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Scores killed and wounded by Afghan mosque blast during Friday prayers
October 8, 2021 By Faith Matters

Scores killed and wounded by Afghan mosque blast during Friday prayers

At least 100 people have been killed or wounded in an explosion targeting Shiite Muslims at a mosque in northern Afghanistan, according to a Taliban police official. Dost Mohammad Obaida said the “majority of them have been killed”. The blast occurred during the Friday prayer service at the Gozar-e-Sayed Abad Mosque in Kunduz province, when […]

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Eddie Marsan: ‘Young people need to know what antisemitism is’
September 29, 2021 By Faith Matters

Eddie Marsan: ‘Young people need to know what antisemitism is’

Ridley Road starts on BBC One on Sunday, October 3. It’s the Swinging Sixties in London’s East End, and far-right fascism is on the rise. Enter Vivien Epstein, a young Jewish hairdresser from Manchester who finds herself embroiled in an undercover movement against racism, after following her lover, Jack Morris, to the capital. This sets […]

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Taliban official speaks of strict punishment and says executions will return
September 24, 2021 By Faith Matters

Taliban official speaks of strict punishment and says executions will return

One of the founders of the Taliban has said the hard-line movement will once again carry out executions and amputations of hands, though perhaps not in public. Mullah Nooruddin Turabi dismissed outrage over the Taliban’s executions in the past, which sometimes took place in front of crowds at a stadium, and warned the world against […]

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Female employees for Kabul city government told to stay at home
September 19, 2021 By Faith Matters

Female employees for Kabul city government told to stay at home

Female employees in the Kabul city government have been told to stay home, with work only allowed for those who cannot be replaced by men, the interim mayor of Afghanistan’s capital said, detailing the latest restrictions on women by the new Taliban rulers. The decision to prevent most female city workers from returning to their […]

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Afghanistan women’s football players arrive in Pakistan after fleeing Taliban
September 15, 2021 By Faith Matters

Afghanistan women’s football players arrive in Pakistan after fleeing Taliban

Members of the Afghan women’s football team and their families have arrived in Pakistan after fleeing their country following the Taliban takeover, local media said. It is unclear how many players and family members were allowed to enter in Pakistan. According to Pakistan’s information minister Fawad Chaudhry, the players entered Pakistan at the north-western Torkham […]

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MI5 boss issues terror warning over Afghanistan
September 10, 2021 By Faith Matters

MI5 boss issues terror warning over Afghanistan

There is “no doubt” that events in Afghanistan will have “heartened and emboldened” extremists, the boss of MI5 said as he warned of the potential return of “al Qaida-style” terrorist plots. Director-general Ken McCallum said that, although the Government has pledged to judge the Taliban by their actions, the UK security service and its partners […]

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New Zealand attacker radicalised by neighbours, mother says
September 8, 2021 By Faith Matters

New Zealand attacker radicalised by neighbours, mother says

The mother of an extremist inspired by so-called Islamic State who stabbed shoppers in a New Zealand supermarket said her son was radicalised by neighbours from Syria and Iraq who helped him recover from an injury. The attacker, Ahamed Aathil Samsudeen, was a 32-year-old Tamil Muslim from Sri Lanka. He arrived in New Zealand 10 […]

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‘Radical Islam’ still a first-order security threat, says Blair
September 7, 2021 By Faith Matters

‘Radical Islam’ still a first-order security threat, says Blair

“Radical Islam” continues to represent a “first-order security threat” 20 years after the 9/11 terror attacks on the United States, Tony Blair has warned. The former prime minister urged leaders from around the world to come together to develop a common strategy to counter the menace to their societies. In a speech to the Royal […]

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Extremist views widespread in England’s classrooms, say teachers
September 6, 2021 By Faith Matters

Extremist views widespread in England’s classrooms, say teachers

Extreme views like racism, homophobia and conspiracy theories are widespread in classrooms across England, a study suggests. Schools lack the resources and training to teach pupils how to discuss or reject dangerous views, according to academics from the University College London (UCL) Institute of Education. Their report, published days before the 20th anniversary of the […]

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British IS ‘Beatles’ terrorist facing life behind bars after guilty pleas
September 3, 2021 By Faith Matters

British IS ‘Beatles’ terrorist facing life behind bars after guilty pleas

A British terrorist who conspired to abduct and behead Western hostages for the so-called Islamic State is facing spending the rest of his life behind bars after pleading guilty to multiple charges in a US federal court. Alexanda Amon Kotey, 37, was one of the gang of four IS militants nicknamed “the Beatles” by their […]

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