Free Republic

Two court decisions provide insights into the career of Khairullah Khairkhwa, who was recently transferred from Guantanamo to Qatar along with four other senior Taliban leaders in exchange for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. On May 27, 2011, District Court Judge Ricardo Urbina published his opinion rejecting Khairkhwa's petition for a writ of habeas corpus. And, on Dec. 14, 2012, the DC Circuit Court issued its ruling affirming Judge Urbina's opinion. The courts concluded that Khairkhwa was a member of the Taliban's Supreme Shura council, an elite group of 10 leaders who reported directly to Mullah Omar. The Shura oversaw the Taliban's...

The results of a recent election held for one of Hamas's key decision-making bodies are likely to hinder efforts to free kidnapped IDF soldier St.-Sgt Gilad Schalit, sources in the Gaza Strip told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. The secret ballot was held about 10 days ago for the Shura (Consultative) Council, which is made up of Hamas's senior political and religious leadership and is tasked with discussing all important issues. The names of the Shura Council members are kept secret, although it is believed that some of them are based in a number of Arab countries. The sources told...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO, Afghanistan, Aug. 7, 2006 -- Coalition commanders and prominent religious leaders in the Khost Province conducted their first shura, or meeting, July 26 to provide a forum for open discussion of provincial issues. Army Lt. Col. David A. Bushey, Task Force Wolfpack commander, and Navy Cmdr. John F. Wade, commander of the Khost Provincial Reconstruction Team, clarified Coalition policy toward the religion and culture represented by the mullahs in attendance. “We make three promises to all Afghan citizens, “ Bushey told the assembled mullahs. “The soldiers under our command will respect your religion, they will...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - An al-Qaida-linked group claims it killed three U.S. soldiers last month and mutilated two of their bodies to avenge the rape-slaying of a young Iraqi woman by troops of the same unit, an institute which monitors extremists Web sites said Tuesday. The Mujahedeen Shura Council made the claim in a 4:39 minute video posted on the Internet which included the mutilated bodies of two of the soldiers attacked June 19 near Youssifiyah southwest of Baghdad, according to a statement by the SITE Institute. The institute released still pictures from the video showing two of the American dead,...

Arab-Americans were the victims of more hate crimes and became more distrustful of law enforcement, particularly federal agencies, in the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, according to a study released this month. The study, conducted by the Vera Institute of Justice, was launched in 2002 when researchers began looking at changes in policing tactics following the tragedies and how the changes affected people of Arab descent. The report comes on the heels of a Freedom of Information Request filed last month by Southern California Muslims who want to know if they've been spied on by the FBI. The...