April 1st to 7th, 2016
Iraq
April 4th 2016, approximately 10 suicide bombers killed 25 Iraqis. The biggest attack of this incident happened when a man detonated himself at a restaurant killing 14 people. The bombings occurred in MAKHMUR, Iraq, with other bombings occurring in, Baghdad, Mashada, and Basra.
In other incidents, several anti-Shia attacks occurred within the country resulting in 23 deaths and two dozen injuries. This includes 5 lives lost and 9 injured following a bombing at a psychiatric hospital in Sadr City, a shooting attack on a Shia cleric by unidentified men in which he was killed instantly, shells mired by militants in west Baghdad left 2 killed and 8 injured, and a car bomb in Basra which killed 5 people.
According to sources 93 Iraqi citizens were killed in total this week and the main cities in which attacks occurred are Baghdad, Madain, Basra, Mahmudiya, and Naserieh. Dozens of Iraqi Shia were injured this week as a result of anti-Shiism.
Nigeria
Nigerian security agents prevent Shia Muslims from attending Friday prayers in Katsina and Kebbi. This rule was started Friday April 1, 2016 which does not allow members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, to pray Fridays in these towns. The preachers of the IMN cancelled services as the result to prevent violence and tension.
Bahrain
Ali Abdulghani, A young Bahraini Shia man, was run over by police-car in the city of Manama during an anti-government protest on March 26th. On March 31st, the police supposedly stormed his aunt’s house to arrest him, but he fled. He died from his injuries one week later on April 4, 2016.
Indonesia
A group of Wahhabi’s started a protest amidst a group of Shia Muslims who were having a celebration in honor of Sayyida Fatima’s Birthday. The Wahhabis shouted anti-Shia slurs and demanded the ceremony be closed. According to sources, the group was convinced this celebration would lead to increased Shiism is Indonesia, so they thought it was necessary to intervene. The protest took place in the town of “Bangil.”
India
On April 1, 2016, Indian authorities in the district of Lucknow have told Shia cleric, Kalbe Jawad, he must hand in his passport within the following ten days. According to police, there are many charges against him, but when he asked whether other people with such charges had their passports taken away, he was not given an answer, which leads many to believe that this was an act of anti-Shiism as opposed to a lawful crime and punishment scenario. In a statement on the issue by Jawad, he says, “A revenge is being taken against me as I have been raising my voice against anomalies committed by the district administration in the Hussainabad Trust”. Moreover, the cases in which the police are charging him for were resolved back in 2013 as the cleric states: “Regional Passport office (RPO) in connivance with district administration is trying to harass me. The cases against me mentioned in the letter sent by RPO were withdrawn in 2013 and the then DM Anurag Yadav’s letter on Apr 23, 2013 mentioned that.” Three years later he should not still be punished for crimes withdrawn back then, making this seem more like an excuse to condemn him and his religious beliefs.
