Russian air strike hits busy market in Idlib province

At least 40 people killed, scores wounded in air attack on popular marketplace in town of Ariha, activists say

At least 40 people were killed and scores wounded on Sunday in a suspected Russian air strike on a crowded marketplace in Idlib province, activists said.

The strikes hit the town of Ariha, which is controlled by the Army of Conquest, a rebel alliance, including al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

In addition to the market, several other areas of the town were hit, the Britain-based group said.

Local news channel Ariha al-Youm reported cluster bombs were used in the raid by a Russian fighter jet.

The pro-opposition Orient TV also reported an initial death toll of 40.

However, Rami Abdulrahman, director of the observatory, put the death toll much higher, saying at least 60 people were killed and wounded in the attack.

Officials at the Russian defence ministry could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Army of Conquest alliance seized Ariha in May after heavy fighting with forces loyal to the Syrian army, in an offensive that resulted in the entire province falling into rebel hands.

The Russian air force has conducted air strikes in support of President Bashar al-Assad since September 30.

Moscow says it targets the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group and other "terrorists", but critics accuse it of targeting other rebel groups more than ISIL.

Russian air strikes have previously hit several Army of Conquest positions in Idlib province.

The province is not a stronghold of ISIL that controls wide areas of eastern Syria.

Source : http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/11/20-killed-russian-air-strike-syrian-market-151129082103978.html

Islam in Argentina

Islam in Argentina is represented by one of Latin America's largest Muslim minorities. Although accurate statistics on religion are not available (because the national census does not solicit religious data) the actual size of Argentina's Muslim community is estimated around 1% of the total population (400,000 to 500,000 members) according to the International Religious Freedom Report 2010.[1] The Pew Research Centre estimates about 1,000,000 Muslims in Argentina in the year 2010.[2] The Association of Religion Data Archives however approximates that 1.9% of the population profess Islam as their faith.[3]

Early Muslim immigration

There are some indications that the Muslim presence within present day Argentinian territory dates back to the time of the Spanish exploration and conquest. The first mentioned Berber settlers were the 15th century's Moorish-Morisco (Muslims of the Iberian peninsula of Moroccan North African and Spanish descent) who explored the Americas with Spanish explorers, many of them settling in Argentina who were fleeing from persecution in Spain such as the Spanish Inquisition.[4]

However, in the 19th century Argentina saw the first real wave of Arabs to settle within its territory, mostly from Syria and Lebanon. It is estimated that today there are about 3.5 million Argentinians of Arab descent.[5] The majority of these Arab immigrants were Christians and Sephardic Jews, and though accurate information is unavailable, probably less than a quarter of Arab migrants were actually Muslim. The descendants of Arab Jews are more likely to identify themselves as Jewish rather than Arab today. Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim movement first entered the country in 1936.[6]

Islamic institutions in Argentina

There is a prominent mosque on Alberti St. in Buenos Aires, in the city center, that was built in 1989 by local Argentine Muslims. There are also several mosques in other cities and regions throughout the country.

The King Fahd Islamic Cultural Centre, the largest mosque in South America, was completed in 1996 with the help of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the then King of Saudi Arabia, Fahd, on a piece of land measuring 20,000 m². The total land area granted by the Argentine government measures 34,000 m², and was offered by President Carlos Menem following his visit to Saudi Arabia in 1992. The project cost around US$30 million, and includes a mosque, library, two schools, a park, is located in the middle-class district of Palermo, Buenos Aires.

The Islamic Organization of Latin America (IOLA), headquartered in Argentina, is considered the most active organization in Latin America in promoting Islamic affiliated endeavors. The IOLA holds events to promote the unification of Muslims living in Latin America, as well as the propagation of Islam.

Uthman Ibn Affan (R.A) : The Third Caliph

“Every Prophet has an assistant, and my assistant will be Uthman.”(Hadith)

Uthman’s Election When ‘Umar fell under the assassin’s dagger, before he died the people asked him to nominate his success or. ‘Umar appointed a committee consisting of six of the ten companions of the Prophet (peace be on him) about whom the Prophet had said, “They are the people of Heaven” – Ali, Uthman, Abdul Rahman, Sa’ad, Al-Zubayr and Talha – to select the next Caliph from among themselves. He also outlined the procedure to be followed if any differences of opinion should arise. Abdul Rahman withdrew his name. He was then authorized by the committee to nominate the Caliph. After two days of discussion among the candidates and after the opinions of the Muslims in Medina had been ascertained, the choice was finally limited to Uthman and Ali. Abdul Rahman came to the mosque together with other Muslims, and after a brief speech and questioning of the two men, swore allegiance to Uthman. All those present did the same, and Uthman became the third Caliph of Islam in the month of Muharram, 24 A.H.

