Hanging body of three beheaded men in Deir ez-Zor added to the fear of ISIS in this area.
As witnesses describe, three bodies belonging to unknown men are hanging in a middle of the city as their heads are cut and thrown on street next to their bodies. As families complained to SRW, children pass by the bodies and are exposed to the brutal act of ISIS on daily bases.
Deir ez-Zor is located 450 km (280 mi) to the northeast from the capital Damascus and is a majority Shia populated town.
Second attack to Alghadir Library in Sanaa seriously wounded a Shia Twelver. Unknown gunman attacked to Alghadir Library today and wounded the owner seriously.
The same library was attacked back in April and killed two Shia Muslims.
Alghadir Library is known to be a specialty library that publishes and sells Shia-related books and scholarly articles. The attack increased fear in the Shia community in Yemen as it is thought to be a targeted killing. Shia Twelvers have no presentation in Yemen and often this population is misrepresented associated with Houthi political group who are not Shia Twelvers.
November 7, 2015
There are currently plans to draft legislation to protect persecuted minorities in Indonesia. Indonesia’s Minister of Religious Affairs Lukmen Hakim Saifuddi told local news sources of his office’s plan to draft this legislation. This piece of legislation would address the rising wave of intolerance emerging from the predominately Sunni Muslim country. Minister Saifuddi noted that the bill will focus on halting the closure of Christian Churches and attacks of Shia and Ahmadiyya mosques. This legislative proposal received widespread approval among various religious groups. Shia Rights Watch sees this as a step in the right direction as Indonesia moves to fulfill Article 29 of its constitution which guarantees all citizens the right to worship in accordance with their beliefs.
A string of vicious attacks over the past week left five people dead in four separate attacks. Gunmen from the group Sipah-e-Sahaba killed a Shia auto parts dealer in Karachi on October 31st. Last week it was also reported by Pakistani news agencies that the same group was responsible for abducting, torturing, and eventually beheading a six year only Shia girl. Three Shia men were killed in the cities of Mirpurkhas and Karachi by gunmen from the militant group Ahl-e-Sunnat-wal- Jamaat. Shia Rights Watch reaffirms its calls for the Pakistani government to do more to protect its Shia communities.
Shia mourners who were commemorating Ashura in Bahrain were attacked by Bahraini security forces. Reports state that forces raided several villages and destroyed and removed several lack flags that are used for the commemorations. In the village of Ma’ameer, Bahraini security forces clashed with protesters and used teargas to disperse them.
This week Human Rights Watch released a report documenting the events over the previous summer when ISIS militants conducted mass executions of Shia prisoners at the Badouysh Prison near the Iraqi city of Mosul. The report concludes that nearly 600 Shia inmates were killed with only 30 surviving. The report also notes that days after this event, ISIS killed scores of Iraqi soldiers, execution style in the city of Tikrit. These two events which occurred over the summer have been the two major events in which the world has been exposed to the brutality of ISIS towards Iraqi Shia. In a separate event 34 people were killed in 3 car bombs that detonated this past Sunday in Baghdad. The bombs targeted Shia pilgrims who were traveling through the city on the way to Karbala to commemorate Ashura. Two bombs were detonated in downtown Baghdad, with another being detonated in the Sadr city section of Baghdad. No group has claimed responsibility for the bombings but many believe ISIS is behind them because of a string of car bombings that they have claimed responsibility for.
A suicide bomber this past Monday detonated himself in the Northern Nigerian town of Potiskum which is a known Boko Haram stronghold. The bomber ended up taking the lives of 20 Nigerian Shia as they were gathered in the city to commemorate Ashura. No group has taken responsibility for the attack but many believe that this attack was orchestrated by Boko Haram which has preaches hate against Shia.
On Monday, Ashura commemorations were tragically interrupted as an Iraqi Shia leader was shot in the face by an ISIS supporter in Sydney, Australia. Rasoul Al Mousawi was shot in the face and in the shoulder outside of a prayer hall in the Greenacre neighborhood of Sydney. This event shows the spread of the activities of ISIS beyond the borders of Iraq and Syria and the need for governments around the world to protect its Shia communities.
Three masked gunmen shot attacked Ashura commemoration in a Shia mosque in al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. According to witnesses, gunmen opened fire on crowed leaving the commemoration in the village of al-Dalwa that killed 5 and injured nine. Shia Muslims are currently commemorating Ashura. The Ashura commemorations mark the killing of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, by the army of the Caliph Yazid in 680 AD. Shia Muslims wear black and commemorate to honor all violence victims and advocate for peace.
Shia Muslims in Saudi have always been attacked and threatened by their government. This minority that makes up to 20% of the population are treated as second class citizen.
Although Shia have always faced oppression and discriminations Monday’s shooting was the first direct assault against them by unknown gunmen.
Update:
November 6, 2014
The death toll increased to eight Shia Muslims as some of the injured died. So far seven people have died due to shooting in front of the Shia Islamic Center and one was found shot and dead in his car in a neighboring village. Number of children and teenagers are among the victims.
