While the mission of Rayyanah Barnawi, the first Saudi woman in space, has ended, Saudi repression continues on earth. Fatima al-Shawarbi was sentenced to 30 years for tweets defending political prisoners. Manahel al-Otaibi is in jail awaiting trial for demanding an end to male guardianship.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's government, however, has been widely criticized. According to Islamist parties, the amendment had already been approved by the previous cabinet. Experts say the executive is trying to woo conservative Muslims ahead of local elections scheduled for July.
The Shura Council 'unanimously' repealed the controversial Article 353 of the Penal Code. It allowed rapists to avoid jail time by marrying the victim. For the Minister of Justice now 'they will not escape just punishment'. The rules must be updated 'as societies and cultures evolve'.
Women's bathing suits contested on a public beach in Saïda. A new battle in the radical Muslim world in the name of 'decorum' in fashion. The secular front recalls the principles of the Constitution and inviolable individual 'freedoms'.
Nearly 500,000 Turks living abroad have already voted for the second round, which pits Erdoğan against Kılıçdaroğlu. Parties are still seeking votes on the back of Syrian refugees, pushing for their repatriation. The new parliament includes 121 women, a record, but most seats have gone to parties that want to curb their rights.
The St Dominic Institute in Khushpur, active since 1975, accommodates 170 students from first to tenth grade, of whom 15 are Muslim. The centre is located in the village that was the birthplace of Shahbaz Bhatti and Bishop John Jospeh. The aim is to provide 'quality' education to ensure a 'better' future for the whole society.
The prelate spoke about the situation in Iraq during a recent trip to the United States. Some of those who fled to Western countries are coming back, especially to Kurdistan, hoping to raise their families in a Catholic environment. Since the defeat of the Islamic State, the number of Chaldean families has doubled to 4,000 out of a total of 8,000 Christian families.
Md. Siddique, three, was lured and sold to a childless couple. His father was overwhelmed with joy when he was rescued three weeks after he was taken. Kidnappers, middleman, and buyers were all arrested. Child abduction is a growing problem in Bangladesh. For Hindus and majority Muslims, having children is essential and adoptions rare.
The religious leader of Tashkent province had spoken out against those who leave the country to seek work abroad and the dancing of young girls. The Uzbek State, in accordance with post-Soviet traditions, is trying to prevent the fundamentalist drift of Islam, while anti-Semitic, anti-Christian, anti-Western and offensive content against women is increasingly spreading on social networks.
The guard, Muhammad Alam Khan, was hired to protect the school. After his arrest, investigators are looking for a motive. A few years ago, the school was shut down due to terrorist attacks by the Taliban. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai was shot in the same area in 2012 by the same group. Over the past year, attacks are up in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a province that borders Afghanistan.
In the detention centres housing jihadists' families in north-east Syria, stories of exploitation of the very young boys, little more than children, emerge. The mission is to provide new recruits for the 'caliphate'. For critics, this is a pretext used by the Kurdish authorities to separate children from their mothers. But there are testimonies that confirm a 'hidden phenomenon'.
While the country is in an uproar over the former prime minister’s legal problems, another girl is kidnapped from her home in Faisalabad and raped for seven days by men known in the community. Local Muslim notables are pressing for the family to drop their complaint. For NGO Voice Pakistan, “The protection of underage Christian girls has become the main problem of religious minorities.”
Twenty-five years after his death, the memory of the bishop of Faisalabad who made an extreme gesture in protest against the violence linked to the controversial law. For many still today he is a martyr of the faith. Since 1987 more than two thousand people have been falsely accused, at least 88 extrajudicial murders. Among the proposals is a commission on the Gojra massacres in 2009.
Fighting in the African country has not stopped despite calls for a truce. The UN warns of 800,000 new, potential refugees. The Saudis evacuate scores of trapped Iranians, from Port Sudan to Tehran via Jeddah. The United Arab Emirates and its web of ties and interests cast a shadow over the region’s wars.
The loosening of the ideological-religious divide could free up great resources and Tajikistan seeks to position itself at the forefront of future scenarios. A greater economic engagement of Riyadh and Tehran in the Muslim countries of Central Asia would not hinder Beijing, which wants above all to contain Ankara's expansionism.
