Even in Australia. “Petrol-bomb attack on religious group,” by Adam Cooper for the Sydney Morning Herald, March 19 (thanks to The Religion of Peace): A petrol-bomb attack on a community centre has prompted fears among Melbourne’s Alevi population they could be targeted with more violence on religious grounds. Glass bottles containing petrol and set alight […]
Pakistan: Hindus face increase in kidnappings, forced conversion to Islam
And the government? “They are not serious in addressing the grievances of minorities.” The central and provincial governments are sending the signal that no one cares, thereby rewarding the attackers, and ensuring there will be more of the same behavior. “Abduction cases, forced conversions frighten Hindus,” by Shehzad Baloch for the Express Tribune, March 19 […]
Nigeria: Members of Christian tribe fleeing north
This report observes that the government’s policy really does appear to be to try to refuse to acknowledge the extent of situation in order to keep the peace, except that Boko Haram is ensuring there is not much peace to keep. Jihad, not peace, is the beneficiary of this approach. “As violence reigns, some flee […]
Shocker: Reconciliation between Hamas and Palestinian Authority “has hit a dead end”
According to Hamas’ charter, the group is “one of the wings of the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine.” The Ikhwan’s rise has been a game-changer for Hamas, and is already causing a shift in its alliances, notably with respect to and Iran and Syria. “Hamas clinging to Gaza as unity remains elusive,” by Karin Laub and […]
Indonesia: Leading cleric says Lady Gaga concert “intended to destroy the nation’s morality”
Wait ’til he finds out the meat dress wasn’t halal. “Lady Gaga’s Jakarta Concert Is Haram, Declares MUI Chairman,” by Anita Rachman & Arientha Primanita for the Jakarta Globe, March 18: A high-ranking member of Indonesia’s highest Islamic authority has urged Muslims not to attend Lady Gaga’s upcoming concert in Jakarta, declaring that the pop […]
Libyan police “too scared” to jail thugs who desecrated British WWII graveyard, said to be linked to al-Qaeda
They are setting a precedent that will quickly come back to haunt them. An update on this story. “Libyan police too scared to arrest cemetery vandals despite capturing three who desecrated graves,” from the Daily Mail, March 17: Police in Libya captured three members of an armed mob that desecrated British war graves in Benghazi […]
Indonesia: Police kill five suspected of plotting attacks on Bali resorts
“It was possible the group had been planning to carry out attacks on Thursday, the eve of Nyepi, or the annual Day of Silence marking Bali’s Hindu New Year.” “Indonesia police shoot dead suspected militants in Bali: media,” from Reuters, March 18: (Reuters) – Indonesian counter-terrorism police have shot dead five men suspected of planning […]
Pro-Palestinian Israeli women activists complain of sexual harassment from Palestinians
Ever get the feeling you’re just being used? “Israeli leftist activists: We are being sexually harassed in the West Bank,” from Haaretz, March 18 (thanks to The Religion of Peace): The activist sent the letter to her friends at Anarchists Against the Wall, in which she wrote of the incidents of sexual harassment she had […]
Pakistan: 50% of women in urban areas “get beaten by their husbands”
The elephant in the room is Qur’an 4:34, and somehow, once again, people in the Muslim world are following what it says, and not some fanciful rationalization from the HuffPo Tafsir Bureau. That tactic is nothing new, of course, but helping to perpetuate the real and ongoing suffering of untold numbers of women by turning […]
Indonesia: Thugs in “luxury minivan” attack church with air rifles
The attack destroyed some windows, but what is worse than this particular incident is that it may not be the last. As this report notes, the getaway vehicle yielded more information on the church and other planning documents. Like the Yasmin Church in Bogor, it has been “put on the map,” so to speak, for […]