Author archives: Faith Matters

Inspired by ‘blasphemy killer’, new Pakistani party eyes 2018 vote
September 21, 2017 By Faith Matters

Inspired by ‘blasphemy killer’, new Pakistani party eyes 2018 vote

The head of a new Pakistani Islamist party that lionizes the killer of a provincial governor said it would take its rallying cry of “death to blasphemers” to next year’s general election, after its surprisingly strong showing in a recent vote. The Tehrik-e-Labaik Pakistan party, which won more than 7,000 votes at a weekend by-election, […]

Continue Reading
Rohingya Muslims drown while escaping fighting in Myanmar
September 2, 2017 By Faith Matters

Rohingya Muslims drown while escaping fighting in Myanmar

  The bodies of at least 17 Muslim women and children were found on Thursday (August 31) in Teknaf, Bangladesh, as tens of thousands tried to flee the fighting in northern Myanmar. The victims were believed to have drown after their boat capsized while crossing the border through the Bay of Bengal. Around 38,000 Rohingya […]

Continue Reading
‘The State’ – Islamic State Drama Showed How Faith Is Twisted to Develop a Cult
August 25, 2017 By Faith Matters

‘The State’ – Islamic State Drama Showed How Faith Is Twisted to Develop a Cult

‘The State’ was shown over 4 nights. The work of Peter Kosminsky, it is a harrowing insight into how faith is used and manipulated to create a framework of deadly destruction and intimidation and it also highlights the naivety of people caught up in a belief that the ‘Caliphate’ is finally here. ‘The State’ highlights […]

Continue Reading
Hezbollah uses drones against IS in Syria – Hezbollah-run media
August 22, 2017 By Faith Matters

Hezbollah uses drones against IS in Syria – Hezbollah-run media

Lebanon’s Hezbollah used drones to strike Islamic State in Syria close to the border with Lebanon, a military media unit it runs said on Monday, their first public declaration that they had used such a weapon. Hezbollah deployed the drones to hit Islamic State positions, bunkers and fortifications in the Western Qalamoun area near the […]

Continue Reading
Trump clears way for troop increase in Afghanistan as part of retooled strategy
August 22, 2017 By Faith Matters

Trump clears way for troop increase in Afghanistan as part of retooled strategy

President Donald Trump was likely to open the door on Monday to a modest increase in U.S. troop numbers in Afghanistan, where America is fighting its longest military conflict. In the past, Trump, who took office in January, was critical of former Democratic President Barack Obama’s approach to Afghanistan, saying the United States should not […]

Continue Reading
Thousands to leave Lebanon-Syria border zone under deal
August 1, 2017 By Faith Matters

Thousands to leave Lebanon-Syria border zone under deal

Convoys of buses arrived on Monday to transfer thousands of Syrian militants and refugees from Lebanon’s border region into rebel territory in Syria in exchange for Hezbollah prisoners. Under a local ceasefire between the Sunni Muslim militants and the Shi’ite Hezbollah, about 9,000 fighters and their relatives were to leave. With no sign of any […]

Continue Reading
Clooneys to help 3,000 Syrian refugees go to school in Lebanon
August 1, 2017 By Faith Matters

Clooneys to help 3,000 Syrian refugees go to school in Lebanon

George and Amal Clooney said on Monday they would help 3,000 Syrian refugee children go to school this year in Lebanon, where the United Nations says 200,000 children are not receiving an education after fleeing the war in neighboring Syria. The Clooney Foundation for Justice said it has teamed up with Google and HP Inc […]

Continue Reading
For Mostar bridge-diving champion, success takes more than gravity
July 31, 2017 By Faith Matters

For Mostar bridge-diving champion, success takes more than gravity

Lorens Listo’s name may not headline the world’s sports pages, but on the streets of his native Mostar he is hailed as a champion among champions in a sport that is central to the Bosnian city’s identity: high diving. Mostar is home to the Stari Most, a 16th-century Ottoman peaked bridge that spans the river […]

Continue Reading
German Islamist preacher sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison
July 27, 2017 By Faith Matters

German Islamist preacher sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison

A German Islamist preacher was sentenced on Wednesday to 5-1/2 years in prison on four counts of supporting a foreign terrorist organisation. Prosecutors said Sven Lau served as an “extended arm” of the Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar, an insurgent group made up of around 1,500 Chechen, Uzbek and Tajik fighters, which in 2015 pledged allegiance to […]

Continue Reading
Pollution creeps over India’s holy Ganges River
July 24, 2017 By Faith Matters

Pollution creeps over India’s holy Ganges River

    The Ganges River is worshiped by a billion Hindus and a water source for 400 million, but the stress and pollution have turned it into an environmental disaster. Known as “Mother Ganga,” Hindus believe that a dip in the river absolves a lifetime of sin. Here in the northern town of Devprayag where […]

Continue Reading