Catholics & Catholicism

Question:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3045122.stm Pakistan’s Shia-Sunni divide Differences between Pakistan’s Sunni majority and Shia minority go back to the Islamic schism following the prophet’s death. But in the past two decades those differences have been manifest in repeated violence wrought by Sunni and Shia extremists. The violence, which worsened after 11 September and the expulsion of the Taleban from Afghanistan, led President Pervez Musharraf to ban a number of militant groups. However, the BBC’s Zaffar Abbas in Islamabad says recent attacks show the extremists who were forced into hiding by the clampdown are now resurfacing. Great schism In early Islamic history the Shia were a political faction ("party of Ali") that supported the power of Ali, son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed and the fourth caliph (temporal and spiritual ruler) of the Muslim community. Ali was murdered in 661AD and his chief opponent, Muawiya, became caliph. It was Ali’s death that led to the great schism between Sunnis and Shias. Caliph Muawiya was later succeeded by his son Yazid, but Ali’s son Hussein refused to accept his legitimacy and fighting between the two resulted. Hussein and his followers were massacred in battle near Karbala in AD680. Both Ali and Hussein’s death gave rise to the Shia cult of martyrdom and sense of betrayal. Shia has always been the rigid faith of the poor and oppressed waiting for deliverance. It is seen as a messianic faith which awaits the coming of the "hidden Imam", Allah’s messenger who will reverse their fortunes and herald the reign of divine justice. Today, they make up about 15% of the total worldwide Muslim population Zia’s legacy Most sectarian violence in Pakistan takes place in the province of Punjab and the country’s commercial capital, Karachi, in Sindh province. There have also been outbreaks in Quetta, capital of Balochistan province. It is estimated that around 4,000 people have been killed in Shia-Sunni violence since the 1980s across Pakistan. President Musharraf is not the only Pakistani leader to have been beset with such problems, which most analysts agree began in 1979 when General Zia ul-Haq began Islamicising Pakistani politics to legitimise his military rule. As a result, hardline religious groups were strengthened. This coincided with a period when parts of Pakistan came to be awash with weaponry as a result of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in late 1979. US arms and Saudi funds allowed General Zia to mount a proxy war in Afghanistan with mujahideen, or holy warriors. Drawn from Pakistani as well as Afghan and Arab youths mostly educated at religious schools, the mujahideen and their patrons were to become influential actors in Pakistan. Because Sunnis form a large majority in Pakistan, most of the mujahideen were Sunni too. Radical Sunni Islamists were able to establish armed groups like the Sipah-e-Sahaba. Revolutionary zeal Shia fighters too joined the jihad, or holy war, against the Soviets in Afghanistan, although their bands were smaller. In Karachi, doctors have been targeted They received help from Iran where the Islamic revolution earlier in 1979 had boosted Shia confidence. The growth of Shia militancy led to the establishment of groups such as Tehrik-e-Jafria. Once the Soviets left Afghanistan, Pakistani militants returned home and began looking for a new jihad. Many were encouraged to take their combat skills to Indian-administered Kashmir. Others stayed at home to begin a campaign against fellow-Muslims they considered heretics or against Westerners and Christians. After dozens were killed in sectarian attacks, General Musharraf launched a campaign against extremism in January 2002, banning the worst-offending groups. However, continuing attacks have shown the limitations of the government’s policy. And violence in Balochistan puts a further strain on Pakistan’s security forces which are faced with challenges from the Taleban and remnants of al-Qaeda, and have to deal with confrontations with India over Kashmir.

Response:

G, we get the point. Why not just say "Treat everyone except Muslims with respect, please!" and save yourself some time.