Uthman bin Affan was born seven years after the Holy Prophet (peace be on him). He belonged to the Omayyad branch of the Quraish tribe. He learned to read and write at an early age, and as a young man became a successful merchant. Even before Islam Uthman had been noted for his truthfulness and integrity. He and Abu Bakr were close friends, and it was Abu Bakr who brought him to Islam when he was thirty-four years of age. Some years later he married the Prophet’s second daughter, Ruqayya. In spite of his wealth and position, his relatives subjected him to torture because he had embraced Islam, and he was forced to emigrate to Abyssinia. Some time later he returned to Mecca but soon migrated to Medina with the other Muslims.

In Medina his business again began to flourish and he regained his former prosperity. Uthman’s generosity had no limits. On various occasions he spent a great portion of his wealth for the welfare of the Muslims, for charity and for equipping the Muslim armies. That is why he came to be known as ‘Ghani’ meaning ‘Generous.’ Uthman’s wife, Ruqayya was seriously ill just before the Battle of Badr and he was excused by the Prophet (peace be on him) from participating in the battle. The illness Ruqayya proved fatal, leaving Uthman deeply grieved. The Prophet was moved and offered Uthman the hand of another of his daughters, Kulthum. Because he had the high privilege of having two daughters of the Prophet as wives Uthman was known as ‘The Possessor of the Two Lights.

Uthman participated in the Battles of Uhud and the Trench. After the encounter of the Trench, the Prophet (peace be on him) determined to perform Hajj and sent Uthman as his emissary to the Quraish in Mecca, who detained him. The episode ended in a treaty with the Meccans known as the Treaty of Hudaibiya. The portrait we have of Uthman is of an unassuming, honest, mild, generous and very kindly man, noted especially for his modesty and his piety. He often spent part of the night in prayer, fasted every second or third day, performed hajj every year, and looked after the needy of the whole community. In spite of his wealth, he lived very simply and slept on bare sand in the courtyard of the Prophet’s mosque. Uthman knew the Qur’an from memory and had an intimate knowledge of the context and circumstances relating to each verse. Uthman’s Caliphate During Uthman’s rule the characteristics of Abu Bakr’s and Umar’s caliphates – impartial justice for all, mild and humane policies, striving in the path of God, and the expansion of Islam – continued. Uthman’s realm extended in the west to Morocco, in the east to Afghanistan, and in the north to Armenia and Azerbaijan.

During his caliphate a navy was organized, administrative divisions of the state were revised, and many public projects were expanded and completed. Uthman sent prominent Companions of the Prophet (peace be on him) as his personal deputies to various provinces to scrutinize the conduct of officials and the condition of the people. Uthman’s most notable contribution to the religion of God was the compilation of a complete and authoritative text of the Qur’an. A large number of copies of this text were made and distributed all over the Muslim world. Uthman ruled for twelve years. The first six years were marked by internal peace and tranquility, but during the second half of his caliphate a rebellion arose. The Jews and the Magicians, taking advantage of dissatisfaction among the people, began conspiring against Uthman, and by publicly airing their complaints and grievances, gained so much sympathy that it became difficult to distinguish friend from foe. It may seem surprising that a ruler of such vast territories, whose armies were matchless, was unable to deal with these rebels.

If Uthman had wished, the rebellion could have been crushed at the very moment it began. But he was reluctant to be the first to shed the blood of Muslims, however rebellious they might be. He preferred to reason with them, to persuade them with kindness and generosity. He well remembered hearing the Prophet (peace be on him) say, “Once the sword is unsheathed among my followers, it will not be sheathed until the Last Day.” The rebels demanded that he abdicate and some of the Companions advised him to do so. He would gladly have followed this course of action, but again he was bound by a solemn pledge he had given to the Prophet. “Perhaps God will clothe you with a shirt, Uthman” the Prophet had told him once, “and if the people want you to take it off, do not take it off for them.” Uthman said to a well-wisher on a day when his house was surrounded by the rebels, “God’s Messenger made a covenant with me and I shall show endurance in adhering to it.”

