Categories : News

Saudi religious moderation: How real is it?

Meet Mohammed bin Abdul-Karim Al-Issa, the public face of Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman’s version of moderate Islam. Mr. Al-Issa’s moves also serve to strengthen ties with US President Donald J. Trump’s Evangelist voter base and shape an environment that legitimizes Saudi Arabia’s close cooperation with Israel.

The Limits of Saudi ‘Reform’, 15
See also ‘Saudi ex-Imam of Mecca ‘no longer considers Shia Muslims as heretics’.

5 UN Experts Call on Bahrain to Halt Executions of Two Individuals Amid Torture Allegations

21 May 2019 – Today, five UN experts appealed to Bahrain to halt the execution of two men, Ali Al-Arab and Ahmed Al-Malali, amid “serious concerns” that their convictions were based on confessions extracted under torture and that they did not receive a fair trial. BIRD has documented nine individuals currently at risk of imminent…

For BIRD Weekly 236, click here.

17th Annual UMAA Conference

UMAA2019 will take place at Tysons Corner Sheraton in Tysons, Virginia from July 5th-July 8th. Room Information Rooms can be booked directly with the Tyson’s Sheraton at (703) 448-1234 under the UMAA room block. $99/night including Breakfast Saturday and Sunday morning.

Opinion | Saudi Arabia’s repression shouldn’t be rewarded with a World Cup

May 15 at 11:24 AM Minky Worden is director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch and oversees the organization’s work on human rights and sports. In 2010, when FIFA announced that the 2022 World Cup would be held in Qatar, there was an outcry over that country’s human rights record.

Bahrain: Suspend Death Penalty

(Beirut) – The Bahrain Court of Cassation, the country’s court of last resort, upheld the death sentence against two men on May 6, 2019, Human Rights Watch said today. A court convicted the men, Ali al-Arab and Ahmad al-Malali, of terror offenses in a mass trial on January 31, 2018.

Saudi state media: Eight ‘terrorist suspects’ killed in Qatif

Eight members of what Saudi authorities call a terrorist cell were killed on Saturday in a police raid in Saudi Arabia’s eastern Qatif region, a Shia minority stronghold, state media has reported. The recently-formed cell was preparing to carry out “terrorist activities” against the security of the country, the official Saudi Press Agency reported, citing a state security spokesperson.

France Dismisses Misleading Statements from Bahrain’s Foreign Minister on “Political Dialogue” in Bahrain

1 May 2019 – Yesterday, President Macron of France received King Hamad of Bahrain at the Palace Elysee in Paris. Following the meeting, palace staff released an official press release on their website, in which they stated that “the president encouraged Bahraini authorities to continue their efforts to re-establish a political dialogue that includes all…

For BIRD Weekly 234 click here.

Two bodies pinned to a pole in Saudi Arabia as 37 people killed in ‘chilling’ mass execution

Saudi Arabia executed 37 people for terror offences on Tuesday, the country’s interior minister said, in one of the largest mass executions in recent years. Human Rights Watch described the punishment as “grotesque,” and said the news represented a “day we have feared.”

See also The Washington Post.
See also Human Rights Watch.
See also The New York Times.

Untold Stories, The Suffering of Shia Muslims – Shia Rights Watch

Annual report of Anti-Shiism around the Globe This report reflects investigative work Shia Rights Watch staff undertook in 2018 Shia Rights Watch 2018 Annual Report_2 Size: 1.37 mb Format : PDF Preview Introduction Parallel to the rise of coverage of the Shia identity came to an increased need for recognition for the dynamics of …

Nigeria’s Shia protesters: A minority at odds with the government

Abuja, Nigeria – Four years ago, several members of Abdullahi Muhammad’s family were killed, setting off a series of events that led him to become an outspoken critic of the government. Now 32, Muhammad, a member of the country’s Shia Muslim minority, says he would give his life “to fight tyranny”.