Religious Extremism

Sharia Law Leads to Public Lashings in Indonesia

January 22, 2018

Local authorities in Indonesia’s autonomous Aceh Province, which imposes strict sharia law, publicly flogged, among others, a Christian man for selling alcohol on Fridays and an unmarried couple for sitting close to one another, as the country with the world’s largest Muslim population shows signs of increasing pressure from Islamist fundamentalist forces.
Timbuktu Performers Push back Against Islamist Extremism

January 19, 2018

The revival of local music and performance culture in the Malian city of Timbuktu signals the gradual push-back of local societal and military actors against the presence of violent Islamist groups, spearheaded by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in the African Sahel region.
Protests Spark Debate about Free Speech in Iran

January 17, 2018

The recent popular protests in Iran against the Islamist regime’s failure to address economic inequity have spawned debate about the limits of free speech and rights to criticize the legitimacy of the country’s clerical leadership.
London Photo Heightens Debate over Nigerian Salafism

January 17, 2018

A photo of two Nigerian Islamic clerics shopping in Western-style dress in London has catalyzed an intensive online debate in Islamist circles about the hypocrisy and tyranny of religion associated with the expanding socio-religious influence of Saudi-Wahhabi-supported Salafism in Nigeria.
Migrant Anti-Semitism Sparks Discussion in German Politics

January 17, 2018

Increasing incidents of anti-Jewish slogans and anti-Israel demonstrations among Muslim communities in Germany are prompting the country’s politicians to consider legal and educational mechanisms to address the "imported Islamic anti-Semitism" among refugee and migrant arrivals from Mideast and North African countries.
IS Defeat Sparks Discussion of New Caliphate

January 16, 2018

The Islamic State's (IS) military defeat and demonstrated violence and excesses have spawned a renewed debate among "caliphate intellectuals" worldwide about the theological foundations and operational parameters of a renewed, improved, ideal caliphate.
Indonesian Linked to IS Sparks Debate About Public Health

January 10, 2018

The leader of a hardline Islamist group in Indonesia linked to money laundering for the Islamic State (IS) and to blasphemy protests posted an online video in which he recited sayings of Islam's prophet Mohammed to justify the medicinal benefits of consuming camel urine, sparking an opposition outcry from Indonesia's Ministry of Health and from the World Health Organization.
Protests Strike at Legitimacy of Iranian Regime

January 10, 2018

The wave of protests across Iran in the past two weeks hits against the legitimacy of the country's Islamist theocratic regime, as middle-class citizens join the country's poor and working class strata to condemn the regime for its failures to implement Islamist justifications for improving the socioeconomic standing and guaranteeing the economic rights of the oppressed and the poor.
Maldives Activist Faces Threats over Tweet on Religious Freedom

January 08, 2018

The prominent head of the Maldives Democracy Network is facing death threats and a police inquiry for “criminal behavior” under the country’s Religious Unity Act for a tweet supporting religious freedom and pluralism, as government officials in the country's Ministry of Islamic Affairs condemn "nonsensical talk that advocates for any faith other than Islam in the Maldives."
Turkish Opposition Party Calls for Inquiry on Child Marriages

January 08, 2018

Turkey’s main opposition party has challenged the ruling Islamist party’s policies on marriage and gender issues as unconstitutional and is calling for an inquiry into the government’s support for the practice of child marriages with women as young as nine years of age.