Iraqi cleric Sadr calls off protests after worst Baghdad violence in years
Baghdad, IraqReuters Powerful cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his followers to end their protests in central Baghdad on Tuesday, easing a confrontation which led to the deadliest violence in the Iraqi capital in years. Apologising to Iraqis after 22 people were killed in clashes between an armed group loyal to him and rival Shi’ite Muslim factions […]
Taliban impose “harsh” limits on Afghans’ religious freedom – US panel
Washington DC, US Reuters Conditions for religious freedom in Afghanistan have “drastically deteriorated” since the Taliban seized power last year as the last US-led foreign troops pulled out after 20 years of war, a bipartisan US commission said on Tuesday. The Sunni Muslim extremists’ “harsh enforcement” of their hardline version of Islam “violates the freedom […]
Essay: How ethnic and religious divides in Afghanistan are contributing to violence against minorities
In an article published on The Conversation, ABDULKADER SINNO, associate professor at Indiana University, says ethnicity and religion are key to understanding the politics and conflicts of today’s Afghanistan…
For Afghan Hazaras, where to pray can be life and death choice
Kabul, AfghanistanReuters Each time Hussain Rahimi leaves his Kabul home for the mosque to pray, he recites the Kalima – a short verse that is the central tenet of Islam – because he is not sure he will come home alive. “I am afraid. My family is afraid when we go to the mosque,” said […]
Deadly shooting rocks Beirut as tensions over blast probe erupt
Beirut, LebanonReuters Tensions over a probe into last year’s massive blast in Beirut burst into the worst street violence in more than a decade on Thursday, with six Shi’ites shot dead and gun battles reviving memories of the country’s 1975-90 civil war. Bullets bounced off buildings and people ran for cover during bursts of gunfire […]
IS bomber kills 46 inside Afghan mosque, challenges Taliban
Kabul, AfghanistanAP An Islamic State suicide bomber struck at a mosque packed with Shi’ite Muslim worshippers in northern Afghanistan on Friday, killing at least 46 people and wounding dozens in the latest security challenge to the Taliban as they transition from insurgency to governance. In its claim of responsibility, the region’s IS affiliate identified the […]
Fuel dispute triggers sectarian clash in Lebanon’s south
Beirut, LebanonReuters A dispute over scarce fuel supplies ignited sectarian tensions between neighbouring Shi’ite Muslim and Christian villages in southern Lebanon over the weekend, forcing the army to intervene, a security source said. Clashes mostly centred on the crippling gasoline and diesel shortages have become a daily occurrence in Lebanon, prompting growing concern about a […]