A bird’s eye view of Asia: A continental landscape of minorities in peril

Many in Asia look at the Middle East with a mixture of expectation of stable energy supplies, hope for economic opportunity and concern about a potential fallout of the region’s multiple violent conflicts that are often cloaked in ethnic, religious and sectarian terms. Yet, a host of Asian nations led by men and women, who redefine identity as concepts of exclusionary civilization, ethnicity, and religious primacy rather than inclusive pluralism and multiculturalism, risk sowing the seeds of radicalization rooted in the despair of population groups that are increasingly persecuted, disenfranchised and marginalized.

Incidents of Anti-Shiism in August, 2019 – Shia Rights Watch

Incidents of Anti-Shiism in August, 2019 During August, Shia Rights Watch celebrated the Eid al-Adha by illuminating Time Square, New York. The organization called for solidarity against intolerance and injustice. SRW Eid al- Adha activity can be found here and here. Analysis of anti-Shiism in the first six months of 2019 was published as well.

Afghanistan: Scores killed in Kabul wedding blast

At least 63 people have been killed and scores wounded in an explosion targeting a wedding in the Afghan capital, officials said on Sunday, the deadliest attack in Kabul this year. The suicide blast took place on Saturday evening in the men’s reception area at the Dubai City wedding hall in western Kabul, in a minority Shia neighbourhood, packed with people celebrating a marriage.

See also BBC
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 …

At least 20 killed in market blast in Pakistani city of Quetta

At least 20 people were killed in the Pakistani city of Quetta on Friday, after a bomb blast ripped through a fruit market.

See also al-Jazeera.
See also BBC.

The Diversification of the Muslim Community in St. Petersburg in the 2010s in: Journal of Religion in Europe Volume 11 Issue 2-3 Year 2018

Through the intensification of migration, the number of Muslims has multiplied in ethnically Russian areas, including St. Petersburg. Within the heterogeneous Muslim community of the city, countless new communities and initiatives have emerged, but they increasingly face suspicions and restrictions from the authorities.

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

Shia rights violations continued in November. Anti-Shia incidents were witnessed in some countries. Most violation reports are from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Anti-Shia violations, including but not limited to, imprisonment, physical and emotional torture, limited or no access to medical assistance, hate speech, explosion, and executions.

South Asia Collective

We are a group of human rights activists and organisations that dream of a just, caring and peaceful South Asia. We came together in December 2015 to document the condition of the region’s minorities – religious, linguistic, ethnic, caste and gender, among others – hoping this would help in bettering out- comes for South Asia’s many marginalised groups.

From this site, download the full report – with a 2017-2018 events section, and chapters on minorities in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

O Scharbrodt, ‘A minority within a minority?: the complexity and multilocality of transnational Twelver Shia networks in Britain’, Contemporary Islam (2018).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11562-018-0431-0

‘Die If Necessary’; Targeted Afghan Minority Prepares to Fight

Shiite Syria-war veterans are ready to answer the call of community leaders to protect the Kabul neighborhood that is home to Afghanistan’s largest concentration of the minority sect.