After a long siege, the rebels broke into Uthman’s house and murdered him. When the first assassin’s sword struck Uthman, he was reciting the verse, “Verily, God sufficeth thee; He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing” [2:137] Uthman breathed his last on the afternoon of Friday, 17 Dhul Hijja, 35 A.H. (June. (656 A.C.). He was eighty-four years old. The power of the rebels was so great that Uthman’s body lay unburied until Saturday night when he was buried in his blood-stained clothes, the shroud which befits all martyrs in the cause of God.

Tensions rise as Russia says it's deploying anti-aircraft missiles to Syria

Istanbul (CNN)Tensions in the Middle East ratcheted up dangerously Wednesday, a day after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane, with the Turkish President accusing Russia of deceit and Russia announcing it would deploy anti-aircraft missiles to Syria.

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said on his ministry's Twitter feed that the country would deploy S-400 defense missile systems to its Hmeymim air base near Latakia, on Syria's Mediterranean coast.

The missiles have a range of 250 kilometers (155 miles), according to the missilethreat.com website. The Turkish border is less than 30 miles away.

And Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Russian TV on Wednesday that Russia has "serious doubts" that Turkey's downing of its warplane Tuesday was "an unpremeditated act."

"It looks very much like a planned provocation," Lavrov said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned what he said was the violation of Turkish airspace by Russian warplanes, calling the incident an infringement of his country's sovereignty.

He charged Russia with propping up the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad -- a regime he said was inflicting terrorism on its own people. His remarks came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Turkey of being "the terrorists' accomplices" for shooting down a plane he claimed was on an anti-terrorism mission.

Erdogan disputed that claim in a speech Wednesday.

"There is no Daesh" in the area where the Russian planes were flying, Erdogan said, using another name for ISIS. "Do not deceive us! We know the locations of Daesh."

An alarming wave of international turbulence
And experts agreed.

"None of the targets that ... the Russians were going after had anything to do with ISIS. Those were all those Turkmen groups," said CNN military analyst Cedric Leighton, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel.

The Turkmen minority in that part of northern Syria has strong ties to the Turkish government, which wants to afford them a degree of protection. Anyone who bombs that area attacks "our brothers and sisters -- Turkmen," Erdogan said.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said his country doesn't want to "drive a wedge" into its relationship with Russia, according to the semiofficial Anadolu news agency. And the foreign ministers of these two nations have already spoken by phone and plan to meet in person over the coming days, the news agency also reported, citing Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic.

Still, even as Erdogan has insisted Turkey doesn't want to escalate the situation, the anger in his words -- and those of Putin -- showed that the conflict in Syria has now churned up a new and alarming wave of international turbulence.

The stakes are high in Syria, where the United States, Russia and a swarm of other global, regional and local forces are entangled in the civil war.

Turkey releases tape

Turkey, a NATO member, said it had repeatedly warned the Russian warplane, shooting it down only after it ignored several warnings and violated Turkish airspace.

Russia rejected that version of events, with the rescued co-pilot Capt. Konstantin Murakhtin telling state media reporters that "there were no warnings -- not via the radio, not visually."

"If they wanted to warn us, they could have shown themselves by heading on a parallel course," Murakhtin said, according to the official Sputnik news agency. "But there was nothing."

Russian officials have also asserted that the Sukhoi Su-24 bomber was attacked 1 kilometer inside Syrian territory.

But Erdogan said parts of the downed plane had fallen inside Turkey, injuring two people.

On Wednesday, Turkey's military released an audio recording of what it says was its warning to the Russian warplane.

In one portion, a voice is heard saying: "This is Turkish Air Force speaking on guard. You are approaching Turkish airspace. Change your heading south immediately. Change your heading south."

Russia has not yet commented on the audio.

The plane's crew
Adding to the tensions were questions about the fates of the two Russian pilots aboard the bomber.

Turkmen rebels operating in the area of Syria where the plane went down appeared to claim in a video that they shot both pilots to death as they parachuted toward the ground.

The Russian military said it believed one of the pilots was dead. The Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday that the second pilot had been rescued and was safe.

The military also said a Russian marine was killed when a helicopter came under attack during the search and rescue efforts.

5 things to know about the downing of the Russian jet

Russia's first acknowledged casualties in Syria
Russia announced awards for the service members involved in the incident.

The pilot who died, Lt. Col. Oleg Peshkov, was posthumously given the title Hero of the Russian Federation "for heroism, courage and valor in the performance of military duty," the Kremlin said Wednesday on its website.

