US Criticizes Saudi Arabia and Bahrain for Lack of Religious Freedom

US criticizes Saudi Arabia and Bahrain for lack of religious freedom. US President Donald Trump's administration says the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant group remains the biggest threat to religious freedom around the world. The US State Department says the murders of Yazidis, Christians and Shia Muslims at the hands of ISIL amounted to genocide.

The annual report says almost 80 percent of the world's population continues to live under threats limiting freedom to worship.

The countries criticised include US allies Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Al Jazeera's Mohammad Vall reports.

Lebanon: Blood Flows on Ashura as Boys Cut Their Heads to Mark Shia Festival

Hundreds of Muslim men self-flagellated to commemorate the Shia Muslim festival of Ashura in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh, Saturday.

Iran: Millions in Tehran Take to the Streets to Mark Ashura

Millions of Iranian took part in Ashura commemorations in Tehran, Saturday, as nationwide ceremonies took place in streets and mosques across the entire country in a day of tribute for the third Imam of Shia Muslims, Husayn ibn Ali.

Ashura Celebration Takes Place in Iraq

Thousands of Shia Muslims gathered today in Karbala, Iraq to commemorate the Day of Ashura. Ashura, which takes place on the tenth day of Muharram in the the Islamic Hijri calender, is a day of mourning which commemorates the killing of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, as well as his family and companions, at the Battle of Karbala on 10 Muharram, 61 AH (10 October 680 AD).

How IS Seeks Sectarian War in Saudi Arabia

BBC AMERICA: Saudi Arabia has now suffered three deliberate attacks by supporters of Islamic State (IS) on the restive Shia Muslim minority living in the country's oil-rich Eastern Province.

The first, in November 2014, was a gun attack. And, in May 2015, there have been two devastating suicide bomb blasts targeting worshippers at Friday prayers.

The last two attacks used RDX, a powerful military explosive, and have been claimed by IS's self-styled Najd Province, named after Saudi Arabia's staunchly conservative Sunni heartland, the desert plateau in the middle of the country.

So what is IS trying to achieve and will it succeed?

These attacks are a watershed for Saudi Arabia.

How it reacts now and in the coming months will determine whether the largest and most important Arab state can stave off a wider sectarian conflict between the country's majority Sunni and minority Shia Muslim populations, something that would be disastrous for both communities.

The attacks follow decades of state and religious discrimination against the Shia minority, who constitute about 10% of the population. » | Frank Gardner, BBC security correspondent | Thursday, June 04, 2015

Sunni vs. Shia - Differences and Conflict Explained

Sunni and Shia Muslims have enormous conflicts, but the differences between them are frequently misunderstood. The split in Islam after the death of Muhammad is examined, the influence of Ayatollahs, and the political map that is broken down along Shia/Sunni lines are all looked at in this explanation of the wedge in the Muslim world, with Elliot Hill for the Lip News.

Shia Muslims Chanting ‘Down with Isis’ Join Ashura Procession in Sydney

THE GUARDIAN: March participants play down prospect of sectarian tensions a day after a Muslim leader was shot outside a Sydney Islamic centre

Thousands of Shia Muslims marched through the Sydney’s CBD on Tuesday to mark Ashura, the anniversary of the death of the prophet Muhammad’s grandson Husayn Ibn Ali.

The black-clad procession numbered more than 2,000 and stretched almost a kilometre, led by women in chadors and green headbands chanting, “down with Isis” and “Husayn is for peace”.

At the lead was a large sign linking Husayn’s death at the battle of Karbala in AD680 at the hands of the caliph Yazid to the death of Jesus and new threats from religious extremists in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Oppressors attacked Jesus Christ to crucify him, but he was victorious. After centuries, similar people attacked Imam Husayn to demolish truth and justice, but he was victorious,” the sign read.

“Today, terrorists have risen again. Who will be victorious over them?” » | Michael Safi | Tuesday, November 04, 2014

Saudis 'Must Offer Shia Equality'
Qom. Photo: Google Images
BBC: A report by the Human Rights Watch pressure group has detailed what it says is systematic discrimination in Saudi Arabia against Shia Muslims.

Unfavourable treatment of minority Shia extends from education and employment to the justice system, leading to a big increase in sectarian tension, it says.

They comprise 10 to 15% of the Saudi population, and have long complained of being treated as second-class citizens.
Human Rights Watch wants a government commission to tackle the problem.

Saudi Arabia follows the puritanical form of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism, and many Wahhabi clerics regard Shia Muslims as unbelievers.

Equal opportunities

The report focuses on an incident in February, when Shia pilgrims in the holy city of Medina clashed with religious police.
This led to Shia demonstrations in the Eastern Province followed by the arrest of a number of the protestors.

Shias want equal opportunities in government and the military as well as freedom of worship.

They want to be able to build their own mosques, have their civil courts granted more power and to print their own religious books. >>> | Thursday, September 03, 2009