Education

Four Arrested in Turkey Over LGBT Kaaba Art

Four students, who attend Istanbul's Bogazici University in Turkey, were arrested due to artwork depicting LGBT rainbow symbols alongside an image of Islam’s most sacred site, the Kaaba.

Some news outlets report the indistinct description of “LGBT rainbow symbols” alongside the Kaaba. To be more precise, four different flags were portrayed in each corner, featuring the iconic rainbow flag, and three others individually representing the lesbian, transexual, and asexual community. 

Lawmakers In France Debate A Bill To Rout Out Radical Islam

Last week, lawmakers in France debated a bill aiming to rout out only “radical” Islam. These laws hope to prevent radical beliefs from seeping through to the community that will affect the whole country with plans that undermine national values. 

The bill’s sponsor, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, says the laws are designed to stop “an Islamist hostile takeover targeting Muslims.” He insists that “we are not fighting against a religion,” though many Muslims are worried the amendments will increase stigmas against them.

Teen Detained After He Planned Attack On Mosques in Singapore

In December 2020, a 16-year-old boy was constrained under Singapore’s Internal Security Act (ISA) for "detailed plans and preparations to conduct terrorist attacks" on Muslims as they worshipped in two local Mosques, authorities reported on January 27th, 2021.

The suspect was not identified because he is underage. The nameless Singaporean teenager is a Protestant Christian of Indian ethnicity. He is the youngest citizen to be investigated under the ISA for terrorism-related activities, the Internal Security Department (ISD) said in a media release.

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Community Fights Police Over Israel’s Lockdowns

Ultra-Orthodox demonstrators clashed with police in two of Israel’s major cities. Enforcing coronavirus restrictions in these religious neighborhoods has brought great challenges for local authorities.

US State Dept Declares China’s Crimes Against Uighurs as ‘Genocide’

In a July 2020 interview with National Public Radio (NPR), Adrian Zenz, a German academic, explained how his opinion of the Communist Party of China’s  actions in the Xinjiang region of Western China have changed. He once argued that China's actions are a "cultural genocide" as opposed to a literal one. But since recent developments regarding the suppression of birth rates among minorities of Xinjiang, Zenz now says that "we do need to probably call it genocide."

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