Number of Saudi clerics, have motivated Shia rights violations by their hate speeches. The Saudi government did not condemn any of such actions, instead fed the violations by arresting number of Shia influential leaders and peaceful activists such as Sheikh Nimir and sentencing him to death.
The recent shooting could be the result of the government’s public humiliation and oppression of Saudi Shia population, therefore this government is responsible for all violations towards this population. In order to stop and prevent such violations the Saudi government must protect the rights of Shia Muslims and also treat them as rightful citizens with respect to their religious belief and practices says director of SRW, Musltafa Akhwand.
A Suicide bomber killed 23 Shia Muslims as their participated in Ashura rituals in Potiskum, Nigeria. According to sources the bomber joined the Shia as they marched in street before exploding the device.
Shia Muslims are currently commemorating Ashura. The Ashura commemorations mark the killing of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, by the army of the Caliph Yazid in 680 AD. Shia Muslims wear black and commemorate to honor all violence victims and advocate for peace.
Number of Shia Muslims are attacked and killed every year in different countries as they commemorate Ashura.
Washington, DC- October 28, 2014– Shia Rights Watch releases video documenting human rights violations committed by ISIS in Iraq. With the Islamic State in Iraq and al- Sham (ISIS) controlling large swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria, SRW has come forward with evidence documenting extensive human rights violations by this group in Iraq. In a nine minute documentary, members of Shia communities from Iraqi cities such as Tal-Afar and Mosul come forward and describe in great detail the torment they have endured from this group.
Violations included in this documentary include the massacre at Tikrit in which ISIS forces killed over 1,700 Shia civilians (Camp Speicher), and the massacre at Mosul in which ISIS killed over 670 Shia prisoners at the detention facility on the outskirts of the city.
This video shows graphic images of militants from ISIS lining up and shooting innocent men and women execution style. In the largest massacres, the video shows rows of people, hundreds of feet long, lying down on the ground and ISIS militants shooting at them with assault rifles.
SRW seeks to expose the vicious practices of ISIS in Iraq and request the assistance of the international community in advocating for innocent Shia communities affected by this conflict.
October 31, 2014
This week Shia Rights Watch released a nine minute video outlining some of the atrocities that have occurred at the hands of ISIS in Iraq. In conjunction with Imam Hussain TV and Laaya Productions, several interviews were conducted with victims of the unfolding turmoil in the country. Shia Rights Watch hopes that this documentary can shed light onto the deteriorating conditions Shia in Iraq face.
The police warned of possible terrorist attacks on different religious and political personalities in the country on the 9th and 10th of Muharram.
According to a private TV channel, a letter has been sent to the Ministry of Interior to inform that the terrorists had prepared to attack key religious personalities and political figures.
Those on the hit list include the Iranian ambassador to Pakistan Faisal Saleh Hayat, religious scholar Allama Nasir Abbas, Mushahid Hussain Syed and Dr Ghazanfar Mehdi.
The police said terrorists had planned to specifically carry out these acts in Rawalpindi and Islamabad during Ashura.
The entry of as many as 158 religious leaders including clerics of Deoband School of thought, Shia community and Barelvi sect, has been banned in Rawalpindi division.
According to a City District Government spokesman, the provincial government had received reports from the special branch that the clerics whose entry has been banned in the division may disturb peace and harmony during Muharram.
Last evening, Deobandi terrorists threw a hand grenade at a group of Shia mourners, all females, outside the Islamic Research Centre (IRC) mosque, injuring nine women and killing one-and-a-half-year old girl Batool Waqar.
All the newspapers briefly flashed the killing on their web sites. But within five to eight hours, the news disappeared altogether.
Some mainstream Urdu papers did not mention at all.
A suicide bomber killed at least 27 Shia militiamen on the outskirts of the Iraqi town of Jurf al-Sakhar on Monday after security forces pushed Islamic State militants out of the area over the weekend, army and police sources said.
A child was killed and at least eight people were wounded in a hand grenade explosion in southern Karachi city on Tuesday night, said police.
According to initial police report, the blast took place near Islamic Research Center (IRC) Imambargah (worship place of Shias) when a women religious gathering was taking place. Most of the injured are women and children, said police.
The Lahore Anti-Terrorisim Curt (ATC) ordered the release of top Pakistani Shia leader, Syed Ghulam Raza Naqvi on Monday after serving 18 years of imprisonment without charges.
Shia leader Ghulam Raza Naqvi, the Head of Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan (SMP) was imprisoned in 1996.
SMP is a Shia Islamic resistance group and a former political party based in Pakistan that was formed in the early 1990s as a response to sectarian violence against Pakistani Shia Muslims carried by Deobandi takfiri terrorist movements.
