Sherwan Hindreen Ali is an ACLED-Religion Assistant Research Manager. He has a M.A. in Islamic Studies from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Sherwan's main fields of interests are sectarianism and minority rights in the MENA region. He is fluent in Arabic and English, and proficient in French and Persian. He is currently based in Montreal, Canada.
ACLED-Religion Overview
13-19 November
Last week in the Middle East and North Africa, morality-related events increased for a third consecutive week, while state-sponsored harassment and repression of minorities continued unabated. In Iraq, the governor of Erbil province established a new committee to regulate the activities of nightclubs, while the minister of education imposed a modest dress code on teachers.…
ACLED-Religion Overview
6-12 November 2021
Last week in the Middle East and North Africa, morality-related events constituted the majority of religious repression and conflict, while repression of religious minorities also continued unabated. In Egypt, authorities banned the American superhero film, Eternals, for containing scenes which were described as contradicting the values of Egyptian society.…
ACLED-Religion Overview
30 October-5 November 2021
Last week in the Middle East and North Africa, state authorities continued their imposition of state-sanctioned morality and religious norms. In Yemen, pro-Houthi authorities seized a local Quran radio station and desecrated a mosque as part of an ongoing campaign to impose their ideology.…
ACLED-Religion Overview
23-29 October 2021
Last week in the Middle East and North Africa, state forces targeted dissident religious and sexual minorities, and some morality-related events were also reported. In Egypt, judicial authorities denied a transgender prisoner legal recognition of her gender, while Iraqi police forces arrested three men on the charge of holding a ‘gay wedding.’…
ACLED-Religion Overview
16-22 October 2021
Last week in the Middle East and North Africa, Muslim celebrations of the Mawlid – the birth of Prophet Muhammad – were accompanied by religious repression and violence. In Israel and Palestine, the celebrations led to violent clashes between Palestinian Muslim worshippers and Israeli security forces in East Jerusalem and Hebron city.…
ACLED-Religion Overview
9-15 October 2021
Last week across the Middle East and North Africa, the desecration of religious property and the imposition of religious norms led to clashes, and the repression of religious minorities continued. In Israel and Palestine, the Israeli demolition of a historic Muslim cemetery led to violent clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces in East Jerusalem.…
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
25 September-1 October 2021
Last week in the Middle East and North Africa, state authorities repressed religious practices under the pretext of security and curbing the spread of the coronavirus. In Bahrain, government authorities summoned Shiites for participating in communal mourning rituals in violation of coronavirus-related safety measures, while Iraqi authorities closed another border crossing for foreign Shiite pilgrims travelling to Shiite holy lands in the country.…