ladies at the reception are free to steal a kiss from the groom! Luckily (we guess?), Sweden keeps the tradition gender-neutral so whenever the groom leaves the room, all surrounding gentleman are free to plant a peck on the bride. If you think this sounds like an episode of The Bachelor you're not alone.

IRELAND

Better Keep Those Feet Firmly Planted ...

In Ireland when the bride and groom are dancing the bride must keep both feet on the floor at all times. Irish folklore states that if they don't, evil fairies will come and sweep her away. We imagine that this might make dancing slightly difficult ...

MARQUESAS ISLANDS

Here's Hoping the Bride and Groom Were Shedding for the Wedding ...

On the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia, once the wedding has come to an end the relatives of the bride lay side-by-side face down on the ground whilst the bride and groom walk over them like a human rug. Just, ouch.

INDIA

If You're Shoe-Crazy This One's for You ...

In parts of India, there is a wedding tradition called "Joota Chupai" or "hiding the shoes." Initially this sounds like something we could get behind - some shoes are worth lusting after - but the tradition is a little more complicated than your simple Winona Ryder grab and go. While walking to the altar the groom is required to take off his shoes. Once they're off, everyone from the groom's side of the family is expected to protect the shoe as the bride's family tries to steal and hide them. The tradition is said to be a playful bonding experience between the families. We say, if the shoes are cute, game on.

An Ebola Survivor Describes What It's Like To Have The Horrifying Disease

This year's Ebola outbreak is the worst that the world has seen, full of horrifying scenes The Washington Post described as reminiscent of "post-apocalyptic films."

The virus has killed at least 961 people so far, with 1,779 suspected and confirmed cases in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, and Nigeria.

There is no cure for the virus, but it is possible to beat. The fatality rate for this year's Ebola outbreak hovers just under 60%, though that rate is expected to rise.

Saa Sabas, a former medical worker from Guinea, has spoken to various news outlets about his experience with the virus.

Sabas told Vice that he contracted the virus while caring for another Ebola patient. He went to the hospital when he came down with a persistent fever of up to 104 degrees and was told that he tested positive for Ebola.

Here's how he described it in the Vice interview:

This fever lasted two days; then the third day I got a diarrhea. That lasted four days, until, on the seventh day, I got dysentery. Then finally I had hiccups for four days. I was very worried at that point.

... I remember also that my throat was so sore that I couldn’t eat. I’ve had fever before, and I’ve had diarrhea before. All of that, of course, made me weak. But the hiccuping stage really scared me. I’ve heard that lots of people die at this stage of the illness.

Ebola can easily be mistaken for the flu at first, but it progresses quickly, often causing internal and external bleeding, organ damage, and death.

Sabas told the Nigerian Tribune that he was treated with oral medications and infusions and fed well. Over time, he started to feel better.

This kind of supportive care — replenishing patients' fluids, fighting secondary infections when necessary, and keeping a patient alive long enough for the immune system to fight back against Ebola — is thought to greatly improve outcomes. In the end, after about 13 days of sickness, Sabas survived a disease that many people see as a death sentence.

Once he left the hospital, doctors gave him a certificate noting that he was no longer sick so that other people would not fear him. Ebola is highly stigmatized in Africa because people fear contamination.

Culled from Yahoo! Finace

Pro-Palestinian Protesters Attack Israeli Football Team

Pro-Palestinian protesters attack Israeli football players in Austria. 

Pro-Palestinian protesters, said to be of Turkish origin ran into the football pitch in the Austrian stadium where the game was played and headed for the Israeli players sparking ugly incidences.  The Israeli football team Maccabi Haifa were playing a friendly game against French side Lille.  The game had to be stopped, with Lille leading 2-0, after pro-Palestinian protesters stormed the pitch and attacked the Israelis with flying kicks.

Some Maccabi players reportedly fought back as did coach Aleksander Stanojevic.

A Maccabi player hitting back.

Mother and Daughter Fight Over Boyfriend in Delta State, Nigeria

Like, seriously?

A middle aged woman, identified simply as Monica, and her daughter have engaged in what can only be described as a show of shame after they fought in public over a man.

The trouble was said to have started when the mother was caught in bed with her 17-year-old daughter’s boyfriend.

The mother allegedly snatched the daughter's boyfriend who is said to be working in one of the oil companies in Warri.

The situation, which happened around the St. Brigid's Girls' College axis of Asaba, the Delta State capital, then deteriorated into a public fight with the duo creating a scene.

The mother and daughter were said to have exchanged blows and engaged in name calling in an incident which was witnessed by passers-by and deemed an embarrassment by a family member of the duo involved.