Rubric Islam

Islam

Today's headlines: Japan’s prime minister cancels trip to Central Asia, as fears of a “megaquake” increase among the Japanese. Myanmar’s military regime is preventing young people from emigrating for work. Seven die in attack by militants against army posts in northwestern Pakistan. Panipak Wongpattanakit is the first Thai sportswoman to win two gold medals at the Olympics.

| 10/08/2024
| ASIA TODAY
by card. Louis Raphael Sako*

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.

| 09/08/2024
| IRAQ

A first group of 175 teachers has completed their training and will start teaching in the Saudi kingdom by the end of August. The goal is to send at least 800 teachers to the Arab country. This is another sign of Beijing's growing economic and educational involvement in the Middle East.

| 09/08/2024
| CHINA – SAUDI ARABIA
by Mathias Hariyadi

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.

| 06/08/2024
| INDONESIA – VATICAN
by Sumon Corraya

After student protest and the harsh repression that cost more than 200 lives, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina bans Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing as terrorist organisations, blaming them for the violence. The party was created by Bangladeshis who fought for Pakistan in the 1971 War of Independence. The true unity for the good of the country remains a challenge.

| 02/08/2024
| BANGLADESH

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.

| 19/07/2024
| IRAQ
by Shafique Khokhar

The Commission for Interreligious Dialogue and Ecumenism (Ccide) has promoted a ‘Sabeel’ for the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community. Events included a ‘walk’ in the cathedral area and the distribution of cold drinks to break the fast. The annual interfaith caravan of the Rwadari Tehreek Pakistan reached Karabla Gamay Shah.

| 18/07/2024
| PAKISTAN
by Mathias Hariyadi

Head of State Widodo also intervened in the affair, with a public criticism of the actions of members of the moderate Muslim organisation. Leader Nu apologised for ‘the incident’ and called the choice of ‘timing and manner’ ‘inappropriate’. The country's leadership confirmed its support for the Palestinian cause.

| 17/07/2024
| INDONESIA - ISRAEL
by Joseph Masilamany

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.

| 13/07/2024
| MALAYSIA

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.

| 12/07/2024
| TURKEY
by Dario Salvi

The Vicar of Southern Arabia officiated at the inauguration of construction work on a new pastoral centre in Ghala. Msgr. Martinelli: 'For children, young people and adults to grow in the faith'. The sultanate's diplomatic work in a conflict-torn Middle East. There are still steps to be taken in the area of rights and gender equality.

| 09/07/2024
| GATEWAY TO THE EAST
by Joseph Masilamany

King Ibrahim Iskandar spoke on Islamic New Year, urging Muslims to avoid online platforms filled with discussions and insults. He urged fellow Muslims to rely on authoritative sources regarding religious teachings and precepts.

| 08/07/2024
| MALAYSIA

The WUC has organised various events to honour the victims of China’s most violent crackdown against the Muslim minority. Activist denounces policies that result in “crimes against humanity and genocide.” No Muslims from Xinjiang has been allowed to join the Hajj. Sinicisation and re-education camps have been set up for the Eid holiday.

| 05/07/2024
| CHINA - ISLAM

Tomorrow the country goes to the polls to replace Raisi, who died in an helicopter crash. In the first round, a reformist lawmaker, Masoud Pezeshkian, and an ultra-conservative leader, Saeed Jalili, came out on top. With the support of Khatami and Rouhani, the anti-establishment candidate promises freedom of choice on the headscarf and better relations with the West.

| 04/07/2024
| IRAN
by Shafique Khokhar

A Punjab court issued a surreal verdict in connection with the brutal attack against a Christian neighbourhood in August 2023, handing down a death sentence against Ahsan Masih, a young man who, like thousands others, shared a post on a social media that was construed as “instigating” violence. By contrast, 135 people arrested for involvement in the incident have walked free. For Fr Khalid Rashid Asi, the sentence was issued under extremist pressure, but eventually “truth will win”.

| 02/07/2024
| PAKISTAN
by Dario Salvi

An AsiaNews source recounts the life of Catholics. One million people, mostly economic migrants, celebrate their faith "in private". The bond with the universal Church and the hope of one day being able to gather and pray in a church. The Internet has strengthened community relations and facilitated attendance at services. A "long history" of "discreet" presence in the region.

| 02/07/2024
| GATEWAY TO THE EAST

On the eve of the vote, Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi dropped out of the race, calling on other candidates to do the same in favour of a unity candidate. Meanwhile, support is growing for Pezeshkian, a moderate backed by two former presidents, Rouhani and Khatami, and former foreign minister Zarif. For his part Supreme Leader Khamenei has criticised the moderate candidate, and, fearing a low turnout, urged Iranians to vote.

| 27/06/2024
| IRAN

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. 

