News and analysis

On June 13, the small daily Yeni Mesaj reported an arson attack on the Shia Allahu Akbar Mosque, in Istanbul’s Esenyurt district. The reportedly unknown perpetuators struck after midnight, setting fire to the mosque’s library. Turkey’s mainstream media failed to pick up on the incident until July 8, after another Shia house of worship, the Muhammediye Mosque, was attacked in the …

Exclusive: Believed to be the first jihadi defection to the Islamic State outside of Middle East, move emphasis growing influence of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s self-declared caliph and the wanning hold of al Qaeda A Pakistani terror group has become the first in the region to break ranks and declare allegiance …

Fasting for as little as three days can regenerate the entire immune system, even in the elderly, scientists have found in a breakthrough described as “remarkable”. Although fasting diets have been criticised by nutritionists for being unhealthy, new research suggests starving the body kick-starts stem cells into producing new white …

As many as 23 people were killed and several others injured when a suicide bomber stormed a hotel in Taftan, where Shia pilgrims were staying, and blew himself up, late on Sunday. Talking to Daily Times, Balochistan Home Secretary Akbar Hussain Durrani said that around 300 Shia pilgrims had entered …

Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) has announced to end their sit-in, that was initiated to protest against the target killings in Karachi, as the provincial government held successful talks with the organization’s leaders on Monday morning. On Thursday, MWM organized a rally against targeted killings in Karachi from Numaish Chowrangi. The participants of …

Indian police are hunting a gang of men responsible for raping and killing two teenage girls and then hanging them from a tree. The attack reportedly took place on Tuesday night, in the village of Karta in the Uttar Pradesh region, UK newspaper The Mirror reported. The girls, who are from the …

The Shiite Islamic Movement in Nigeria marked the annual Shuhada Day and martyrdom of Imam Musa Ibn Jafar (as) in Zaria on Saturday the 25th of Rajab 1435 (24/5/14) and was attended by hundreds of thousands of people from far and near.   The Leader of the Shiite islaimc Movement, …

“Awakening of Nation and Stability of Pakistan Conference,” in Skardu brought Sunni and Shia Muslims together and they vowed united struggle for full rights of people of Gilgit-Baltistan. Majlis-e-Wahdat-e- Muslimeen hosted the largest- attended public meeting in the history of Gilgit-Baltistan. Sunni Bralevis, Deobandis and Ahl-e-Hadees also joined the Shia Muslims’ …

Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies have won India’s general election by the biggest margin in 30 years. Modi will be sworn in as the new prime minister of India on May 21. Indian stocks surged to a record in India, with the BSE having risen as …

Gruesome photographs appearing to show a British serviceman in a celebratory pose next to a dead Afghan have prompted an investigation by the Ministry of Defence. In one photograph, a British soldier with a cigarette in his mouth is kneeling by the body of a dead Taliban fighter and giving …