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U.N.: Social media must clamp down on hate speech
August 30, 2018 By Faith Matters

U.N.: Social media must clamp down on hate speech

Social media, including Facebook, must proactively block content inciting hatred and prevent online campaigns which target minorities, such as those undertaken in Myanmar, the United Nations human rights chief said on Wednesday. Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, was speaking after U.N. experts accused Myanmar generals of “genocidal intent” and said Facebook […]

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Germany: Skulls from colonial-era massacre returned to Namibia
August 30, 2018 By Faith Matters

Germany: Skulls from colonial-era massacre returned to Namibia

Skulls and other remains of massacred tribespeople used in the colonial era for experiments to push claims of European racial superiority were handed over by Germany to Namibia at a church ceremony in Berlin. In what historians call the first genocide of the 20th century, soldiers of German Kaiser Wilhelm slaughtered some 65,000 Herero and […]

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India: Top court places rights activists under house arrest
August 30, 2018 By Faith Matters

India: Top court places rights activists under house arrest

India’s Supreme Court ordered police on Wednesday to put five prominent rights campaigners suspected of links to Maoist guerrillas under house arrest as outrage grew over their detention. Critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government have dismissed the allegations against the activists, who were detained a day earlier, and said the crackdown was part of […]

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U.K.: Former Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks declares Corbyn an anti-Semite
August 29, 2018 By Faith Matters

U.K.: Former Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks declares Corbyn an anti-Semite

Britain’s former Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks has called Labour opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn an anti-Semite and said comments about Zionists he made five years ago were the most offensive by a senior UK politician in half a century. Labour has been battling accusations of anti-Semitism for months, and Corbyn has previously apologised for what he […]

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Germany: Far-right protesters clash with leftists after Chemnitz stabbing
August 29, 2018 By Faith Matters

Germany: Far-right protesters clash with leftists after Chemnitz stabbing

Far-right groups spread “fake news” on social media to mobilise their supporters for violent protests targeting migrants after the fatal stabbing of a German man, said officials in the eastern German state of Saxony where they took place. German police have arrested a 22-year-old Syrian man and a 21-year-old Iraqi man over Sunday’s stabbing in […]

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UK: Imam Muhammad Yasir Ayub openly promotes sectarianism
August 29, 2018 By Faith Matters

UK: Imam Muhammad Yasir Ayub openly promotes sectarianism

We have written before on many occasions about Imam Muhammad Yasir Ayub. His abuse against the small but beleaguered Ahmadi Muslim community in the U.K. has been documented by us, as we have also done so regarding his anti-Shia rants. However, one would assume that he may have changed his mind over the last year, but […]

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UK: Notting Hill Carnival drums fall silent for Grenfell victims
August 29, 2018 By Faith Matters

UK: Notting Hill Carnival drums fall silent for Grenfell victims

Hundreds of thousands of revellers attending London’s annual Notting Hill Carnival fell silent for 72 seconds on Monday to honour the 72 people who died in the Grenfell Tower fire last year. Musicians dressed in vibrant colours set down their instruments in a mark of respect and sound systems that had been booming out Caribbean […]

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U.S.: Court rejects atheists’ appeal over ‘In God We Trust’ on currency
August 29, 2018 By Faith Matters

U.S.: Court rejects atheists’ appeal over ‘In God We Trust’ on currency

A federal appeals court on Tuesday said printing “In God We Trust” on U.S. currency is constitutional, citing its longstanding use and saying it was not coercive. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St Paul, Minnesota rejected claims by 29 atheists, children of atheists and atheist groups that inscribing the national motto on […]

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Turkey: Freedoms suffer as government blocks decades-old mothers’ vigil
August 29, 2018 By Faith Matters

Turkey: Freedoms suffer as government blocks decades-old mothers’ vigil

Every Saturday for 23 years, dozens of people have held a vigil in a central Istanbul square, sitting in silence and holding pictures of relatives who went missing in police detention. The group was about to stage their 700th demonstration last Saturday when Turkish police told them their protest was banned, before firing tear gas […]

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Germany: Merkel’s conservatives under fire over right-wing radicalism
August 24, 2018 By Faith Matters

Germany: Merkel’s conservatives under fire over right-wing radicalism

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives faced accusations on Thursday of ignoring the rise of far-right groups in the eastern German state of Saxony after an incident there involving an off-duty police employee at an anti-Islam rally. Saxony’s interior ministry confirmed late on Wednesday that the police employee had attended a march by anti-Islam group PEGIDA last […]

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