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Shia Rights Watch documented numerous human rights violations against Shia Muslims globally between March 1st and April 1st, 2025. Their report details targeted attacks, violence by extremist groups, and discriminatory actions by state authorities across countries like Pakistan, Bahrain, Lebanon, Nigeria, and Syria. In Pakistan, incidents included sieges, kidnappings, assassinations, and mosque destruction. Bahrain faced restrictions on Shia communal prayers, while Lebanon experienced deaths from airstrikes and extremist attacks. Nigeria saw casualties during a Shia procession, and Syria reported extensive killings, arrests, displacements, and destruction of Shia communities and holy sites. Saudi Arabia involved arrests of pilgrims for religious practices, and Iraq reported an ISIS attack.

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Briefing Document

This briefing document summarizes the key themes and incidents detailed in the Shia Rights Watch February 2025 report. 

Main Themes:

• Targeted Violence: The report highlights numerous instances of direct violence against Shia Muslims, including bombings, assassinations, executions, and targeted killings.
• Forced Displacement: Shia communities are being forcibly displaced from their homes due to sectarian threats and violence, often accompanied by looting and property confiscation.
• Religious Persecution: Shia religious practices are being restricted, including bans on Friday prayers and attacks on religious shrines. Extremist ideologies that deem Shia Muslims as "infidels" are being promoted.
• Governmental Oppression: Some governments are actively persecuting Shia citizens through citizenship revocation, deportations, arbitrary arrests, and restrictions on religious freedom.
• Impunity and Inaction: Authorities often fail to protect Shia communities from extremist violence, secure aid convoys, or hold perpetrators accountable.

Key Incidents and Countries:

Afghanistan:

• Forced Conversion: "Dozens of Shia Muslims in Badakhshan province were forcibly converted to Sunni Islam by Taliban authorities, who accused them of heresy." This highlights the imposition of religious ideology by force.
• Bombing: "At least 18 people were killed and 45 injured in a terrorist bombing outside a bank in Kunduz..." This exemplifies the dangers of indiscriminate violence targeting Shia communities.

Pakistan:

• Siege: "Over half a million Shia Muslims remain under siege by extremist groups, while authorities fail to secure aid convoys, which have been repeatedly attacked." This points to a humanitarian crisis and government inaction.
• Targeted Killings: "Activist Syed Tanveer Hussain was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Dera Ismail Khan." This indicates the vulnerability of Shia activists and leaders.
• Attacks on Aid: "A humanitarian convoy heading to Parachinar was attacked by armed extremists, resulting in the death of several truck drivers and significant damage to the convoy." This showcases the deliberate obstruction of humanitarian assistance.

Bahrain:

• Citizenship Revocation & Deportation: "The Bahraini government revoked the citizenship of 700 naturalized Pakistanis and deported them due to their Shia faith." This demonstrates governmental discrimination based on religious affiliation.
• Religious Restrictions: "Bahraini authorities blocked Shia worshippers from attending Friday prayers for four consecutive weeks, restricting access to mosques in Druze." This signifies the suppression of Shia religious practices.

Lebanon:

• Israeli Military Actions: "The Israeli military destroyed dozens of houses belonging to Shia farmers in Rabb al-Thalathin and Yaroun." and "Israeli fighter jets bombed the town of Jarjouaa, killing and injuring several Shia civilians." These incidents detail the impact of conflict on Shia communities.

Syria:

• Widespread Violence and Displacement: The report details a litany of violent incidents in Syria, including killings, kidnappings, torture, forced displacement, and destruction of religious sites.
• Targeting of Religious Figures: "Terrorist groups behead a Sheikh in Al-Tuwaim village" This shows the targeted elimination of Shia religious leaders.
• Sectarian Education: "Authorities impose Takfiri curricula in educational institutions, books that label Druze, Alawites, Shias, and Sufis as infidels." This reveals the propagation of discriminatory ideologies within the education system.
• Impunity for Perpetrators: The repeat

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Executive Summary:

This report from Shia Rights Watch (SRW) documents a significant number of human rights violations targeting Shia Muslims globally during January 2025. The incidents detailed include terrorist attacks, armed assaults, state-sponsored oppression, and systematic discrimination. The report emphasizes that the documented cases represent only a fraction of the actual violations due to challenges in verification and access to information. The most affected countries are Pakistan, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria and Saudi Arabia, with Syria exhibiting a particularly alarming pattern of ethnic cleansing and mass atrocities.

Key Themes and Findings:

• Widespread Anti-Shi'ism: The report paints a picture of a global phenomenon, documenting incidents across multiple countries. SRW emphasizes, "This report provides a detailed account of terrorist attacks, armed assaults, bombings, and systematic oppression carried out against Shia Muslims in various countries."
• Pakistan: Siege and Targeted Violence: The situation in Pakistan, specifically in Kurram, is dire, with a siege by extremist groups leading to shortages of food and medicine and over 200 deaths. The report details numerous attacks, including the killing of protesters ("Pakistani security forces shot and killed Ali Raza Rizvi, a protester demanding the lifting of the siege on Parachinar"), attacks on aid convoys ("Extremist groups ambushed a convoy carrying food and medical aid to Kurram, setting all trucks on fire"), and the targeted killings of Shia civilians ("Extremists abducted and executed a Shia citizen, Saqib Hasnain"). The report also notes attacks on religious sites and the arrest of human rights activists.
• Bahrain: Systemic Discrimination and Restrictions: Bahrain continues to exhibit systematic discrimination against its Shia population, including a prolonged ban on Friday prayers at the Imam Al-Sadiq Mosque in Diraz. The report also highlights employment discrimination, with "over 20,000 Bahrainis remain unemployed, while 600,000 foreign workers are employed in the country," and arbitrary arrests.
• Lebanon: Assassination and Conflict: Lebanon experienced the assassination of a Shia cleric ("Sheikh Mohammed Hammadi was murdered by unknown gunmen in West Bekaa") and a violent conflict resulting in significant civilian casualties ("Attack on southern Lebanon resulted in the killing of 22 civilians and injuries to 124 others").
• Syria: Ethnic Cleansing and Atrocities: The situation in Syria is described as an ethnic cleansing campaign targeting Shia villages, particularly in Homs and Latakia. The report lists a series of brutal incidents, including mass arrests, extrajudicial executions, looting and destruction of homes, forced displacement, desecration of religious sites ("Extremists vandalized and desecrated the shrine of Mohsen ibn Hussein in Aleppo"), and the discovery of mass graves ("Locals discovered a mass grave containing the bodies of four Shia siblings in Tasnayn village, Homs"). A particularly disturbing pattern emerges of Alawites (a Shia sub-sect) being specifically targeted, with reports of massacres ("Massacre of Shia youth in Baniyas"), forced displacement ("Ethnic cleansing in Al-Safira, Aleppo"), and mass arrests ("A mass arrest operation in Homs led to the disappearance of over 200 Alawite civilians, including women and children.").
• Saudi Arabia: Executions and Repression: Saudi Arabia is cited for executing Shia prisoners ("Abdullah Ahmed Al-Salim, a Shia prisoner from Qatif, was executed by Saudi authorities") and arresting religious figures ("Mohammed Bu Jbara, a Shia religious reciter from Al-Ahsa, was arrested for performing a religious poem").
• Underreporting: SRW acknowledges the limitations of their data colle

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Human Rights Sentinel conversation with Fatema Ahmadi on the suffering of the people of Afghanistan, particularly the Hazara people of Afghanistan. 

Fatema D. Ahmadi is a Fellow and Adjunct Professor at American University, School of Public Affairs in Washington, DC. Ahmadi has extensive experience working with international development partnerships to enhance women's and children's rights. She worked as a Senior Peace Process at the United States Institute of Peace, led numerous projects and partner organizations for the anticipated peace process in Afghanistan. She served as a Consultant with the World Bank and International Republican Institute in Washington, DC, during the 2018-2019 Fulbright - Humphrey Fellowship and studied at the American University School of Law. Before her work in peacebuilding, Ahmadi led USAID's established program on Combatting Human Trafficking through Hagar International in Afghanistan. In this role, she spearheaded initiatives to create a national trafficking referral form and co-authored the first national training manual on Trafficking in Persons (TiP). She worked with refugee children through the Child Labor Association and the UNHCR Refugee Health Insurance project.

Twitter/X: @FatemaDaryab

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A Perspective on Inter-religious Harmony in Ladakh
Elijah Spalbar Gergan is a Christian Theologian from India's Ladakh region. He is an educator, motivational speaker, and the author of several books and articles, and he has contributed significantly to promoting local culture and language. He talked to Human Rights Sentinel about native #Buddhists, #Shias, #Sunnis, and #Christians helping each other maintain religious harmony in #Ladakh. 

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Barrister Hamid Bashani is a Kashmiri from the Pakistan-controlled Poonch district. He is a former student activist and presently the Secretary-General of Advocates International, Canada. He is a columnist and political analyst at Friday Night and Third opinion Shows on Canadian South Asian TV Channels.

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Human Rights Sentinel 
Talk with Prime Minister in Exile of East Turkistan Salih Hudayar

Salih Hudayar is an Uyghur American politician advocating for East Turkistan independence. He founded the East Turkistan National Awakening Movement. On November 11, 2019, Hudayar was elected as the Prime Minister of the East Turkistan Government-in-Exile. Hudayar studied International Studies and Political Science at the University of Oklahoma.

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Arshia Malik is a  Kashmiri writer, a columnist with The New Indian, and an educationist who focuses on socio-religious & geopolitical issues in the Muslim World.

Host:
Mustafa Akhwand
   Twitter.com/makhwand
Senge Sering 
  Twitter.com/SengeHSering

Guest:
Arshia Malik
https://twitter.com/arshiaunis
https://www.facebook.com/msarshia

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Impact of Religious Extremism on Kashmiri Identity
Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri 
Exiled Chairman of United Kashmir Peoples National Party (UKPNP)
The outstanding leader struggling for the rights of the People of the former princely state of Jammu & Kashmir. He has been living in exile in Switzerland since April 25, 1999, after his life was in danger at the hands of the ISI of the Pakistan Army. Since 2002, he has been Secretary General of the International Kashmir Alliance (IKA), which is comprised of secular political parties struggling for the independence of Kashmir, Gilgit & Baltistan.

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Shadow war: the untold story of Jihad in Kashmir
Human Rights Sentinel (Hosted by Musaffa Akhawan, Senge Sering) episode 4, with Arif Jamal is a journalist, author and political commentator from Pakistan's Punjab province, Two of his books; shadow war: the untold story of Jihad in Kashmir, and call for transnational Jihad: Lashkar-e-Taiba of Pakistan have received global recognition. 
He has remained associated with Harvard University, New York University and University College of London as visiting fellow. He has written more than 200 investigative articles on political Islam including Shia genocide. 
He appeared on C-SPAN to discuss Pakistan-American relations. Arif has contributed to New York Times and writes regularly on strategic affairs for several Pakistani newspapers

twitter.com/ArifJamalUSA
www.Altvoices.org