 

| 26/06/2024
| MALAYSIA
by Fady Noun

The Vatican Secretary of State is on a five-day visit in the Mideast country at the invitation of the president of the Lebanese Association of the Sovereign Order of Malta. Yesterday, at the Mass for the feast of Saint John the Baptist, he renewed the appeal to fill the void of this Christian voice “that would undoubtedly make a difference” even amid the winds of war blowing dangerously in the region. The Church continues to play a key role in assisting the needy.

| 25/06/2024
| GATEWAY TO THE EAST
by Vladimir Rozanskij

At least 20 people were killed in a coordinated and extremely violent Islamist attack against two churches and a synagogue in Derbent and Makhachkala, North Caucasus. A 66-year-old clergyman was killed in church in front of his parishioners on the day of Pentecost. Two sons of Sergokalinsky District chief are among the attackers shot dead, while the father was arrested by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).

| 24/06/2024
| RUSSIA

This week, the prelate made his first pastoral visit to the Christian place of worship located in the Abrahamic Family House, which includes also a mosque and synagogue. Dialogue with people of different faiths "is not only desirable, but necessary." The local Christian community is “multi-ethnic and multicultural ever since its origin”. The prelate stressed that bearing witness to the faith "excludes any form of proselytism.”

| 22/06/2024
| UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
by Shafique Khokhar

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.

| 22/06/2024
| PAKISTAN

More than half of the victims were not registered, arriving via "irregular" channels. The highest number of deaths was reported among Egyptians, but fatalities include people from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Pakistan. In the future, global warming will likely make things worse.

| 20/06/2024
| SAUDI ARABIA – ISLAM
by Dario Salvi

On 28 June, the country will go to the polls to choose the successor to Raisi, who died in a helicopter accident on 19 May. Six names are in the running, five of them exponents of the ultra-conservative wing. The hijab among the campaign themes, because none of the candidates has a real recipe for the economic crisis. Abstentionism risk. Repression campaign continues, Christians also in the crosshairs. 

| 18/06/2024
| GATEWAY TO THE EAST
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Moscow is debating the possible ban on wearing the Niqab proposed by deputies and opinion makers who insist on the need to curb extremist tendencies, recalling how in several Central Asian countries this measure has existed for some time. Mufti are divided among themselves, while some members of United Russia are also against it, fearing repercussions in relations with the Islamic world.

| 18/06/2024
| RUSSIA

Over one and a half million Muslim faithful have already arrived at the holy places of Islam. From Riyadh an absolute ban on protests over the war in the Strip or the "politicisation" of the event that must remain religious. The health of the participants is a hot topic. For the first time in a decade, and since the beginning of the conflict, thousands of Syrians have returned. 

| 13/06/2024
| SAUDI ARABIA - ISLAM
by Dario Salvi

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. 

| 11/06/2024
| GATEWAY TO THE EAST

Today's news: UN Security Council votes on Gaza ceasefire resolution; Taipei arrested a Chinese citizen for ‘illegal entry’ by sea; Indonesia's population has the highest ingestion of microplastics among 109 countries in the world; Manhunt by Indian soldiers in Kashmir after an attack on a pilgrim bus; Tokyo wants to strengthen economic cooperation with Central Asian countries. 

| 11/06/2024
| ASIA TODAY

The Protestant community, with more than 170 communities scattered throughout the country and 8,000 adherents, was in the crosshairs. For the judges, expelling or banning entry on the basis of intelligence reports does not constitute a violation of religious practice. A majority decision, opposed by the former president. In the meantime, there is renewed talk of a possible reopening of the Greek Orthodox seminary in Halki in the near future. 

| 10/06/2024
| TURKEY
by Shafique Khokhar

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.

| 03/06/2024
| PAKISTAN
Editor's choices
 
by Anna Pozzi
On the day of the 50th anniversary of the end of the war in Saigon and the reunification of the country, the experience of the Scalabrinian missionaries who stand by the families arriving in the big city from the countryside.
| 30/04/2025
| VIETNAM
 
by Gianni Criveller
The College of Cardinals Francis created reflects the world more than the Catholic Church, or rather, it reflects her missionary vocation. Numbers count far less than bearing evangelical witness, which Christians are expected to live in the community ...
| 27/04/2025
| EDITORIAL
 
by Sumon Corraya
The meeting in 2017 in Bangladesh with a delegation of one million exiles from Myanmar was one of the most touching moments in the pontiff's trip. He often remembered that embrace in the following years. “Pope Francis was a beacon of hope for ...
| 26/04/2025
| BANGLADESH - VATICAN
 
A source talked to AsiaNews about how Chinese Catholics are coping with Francis’s death. Remarks and pictures abound on local social media. “Amid the sorrow and mourning, the joy of announcing love prevailed,” as “a spontaneous ...
| 24/04/2025
| RED LANTERNS
 
The 12 years of Francis’s pontificate were marked by 13 trips in Asia, from the first visit to South Korea to the long journey last September to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Singapore. During this time, his message of peace and ...
| 23/04/2025
| VATICAN – ASIA
 
by sr. Mary Joseph *
From Calcutta, the superior of Mother Teresa's sisters remembers Pope Francis. ‘He made the Church refocus its attention on the marginalised’. Bergoglio wanted the Missionaries of Charity to open a new home in Bajo Flores, a slum ...
| 23/04/2025
| INDIA - VATICAN
 
by Gianni Criveller
Proclaiming the Gospel was his top priority: he reminded us that mission is about joy, that its territories are not defined by geography or people's religious affiliation. Through his life and teaching, he taught us that Jesus' missionaries ...
| 22/04/2025
| EDITORIAL
 
by Card Anthony Poola*
One of the great signs of the pontificate that ended this morning with the death of Pope Francis is his care for the peripheries of the world. The archbishop of Hyderabad, the first Dalit called to join the College of Cardinals in 2022, pays tribute ...
| 21/04/2025
| VATICAN - INDIA
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”