Salma Eissa is the ACLED-Religion Research Manager. Salma has an M.A. in Near and Middle Eastern Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, London. She has 10 years of experience in the Egyptian civil society and research and academia sectors, and has a keen interest in political analysis and trends and patterns of political violence in the MENA region. She is fluent in Arabic and English, and is based in Cairo, Egypt.
ACLED-Religion Overview
2-8 October 2021
Last week in the Middle East and North Africa, states imposed official state interpretations of Islamic morality on their citizens, religious practice was targeted by state authorities, and religious sites were desecrated.…
ACLED-Religion Overview
18-24 September 2021
Last week in the Middle East and North Africa, members of dissident religious minorities and groups were targeted with religious repression. In Palestine, the third prominent Jewish holiday of the month brought a new set of restrictions targeting Palestinian religious practice.…
ACLED-Religion Overview
11-17 September 2021
Last week in the Middle East and North Africa, state authorities continued repressing communal religious practices under the pretext of curbing the spread of the coronavirus. In addition, they also targeted dissident religious minorities for repression.…
ACLED-Religion Overview
31 July-10 September 2021
Last month in the Middle East and North Africa, religious repression was reported across the region, mainly driven by religious celebrations, morality enforcement, and the prevention of religious practice. In Bahrain, authorities cracked down on Shiite religious practice during the Islamic lunar month of Muharram which commenced on 10 August — a period with many Shiite holy days and commemorations, including the holiest day in the Shiite calendar, Ashura, on 20 August.…
ACLED-Religion Overview
24-30 July 2021
Last week in the Middle East and North Africa, increased religious repression was prompted by religious ceremonies in several countries, while other governments codified laws targeting religious freedom. In Bahrain and Yemen, Shiite religious ceremonies and holidays were met with a number of restrictive measures targeting religious practice.…
ACLED-Religion Overview
17-23 July 2021
Last week in the Middle East and North Africa, religious repression related to Eid Al Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) constituted the bulk of events. In East Jerusalem, clashes between Muslim worshippers and Israeli police were prompted by the co-occurance of Tisha B’Av — a Jewish day of mourning that marks the destruction of the First and Second Temples — and Eid Al Adha in the same week.…
ACLED-Religion Overview
10-16 July 2021
Last week in the Middle East and North Africa, religious ceremonies led to increased incidents of religious repression, and morality-related events continued to lead to increased harassment. In Bahrain, the commemoration of the death of the Ninth Twelver Shiite Imam led to increased harassment by the state against the Shiite community.…
ACLED-Religion Overview
3-9 July 2021
Last week in the Middle East and North Africa, restrictions on religious practice and morality-related events were reported. In Bahrain, upcoming Shiite Muslim celebrations of Muharram prompted increased restrictions on religious practice in Jaw Prison.…
