Egypt’s former Culture Minister, Gaber Asfour, has vocally expressed his support in removing the religious identity section from Egypt’s National ID. Responding to a question on the public opinion program, Rai Aam, Asfour asked, “Do you have to specify in the card that you are a civilian Muslim or a Salafi Muslim? This no longer happens; we are not in the time of the Taliban.”
The Indonesian National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency or Bareskrim confirmed on the weekend of September 20 that the detained former police general attacked another inmate. Former Insp. Gen. Napoleon Bonaparte assaulted Muhammad “Kace” Kosman due to blasphemy.
In the afternoon of September 4, 2021, a woman was doing gardening work in Wilmersdorf, an inner-city southwest of central Berlin. A 29-year old Afghan man approached the 58-year old landscaper; they had a chat before the incident.
A wide range of religious organizations in the UK was subject to an inquiry investigation regarding child abuse. The inquiry revealed “shocking failures” and “blatant hypocrisies” in how these religions handle abuse allegations. Children are subjected to abuse of power and victim-blaming by religious leaders and, as a result, are often not reported.
April 2016 was a dark time for Bangladesh’s LGBTQ+ community. On April 25, 2016, Bangladesh’s top gay rights activist, Xulhaz Mannan, was brutally murdered along with actor Rabbi Tonoy, identified by the local media as Tanay Mojumdar. Both are figureheads, pillars in Bangladesh’s thriving LGBTQ+ community.
On July 11, 2021, Muhammad Aslam (referred to as Muhammad Ali in other sources) reported to the Defense B police station that his step-sister had been murdered and raped. Aslam discovered her sister’s body on the floor during his visit to her house on July 9. The victim is Nayab Nadeem, a 29-year old Pakistani model who recently returned from a trip to Dubai.
Authorities arrested six family members in Peoria, a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona, for allegedly trying to kidnap a 20-year-old female relative because she has a non-Muslim boyfriend — and she is approximately 5-months pregnant. The victim later told police how she feared dying at the hands of her relatives because they believe she brought dishonor to them.
The state of Kano in northern Nigeria implemented a ban on mannequin heads. The new ban was announced by the Kano State Hisbah Corps, an Islamic police force funded by the government. At the start of July, the Hisbah Corps announced that mannequins with female heads are prohibited in "shops, commercial and private residences, and other public places."
On August 15, 2021, Afghanistan's capital fell to the Taliban. As the city falls, the country's president abandoned the presidential palace, joining Afghans' exodus scrambling to leave the country. Heavily armed Taliban fighters started setting checkpoints and occupying the government district. Ultimately, the Taliban entered the presidential palace.
Online groups of India-based atheists have seen a rise in number in the past decade. In the last five years, the number of online communities made up of ex-Muslims from almost zero to a handful. These groups boast memberships of over 100 people, with one group's membership reaching 300 individuals.
100 members in an online community is a pretty low figure. That is, if you approach the figure from a perspective that does not include the possibility of life-threatening violence and social stigmatization. Being an ex-Muslim has its inherent problems.
