Author archives: Faith Matters

One dead as IS targets Kabul with mortar shells
December 12, 2020 By Faith Matters

One dead as IS targets Kabul with mortar shells

The so-called Islamic State terror group has attacked the Afghan capital with a barrage of mortar shells, killing at least one civilian and wounding a second. The extremist group said it was behind the violence on its affiliated Amaq News website, saying it fired 10 Katyusha rockets towards Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport. Three shells […]

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Man denies assaulting children during circumcision procedures
December 10, 2020 By Faith Matters

Man denies assaulting children during circumcision procedures

A man has denied assaulting children while carrying out circumcisions in the community. Mohammad Siddiqui, 54, of Birmingham, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday and denied 40 charges relating to 24 procedures between April 2015 and January 2019. They include child neglect and ill-treatment, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and administering prescription-only anaesthetic when […]

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Bomber’s brother appeared to be ‘sympathetic to ideals of Isis’, inquiry told
December 8, 2020 By Faith Matters

Bomber’s brother appeared to be ‘sympathetic to ideals of Isis’, inquiry told

Images recovered from the home of the older brother of Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi indicated he was “sympathetic to the ideals of Isis”, a police chief has told a public inquiry. Ismail Abedi, 27, was arrested the morning after the explosion which killed 22 people and injured hundreds at the end of an Ariana […]

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Report shows how New Zealand mosque shooter eluded detection
December 8, 2020 By Faith Matters

Report shows how New Zealand mosque shooter eluded detection

A comprehensive report into the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings in which 51 Muslim worshippers died sheds new light on how the gunman was able to elude detection by authorities as he planned his attack. The nearly 800-page Royal Commission of Inquiry report released on Tuesday shows the attacker, Brenton Tarrant, kept a low profile and […]

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Indonesia expects halal certificate for experimental Covid-19 vaccine
December 7, 2020 By Faith Matters

Indonesia expects halal certificate for experimental Covid-19 vaccine

Indonesia’s highest Muslim clerical body is expected to issue a halal certification for the experimental Covid-19 vaccine developed by China-based firm Sinovac Biotech. The certification would be a significant step in immunisation efforts in the world’s most populous Muslim country, should the vaccine be approved for use. Indonesia’s human development and culture minister Muhadjir Effendy: […]

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Indonesian police kill six supporters of firebrand cleric
December 7, 2020 By Faith Matters

Indonesian police kill six supporters of firebrand cleric

Indonesian police have shot dead six followers of a firebrand cleric who returned last month from a three-year exile in Saudi Arabia after criminal charges against him were dropped. Jakarta Police Chief Muhammad Fadil Imran said officers were following a car carrying 10 supporters of Rizieq Shihab, the leader of the Islamic Defenders Front, early […]

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First Rohingya refugees arrive at isolated Bangladesh island
December 4, 2020 By Faith Matters

First Rohingya refugees arrive at isolated Bangladesh island

More than 1,500 Rohingya refugees have been sent to an isolated island by authorities in Bangladesh, despite calls by human rights groups to stop the process. The 1,642 refugees boarded seven Bangladeshi naval vessels in the port of Chittagong for the trip to Bhashan Char, according to an official. After about a three-hour trip they […]

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Transmission of HIV can be eliminated in a decade, minister says
December 1, 2020 By Faith Matters

Transmission of HIV can be eliminated in a decade, minister says

Transmission of HIV in Scotland can be eliminated in the next decade, according to plans being drawn up by ministers. The Scottish Government is announcing a new scheme to tackle the virus to mark World Aids Day. It includes free condom provision, widening access to medication which prevents HIV, increasing testing capacity and introducing measures […]

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Arena bomber’s friend was ‘wholly committed to terrorist purposes’, court heard
November 27, 2020 By Faith Matters

Arena bomber’s friend was ‘wholly committed to terrorist purposes’, court heard

Abdalraouf Abdallah is a man “wholly committed to terrorist purposes”, a court heard. His own father, Nagah Abdallah, as the father of Salman Abedi had done, came to the UK in 1993 as a refugee from the brutal regime of Colonel Gaddafi with his wife Samira Lalouche, a refugee from political oppression. Abdallah’s uncle was […]

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Officer who designed police hijab aims to inspire Muslim women to join force
November 27, 2020 By Faith Matters

Officer who designed police hijab aims to inspire Muslim women to join force

A police officer who helped design a new hijab because the one provided was uncomfortable and unsafe said she hopes it will inspire other Muslim women to join the force. Pc Uzma Amireddy, a positive action coordinator, said the hijab given to her by North Yorkshire Police was uncomfortable, did not look good and was […]

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