Freedom of religion

Is Malaysia cracking down on its Shiites?

Syed Mohamad was celebrating a key date in the Muslim Shiite calendar in secret when officials burst in and detained him, one of several raids in Malaysia that have set the long-persecuted community on edge.Dozens of Shiites have been rounded up recently in the Sunni Muslim-majority country, including several foreigners, fuelling fears that religious authorities are stepping up a crackdown on adherents of the minority sect.Around the world, Shiite Muslims – who are far outnumbered by Sunnis,

25 November 2019
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ASEAN lacks freedom of religion

From January’s church bombings in southern Philippines which killed at least 20 and wounded scores more, to the decades-old persecution of Myanmar’s Rohingya population which has seen a mass exodus of 1.2 million people fleeing for their lives, religious freedom isn’t exactly one of ASEAN’s strong points.With 650 million people in 10 countries, ASEAN’s diversity has long been one of its defining characteristics.

9 June 2019
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