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religious persecution
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Azerbaijan Blocks Social Media as Hijab Protests Continue
By Rafig Shahbazov 12 October 2026 Photo: Shutterstock Users in Azerbaijan have reported difficulties accessing Instagram and TikTok, claiming the sites only work with VPNs: fuelling speculation that the authorities are restricting access amid protests against hijab restrictions in schools. Users have reported that the platforms were inaccessible from Monday morning, with some complaining about slow connections, feeds failing to refresh, and videos not loading. While outage-m


Special Report: The Islamic State-K - A Resurgent Threat
By Alžběta Frommerová and Michał Jagielski Genocide Watch A still taken from an undated video shows Hafiz Saeed (center), the founder of IS-K, at an undisclosed location at the Afghanistan-Pakistani border in January 2015. Introduction After the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria’s (ISIS) territorial collapse in 2019, the threat to the West receded as ISIS’ capacity to strike Europe declined. Over the past four years, however, IS branches in sub-Saharan Africa have made the regi


Modi and The Mobland
By Mani Shankar Aiyar October 6, 2026 Two reports have documented an alarming rise in mob violence during the Modi decade, linking it to the spread of Hindutva under BJP rule. The impunity the mobs have enjoyed has helped violence that began as communal vigilantism spread across society. At a rally condemning the mob lynching of a Muslim youth named Tabrez Ansari in Jharkhand, in Thane on July 10, 2019. | Photo Credit: VIBHAV BIRWATKAR “It is a denial of Hinduism and ahimsa t


AI Chatbots Remove Hijabs From Images Of Muslim Women
by Johana Bhuiyan October 1, 2026 Guardian tested chatbots after French far-right politician stripped a Muslim woman of her hijab in a photo. Illustration: Guardian Design/Getty Images When prompted, AI chatbots will edit images to remove the hijabs from Muslim women, a violation of one of the world’s most common and visible expressions of faith. The Guardian asked ChatGPT, Grok, Gemini and Claude to take the veil off an AI-generated image of a woman wearing a hijab. Both Ope


Arab party chiefs barred from Israeli election
By Ariela Karmel September 23, 2026 Sohlberg, attorney general, all opposition parties back disqualification of Joint List party’s No. 3 in unusual consensus; panel also disqualifies Hadash MK Ofer Cassif Balad chair Sami Abou Shahdeh appears on a screen behind the Central Elections Committee during a disqualification hearing at the Knesset in Jerusalem, September 23, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90) The Central Elections Committee voted 30-4 Wednesday to disqualify the largely


Exile has not broken young Rohingya people
By Ajas Khan September 28, 2026 Rohingya in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, mark the ninth anniversary of the attacks that forced them to flee their home in Rakhine State, Myanmar, 25 August. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images Nine years ago, I was forced to flee my home in Maungdaw township, Rakhine state, Myanmar. I was 13 years old. I remember how quickly an average day turned into a day when life felt extinguished, leaving behind the place where I grew up with my family. Even now,


For Nigerian Christians, 9/11/2001 began an Islamist jihad
For Nigerian Christians, 9/11/2001 began an Islamist jihad Truth Nigeria September 11, 2026 Judd Saul brings aid to victims of Islamic terrorist attack. Photo by Masara Kim. By Mike Odeh James (Makurdi, Benue State) Twenty-five years after 19 hijackers killed 2,977 Americans in one morning, Nigeria’s Christians measure their September 11 not as a date but as a status quo. In 1998 Osama bin Laden signed a declaration of war against “Jews and Crusaders.” Crusaders meant Christi


USCIRF on Religious Freedom Violations In India
India Must Be Held Accountable for Religious Freedom Violations


Pakistan's army chief turns on hardline Islamist groups
By: Asif Shahzad, Ariba Shahid, Mubasher Bukhari and Rick Noack August 6 2026 Police officers in riot gear stand guard as supporters of various religious and political parties attend a protest rally against Geo News over content aired during a program marking the holy month of Muharram, in Karachi, Pakistan, July 3, 2026. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro/File Photo ISLAMABAD/KARACHI, Aug 6 (Reuters) - When blasphemy allegations against a Christian family prompted a mob of hundreds to as


West Bengal invokes Goonda Act; 10 Muslims arrested over neet
Maktoob July 26, 2026 The West Bengal government invoked the Goonda Act for the first time after clashes during the Kolkata NEET protest, with police arresting 11 people, including 10 Muslims, while student leaders alleged BJP-backed provocateurs triggered the violence. The West Bengal government on Saturday said it had invoked the West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Act, 2026, commonly known as the Goonda Act, against those accused of orchestratin


Dr. Stanton On India, Hindutva, Kashmir, and Manipur
Dr. Gregory Stanton, Founding President of Genocide Watch, was interviewed on July 17, 2026 by Mr. Saqib Tanveer, Editor in Chief for Pakistan TV Digital, about Genocide Watch's warnings concerning the increasing risks of genocide in India against Muslims, Christians, and other minority groups by followers of Prime Minister Modi's exclusionary Hindutva nationalist regime. To view interview, click here or on the image above.


GENOCIDE WARNING: ETHNIC CONFLICT IN MANIPUR, INDIA
This Genocide Warning was first posted in October, 2023. It has proven predictive of violence since then. Genocide Watch Oct 25, 2023 People look at portraits of victims who lost their lives during ethnic clashes, at a memorial in Churachandpur district in Manipur. | AFP GENOCIDE WARNING: ETHNIC CONFLICT IN MANIPUR, INDIA October 2023 Manipur, one of India’s northeastern states, has witnessed violent ethnic conflict between the majority Meitei community and the minority triba


Deadly Ethnic Violence Spreads in India’s Manipur State
Deadly Ethnic Violence Spreads in India’s Manipur State New York Times May 26, 2026 By Hari Kumar Three years after riots tore apart Manipur, the state remains in disarray. Barbed wire and armed checkpoints made it difficult for Times reporters to cross, even before the recent clashes. Security personnel at a buffer-zone checkpoint between Imphal and Churachandpur in Manipur, India, in March. .Credit:..All Photographs by Atul Loke A fresh outbreak of ethnic conflict is rocki


China's ethnic unity law puts Australian citizens at risk
The Australian government says it has raised concerns directly with China over the country's new ethnic unity law.
Under a clause in the law, people outside of China can be held legally accountable for undermining "ethnic unity and progress or inciting ethnic separatism".


Taliban Ban Hazara Mourning Rites in Herat, Afghanistan
By Farhaad June 24, 2026 Mourners walk through a street decorated with religious flags and banners during Muharram observances in Herat. (Photo credit: 8am.media) Local sources in Herat say that the Taliban have not permitted the observance of Tasu’a and Ashura ceremonies in the province, including street processions, chest-beating rituals, and the carrying of religious standards, and have imposed extensive restrictions on mourners. Sources told the Hasht-e Subh Daily on Wedn


Qatar: New Efforts to Deport Baha’i Leaders
By Human Rights Watch June 14, 2026 Longstanding Repression of Religious Minority The Ministry of Interior Office in Doha, Qatar, May 5, 2021. Credit: Shutterstock (Beirut) – The Qatari authorities since March 2026 have ordered at least four people with roles in key institutions of the minority Baha’i religion to leave the country, Human Rights Watch said today, based on information from informed sources. The four were ordered to leave without due process and with no legal pa
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