News Digest

This caliph has swag: Baghdadi mocked for pricey timepiece

Eagle-eyed observers of the first sermon by the self-proclaimed “caliph” of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have noticed more than the content of his message. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi donned what appears to be a Rolex, Sekonda or a US$6,000 Omega seamaster for his first public appearance. In the video posted online on Saturday (the first known footage of Baghdadi), he ordered Muslims to obey him during a Ramadan sermon delivered at a mosque in the northern militant-held Iraqi city of Mosul.

If you see that I am wrong, advise me and put me on the right track, and obey me as long as I obey God.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

Middle East Twitter users like @AatifMir2 asked: “Did anyone find out what watch the Caliph of the Islamic State was wearing?” Hassan Hassan, a columnist at Abu Dhabi’s The National newspaper noted the caliph’s choice of outfit recalled that of the rulers of the Abbasid empire, which fell more than 1,000 years ago. “Connotations obvious,” Hassan tweeted.