Tag: Elections

Nigeria: ‘Dangerous speech and polarising narratives’ fuel Middle Belt violence – report

February 21, 2019 Nigeria Boko Haram, Elections, Fulani herdsmen, Middle Belt, Nigeria

Attacks from Fulani herders against Christians in the Middle Belt have been on the increase, [caption id="attachment_37447" align="aligncenter" width="770"]Attacks from Fulani herders against Christians in the Middle Belt have been on the increase, displacing thousands of people. (Photo: World Watch Monitor) Attacks from Fulani herders against Christians in the Middle Belt have been on the increase and the conflict has become the country’s gravest security challenge. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

The use of dangerous rhetoric and religious polarisation has contributed to the escalation and can spark further violence, particularly in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, ahead of the presidential elections this Saturday, says a new report. Central Nigeria is seen as one of the most influential constituencies in Saturday’s elections “because of . . . Read More

Nigeria elections: Whomever wins, Christians hope for justice and security

February 15, 2019 Nigeria Adamawa, Boko Haram, Borno, Chibok girls, Dapchi, Elections, Fulani herdsmen, Leah Sharibu, Middle Belt, Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria, Plateau, Yobe

Burned church in a village in Nigeria's southern Kaduna after an attack by suspected Fulani gunmen. Violence attributed to militant herdsmen in Nigeria reached a record high last year. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

As Nigerians are preparing to go to the polls tomorrow to elect a new president, Boko Haram has been stepping up attacks in the northeast of the country, making it difficult if not impossible for people to vote. On Tuesday, 12 February, the Islamist militants attacked Madagali town, Gulak, Magar . . . Read More

US Ambassador tells Nigerians: “Citizens are the government”

February 11, 2019 Nigeria Elections, Nigeria

The Archbishop of Jos, Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, speaks while (from left to right) Secretary General of Jama’atu Nasril Islam, Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, US Ambassador Stuart Symington and Rev. Gideon Para-Mallam listen. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

As Nigerians prepare for elections this week, the US Ambassador encouraged religious leaders to “inspire non-violence through their actions”, reports the Nigerian newspaper Daily Trust. Stuart Symington told Christian and Muslim leaders at a roundtable event in the central Nigerian city of Jos last week (6 February) that “it’s about . . . Read More

Indian Christians heave sighs of relief as Hindu nationalists lose elections in key states

December 12, 2018 India Anti-conversion law, BJP, Chhattisgarh, Christmas, Delhi, Elections, Hindu nationalism, India, Madhya Pradesh, Minorities, Police, Rajasthan

Christians can heave sighs of relief as the ruling Hindu nationalist BJP has been thrown out of power in three key states in central India that have reported dozens of incidents of anti-Christian violence and harassment. The BJP, which had enjoyed unstinted power in two of the states – Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh – for 15 . . . Read More

Bangladesh PM says anyone who offends Islam will be prosecuted

November 7, 2018 Bangladesh Bangladesh, Blasphemy, Christmas, Corruption, Dhaka, Elections, Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan, Prophet Muhammad, Sheikh Hasina, Terrorism

Bangladesh’s prime minister has pledged that anyone who offends Islam or its prophet will be prosecuted. Sheikh Hasina said the religion of Bangladesh “is Islam. Anyone who pronounces offensive comments against it, or against the Prophet Muhammad, will be prosecuted according to the law,” as reported by Asia News. Her . . . Read More

Kurdistan elections: Christian parties want ‘real needs’ of minority to be heard

September 28, 2018 Iraq Bashar Warda, Elections, Iraq, Kurds, Louis Raphael I Sako, Minorities, Nineveh Plains, USA

The site of Mar Elia Church in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan region, where hundreds of Christians camped, displaced by Islamic State. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

The Christian minority in Iraqi Kurdistan is hoping for its “real” representatives to be voted into the Kurdish regional parliament this Sunday, 30 September, reports Kurdish news service Rudaw. The presidential and parliamentary elections in the semi-autonomous region in northern Iraq are the first after a referendum last year in . . . Read More

No religious minority representative on Pakistan PM’s new cabinet

August 22, 2018 Pakistan Asia Bibi, Blasphemy, Caste, Elections, Imran Khan, Minorities, Pakistan, Women

Pakistan’s new prime minister Imran Khan is facing criticism after failing to appoint a single member of a religious minority group onto his cabinet. “As an offence to many, the new team doesn’t include a single member from the minority groups in the country as neither a Hindu, Christian or . . . Read More

Indonesian rights body to release anti-sectarian guidelines ahead of elections

July 23, 2018 Indonesia Ahok, Elections, Human rights, Indonesia, Islamic extremism, Java, Joko Widodo

Young people join protests against the former Christian Jakarta governor Ahok who was convicted of blasphemy in May last year. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

Indonesia’s Human Rights Commission is to propose guidelines to avoid sectarian clashes in the run-up to next year’s national elections, reports Catholic news site UCAN. Ahead of recent regional elections, some hardline Islamic leaders called on Indonesians to vote only for Muslim candidates. Sectarianism also played a prominent role in . . . Read More

Blasphemers should be put to death, says one Pakistan party as elections near

July 11, 2018 Pakistan Asia Bibi, Blasphemy, Elections, Islamabad, Lahore, Minorities, Mumtaz Qadri, Pakistan, Punjab, Salmaan Taseer, Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan

Ahead of Pakistan’s general elections later this month, the newly established Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party is gaining traction with its anti-blasphemy agenda, Al-Jazeera reports. The party calls for blasphemers against Islam to be put to death and for those who kill alleged blasphemers to be celebrated. Its election posters often . . . Read More

Christians matter least in Pakistani politics

July 5, 2018 Pakistan Asia Bibi, Balochistan, Blasphemy, Constitution, Elections, Imran Khan, Karachi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Lahore, Minorities, Pakistan, Pakistan Muslim League, Pakistan Peoples Party, Patras Masih, PTI, Punjab, Sajid Masih, Shahbaz Bhatti, Sindh, Taliban, Youhanabad

As Pakistan prepares for elections later this month, the country’s minorities – particularly its Christians – have expressed dismay at their lack of representation among the candidates. Among the thousands of candidates contesting hundreds of provincial and national constituencies across the country, not a single Christian is nominated by any . . . Read More

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