Christian politician in Indonesia accused of blasphemy for opposing Sharia-based bylaws
World Watch Monitor A young Christian politician has been accused of blasphemy in Indonesia after criticising Sharia-based bylaws, Catholic news agency UCAN reports. Grace Natalie, 36, the chairwoman of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), was reported to police by a conservative Muslim organisation after delivering her speech at her party’s gathering in Tangerang, near Jakarta, last […]
Pakistan PM appeals for calm after Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy
World Watch Monitor Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Imran Khan, has urged the nation not to let a fraction of people incite them to take the law into their own hands over the decision of the Supreme Court to release a Christian woman who had been facing the death penalty for blasphemy. The security situation in Pakistan […]
Religious minorities fear backlash as Sunni Islam declared state religion of Comoros
World Watch Monitor On Monday, 30th July, the “Yes” vote recorded an overwhelming victory in the referendum on constitutional reforms in the southeast African island nation of Comoros, declaring Sunni Islam the “religion of the state”. “The state draws from this religion the principles and rules of Sunnite observance,” the amended constitution reads. Comoros is […]
Indonesia Christians’ whipping a rare example of non-Muslims punished under Sharia
Two Indonesian Christians were whipped in public earlier this week in Banda Aceh, the capital of the Sumatran province of Aceh, as a crowd took photos and jeered. Dahlan Sili Tongga, 61, and Tjia Nyuk Hwa, 45, were being punished for breaking Sharia (Islamic law) by playing a game at a children’s entertainment centre, which the […]
Malaysian Federal Court refuses four people their right to affirm Christian identity
World Watch Monitor Malaysia’s highest court on Tuesday dismissed an appeal against four appellants who wanted to be formally recognised as Christians. The five judges of the Malaysian Federal Court ruled that in matters of conversion away from Islam, it was necessary for them to consult the Islamic Sharia courts. The president of the court, […]
Iranian MPs seek to change law so voters can only vote for candidates from their own religion
World Watch Monitor Conservative MPs within Iran’s parliament are proposing that Iranians should only be allowed to vote for members of their own religious group. In Iran, where 90 to 95 per cent of the population is Shia Muslim, this will essentially mean that it will be impossible for members of religious minorities to be […]