- Quran Burner Assaulted by Woman with Fire-Extinguisher in Sweden
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/quran-burner-assaulted-woman-fire-extinguisher-sweden
Location: Sweden
A woman in Sweden was arrested on August 18 for assaulting Salwan Momika, a notorious Iraqi protester and refugee, with a fire extinguisher during his Quran-burning demonstration outside the Iranian Embassy in Stockholm. The incident, captured on video and shared widely on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, showed the woman spraying Momika with white powder before being intercepted by plainclothes police. Police spokesperson Towe Hägg said the woman was detained for disturbing public order and assaulting a police officer. Momika, who has sparked outrage and jeopardized Sweden's diplomatic relations with Muslim-majority countries through his series of anti-Islam protests, continued his demonstration despite the attack. The Swedish government, while allowing Momika's protests in the name of freedom of speech, plans to file preliminary charges of hate speech against him and is reviewing his residence permit. This incident and other recent Quran-burning protests have led to calls for boycotting Swedish products, raised security issues for Swedish nationals abroad, and even resulted in warnings from the US and UK embassies about possible retaliatory terrorist attacks. Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer noted that while Sweden has no plans to reintroduce blasphemy laws, it will study the legislation of countries like Norway, the Netherlands, and France, which has a “greater scope for including security in this type of assessment.”
- Inside Iran’s Shocking Roundup of Female Activists Before Key Protest Date!
Location: Iran
Ahead of the anniversary of the 'Woman Life Freedom' protest movement sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini on September 16th, Iranian authorities have ramped up efforts to suppress dissent by arresting and imprisoning at least 22 activists, mostly women, in less than a month, according to the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI). Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of CHRI, noted, “Iranian authorities are rounding up activists around the country, especially women, to deliver a message of fear to the populace... This surge in repression... demands a global response.” Most arrests were made in the northern province of Gilan, where the local branch of Iran's Intelligence Ministry released a statement describing the activists as "a team related to foreign elements" and preparing to incite disruptions. CHRI also highlighted the lack of information surrounding the arrests, deprivation of the accused's rights, and the possibility of extended interrogations, describing it as "a deliberate assault on civil society" and an indication of the Iranian leadership's deep-seated fear of its citizens.
- German Catholic Employees Caught Red-handed Trying to Access Adult Sites!
Location: Germany
Adding fuel to the fire of an ongoing confidence crisis, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, Archbishop of Cologne, discovered that employees of his diocese, including high-ranking officials, attempted to access adult sites using work computers. The archdiocese confirmed more than 1,000 attempts to access such sites but found "no indications of criminally relevant behavior." Woelki said, “It disappointed me that employees tried to access pornographic pages with the help of devices that our archdiocese made available for their work — even though the firewalls kicked in.” He added that while some may view pornography consumption as harmless, he agrees with Pope Francis, who condemns it and warns of its dangers. The incident comes during a confidence crisis centered around Woelki, who previously faced criticism for hiding a report on local church officials' reactions to sexual abuse accusations against priests. Although a new report absolved him of legal neglect, it criticized major communication errors, leading to a "spiritual timeout" from the Vatican. Woelki offered his resignation in March 2022, but Pope Francis has not acted on it.
- ISIS AIDS Crisis: How the Terrorist Organization Manages Infected 'Slaves'!
Location: Mozambique
The Islamic State (ISIS) is grappling with an HIV/AIDS crisis among its enslaved women and fighters, according to an internal document of the terrorist organization exposed by an anti-ISIS channel. The document from the Islamic State's Al-Karrar Office contained religious questions from the governor of the ISIS-controlled Mozambique Province and responses from the ISIS leadership, which included guidelines on handling wives and slaves infected with HIV/AIDS. The document revealed that ISIS enslaved women and distributed them as rewards to fighters, some of whom contracted HIV/AIDS. It also detailed measures taken by the ISIS-controlled Mozambique Province to address rising HIV/AIDS cases, such as conducting medical tests and separating infected spouses. The ISIS leadership provided directives on handling enslaved women with HIV/AIDS based on their conversion to Islam and payment of ransom. Those who converted to Islam and were free of the disease could be given to ISIS members, while those who contracted HIV/AIDS but converted to Islam could be freed if a ransom was paid. However, enslaved women with HIV/AIDS who refused to convert to Islam and for whom no ransom was paid should be killed. The Bariqah News Agency, a pro-ISIS Telegram channel, confirmed the authenticity of the document, which dates back to January 9, 2022, and was obtained during a raid leading to the death of the fourth ISIS Caliph, Abu Al-Husayn Al-Husayni Al-Qurashi. The document indicates that the crisis is exacerbating the challenges faced by the terrorist organization and reveals its deeply inhumane treatment of enslaved women. "It seems, and Allah knows best, that this disease has come to you through the women you enslave," the ISIS leadership noted in the document, underlining the need for testing and cautious handling of enslaved women amid the crisis.