The marine who was killed during the rescue effort, Alexander Pozynich, was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage "for heroism, courage and valor in the performance of military duty," and Murakhtin, the jet crew member who Russia said was rescued, also was awarded the Order of Courage, the Kremlin said.

The deaths are Russia's first acknowledged casualties since it waded into the bitter Syrian conflict less than two months ago.

They highlight the risks in Putin's decision to support Assad, coming less than a month after another player in the war, the terrorist group ISIS, claimed responsibility for the deadly bombing of a Russian passenger jet over Egypt.

Obama: Turkey has the right to defend itself and its airspace

'The importance of de-escalating the situation'

U.S. President Barack Obama spoke to Erdogan by phone Tuesday and "expressed U.S. and NATO support for Turkey's right to defend its sovereignty," the White House said.

"The leaders agreed on the importance of de-escalating the situation and pursuing arrangements to ensure that such incidents do not happen again," it said.

But removing all risk of clashes in the crowded Syrian battlefield appears tricky, with regional foes like Iran and Saudi Arabia involved. Syria's civil war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and forced millions to flee their homes and their country.

Opinion: Assad only winner after Russian jet downed

Expert: Putin is 'a bully' but also 'rational'

Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy, a senior official in the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, said military-level contacts with Turkey would be terminated -- hardly a move likely to help avoid future skirmishes.

Putin could also seek to hurt Turkey economically, analysts said.

"Turkey receives about 60% of its natural gas supplies from Russia," said Nicholas Burns, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO. "So there are things the Russians could do to make their displeasure felt."

In the near term, the clash appears likely to have derailed French President Francois Hollande's hopes of forming a broader coalition against ISIS -- including the United States, Russia and others -- in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on Paris. Hollande is scheduled to visit Putin in Moscow on Thursday.

NATO survived Cold War, but downed jet provides biggest threat

Source : CNN.com

Islam in Denmark

Islam in Denmark being the country's largest minority religion plays an important role in shaping its social and religious landscape.[1] According to the U.S. Department of State, approximately 3.7% of the population in Denmark is Muslim.[2] Other sources, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, cite lower percentages.[3][4][5] However, according to figures reported by the BBC,[6] about 270 thousand Muslims live in Denmark (4.8% out of a population of 5.6 million[7]).[8]

Majority of Muslims in Denmark are Sunni, with sizeable Shia minoritie.[9] Other Islamic denominations represented in Denmark include Ahmadiyya. In the 1970s Muslims arrived from Turkey, Pakistan, Morocco and the former Yugoslavia to work. In the 1980s and 90s the majority of Muslim arrivals were refugees and asylum seekers from Iran, Iraq, Somalia and Bosnia.[8] In addition, some ethnic Danes have converted to Islam; an estimated 2,800 Danes have converted and about seventy Danes convert every year.[10]

History and background

Religious freedom is guaranteed by law in Denmark, and as of 2005, nineteen different Muslim religious communities had status as officially recognized religious societies, which gives them certain tax benefits. However, unlike the majority of countries in the West, Denmark lacks separation of church and state, resulting in economic advantages for the Church of Denmark not shared by Muslim or other minority communities,[11] although they are compensated by tax benefit.

During the 1980s and 1990s a number of Muslim asylum seekers came to Denmark. In the 1980s mostly from Iran, Iraq, Gaza and the West Bank and in the 1990s mostly from Somalia and Bosnia.

The asylum seekers comprise about 40% of the Danish Muslim population.[3]

Previously, the majority of Muslims who immigrated to Denmark did so as part of family reunification. The Danish parliament has passed a law in 2002 making family reunification harder. It was also implemented to counter forced marriages by ensuring that both parties are at least 24 years old and so considered old enough to enter a marriage without being forced to do so. The new law requires the couple to both be above the age of 24 and requires the resident spouse to show capacity to support both persons of the couple.

Religious issues

In 1967 the Nusrat Jahan Mosque[12] was built in Hvidovre, a Copenhagen suburb. This mosque is used by adherents of the Ahmadiyya faith.

