Wrongfully Imprisoned Atheist Mubarak Bala Finally Appears in Court

On Tuesday, February 1, Mubarak Bala appeared for the first time after his arrest at the High Court of the state of Kano in Nigeria, almost two years after his arrest. Kano is the president of the Humanist Association of Nigeria and was arrested on April 25, 2020.

New French Law Bans LGBT “Conversion Therapy”

On January 25, the French National Assembly officially passed a new law that bans conversion therapy. The law was passed with an overwhelming 142 votes to 0.

Indian Girl Alleges Forced Christian Conversion Drove Her To Suicide

On January 19, a 17-year old girl died after consuming an insecticide in a suicide attempt in Thanjavur, a district in the Tamil Nadu state of India. According to local news outlets, Lavanya, a grade 12 student at Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School, committed suicide due to an alleged forced conversion to Christianity.

Former Hostage Hunger Strikes To Push For Release Of Hostages Held By Iran

In a video posted on Twitter on January 16, Barry Rosen, a former U.S. Diplomat among the 52 Americans held hostage during the U.S. Embassy attack in Tehran in 1979, announced his plans to go on a hunger strike. The hunger strike coincides with the 41 year anniversary of Rosen’s release after 444 days in Iranian custody.

Putin: Disrespecting the Prophet Mohammed is Not Freedom of Expression

By Abdulla Gaafarelkhalifa

On December 23, 2021, in an annual news conference held in Moscow, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said disrespecting the Prophet Mohammed is not freedom of expression. Insults against the Prophet Muhammad are a "violation of religious freedom and the violation of the sacred feelings of people who profess Islam."

Teacher Who Harassed Non-religious Student Loses Court Appeal

By Abdulla Gaafarelkhalifa

Hindu-Nationalists Echo Nazis in Violent Oath: "Make India a Hindu Nation"

By Abdulla Gaafarelkhalifa

On December 21, 2021, several videos surfaced showing several prominent Indian figures, including a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, calling for citizens to attack Muslims. The calls for violence originate at two separate events in Delhi and Haridwar on December 17 and 19.

Second Mob Lynching in 1 Week For Sacrilege of Sikh Holy Sites

By Abdulla Gaafarelkhalifa

On December 18, with tensions already high within the Sikh community of the Indian state of Punjab, the second post-sacrilege lynching took place in so many days. A man in the Kapurthala district was supposedly seen “disrespecting” the Nishan Sahib (the Sikh flag) by locals. Harkamalpreet Singh, a police officer at the scene, further explained that the man tried to steal the flag.