Saudi Arabia yesterday identified the suicide bomber who struck outside the US consulate in Jiddah as a Pakistani resident of the kingdom who arrived 12 years ago to work as a driver.

A gunman who pledged his allegiance to Islamic State before he massacred 49 people at a gay nightclub in the US had “strong indications of radicalisation”, the FBI said.

It is the west’s blind myopia that leads it to go to war in the Middle East, with disastrous consequences, argues JP O’Malley on reading an account of Islamism which shows that, as an ideology, it is growing further apart.

Two Muslim leaders have expressed serious concerns over what they claim are “extremist” Middle Eastern Islamic scholars speaking at a two-day student conference, starting today.

Behind its strategic manipulations and sham alliance to tackle the likes of IS, a purported ally of the West’s official ideology forms the heart of the terrorist creed, writes Brahma Chellaney

At least 43 people were killed and more than 240 wounded yesterday in two suicide bomb blasts claimed by Islamic State in a crowded residential district in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a stronghold of the Shi’ite Muslim group Hezbollah.

The United States has ramped up its support for Syria’s opposition with a pledge of nearly $100m in fresh aid.

The destabilisation in Yemen proves that the Iranian government under the supposedly ‘moderate’ Hassan Rouhani is as threatening to peace in the Middle East as any of his more overtly anti-western predecessors. Human Rights Watch has accused the Iranian-sponsored Houthi rebels “of possible war crimes, including using snipers to shoot civilians”.

Critics believe Iran will use the deal to boost its economy while continuing to try to build a bomb, but the agreement may be the best global powers could get, writes Dan Perry

The rise of ISIS has been uncomfortable for Muslims in Ireland. Ellie O’Byrne met up with some including a 16 year old who can’t chat to friends about his early years in Iraq and Syria

Amnesty International says it has uncovered "gruesome" evidence of ethnic cleansing in northern Iraq by Islamic State (IS) militants.

The downing of Malaysian Airline MH17 with the deaths of all passengers and its crew must call into question the sense of having flight paths over conflict areas.

Barack Obama has vowed that the United States will not be “dragged back” into military action in Iraq as long as leaders in Baghdad refuse to reform a political system that has left the county vulnerable to a fast-moving Islamic insurgency.

IN this year of ubiquitous commemorations, the centennial of Jan Karski’s birth has been largely overlooked. And yet Karski’s legacy is more important than ever — nowhere more so than in Syria.

A suicide car bomb blast has exploded near a Hezbollah base in eastern Lebanon in the latest deadly attack to target the Shia militant group’s interests in the country.

FOR some time now, a certain strategic vision has been gaining traction: the United States is becoming energy independent, paving the way for its political retreat from the Middle East and justifying its strategic “pivot” toward Asia.

Iran has threatened to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz if its interests are seriously threatened.

A wave of car bombings targeting Shia pilgrims has killed at least 65 people and wounded another 200 in several cities across Iraq, in one of the deadliest attacks since US troops withdrew from the country.

Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters have flooded a major highway in Bahrain, demanding a halt to this weekend’s Formula One race.

AS the Arab Spring becomes the Arab Summer and with the Middle East set to burst on to our TV screens this weekend with the Irish-owned ship MV Saoirse sailing to join the international flotilla to Gaza, it’s an appropriate time to take stock.

A prominent Shia opposition leader is returning to Bahrain after months of voluntary exile in London.

A Shia cleric who led two uprisings in Iraq has urged his followers to resist what he described as occupiers from the US, Israel and Britain.

Two people have been killed and seven injured, some critically, after a suicide bomber blew herself up in a Governor's compound in Iraq's western Anbar Province.

Thousands of Iraqis marched through the city of Najaf today for an annual march to mark the anniversary of the fall of Baghdad.

A suicide bomber has targeted two buses in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least five people.

I WAS in Dubai at the weekend. Nice enough place if you like that kind of thing: glitzy, a bit soulless, but after the weather we’ve been having at home, who’s complaining?

His Highness the Aga Khan was honoured today by the National University of Ireland, Maynooth for his work against poverty and in promoting religious understanding.

The United States is ready to hold new direct talks with Iran on the deteriorating security situation in Iraq, the State Department said today.

Shia worshippers in three Iraqi cities today suffered bombings and ambushes, killing at least 39 people, during the climax of ceremonies marking Ashoura, the holiest day in the Shia calendar.

The incoming commander of US troops in Afghanistan said today he expects Taliban militants to launch more suicide attacks this year than in 2006, when militants set off a record 139 suicide bombs.

A suicide bomber killed a police officer protecting a Shia Muslim procession in north-western Pakistan today, while rocket fire injured 11 worshippers at a Shia mosque, stoking fears of sectarian bloodshed as the holy festival of Ashoura builds towards its climax.

The demolition of a notorious Iraqi police station marked a turning point in the battle with Basra’s death squads, the British commander in the province said today.

Summing up a year of setbacks, US President George W Bush conceded today that insurgents in Iraq had thwarted his efforts at “establishing security and stability throughout the country”.

IRISH bishops have condemned the death sentence imposed on deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

IN Iraq’s south, where people favour US jeans, Italian- style shoes and pledge allegiance to football teams as readily as religious figures, many fear their lifestyle is under attack.

Radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has agreed to withdraw his militia from Najaf and hand the city back to Iraqi police, the government said, raising hopes for an end to weeks of fighting with coalition forces.

US military commanders are studying options that could mean more troops in Iraq if violence there widens.

A tape recording purporting to be Saddam Hussein calling for an uprising against US and British troops in Iraq was played by two Arab TV stations today.

BRITISH Foreign Secretary Jack Straw yesterday urged Iran to open up itsnuclear programme to international inspectors as soon as possible.