Tiktok celebrity and model Addison Rae is at the center of controversy after sharing a photo on Instagram of herself wearing a swimsuit that many believe to be blasphemous against the Christian faith. Rae has since deleted the post, but the picture has been downloaded by many and has become a viral sensation.
In Karnataka, India, a Hindu youth pretending to be Muslim posted a series of obscene posts on a fake social media profile insulting the Goddess Cauvery and the women of Kodagu. The police officials have arrested the suspect.
On July 1, Pakistan Police arrested 27 Samsung employees at a mobile store after a mob turned violent at the Star City mall in Karachi. Protests began after a WiFi device was installed at the mall, which allegedly made blasphemous remarks against the Prophet Muhammad and his companions. In retaliation, a violent crowd gathered at the spot and damaged signboards and goods.
Pakistan's Blasphemy law has ruined many and sometimes taken lives since the country declared independence. In a recent hearing, a Christian believer named Ashfaq Masih, a mechanic was sentenced to death for blasphemy. The man was accused of insulting Prophet Muhammad by saying, "Jesus is supreme."
A tweet of a film poster that shows Hindu goddess Kali smoking a cigarette has sparked rage in India.
Leena Manimekalai, a Toronto-based director, tweeted the poster on Saturday, July 2. In the tweet, Manimekalai announced that her film Kaali would be released as part of the Aga Khan Museum's Rhythms of Canada Festival.
On June 28th, a Hindu shop owner named Kanhaiya Lal was brutally murdered in the city of Udaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan by two Muslim men over an alleged social media post, triggering tension between the two communities. It is believed that the shop owner may have been facing threats for ten days leading up to the murder and asked for protection from the police, which they did not provide.
On June 12, 2022, a youth belonging to a Muslim family in Maharashtra, India, was arrested for making posts on social media where he criticized the Prophet Muhammad, condemned the violence in his name, and called upon citizens of India to reject all religions. Earlier in the day, the 19-year-old engineering student was confronted by a Muslim mob that raided his home and assaulted him.
Under orders from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, authorities in Uttar Pradesh, India, used bulldozers to destroy the homes of people accused of being involved in last week’s protests.
A leading atheist and human rights activist from the Maldives, Mohamed Rushtum Mujuthaba, fears imprisonment on charges of blasphemy at an upcoming court hearing on June 23rd, 2022. Mujuthaba was accused of making posts on social media that were critical of Islam.
A Muslim mob burned a 30-year-old Nigerian man to death in the capital of Abuja on June 4.
The murder of Ahman Usman, a security officer in The Vigilante Group of Nigeria in Abuja's Lugbe area, was allegedly accused of blasphemy. This sensitive issue recently resulted in violent incidents in the country. The Vigilante Group assists the local police in community matters.
