Sectarian Materialities

Research Seminar organised by the research group SWAR (Sectarianism in the Wake of the Arab Revolts)

Opinion | Don’t Profit From Abuses by Bahrain

We know we risk much in calling for this. Some of my fellow activists have been tortured, sentenced to life imprisonment, even killed. But I believe that respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms is the way to attain peace, stability and prosperity in any nation; I have devoted my life to that ideal.

Article Free Read

On May 12, the Al-Akhbar daily newspaper carried the following report: “The Saudi authorities implemented their earlier threats by demolishing the historical neighborhood of Al-Masoura in the town of Awamiyah in Al-Qatif governorate, which is administratively part of the Eastern Province.

See the Arabic
See ADHRB Condemnation of Attacks

Conflict in the Middle East threatens Pakistan and lynchpin of China’s One Belt, One Road

Increasingly caught up in the Middle East’s multiple conflicts, Pakistan is struggling to balance relations with rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran amid concern in Islamabad that potential US-Saudi efforts to destabilize the Islamic republic could turn its crucial province of Balochistan, a lynchpin in China’s One Belt, One Road initiative, into a battleground.

In Senegal, Iran and Saudi Arabia vie for religious influence

In an upmarket suburb of Senegal’s seaside capital, a branch of Iran’s Al-Mustafa University teaches Senegalese students Shi’ite Muslim theology, among other subjects. The branch director is Iranian and a portrait of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hangs on his office wall.

Saudi Arabia is leading a military operation in Awamiyah, terrorizing tens of thousands of civilians and opposing the United Nations demand of protecting the traditional Mosawara neighborhood

لقراءته بالعربية اضغط هنا The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia raided the city of Awamiyah at 3:40 am on Wednesday, 10 May 2017, placing the city under siege by closing most of its outlets. The raid was carried out by a large number of heavily armed armored and military vehicles, accompanied by equipment to demolish the …

State Repression and Religious Conflict: The Perils of the State Clampdown on the Shi’a Minority in Nigeria

In Nigeria, there is an increasing population of the followers of Shi’a Islam, which is largely promoted by the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) led by Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky. Given its anti-state ideology and anarchical conducts, there have been a series of clashes between the Shi’a group and the Nigerian state.

Spotlight on Bahrain’s Human Rights Record: Bahrain Undergoes 3rd Cycle UPR Review – Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain

Today, the United Nations Human Rights Council conducted Bahrain’s 3rd Cycle Universal Period Review, in which states issued recommendations to the Government of Bahrain to improve its human rights record. Dozens of states gave recommendations that encompassed thematic issue areas ranging from improving religious freedom to halting executions, from strengthening women’s …

For the full newsletter, see here.

Bahrain: Detained Activist’s Health Worsens

A prominent Bahraini human rights activist, Nabeel Rajab, is suffering from health problems that have developed or deteriorated during more than 10 months of arbitrary detention, Human Rights Watch said today. The charges against him violate his right to free expression, and there is evidence he has been punished arbitrarily.

Pakistan’s lurch towards ultra-conservativism abetted by Saudi-inspired pyramid scheme (Part 1)

Saudi funding, a pillar of the kingdom’s more than 40-year long public diplomacy campaign, the world’s largest dedicated effort of its kind, has helped weave ultra-conservatism into significant segments of Pakistani society as well as key branches of government and the state that have fostered an environment capable of sustaining itself, expanding its reach, and spawning institutions that target specific societal groups.