Other mosques exist but are not built for the explicit purpose. It is not forbidden to build mosques or any other religious buildings in Denmark but there are very strict zoning laws. One piece of land has been reserved for a grand mosque at Amager (near Copenhagen), but financing is not settled. Danish Muslims have not succeeded in cooperating on the financing of the project and do not agree on whether it should be financed with outside sources, such as Saudi money.[13] Advertisements by the Danish People's Party, which promote anti-mosque legislation, contend that Iran and Saudi Arabia are sources of funding. These are considered despotic regimes by the DPP.[14]

Seven Danish cemeteries have separate sections for Muslims. Most of the Danish Muslims are buried in those cemeteries, with about 70 being flown abroad for burial in their countries of origin. A separate Muslim cemetery was opened in Brøndby near Copenhagen in September 2006.[15]

In 2009, the U.S. Department of State released a report on religious freedom in Denmark. One finding was that there were a few isolated incidents of discrimination against immigrants, which included desecration of graves:

There were isolated incidents of anti-immigrant sentiment, including graffiti, low-level assaults, denial of service, and employment discrimination on racial grounds. Societal discrimination against religious minorities was difficult to distinguish from discrimination against ethnic minorities. The Government criticized the incidents and investigated several, but it brought few cases to trial specifically on charges of racial discrimination or hate crimes. Reports continued of incidents of desecration of ethnic and religious minority gravesites.[2]

Schools

The first Muslim private school was founded in 1978 - the Islamic Arabic School (Danish: Islamisk Arabiske Skole) in Helsingør and accepted students from any country. Today there are about 20 Muslim schools, most of which are located in the major cities. The Muslim schools are big enough today to enable catering to students according to their country of origin. In the 1980s, schools for Pakistanis, Turks and Arabic speakers were founded. Furthermore, Somali, Palestinian and Iraqi schools were founded in the 1990s. Today 6 or 7 nationalities dominate the Muslim schools.

The biggest school is Dia Privatskole in Nørrebro with about 410 students. Two Pakistani schools teach in Urdu as mother tongue and several Turkish schools have Turkish instruction. Most other schools cater to Arabic-speaking students.[16]

Cartoons controversy

A Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten printed 12 caricatures of the Islamic prophet Muhammad in September 2005. These cartoons sparked an international controversy, ultimately resulting in the scorching of two Danish diplomatic missions, a boycott of Danish goods in several countries, and a large number of protests around the world.[17] The number of protests caused an increase in support for the anti-immigration Danish People's Party.[18]

In August 2013 Ahmed Akkari, who had taken a major role in the affair and was the spokesman for a tour of Imams to the Middle East to protest the cartoons, expressed his regret for his role in the Imams' tour of the Middle East, stating that "I want to be clear today about the trip: It was totally wrong. At that time, I was so fascinated with this logical force in the Islamic mindset that I could not see the greater picture. I was convinced it was a fight for my faith, Islam." Still a practising Muslim, he said that printing the cartoons was ok and he personally apologised to the cartoonist Westergaard. Westergaard responded by saying "I met a man who has converted from being an Islamist to become a humanist who understands the values of our society. To me, he is really sincere, convincing and strong in his views." A spokesman for the Islamic Society of Denmark said "It is still not OK to publish drawings of Muhammad. We have not changed our position."[19]

The Story of Zam Zam water

Today we will be talking about the story of the well known blessed water, Zamzam.

For a period of time, Prophet Ibrahim resided with his wife Sarah in Palestine. At 70 years of age, Sarah was an infertile old lady who was so keen to see her 86 years old husband Prophet Ibrahim become a father. For that reason, she offered him Hajar her maid (female slave) whom he accepted. By the Will of Allah, Hajar became pregnant with Prophet Ibrahim’s son Isma^il who also became a prophet and was honoured to be the grandfather of Prophet Muhammad may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon them all.
Prophet Ibrahim was delighted to have a child and so was his wife Sarah. After a period of time Prophet Ibrahim went with his baby son Isma^il and his mother Hajar to Makkah.

Dear brothers and sisters in Islam,
Observe, in what I am about to tell you, how reliant upon and submissive to Allah Prophet Ibrahim ^alayhis-salam was.
Prophet Ibrahim ^alayhis-salam had left his two dear ones, Hajar and Isma^il in a barren area in Makkah. Makkah at the time was completely isolated with no evident buildings or people living there since there was no water for survival. There, Prophet Ibrahim left them with only a bag of dates and a leather bag filled with water.  When Hajar noticed that Prophet Ibrahim was about to make his way back to Palestine alone, she followed him saying: “O Ibrahim, are we to be left alone in this valley with no water, or food or companions?” To that Prophet Ibrahim did not respond. So she kept posing the question repeatedly without getting an answer from Prophet Ibrahim, therefore, she said, “Did Allah order you to do this?”  He replied, “Yes.”  Upon hearing this, eloquently and with a complete reliance on Allah she said: “Then we will not be lost.”

