- Mob Lynches Sri Lankan Man For Alleged Blasphemy in Pakistan
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/mob-lynches-sri-lankan-man-alleged-blasphemy-pakistan
Location: Sialkot, Pakistan
On December 3rd, Priyantha Kumara, a Sri Lankan citizen working in Pakistan, was killed by a violent mob, sparking international outrage. Priyantha was a manager at a manufacturing company in the Sialkot district of Punjab since 2012. Police said Kumara was accused of “desecrating posters bearing the name of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad.” Kumara was preparing the facility for a visit by a foreign delegation and asked workers to remove unnecessary stickers from the factory machines. A couple of factory workers allegedly saw Kumara ripping down a poster provided by the Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and then throwing it in the dustbin. A rumor that Kumara had committed blasphemy was spread, prompting mobs to gather outside the factory. According to The Dawn, the mob dragged Kumara outside, where he was beaten by hundreds, and then his corpse was set on fire. Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that he would personally oversee the investigations and vowed that “all those responsible will be punished with the full severity of the law.” Kumara’s remains have been repatriated to Sri Lanka. Multiple arrests have also been made, while additional arrests may be underway as Pakistan’s government continues to investigate.
- Apostate Prophet EXPOSES Fake Ex-Muslim Imam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0s-Rx-jC0Xs
Ridvan Aydemir, also known as Apostate Prophet, the largest Ex-Muslim Atheist YouTuber, recently featured a guest known as the "Apostate Imam." The Apostate Imam is supposedly an Indian Ex-Muslim who claims to have studied under the world-famous Islamic preacher Zakir Naik. However, who this person truly is remains unknown, as he obscures his image and even uses a voice-changer to hide his identity. When appearing on Apostate Prophet's channel, Ridvan quickly sniffed out that Apostate Imam's story of scholarly authority didn't hold up under scrutiny and ended the live interview early. The Atheist Republic team discussed how Apostate Imam uses his platform to push anti-Muslim bigotry and Hindu-nationalist apologetics to his growing audience in India, and congratulated Ridvan for the integrity he displayed when tackling this deceptive individual.
- Ex-Muslim Poses as Orthodox Jew to Marry Jewish Woman, Sparks FBI probe
Location: New York
Eliyah Hawila, a 23-year old Lebanese man, and Sally, a Syrian Jew from New York, were recently married in August. Eliyah's real name is Ali Hassan Hawlia. He was born and raised as a Muslim, with no Jewish heritage, however, he convinced Sally that he is an ultra-orthodox Jew. He told Sally that he is estranged from his family in Lebanon and associated with an ultra-orthodox association in Texas for many years. Sally eventually discovered a Lebanese passport with an Arabic name and immediately notified her family. Her brother visited their apartment and found a Palestinian passport bearing a different Muslim name. At that moment, Hawlia tried to explain that he was an NSA agent on a mission. Sally's parents and friends subsequently contacted the FBI, initiating an investigation. While the FBI is investigating whether Eliyah's claim of being an NSA agent is valid or not, the US Department of Homeland Security and the Israeli consulate in New York are also investigating the possibility of Hawila entering the country illegally.
- Nigerian Christians Told to Abandon Churchgoing to Avoid Islamist Violence
Location: Nigeria
On November 19th, an unknown person delivered a letter to the police headquarters in Gusau, Nigeria. The letter threatened Christians in the Zamfara state and told them not to hold public worship or Sunday services. The letter stated that the penalty for not listening to their demands would result in attacks, abductions, and church burnings. Zamfara State police command's spokesperson, Mohammed Shehu, stated that a special task force has been patrolling areas surrounding Christian churches to protect worshippers. According to the police, a particular Fulani association took credit for writing the letter. The Fulani people are a primarily Muslim ethnic group that live in West Africa. Director of Communications of the Diocese of Sokoto, Father Chris Omotosho, stated that Church officials in the State “have made no formal statement, but internal strategies are at work.” The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) calls the threat divisive by "declaring war against Christians."