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http://atheism.about.com/library/irf/irf00/blirf_saudiarabia00.htm Saudi Arabia Religious Freedom Report 2000 Saudi Arabia is an Islamic monarchy without constitutional protection for freedom of religion, and such protection does not exist in practice. Islam is the official religion, and all citizens must be Muslims. The Government prohibits the public practice of other religions. Private worship by non-Muslims, as defined by the Government, is recognized officially. Through published interviews with government officials and press articles that addressed the subject in the context of human rights, non-Islamic freedom to worship privately received more attention and greater respect than in the previous year. The overwhelming majority of citizens support an Islamic state and oppose public non-Muslim worship. There is a greater degree of tolerance of foreigners and non-Muslims in both the eastern and western provinces than in the isolated central Nejd region. There is institutionalized discrimination against adherents of the Shi’a branch of Islam. The U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations, the U.S. Ambassador, and other U.S. government officials have raised the issue of religious freedom with the Government on numerous occasions during the period covered by this report. Section I. Government Policies on Freedom of Religion Legal/Policy Framework Freedom of religion does not exist. Islam is the official religion and all citizens must be Muslims. The Government prohibits the public practice of other religions. Private worship by non-Muslims is permitted. Saudi Arabia is an Islamic monarchy and the Government has declared the Islamic holy book, the Koran, and the Sunna (tradition) of the Prophet Muhammad, to be the country’s Constitution. The Government bases its legitimacy on governance according to the precepts of the rigorously conservative and strict interpretation of the Hanbali school of the Sunni branch of Islam and discriminates against other branches of Islam. Neither the Government nor society in general accepts the concepts of separation of religion and state, and such separation does not exist. Islamic practice generally is limited to that of the Wahabi order, which adheres to the Hanbali school of the Sunni branch of Islam as interpreted by Muhammad Ibn Abd Al-Wahab, an 18th century Saudi religious reformer. Practices contrary to this interpretation, such as visits to the tombs of renowned Muslims, are discouraged. The practice of other schools of Sunni Islam is discouraged, and there is institutionalized discrimination against adherents of the Shi’a branch of Islam. The Government supervises almost all mosques in the country and funds their construction, maintenance, and operations. Religious Demography Sunni Muslims make up approximately 12.1 million of the country’s nearly 14 million citizens. Seven million foreigners reside in the country, including about 1.2 million Indians, 1.2 million Egyptians, nearly 800,000 Pakistanis, 600,000 Filipinos, 130,000 Sri Lankans, and 30,000 Americans. These foreigners include Muslims of different denominations, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and, presumably, non-believers and atheists. Comprehensive statistics for the denominations of foreigners are not available. However, the Filipino Embassy reports that over 90 percent of the Filipino community (or over half a million persons) is non-Muslim, including Catholics and Protestants. The Shi’a Muslim minority (roughly 900,000 persons) lives mostly in the eastern province, where Shi’a constitute about one-third of the population. Governmental Restrictions on Religious Freedom The Ministry of Islamic affairs directly supervises, and is a major source of funds for, the construction and maintenance of almost all mosques in the country. The Ministry pays the salaries of imams (prayer leaders) and others who work in the mosques. A governmental committee is responsible for defining the qualifications of imams. The Mutawwa’in (religious police, who make up the Committee to Promote Virtue and Prevent Vice) are government employees, and the president of the Mutawwa’in holds the rank of cabinet minister. The spreading of Muslim teachings not in conformance with the officially accepted interpretation of Islam is prohibited. Writers and other individuals who publicly criticize this interpretation, including both those who advocate a stricter interpretation and those who favor a more moderate interpretation than the Government’s, reportedly have been imprisoned and faced other reprisals. During the period covered by this report, foreign imams were barred from leading worship during the most heavily attended prayer times and prohibited from delivering sermons during Friday congregational prayers. The Government claims that its actions were part of its "Saudiization" plan to replace foreign workers with citizens. Under Shari’a (Islamic law), upon which the Government bases its jurisprudence, conversion by a Muslim to another religion is considered apostasy. Public apostasy is a crime punishable by death if the accused does not recant. The Government prohibits public non-Muslim religious