- Glorifying Hamas Has Consequences: UK Refugee Faces Deportation
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/glorifying-hamas-has-consequences-uk-refugee-faces-deportation
Location: United Kingdom
A disturbing case has erupted in the UK where 29-year-old refugee Heba Alhayek, who claimed asylum saying she was fleeing Hamas persecution in Gaza, now faces potential deportation after being convicted under the Terrorism Act. Just 7 days after the horrific October 7th, 2023 Hamas attack that killed 1,200 Israelis when fighters crossed the border using paragliders, Alhayek and two others displayed paraglider imagery at a pro-Palestinian protest in London. Despite acknowledging "a reasonable person would have seen and read that" the paraglider images referred to glorifying the deadly Hamas assault, the judge, Tan Ikram, handed down mere 12-month conditional discharges. Outrageously, Ikram claimed he decided "not to punish" them as he accepted they weren't "seeking to show any support for Hamas," even though that is illegal under British law. Adding to the controversy, it was revealed that Judge Ikram had previously "accidentally" liked a social media post branding Israel a "terrorist state." Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman blasted that "with anti-Semitism at an all-time high, judges must be impartial and beyond reproach. Justice must be done, and it must also be seen to be done. The sentence must be reviewed." The Home Office is now reviewing Alhayek's refugee status, saying "supporting banned terrorist groups will not be tolerated."
- Weaponizing Sharia: How An Indian High Court Betrayed a Muslim Woman
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/weaponizing-sharia-how-indian-high-court-betrayed-muslim-woman
Location: India
In an appalling violation of a Muslim woman's rights, the Allahabad High Court in India has ruled that her live-in relationship with a Hindu man constitutes the acts of "zina and haram" (fornication and sin forbidden by Islam) - despite the woman being effectively abandoned by her husband Mohsin two years ago when he took a second wife. In India, Muslims are governed by the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act of 1937 for matters related to personal affairs like marriage, divorce, inheritance, etc. This law codified existing sharia laws derived from Islamic texts and made them applicable to Muslims in India. Rejecting the couple's plea for protection from threats against their lives by the woman's father and relatives, the court took the audacious step of imposing an extremely regressive judgment on the woman. Justice Renu Agarwal shockingly declared "Such a type of criminal act cannot be supported and protected by the Court" and stated the woman could potentially face prosecution under sections 494 and 495 of the Indian Penal Code for the offenses of marrying again during her husband's lifetime, even though Mohsin had already married another woman himself. The judges arrogantly claimed the woman is still "Muslim by religion" and did not apply to convert, using this to deny her autonomy over her personal life after being mistreated and deserted by her birth family. This deplorable judgment brazenly weaponizes religious law as a tool of control against a woman who is the victim of abandonment by both her husband and father.
- Islamist Militants Launch Massive Kidnapping of Girls in Northeast Nigeria
Location: Nigeria
A catastrophic wave of mass kidnappings has exploded across northern Nigeria, leaving the nation reeling. In the town of Kuriga, Kaduna state, witnesses report the staggering abduction of over 280 elementary school children aged 8-15 by gunmen on motorcycles who stormed their school early Thursday morning, firing into the air. If the numbers are confirmed, this would dwarf even the notorious 2014 Chibok kidnapping of 276 girls by Boko Haram militants. One student was shot in the chaos and taken to a hospital, with a resident telling French news outlet AFP that "25 returned" but over 300 children remain missing from the Kuriga elementary and secondary schools combined. Just days prior, armed militants seized scores of young women and girls, potentially over 200, who had ventured out to collect firewood near the Babban Sansani Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Borno state. Witnesses said the Borno abductors were from either Boko Haram or its offshoot Islamic State Western Africa Province (ISWAP), an offshoot of ISIS. With over 400 students and displaced people kidnapped in less than a week through two massive raids, Nigeria is confronting a shocking resurgence of the brazen child abduction tactics deployed by Islamist extremist groups. This horrific wave lays bare the continued insecurity despite officials' claims of improved safety after years of Boko Haram's brutal insurgency. One Kuriga resident pleaded "We are begging the government...they should please help us with security" as the authorities have yet to react.
- Netanyahu Vows to Draft Ultra-Orthodox Jews, Ignites Firestorm
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/netanyahu-vows-draft-ultra-orthodox-jews-ignites-firestorm
Location: Israel
Tensions are flaring in Israel as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ignited a political firestorm by vowing to end draft exemptions that have allowed ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students to avoid mandatory military service. With Israel mired in a bloody fifth month of war against Hamas, Netanyahu declared "We will determine goals for conscripting ultra-Orthodox people to the IDF and national civil service. We will also determine the ways to implement those goals." The ultra-Orthodox community views their religious studies as incompatible with service in Israel's secular military, arguing that their commitment to Torah study is crucial for preserving Jewish tradition. Demographically, the fast-growing ultra-Orthodox population, expected to reach 19% by 2035, presents challenges for integration into the military and workforce. The move responds to pressure from his defense minister, who warned he would veto any law extending the exemptions unless a path to enlist the ultra-Orthodox was paved. However, the ultra-Orthodox parties propping up Netanyahu's narrow majority have historically made such exemptions a condition of their support. The issue has long been a source of friction, with secular Israelis arguing the burden of military service must be shared across society. But the ultra-Orthodox, who make up 13% of the population, claim their pious lifestyles clash with the military's secular environment.
- Muslim Hate Preachers BANNED As UK Cracks Down on Extremists
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/muslim-hate-preachers-banned-uk-cracks-down-extremists
Location: United Kingdom
The UK is cracking down hard on Muslim hate preachers and extremists in the wake of disruptive protests amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. The government plans to bar entry to the country for individuals from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Indonesia deemed to hold dangerous Islamist views that undermine British values. As Prime Minister Rishi Sunak declared in a stern speech: "We will also act to prevent people from entering this country whose aim is to undermine its values." Downing Street is concerned about a "shocking increase" in extremist activity, with ministers given broader powers to block entry to those who "spew hate on protests or seek to intimidate people." The crackdown follows large pro-Palestinian marches in London where an "unholy alliance" between far-left groups and Islamists was seen. An official review warns the threat from "anti-democratic far-Left groups, alongside that posed by Islamists" must be tackled.
