Islamic fundamentalism

The local Church celebrated the 75th anniversary of the first pilgrimage to the Marian place of worship and the inauguration of the grotto of the Virgin. At least six worshippers died in road accidents, while police foiled an attack by a group of Islamic extremists. Some observers call for greater road safety and better facilities for pilgrims, including sanitary facilities.

Enforcement is overseen by the Ministry of Morality. Over the past year more than 13,000 people detained, half of them held for 24 hours. Specific rules are also provided for the media, such as a ban on showing images of living beings. Sanctions include counseling, warnings of divine punishment, verbal threats, confiscation of property, and detention.

A new report by a UN fact-finding mission exposes the repression endured by Iran’s ethnic and religious minorities. In the Islamic Republic, persecution on gender grounds intersects with persecution on ethnic and religious grounds. Even children are victims of particularly serious violence. The hijab hides “gender apartheid”.

In early August 2014, the advance by the Islamic State sparked the great Christian flight from Mosul and the Nineveh Plain. This tragedy is still etched in the victims’ memory and only 60 per cent have returned to their lands. The Chaldean primate calls for a move away from "fear and despair" by stopping the conflicts that ravage the region.

Two places of worship in Malang were the targets. Police dismiss claims that the planned attack was linked to Francis’s upcoming apostolic trip to Asia-Pacific. Three people were arrested, including one man known as "Hok" suspected of affiliation with the extremist group Daulah Islamiyah. Explosive materials used to make the "Mother of Satan" bomb were confiscated.

In the first six months of the year, the Islamic State has already carried out 153 operations and is reportedly trying to ‘rebuild itself’. The jihadists' strength in acting and carrying out their objectives is worrying. The prime minister praises the ‘diversity’ represented by Christians, who are a ‘factor of stability’. The Chaldean Synod closes with an appeal for unity among Churches and belonging to the land.

According to the prosecution, the sect, declared deviant by the Islamic religious authorities in 2019, operates clandestinely throughout the country. It believes in the existence of a new prophet, recites an alternative shahādah and seeks to merge Islam, Judaism and Christianity into a single faith. Notebooks, a laptop computer and mobile phones were also seized during the arrests.

A report by the Freedom of Belief Initiative shows the extent of the problem. After Christians come Jews, Alevis, Yazidis, and atheists. Especially targeted are cemeteries, places of worship, homes, and schools linked to religious groups. Anti-Jewish violence has escalated since Israel's war in Gaza.

After several complaints and a video that went viral, the police opened an investigation against the controversial leader Firdaus Wong. In a video that went viral on social media, he talks to a teacher giving instructions on how to make children pray and hide their conversion from their parents. Malaysian activist: the teacher's behaviour is also contrary to the 'relationship of trust' with families.

The man was holidaying in the Swat Valley. Police arrested him on charges of burning pages of the Qur'ān, but a mob stormed the station and killed him. Activist accuses Pakistan of being "a barbarian state" while the authorities remain silent. For Naveed Walter, “No one is safe now.” In another case, the wife of Nazir Masih, another lynch mob victim, died from the traumatic experience. In Sialkot, a Christian man is on the run.

On the anniversary of the Iraqi city's fall into the hands of the radical Islamist movement, Omar Mohammed - the blogger who chronicled its brutality - talks to AsiaNews about the importance of remembrance, the pope's visit in 2021 and the challenge of reconstruction based on ‘inclusion’. Chaldean Patriarch Sako: the memory of jihadist violence spurs the construction of a ‘civil and democratic’ state.

The mob that attacked the victim on 25 May also set his home and business on fire. The rest of the family miraculously escaped. Doubts are being raised over the timing of his death, with some believing the government delayed the announcement to avoid international censure. Activists accuse the authorities of knowingly covering for the groups who use the law to kill indiscriminately.