Gunmen target Hazara Shia Muslims in Quetta city

Islamabad, Pakistan – Unidentified gunmen have killed five people in an attack targeting the minority Hazara Shia Muslim community in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, police say. Two gunmen riding a motorcycle opened fire on a van bound for a nearby vegetable market, killing the driver and four others early on Monday morning, Quetta police chief Abdul Razzaq Cheema told reporters.

Suicide ‘shepherd’ kills several in Kabul

A suicide bomber has killed at least five people near a Shia mosque in Kabul ahead of the major religious commemoration of Ashura. The attacker disguised himself as a shepherd in order to approach the mosque, Kabul police’s criminal investigative director told AFP.

See also alJazeera

The Hazaras and the Afghan State | Hurst Publishers

‘Niamatullah Ibrahimi’s richly-textured account of Hazaras’ relations with the Afghan state not only sheds light on the social and political complexities of a highly-vulnerable group; it also illuminates dimensions of the state building enterprise in Afghanistan in ways that highlight the challenges of internationally-supported state building more broadly. A pathbreaking book.’

Incidents of Anti-Shiism in August, 2017 – Shia Rights Watch

Scores of violations bear witness to the continued systematic targeting of the Shia Muslim population around the world. The breaches of human rights range from arrest and detainment to sexual abuse and torture in prisons, and as seen this month, mass execution.

Medium of the Oppressed: Folk Music, Forced Migration, and Tactical Media – Karimi – 2017 – Communication, Culture & Critique – Wiley Online Library

Karimi, A. (2017), Medium of the Oppressed: Folk Music, Forced Migration, and Tactical Media. Communication, Culture & Critique. doi: 10.1111/cccr.12178

Gunmen attack Shia Imam Zaman mosque in Kabul

Gunmen attacked a Shia Muslim mosque in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Friday, police said. Explosions were reported as several fighters entered the Imam Zaman mosque in Qala-Najara. The clashes are ongoing. There was no immediate word on casualties. More soon… Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies

See also BBC.
See also CNN.

Dozens of Afghans killed in remote Sar-e Pul province

Armed men have attacked a village in the northern Afghan province of Sar-e Pul, killing as many as 40 people, including women and children, officials have said. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday condemned the killings that he dubbed a “war crime”.

See also Shia Rights Watch.
Al-Jazeera Update.

Shia mosque in Herat province hit by deadly explosion

At least 20 people have been killed in an explosion at a minority Shia mosque in the Afghan province of Herat, according to a hospital official. Dr Mohammed Rafique Shehrzad told Associated Press news agency that 20 bodies were brought to the main hospital in Herat city, the capital of the western province, on Tuesday night, soon after the blast.

See also BBC News.
See also Reuters.
Islamic State claims attack. See The Express Tribune; BBC News.

Bi-Annual Anti-Shiism Report – Shia Rights Watch

The first half of 2017 has been a turbulent time for Shia Muslims all over the world. Anti-Shiism, or the active targeting of Shia Muslim to limit their visibility and expression, was prevalent in across the globe. Shia Muslims, including their sub groups, make up approximately 50% of the total Muslim population.

Incidents of Anti-Shiism in JUNE, 2017 – Shia Rights Watch

June 2017 Anti-Shiism Across the Middle East As anti-Shiism runs high, over 133 were killed in the month of June. New this month are attacks on Iranian soil and a death sentence given by social media posting in Pakistan.