- Why Secular Soldiers in Australia Aren't Getting Adequate Support
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/why-secular-soldiers-australia-arent-getting-adequate-support
Location: Australia
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is facing calls to provide more secular support alternatives to religious chaplains amid concerns for the health and well-being of its members. Col. Phillip Hoglin, a military researcher and reservist, highlighted that while the ADF is becoming less religious, it has only a few secular support officers. This situation is causing secular ADF members to avoid seeking help from chaplains with differing and conservative views on abortion, sexuality, and relationships. Despite two-thirds of the ADF being non-religious, the number of Pentecostal and Evangelical chaplains has increased. Hoglin stated, "It is almost inevitable that members with no religious affiliation will exceed three-quarters of the total ADF permanent force population by the end of this decade," and argued that the ADF must provide some "secular wellbeing capability" for its members or risk their health. The Department of Defence said it would assess a navy trial for secular officers next year and that alternative support services to religious chaplains were available for ADF members.
- Taliban Spokesman Drops Bombshell: Women Must Hide Faces or Lose Value!
Location: Afghanistan
A spokesperson for the Taliban's Ministry of Vice and Virtue, Molvi Mohammad Sadiq Akif, recently claimed that Afghan women would lose their value if men could see their faces uncovered in public, sparking controversy and debate. Akif argued that many religious scholars agree with the necessity of women covering their faces outside their homes to avoid fitna, or falling into sin in Islam. "Allah gives respect to females in hijab, and there is value in this,” Akif stated. However, this assertion was challenged by Tim Winter, Shaykh Zayed Lecturer in Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge, who argued that there is no scriptural mandate for face coverings for women in Islam. Winter also criticized the Taliban's level of religious knowledge, noting that Muslim religious scholars who visited Afghanistan during both periods of Taliban rule were underwhelmed by their understanding. Despite this, Akif maintained that the Afghan people supported the Ministry of Vice and Virtue's measures and the implementation of Sharia law, insisting that the Taliban had added nothing to the Islamic rulings issued 1,400 years ago. Additionally, Akif did not provide clear answers on the lifting of bans on women in public life but claimed that under the current regime, men could no longer stare at or harass women as they did under the previous government.
- Indian Muslim Couple 'Beaten to Death' Over Son's Romantic Relationship
Location: India
In a shocking incident in Uttar Pradesh, India, a Muslim couple was brutally beaten to death with iron rods and sticks by their neighbors due to their son Shaukat's romantic relationship with the neighbor's daughter, who is from the Hindu faith. According to Sitapur Superintendent of Police Chakresh Mishra, the violent altercation stemmed from the long-standing tension between the two families. In 2020, Shaukat had eloped with the neighbor's daughter, who was then a minor, leading to his imprisonment for almost three years. He was released on August 16th, and although the young woman had since been married off to another man, she eloped once again to be with Shaukat, further enraging her family. "The girl eloped from her husband's house and got married to Shaukat. Another FIR was filed against him in April 2023. However, the girl was an adult by then and told the court that she wanted to live with Shaukat," Mishra said. The deadly confrontation occurred when a five-member gang, including the woman's father, confronted the couple at their home. "The accused came to my house and started beating my mother and father with the intention of killing them," stated the couple's daughter in the FIR. Three suspects have been arrested, and the search for two others continues, heightening tensions in the community.
- Chinese Muslims Go Undercover to Reach Islam's Holiest City!
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/chinese-muslims-go-undercover-reach-islams-holiest-city
Location: China
In a remarkable testament to their faith and resilience, six Chinese Muslims went to extraordinary lengths to complete their Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, navigating a maze of government restrictions and surveillance measures aimed at curtailing such religious activities. Speaking to American media outlet NPR, the pilgrims, whose identities were kept anonymous for their safety, detailed how they had to disguise themselves in athletic wear to avoid detection as Hajj pilgrims, secure passports which had become increasingly difficult for Chinese Muslim ethnic groups, and navigate through strict surveillance controls and a series of indirect flights to reach their destination. The Chinese authorities have denied Muslims access to almost every pathway abroad with the reasoning that "they may be radicalized or spread religious fervor once they return to China." Once in Saudi Arabia, their challenges did not cease; they were unable to secure the official Hajj visa and passes, received threatening calls from local Chinese police officers, and had to find a private driver willing to drive them through Mecca. Despite overcoming these considerable hurdles to complete their two-week-long pilgrimage last June, they now face the possibility of punitive consequences upon their return to Qinghai, China.
- Arrested For Insulting Buddhism? Swiss Man Faces Wrath in Myanmar
https://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/arrested-insulting-buddhism-swiss-man-faces-wrath-myanmar
Location: Myanmar
The arrest of Swiss filmmaker Didier Nusbaumer, along with 13 locals including a 12-year-old girl, for allegedly insulting Buddhism, has ignited a firestorm in Myanmar, a country where religious nationalism is on the rise. Nusbaumer's 75-minute film "Don’t Expect Anything" delves into the intriguing narrative of a girl who discovers her past life as a revered spiritual master. However, the film was met with outrage from Buddhist nationalists who accused it of degrading monks' "dignity and morals". This incident, reported by state-owned newspaper Myanma Alinn, underscores the tension between artistic expression and religious sensibilities in a nation where 90% of the population identifies as Buddhist. Amidst the backdrop of a military junta, which has ruled since overthrowing the democratically-elected government in 2021, Nusbaumer's arrest raises serious questions about the limits of freedom in a country grappling with its identity.