The 75-year-old was a former prayer leader in Zahedan, capital of Sistan-Baluchistan province. A close associate of Khamenei, he was a member of the Assembly of Experts. No motive has yet to be found. His native Mazandaran province has seen protests and strikes in recent months.
The latest case involves the "Metaga Terbang" film crew, which has been the target of vandalism, intimidation and death threats. Even with the new premier Anwar Ibrahim, the situation does not seem to be improving. The work of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia to protect freedoms. From human trafficking to child labor and gender equality, there are many unresolved issues.
Most Sunni Muslims mark the end of Ramadan today. In Iran, as in Pakistan and Oman, people will have to wait until tomorrow. In Indonesia more than 120 million people are on the move, Saudi Arabia boosts security as almost 21,000 mosques and areas of prayer get ready for the festival. This Eid is the first since COVID-19 restrictions were lifted allowing communal gatherings.
Msgr. Martinelli hopes for a "resumption of normal life" in a nation battered by years of war. The situation is "improving" while still remaining "delicate". Pope Francis' remembrance of the nuns killed in Aden "a sign of great affection and closeness". Their martyrdom a source of "reconciliation" for the future. the presence of Mother Teresa's nuns today.
The reform is a rare example of social reform in a country that remains conservative. The sultan's decree, which has yet to be published, repeals a 1993 law that gave the Interior Ministry power over marriages with foreigners. The country has a large immigrant population from other Mideast countries, the Philippines, India and Pakistan.
The initiative launched by the Middle East Council of Churches (Mecc) is scheduled for 24 April. An event linked to Metropolitans Yohanna Ibrahim and Boulos Yaziji, on the tenth anniversary of their kidnapping. During the seminar there will be testimonies of kidnapping victims and a final message from the patriarchs of the two communities.
A ban that has primarily caused very heavy repercussions to the economy of families. More than 400 businesses closed, some merchants have lost the investment of a lifetime. Still others see fleeing abroad as the only solution. Taliban representative: They promoted Indian and Western values and culture, women did not wear the hijab.
Bilateral talks in Yemeni capital achieve “positive” results. Red Cross planes bring prisoners to Sana'a and Aden. UN envoy sees “hope”, stresses the importance of “constructive dialogue”.
On the return from the New Year holidays, numerous cases occurred in different cities, from Tehran to Urmia. The largest number in Saghez, Mahsa Amini's hometown, where the population has called several strikes against 'organised chemical attacks'. The authorities play down and blame the young people who want to stop classes.
In his Easter message, Mons. Martinelli describes the local community made up of 'different nations, cultures, languages and rites'. Called to testify that one can be "at the same time different and united". A world marked by wars, divisions, extremism and walls needs Christian 'witness'.
The Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins recounts the climate of "enthusiasm" among the faithful despite attacks and violence in recent weeks. Tensions fuel desire to participate. Christians in Gaza less than 200 permits. The community has grown "in the sense of belonging and unity". Overnight Israeli police raid on al-Aqsa: 350 Palestinians arrested.
In his Easter message, the Chaldean primate mentions the many "trials" past and present, of discovering vocation and responding with "trust, courage and enthusiasm". The resurrection is the "most important" event, without which "faith has no meaning". The apostles set an example, and the Church is the “living heritage of martyrs”.
The Purwakarta district regent said that the place of worship had not obtained building permits. According to the opposition and local residents, other solutions were possible pending administrative requirements.
Iftar, the Muslims fast-breaking meal, becomes an occasion for an interfaith meeting during which Bishop Rehmat read a passage from the Gospel of Matthew on the meaning of penitential acts. “Let us not forget the poor” at Easter and Eid, he said.
“We hope that we can continue our prayers in all the destroyed churches and monasteries,” local archbishop says. Since 2003, the community has lived in a climate of insecurity, which peaked when the Islamic State took power. The latter used the building to store weapons and make explosives. Reconstruction is slow. Local bishops slam the country’s electoral reform.
