Religious Extremism

Egypt Faces UN Scrutiny on Freedom of Press, Assembly

May 11, 2016

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has criticized Egypt for its "worsening crackdown" on the rights of assembly and press freedom following the arrests of journalists and protesters during rallies against the country's sale of a pair of islands in the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia.
Departure of PM Signals Authoritarian Shift in Turkey

May 11, 2016

The Economist reports that "routine" raids on news offices and charges against journalists, as well as the resignation of Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, are part of a broad crackdown against opposition movements and human rights of the opponents of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Critics: EU-Turkey Resettlement Deal Ignores Press Freedom

May 09, 2016

Politico reports that European politicians, media groups, and human rights activists are criticizing the EU for making a deal to resettle migrants from the Middle East in Turkey in exchange for visa-free EU travel for Turkish nationals without addressing the Turkish government's continuing clashes with freedom of the press.
German Court Permits Trial of Wuppertal "Sharia Police"

May 04, 2016

AP reports that a German court has held that a criminal trial can proceed against a group of Islamic extremists for wearing uniforms with a political message after the nine men patrolled the city of Wuppertal wearing vests labeled "Sharia Police" and sought to enforce Islamic law against residents.
OSCE Official Criticizes Turkish Internet Law

April 20, 2016

In light of increasing crackdowns on freedom of the press by the Turkish government, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe ("OSCE") Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović has expressed her concern with the free speech implications of the use of the country's Law 5651 to block access to over 110,000 news websites.
German Chancellor Approves Investigation of Erdogan Insult

April 18, 2016

The Irish Times reports that German Chancellor Angela Merkel has approved a police investigation of comic Jan Böhmermann for violating an obscure German law criminalizing insults of foreign heads of state by broadcasting a satirical poem in which he insulted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Turkey Demands Arrest of German Comic over Poem

April 13, 2016

Germany has placed late-night comic Jan Böhmermann under police protection after the Turkish government formally requested his arrest for reciting a satirical poem insulting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Istanbul Suicide Bombing Reveals Anti-Semitism in Turkey's Government

March 21, 2016

A recent deadly suicide bombing in Istanbul revealed the insidious anti-Semitism that has characterized the Islamist government in Turkey, as a board member in the women's branch of the ruling Justice and Development Party tweeted an anti-Semitic statement about fatally wounded Israeli tourists.
Nigerian Government's Trend Toward Islamist Foreign Policy Generates Tensions

March 21, 2016

The Nigerian government's decision to join the Saudi Arabia-led military coalition against Syria is generating significant tensions within Nigeria, as the Nigerian Christian Elders Forum expressed concerns about the turn toward Islamist ideology in foreign and domestic policies.
Turkey's Islamists Continue Assault on Media Freedoms

March 09, 2016

Turkey's Islamist authoritarian government continued its systematic assault on media freedoms in the country with a new spate of takeovers and shutdowns of independent media, with both secularist or Islamist orientations, deemed hostile to the state.