Following the order of Allah, Prophet Ibrahim peace be upon him left and when he was a fair distance away from Hajar and their son, he looked back at the Sacred House (Al-Bayt) and as mentioned in Ayah 37 of Surat Ibrahim, he made the following supplication to Allah:
“O Lord! I have settled some of my offspring in a barren valley by Your Sacred House so that they would perform the Prayer. O Lord, make the hearts of some people yearn towards them and provide them with fruits for which they would give thanks”.

Hajar, the mother of Isma^il settled with her son where Ibrahim peace be upon him left them. She breast-fed him and drank from the water that Ibrahim had left for them. This water eventually ran out as the water container dried up. Consequently, Hajar became thirsty, and so did her son who started crying and became unsettled due to his extreme thirst. Hajar hated seeing him in that state and she set forth looking for water. As-Safa being the mountain closest to her, she climbed it and looked down at the valley to see if she could find anyone to assist her. She found no one and so she descended from the mountain until she reached the valley. Then she climbed Al-Marwah Mountain in keeping her search for water but to no avail. She went back to As-Safa then back again to Al-Marwah for many times. On her last arrival to Al-Marwah, she heard a voice which prompted her to call out: “Help, if you can”. There was Angel Jibril peace be upon him, who hit the ground with his wing until fresh and pure water emerged. That became known as Zamzam water. The mother of Isma^il gathered the water with her hands and collected it in her container while it was springing out. Jibril said: “Do not fear loss, for there is a sacred House here which will be built by this child and his father”, meaning Isma^il and his father Ibrahim peace be upon them both.

Hajar drank from Zamzam water quenching her thirst and breast-fed her son Isma^il. She thanked Allah, the One who endows countless bounties upon His slaves.

O Allah, we ask you to grant us Al-Hajj and Al-^Umrah and the visit of the Prophet peace be upon him, and we ask You Allah to make us amongst those who drink from his honourable hand at the Hawd. Amin.

Source : http://www.darulfatwa.org.au/en/Friday-Sermons/the-story-of-zam-zam-water

ISIS vows to blow up the White House in new video

The Islamic State terror group released a new, six-minute video Thursday vowing to blow up the White House, the latest ISIS video that emerged less than a week after the deadly attacks in Paris.

In the new video published on an ISIS-linked jihadi forum, one of two fighters threatened U.S. and French presidents Barack Obama and Francois Hollande with more attacks similar to the Paris massacre, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute. "We will fry you with [suicide] belts and explosives," the fighter said.

The second fighter addressed France, saying, "You not prosper and you will not last long. We have started by you and we will end at the so-called White House which we will turn into black with our fires."

The video begins with 40 seconds of news footage of the Paris attacks, before the unidentified ISIS members appear on camera. Unlike most ISIS media releases, this one features no graphic images of violence.

It was the second ISIS video in 24 hours threatening the U.S. A separate video that included previous footage of a simulated attack on New York City emerged on Wednesday.

The FBI responded, "While there is no specific articulable threat to the city at this time, the FBI NY Joint Terrorism Task Force continues to vigilantly work with NYPD and our other law enforcement partners to keep our community safe and fully investigate any threat information."

Mayor Bill de Blasio urged New Yorkers to go to work and live normally. The city goes into full holiday mode beginning next week with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, followed by the Christmas tree lighting in Rockefeller Center. These and other events attract tens of millions of visitors each year.

"Stoking fear is the goal of terrorist organizations, but New York City will not be intimidated," de Blasio said during a news conference Wednesday night. "New Yorkers won't live in fear and people should continue to go to work, live their lives, and enjoy the greatest city in the world."

Police Commissioner William Bratton said the video appears to be a "hastily produced" one using old film footage.

"Be aware, but do not be afraid. The NYPD will protect you," Bratton said. "We cannot be intimidated, and that's what terrorists seek to do. They seek to create fear. They seek to intimidate. We will not be intimidated, and we will not live in fear."

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement that he directed state agencies to "enhance their preparedness" after the Paris attacks, which killed 129 people last week.

"Remember that the terrorists' goal is to let fear win -- New Yorkers never have, and we never will," he said.

Fox News' Catherine Herridge and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

source : www.foxnews.com