October 27, 2014
Shia Rights Watch condemns the latest wave of violence carried out by ISIS militants in Iraq in the last two weeks. Bombings centered on Shia neighborhoods in Baghdad have killed around 150 people between October 12 and October 19. The deadliest of the bombings came when two car bombs exploded simultaneously in the northern Dolaie neighborhood in Baghdad which killed 14 civilians.
According to Iraqi sources, ISIS has demolished the tomb of Muhammad al-Durri in the town of toward which is 25 kilometers from Tikrit. Muhammad al-Durri was the son of the 7th Imam in Shia Islam. Thousands of Shia visit this tomb yearly. ISIS has demolished many Shia mosques and tombs over the past year.
On October 24th Shia Rights Watch sent a letter to 177 foreign embassies to mark the beginning of the month of Muharram. The letter explains the importance of the month to Shia Muslims and the need to protect these communities as the commemorate the death of Husayn ibn Ali. With increased threats against Shia populations as the month begins, it is essential that governments around the world dedicate the necessary resources to keeping Shia safe as they peacefully commemorate. No group should have to endure extreme fear as the commemorate religious holidays. Shia Rights Watch is hopeful that governments around the world will comply with the wishes of its communities.
“May the Muharram of 2014 be a peaceful month in which we all practice living in harmony and mutual respect” -Mustafa Akhwand
Car bombings continue in the city of Baghdad, Iraq as 14 people were killed and 65 injured over the course of two hours on October 23rd. The worst of these bombings occurred when a car bomb detonated near a hospital in Sadr city which killed nine people and wounded 37 others. A recent UN report is claiming that 5,576 civilians have been killed and 11,666 civilians have been wounded in the first half of this year in Iraq.
A resurgence of targeted Shia killings has left three men dead in three separate incidents throughout the country. An improvised explosive device (IED) killed a Shia Muslim man by the name of Akbar Ali in the city of Orakza, Pakistan. Another Shia was killed by gunmen in a grocery store in Karachi, Pakistan. Allah Ditta, was killed in Punjab.
On October 23rd, eight people from the minority Shia Haraza sect were shot and killed as gunmen entered a bus and opened fire. The gunmen intercepted the bus on motorcycles as it was travelling through the city of Quetta and the men entered the bus before opening fire. Shia Rights Watch condemns these actions and calls on the Pakistani government to protect its Shia communities from these senseless attacks. Shia Rights Watch is actively working to get Pakistan added to the United States Department of State’s list of Countries of particular concern for religious freedom.
In Armenak Tokmajyan’s article entitled Religion, Religious Leaders, and Violence in the Conflict in Syria, he gives a short overview of how moderate factions in the Syrian civil war were overtaken by more extreme factions in the conflict. These factions, Tokmajyan explains, tended to emerge from religious centers and their involvement in the conflict tended to create a more sectarian environment. Lastly Tokman concludes by stating that “the politicization of religion is an effective political tool because a significant portion of Islamic public in the Arab States swallows such rhetoric much easier than any other, especially after the failure of Arab Secularism represented by dictators and Arab Nationalism led by Syria and Egypt”.
Today Shia Rights Watch sent a letter to 177 embassies, to mark the beginning of the month of Muharram. The letter explains the importance of the month to Shia Muslims and need to protect these communities as they commemorate the death of Husayn ibn Ali.
Honorable Ambassador,
We at Shia Rights Watch are dedicated to protecting and promoting the rights of Shia Muslims globally. We are writing to bring to your attention the importance of the month of Muharram to the Shia populations in your country as well as the need to protect these communities.
Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, is a significant month for Shia Muslims as they commemorate the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, in 680 CE in the Battle of Karbala. Muharram rituals are significant to the community as they symbolize Shia opposition to discrimination and oppression. The community honors this month by wearing black attire and attending seminars, lectures and special prayer services.
Sadly the world witnesses the brutal murder of scores of Shia worshippers as the peacefully commemorate this event each year. Shia communities are massacred each year through bombings, assassinations, and other forms of violence. This year we have witnessed intense attacks against Shia in Iraq as ISIS and other affiliated groups have detonated car and suicide bombs in Baghdad and Karbala. Our statistics show that over 7,000 Shia civilians have been killed in Iraq this year alone, with thousands more killed in different countries around the world.
This year our extensive research demonstrates that both Shia centers and spiritual leaders have already received threatening letters in anticipation of the month of Muharram.
SRW believes that respect and protection of religious freedom is the key to peaceful coexistence and mutual respect. We call upon all governments to respect the rights of their citizens and protect their lives and property.
This year, SRW invites and urges all governments and authority figures to:
Shia Muslims hail from a multitude of nations, are not dependent on any political group or government, and need to be granted their religious freedom and protection to practice their faith.
May the Muharram of 2014 be a peaceful month in which we all practice living in harmony and mutual respect.
SRW thanks you for your help in keeping all of your citizens safe.
Sincerely,
Mustafa Akhwand
Director of SRW
Gunmen attacked a passenger bus carrying members of Pakistan’s Shia minority community in the city of Quetta Thursday, killing at least eight people, local officials said.
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
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