All articles tagged with #shia muslim
At least seven teachers, belonging to the country's Shia Muslim minority, were killed in a shooting at a school in northwestern Pakistan. The motive behind the killings remains unclear, and the circumstances have remained "mysterious". The tribal district contains a majority Shia population who are often attacked by armed groups as part of the local Taliban movement.
Three members of Bahrain's Al-Tajdeed Society, a Shia Muslim religious and cultural group, have been given suspended jail terms for discussing Islamic legal theory and opinions issued by Islamic clerics on YouTube. They were prosecuted under a law that criminalises "ridicule" of any of Bahrain's recognised religious texts. Human rights groups say the men were persecuted for expressing their right to free speech and belief. The case has fuelled violence against Al-Tajdeed members, who have been denounced by prominent Shia clerics as blasphemers. Bahrain has a reputation for religious tolerance, but its human rights record has been criticised for discrimination against its Shia majority.