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.

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.

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.

We are pleased to announce that on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the first Shi’a library in Europe by the late Prof Abdul-Djawad Falatouri, our second conference of Shi’a Studies will take place on 19-20 October 2018 in Berlin. The general topic of the conference is “Islamic Sciences, Ethics, and Art in Shi’a World: The Case of Medīna (the City of the Prophet)”
We welcome abstracts (ca. 300 words) for half an hour presentations that fit in any of the following subtopics:

1. The relationship between the Shi’a and Medīna
2. Shi’a schools in Medina in the first centuries of Islam
3. The relationship between Shi’a Imams and the pilgrims, the temporary residents, and the inhabitants of Medīna
4. Transmission of scientific, philosophical, theological, and juridical thought by the pilgrims of the Prophet’s Mosque
5. The heritage of Shi’a identity in Medīna: the Case of the al-Baqi’ Cemetery
6. The arts among the inhabitants of Medīna: literature and architecture

Languages of the conference: English, German, and Arabic
Secretariat: Iran House in Berlin
Deadline: 01.06.2018

Please send your abstracts to iranhaus@irankultur.com
Travel grants will be available to the authors of accepted abstracts.

Best regards,
Iran House in Berlin

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.

Bahrain: Five years in jail for Nabeel Rajab’s tweets

A court in Bahrain has convicted political activist Nabeel Rajab, and sentenced him to five years in prison for his comments online denouncing Saudi Arabia’s role in the war in Yemen and for criticising prison abuse in his country.

See also BBC News
See also Amnesty International statement

2017 Annual Report – Shia Rights Watch

2018 marks the 7th anniversary of Shia Rights Watch. Over the past seven years, our organization and our team have grown from a Washington, DC-based minority rights group to an internationally renowned institution active in both the United Nations and the International community.

Bahrain: Another Year of Deep State Repression

This past year in Bahrain, much like those preceding it since the popular uprisings of 2011, was one of unending repression and persecution of human rights activists. Yet, the Trump administration and the British government, arguably two of the most influential actors in Bahrain, have remained silent in the face of al-Khalifa atrocities against human rights activists, especially within the Shia majority.

See also: NY Times

Tackling Pakistani madrassas An uphill struggle

This is an edited version of remarks by James M. Dorsey at the launch in Islamabad on 30 January 2018 of ‘The Role of Madrassas: Assessing Parental Choice, Financial Pipelines and Recent Developments in Religious Education in Pakistan and Afghanistan,’ an extensive study by three Pakistani think tanks backed by the Danish Defense College.