Islamic fundamentalism

KonohaFest, scheduled for 3 and 4 October in a suburb of the city, was targeted. Stalls, games, food and anime character costumes were shut down early. A fundamentalist group vandalised stalls and attacked participants, including families. The government has remained silent.

The emergency landing of a Flydubai flight in Saudi Arabia, likely due to an attempted hijacking by a pilot (an Omani national), has drawn attention to the route that symbolises the new ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. This route has seen rapid growth, even amid Israel’s isolation caused by the war in Gaza.

The US-led military mission comes to an end tomorrow. The crux of the matter lies in arms supplies to the militias and state control. Today, Iraq is the point where various fault lines converge: Iran and the United States, the Arab world and regional powers, the central government and the militias, national sovereignty and external influence.

Following the controversy in Britain that led the Archbishop of Canterbury to withdraw a peace award given to the president of the Pakistan Ulema Council, the Church of Pakistan has awarded him its own prize, defending his commitment to minorities. But alongside his comments on Bin Laden and 9/11, new allegations have also emerged

It has been 24 years since the killing of seven employees of the organisation linked to the diocese. An armed group stormed the building, targeting one of the symbolic centres of Christian activism. Fr Khalid: their voices “have not been silenced”, their memory “is a call for peace and justice”.

Leo XIV met with Latin bishops from Arab regions, in Rome for their annual meeting. The fruitfulness of Christian communities "is not measured in numbers" or in "solving problems," but in fidelity "to the Gospel and to the people." Migrants, martyrs, and different rites are a treasure and the priority of the mission.

The Federal Court’s decision does not end the political debate over gambling, but underscores the constitutional limits on how a state can pursue its moral and religious objectives. At stake are multiculturalism and the political ambitions of the pro-Islamic party, as well as the delicate balance between religion and the constitution.

In Lahore, Christian artist Alyas Rahmat has been using community performances to speak out about women's rights, early marriage, minorities, and peace for 25 years. But in Sindh and Quetta, he has also faced threats and pressures.

A new report by the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council details 257 incidents of sectarian violence, with 44 people killed in the first six months of 2026. Two years on from the change of government in the summer of 2024, there has been an increase in attacks on places of worship, acts of vandalism and attempts to seize land belonging to religious organisations.

As Johor goes to the polls tomorrow, the result will reverberate far beyond the state, testing the prime minister and his Unity Government. It will also measure the reach of the Islamist party PAS, offering fresh clues about the future of Malaysia's multi-ethnic model.

Unlike previous years, no public commemorations were held at the site of the jihadi attack. Foreign diplomats organised a joint memorial at the Italian Embassy. The memory has been kept alive in more discreet ways. This morning, the Catholic Church offered prayers for the victims during Mass, invoking peace for their souls and healing for their families.

The authorities have stepped up pressure on one of the few remaining places of worship for the Protestant community in Iran. St Peter’s Evangelical Church has been operating for almost 150 years. Six security officers raided the premises and ‘identified’ those present. The property is worth ‘tens of millions of dollars’. The crackdown has intensified since the signing of the truce with the United States.