- Journalist Arrested for Apostasy in Saudi Arabia
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/journalist-arrested-apostasy-saudi-arabia
Location: Saudi Arabia
Ali Abu Lahoum, a Saudi-based Yemeni journalist, was arrested in August and charged with apostasy and insulting Islamic sanctities. On October 26th, a criminal court in Najran sentenced him to 15 years in prison. Lahoum moved to Saudi Arabia from Yemen to work as the executive director of the Alwadi TV Channel. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported that Lahoum was initially arrested for a labor complaint in which he allegedly owed work to an unnamed employer. Later, RSF obtained a copy of the document refuting the initial claims for his arrest. The paper mentioned the cause of his arrest was using social media to "spread ideas of apostasy, atheism, and blasphemy." Sabrina Bennoui, RSF's Middle East desk head, is calling for his immediate release. She mentioned that "space for debate and for exchanging information is still subject to draconian surveillance in Saudi Arabia." A 2020 Amnesty International report stated that despite all the rhetoric of reforms in Saudi Arabia, the Arab state is still systematically silencing dissent.
- Townspeople in India Try to Pray the Potholes Away
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/townspeople-india-try-pray-potholes-away
Location: India
A prayer service dedicated to a pothole was recently held in Bangalore city, Karnataka, India. A video of the incident was shared on Twitter on November 30th. The video shows that flowers surround a pothole while two priests perform religious ceremonies. The decision to hold the service came as the city's inability to fix potholes caused constant trouble for most of India's tech city residents. Residents of Bharathi Nagar in Bangalore decided to take matters into their own hands and prayed for a pothole in Charles Campbell Road. The video quickly went viral and received a lot of attention. Some thought that the stunt was a clever way to criticize Bengaluru's failure to address the pothole problems while claiming to be India's top tech city.
- Harris Sultan's Fight Against "Online Jihadis"
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-me-stop-online-threats
Prominent Ex-Muslim YouTuber, Harris Sultan, also known as the Pakistani Mulhid (translation: “apostate”), has been a victim of several online death threats. The abusers not only target Sultan with threats, but also his family members. In the past, Harris was able to identify and stop such abusers, with the help of private investigators, who can gather information and report it to the local police. Unfortunately, the process is quite costly.This is the atheist community’s chance to help Harris in this situation. He has set up a GoFundMe fundraiser to raise the necessary funding to catch these abusers and stop them before any threats are acted on. The funds raised are also intended to be available to other Ex-Muslim activists who face threats on their life.
- Hardline Hindus Attack Catholic School for "Converting Children"
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/hardline-hindus-attack-catholic-school-converting-children
Location: India
On December 6th, a mob of Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) members, two notorious right-wing Hindu groups, attacked St. Joseph’s School in Ganj Basoda, India. On the day of the attack, more than 300 protesters gathered outside the school’s compound around noon. A video posted on Youtube showed protesters throwing stones at the glass facade of the school’s building. Brother Anthony Tynumkal, the school’s principal, requested police protection but did not receive any help. Neelesh Aggarwal, one of the protest leaders, claimed that the school was converting Hindu children into Christians. According to Vatican News, the attacks were triggered by a video posted on YouTube showing pictures of a First Communion and Confirmation ceremony officiated by a bishop at the church. Tynumkal stated that the video is spreading false information. He added that none of the students participating in the event even studied there.
- Harvard Recognizes Caste-Based Discrimination Within Institution
Location: USA
Harvard University has recently become the first Ivy-League University to recognize caste-related bias! The Harvard Graduate Student Union approved changes to a four-year contract, adding caste as a protected category. The new provisions of the contract will pave the way for caste-sensitive policies and projects affecting close to five thousand student-workers in Harvard. According to Aparna Gopalan, a graduate student union organizer at Harvard, this change came from Equality Labs presenting their study to Harvard’s administration. Equality Labs is a civil rights organization whose goal is to “end the oppression of caste apartheid, Islamophobia, white supremacy, and religious intolerance.” The decision to recognize caste-based discrimination gained an overwhelming 70.6% approval. Ajantha Subramanium, a professor at the Department of Anthropology at Harvard, stated that Harvard’s recognition of caste discrimination can “empower oppressed-caste students and employees.”
- Atheist Republic CEO Speaking at "Protecting Blasphemers 3"!
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/protecting-blasphemers-iii-tickets-218554260677
This upcoming Tuesday, Dec. 14th, at 2pm Pacific Time, Atheist Republic’s CEO Susanna McIntyre will be featured as a speaker at the Center For Inquiry Canada’s event Protecting Blasphemer’s III! Protecting Blasphemers is an annual panel discussion highlighting the most recent blasphemy issues of the year. The panel is focused on dissecting the areas where the global secular community needs to progress in building support mechanisms to protect blasphemers running from persecution worldwide. This event will also feature speakers representing other major atheist organizations such as Atheist Alliance International, Atheist Refugee Relief, and Center for Inquiry USA! Registration for the event is free, you can register here: https://bit.ly/ProtectingBlasphemers
