Categories : News

Saudi Prince Mohammed’s religious moderation unlikely to change Asian realities

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may be seeking to revert his kingdom to an unspecified form of moderate Islam but erasing the impact of 40 years of global funding of ultra-conservative, intolerant strands of the faith is unlikely to be eradicated by decree.

The Limits of Mohammad bin Salman’s Vision

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s arrival in the United States has coincided with a very carefully managed public relations blitz intended to portray him as a visionary leader shepherding Saudi Arabia into a new era of social liberalization and economic change. His fawning 60 Minutes infomercial this past Sunday was perhaps the best example of this phenomenon.

‘Dozens dead’ in Kabul suicide attack

At least 26 people have been killed and 18 wounded in a suspected suicide bomb attack near a shrine in the Afghan capital Kabul, officials say. Initial reports suggest the bomber attacked a crowd of hundreds of people who had gathered to celebrate the start of Nowruz, the New Year festival.

See also alJazeera.
See also The Indian Express.

ADHRB Highlights Rights Abuses by Bahraini Officials During Formula One Race Activities

Read a pdf of this statement here. In advance of the Formula One Grand Prix Event in Sakhir, Bahrain on 8 April 2018, Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) expresses its distress at human rights violations that have occurred surrounding the race in past years.

For ADHRB Weekly Newsletter #243, click here.

Africa Federation Archives – Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheris in Lamu and Mombasa, 1870 – 1930, Part 3

Life in Lamu From Interviews with Hussein Abdalla Jaffer Pardhan (AP) Life in Lamu in the 1930’s was very simple. People would wake up in the morning and go for prayers. They would open their shops from 8:00-12:00pm and then go home for lunch and to sleep.

Africa Federation Archives – Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheris in Lamu and Mombasa, 1870- 1930 – Part 2

Later this week: Khoja Shia Ithna-asheris in Lamu and Mombasa, 1870- 1930 – Part 3SECRETARIAT AFRICA FEDERATION ARCHIVES SECTION 12th March 2018 (22th Jamadi ul Aakhar 1439 AH) Download: Africa Federation Archives – Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheris in Lamu and Mombasa, 1870 – 1930 – Part 2 (PDF, 876KB) Download: Africa Federation Archives – Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheris in Lamu and Mombasa, 1870 – 1930 – Part 2 – French (PDF, 876KB)

Pakistan struggles to get a grip on militancy and ultra-conservatism

Seventy years after its birth, Pakistan is struggling to get a grip on Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism and its militant offshoots that were aided and abetted by successive governments as well as Saudi Arabia and at times the United States. The stakes for Pakistan are high as it confronts mounting international pressure that includes China, its closest ally, to crackdown on militancy.

Africa Federation Archives – Khoja Shia Ithna-asheris in Lamu and Mombasa, 1870- 1930 – Part1

KHOJA SHIA ITHNA- ASHERIS IN LAMU AND MOMBASA, 1870- 1930 BY ZAHIR BHALLOO Author’s Note: A chance meeting outside Fort Jesus, Mombasa, with Cynthia Salvadori, author of the remarkable three volumes We Came in Dhows, was what first inspired me to record stories and anecdotes about Ithna-Asheri pioneers at the turn of the century.

Incidents of Anti-Shiism in February, 2018 – Shia Rights Watch

February proved itself to be a much less violent month than January, with sources reporting 343 incidents of Anti-Shiism, half of last month’s 673. However, the crackdowns on freedom of expression and incessant discrimination against the Shia population led to 52 deaths, 226 injuries, 71 arrests and harsh sentencing, and seven related anti-Shia actions, including but not limited to, sectarian slander, police brutality, and vandalism.

The FRONTLINE Interview: Vali Nasr

In this interview for the FRONTLINE documentary “Bitter Rivals: Iran and Saudi Arabia,” Middle East scholar Vali Nasr talks about the history driving today’s wars in the Middle East, whether these conflicts can be solved, and the parallels between ISIS and the nightwalkers from “Game of Thrones.”

The February 2018 PBS documentary ‘Bitter Rivals: Iran and Saudi Arabia’, for which this interview was conducted, can be accessed here.