activities. Non-Muslim worshippers risk arrest, lashing, and deportation for engaging in overt religious activity that attracts official attention. During the period covered by this report, two group arrests were made after religious police raided large Christian congregations during services that were held on Friday, the Muslim day of rest. Proselytizing by non-Muslims is illegal, including the distribution of non-Muslim religious materials such as Bibles. No foreign missionaries operate legally in the country. During the period covered by this report, two Filipino men were arrested, charged with proselytizing, and forced to serve approximately 2 months in prison. Members of the Shi’a minority are the objects of officially sanctioned political and economic discrimination. Prior to 1990, the Government prohibited Shi’a public processions during the Islamic month of Muharram and restricted other processions and congregations to designated areas in the major Shi’a cities. Since 1990, the authorities have permitted the celebration of the Shi’a holiday of Ashura in the eastern province city of Qatif, provided that the celebrants do not undertake large, public marches or engage in self-flagellation (a traditional Shi’a practice). No other Ashura celebrations are permitted in the Kingdom, and many Shi’a travel to Qatif or to Bahrain to participate in Ashura celebrations. The Government seldom permits private construction of Shi’a mosques. Shi’a have declined government offers to build state-supported mosques because the Government would prohibit the incorporation and display of Shi’a motifs in any such mosques. The Government actively discourages Shi’a travel to Iran to visit pilgrimage sites, although Shi’a citizens are permitted to visit holy sites in Iraq. Persons wearing religious symbols of any kind in public risk confrontation with the Mutawwa’in. This general prohibition against religious symbols also applies to Muslims. A Christian wearing a crucifix or a Muslim wearing a Koranic necklace in public might be admonished. A very strict conservative Islamic dress code requiring extreme modesty is enforced for Muslim and non-Muslim women alike. Particularly in the more conservative Nejd region, virtually all women wear an abaya (a long black cloak), and many wear a headscarf while in public. Failure to do so can lead to admonishment by Mutawwa’in, and in the past occasionally has led to arrest. Male modesty also is required. Males going shirtless or in short pants while in public also risk admonishment. Islamic religious education is mandatory in public schools at all levels. All children receive religious instruction, which generally is limited to that of the Hanbali school of Islam. In accordance with Shari’a, Saudi women are prohibited from marrying non-Muslims, but Saudi men may marry Christians and Jews, as well as Muslims. The Government requires noncitizens to carry Iqamas, or legal resident identity cards, which contain a religious designation for "Muslim" or "non-Muslim." Governmental Abuses of Freedom of Religion A Filipino man was arrested in June 1999 and another Filipino man was arrested in July 1999. Both men were charged with proselytizing, served approximately 2 months in prison, and subsequently were deported. There were two group arrests of Filipino Christians made during the period covered by the report, one of 13 persons in October 1999 and another of 16 persons in January 2000. Both arrests occurred after religious police raided large Christian congregations during services held on Friday, the local day of rest. In both instances, government officials maintained that the religious services were attended by such a large number of persons that they could not be considered private. Some of those arrested were charged with illegal assembly and all detainees subsequently were deported to the Philippines. There were reports that the authorities arrested a Christian man in June 2000 for possession of a videotape of a religious event. There were no formal charges brought against him and he remained in custody at the end of the period covered by this report. There were no reports that government security forces arrested or detained Shi’a on the suspicion of subversion and pro-Iranian activities, as had been reported in the past. In April 2000, in the city of Najran, in the southwest region bordering Yemen, riots took place in which members of the Makarama Ismaili Shi’a community reportedly engaged in gun battles with security forces. Some press reports indicated that the rioting followed the arrest of a Makarama Ismaili Shi’a imam and some of his followers on charges of "sorcery." Various other reports attributed the unrest to the closure of two Ismaili Shi’a mosques and the … read more »

Response:

http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/001327.html A 14 year old boy is sentenced to 85 lashes for breaking his Ramadan fast! Iran Press News Tuesday, November 16, 2004 A 14 year old boy died on Thursday, November 11th, after having received 85 lashes; according to the ruling of the Mullah judge of the public circuit court in the town of Sanandadj he was guilty of breaking his fast during the month of Ramadan. The Kurdish site Rojeh’heh L