Religious Extremism

Nigerian Muslim Cleric Opposes Legalization of Gender Equality

December 30, 2016

The leading cleric of Nigeria's Muslim committee opposes a new national bill that would give women and men equal inheritance rights, arguing that such gender equality is a violation of Islamic law.
Islamist Loyalty Drives Iran's Religious Freedom Violations

December 30, 2016

The recent uptick in Christmas-related repressions against Christians by the Iranian government serve as a reminder of the Islamist theocracy's widespread religious freedom violations, especially against Muslim converts to Christianity and against "non-confirming" Muslims who deviate from the state-sponsored Shiite interpretation of Islam.
Marriage Controversy Underlines Sharia Influence in Nigeria

December 30, 2016

Relatives of a 13-year-old girl in one of Nigeria's provinces subject to sharia law are seeking the state governor's intervention to prevent plans by her father to wed her to a 56-year-old Koranic school teacher who is already married to multiple wives.
IS Church Attack Signals Islamist Long War on Christianity

December 20, 2016

The recent lethal attack on a Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo by Islamic State (IS) supporters is the latest example of a long war of attrition waged by secular and religious regimes using state Islamist policies such as violence and intimidation, economic discrimination, and cultural and historical appropriation to extinguish Christianity in Egypt.
Egyptian Courts Support MB Asset, Property Claims

December 16, 2016

Egyptian courts during the tenure of current President Fatta al-Sisi, which ousted the short-lived Muslim Brotherhood (MB) government in 2013, have issued almost 300 decisions in favor of MB claims about assets and property seized by the Sisi government, suggesting that tensions between pro- and anti-Islamist factions are rife within the state's legal institutions.
Saudis Arrest Woman over Photo Deemed Un-Islamic

December 16, 2016

Saudi Arabia's religious police recently arrested a young woman who tweeted a photo of herself in public without a body-length robe called an abaya, an act deemed incompatible with the Kingdom's strict interpretation of Islam.
IS Assault on Egypt's Coptic Christians Reveals Impunity

December 16, 2016

The lethal weekend attack by Islamic State (IS) militants against the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Egypt spotlighted the institutionalized discrimination and climate of impunity that unites Islamist, secularist, and military regimes in Egypt in endorsing the second-class status and sectarian repression of the country's ancient Christian community.
UN Expert Reports Torture in Turkey Since Coup Attempt

December 05, 2016

The UN Special Rapporteur on torture, concluding a fact-finding mission to Turkey, reported that state torture, intimidation, and impunity have become widespread under the Islamist government, which has engaged in widespread political purges, arrests, and military measures against what the Turkish state calls "coup plotters and terrorists."
Indonesian Blasphemy Trial Signals Islamist Threats to Democracy

November 28, 2016

The ongoing blasphemy case in Indonesia against the Chinese Christian governor of the country's capital city has thrown into sharp relief the growing challenges from hardline Islamist groups whose opposition to free speech threatens to corrode constitutional rights and the commitment to pluralism in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.
Jihadi Extremism Will Survive Defeat of IS in Iraq

November 28, 2016

International security experts warn that the possibilities for ethno-sectarian tension are significant in the Iraqi territories being liberated by Shiite Arabs and Sunni Kurds who are leading the anti-Islamic State (IS) coalition, as Sunni Arabs fear economic disenfranchisement and political retribution in a post-IS Iraqi governance structure.