In February, a crowd occupied and vandalized a 100-year-old Ahmadi mosque in Punjab. Both passed the recruitment test and had successful interviews but were denied appointment by the assistant manager. The killings took place during protests sparked by twin suicide bombings outside two churches there. According to data provided by the Center for Social Justice (CSJ), authorities accused at least 199 individuals of new blasphemy offenses during the year. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, 2020 Report on International Religious Freedom, Section II. Even Fawad Chaudhry, currently serving as the minister for science and technology in Khans government, conceded that sectarianism was an issue that was getting out of hand. Most Shias (between 68% and 80%) live in just four countries: Iran, Pakistan, India and Iraq. Although sectarian data is difficult to pin down in Afghanistan, an estimated 15 to 29 percent of the population is Shia (mostly the Twelver sect that dominates the Islamic Republic, but also some Ismaili Shia). These attacks targeted gatherings of Shia individuals. The stronghold of Barelvism remains Punjab, the largest province of Pakistan. Azerbaijan and Iran were both conquered by Shah Ismail I around the same time where he also forced a conversion of Sunnis to Shia Islam.
Pakistan's Shias Face Double Threat: Extremists and Their Own The '2019 International Religious Freedom Report,' of the US Department of State, released on June 10, 2020, has voiced concern over the targeted killing in Pakistan of Shia Muslims, including ethnic Hazaras, who are largely Shia, and Ahmadi Muslims in attacks believed to be driven by faith. Population: 233,500,636 (July 2017 est.) Police stated they believed he was targeted because of his religious beliefs. The two major powers in the Middle East are Saudi Arabia, an Arab population ruled by a Sunni majority, and Iran, a Persian population ruled by a Shia majority. This was part of an increase in anti-Shia activity that month nationwide that included the shooting of a prominent Shia religious leader in Punjabs Mandi Bahauddin District and the shooting of a Shia employee of the National Bank of Pakistan in Islamabad.
Shia (Shi'a) Muslim Countries - WorldAtlas In February, the National Assembly introduced a draft law requiring internet and technology companies to open offices in Islamabad, locate their servers within the country, and remove objectionable internet content within a specified timeframe. Islam is the largest and the state religion of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. These 142 individuals included both Shia and Sunni clerics who in the past had given controversial statements leading to sectarian tensions. The incident was the first attack on a Hindu temple in Tharparkar in more than 30 years. In April, some members of the Hindu community in Karachis Lyari area were denied food packages provided by a local charity, according to local sources. . Throughout the year, unidentified individuals assaulted and killed Shia and Ahmadis in attacks sources believed to be religiously motivated. U.S. government cultural centers in Khairpur, Hyderabad, and Karachi held events to promote religious freedom. Last week, in Punjab, police beat up and arrested 22 Shia Muslims, including seven women, who were taking part in a ceremony to mark a Shia martyr.
Barelvi Islam - GlobalSecurity.org Pakistan's population is expected to surpass that of Indonesia in 2048 when it will reach 331.29 million. The constitution states no person shall be required to take part in any religious ceremony or attend religious worship relating to a religion other than the persons own. The embassy highlighted the principles of religious freedom and examples of interfaith dialogue in the United States on its social media platforms throughout the year. His was the first acquittal for blasphemy since October 2018, when Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death in 2010, was acquitted. Other NGOs corroborated that 2020 had seen an increase in blasphemy cases. The visas were valid for one year and allowed one reentry into the country per year, although it was understood by missionary sources that only replacement visas for those taking the place of departing missionaries were available for long-term missionaries seeking to enter the country for the first time.
World Shia Muslims Population - Home The Punjab Sikh Anand Karaj Marriage Act allows local government officials in that province to register marriages between a Sikh man and Sikh woman solemnized by a Sikh Anand Karaj marriage registrar. According to civil society and media reports, the government restricted the movement and activities of these individuals because they were known for exacerbating sectarian tensions. Neither the National Assembly nor the Senate had acted on the 2018 judgment by years end, but Ahmadiyya community representatives said that NADRA required Ahmadis to declare in an affidavit that they are non-Muslims to obtain a national identification card, another requirement of the high court judgment.
Anti-Shia Violence: Widening Sectarian Schism in Pakistan Visiting U.S. government officials met with religious minority community representatives, parliamentarians, human rights activists, and members of the federal cabinet to highlight concerns regarding the treatment of religious minority communities, the application of blasphemy laws, and other forms of discrimination on the basis of religion. Non-Muslims may not appear before the FSC. Shias adhere to the teachings of Islamic prophet Muhammad, but differ from Sunni in following the religious guidance of his family (who are referred to as the Ahl al-Bayt) or his descendants known as Shi'a Imams, whom they consider to be infallible. NGOs and legal observers also stated police often did not file charges against individuals who made false blasphemy accusations. Authorities provided enhanced security for Shia Muslim, Christian, and Hindu places of worship at various times throughout the year, including around particular religious holidays or in response to specific threats. February 27, 2023 .
World Shia Muslims Population - Home Some politicians acknowledged privately the bill was intended to ensure textbooks identify Mohammed as the final prophet, thereby excluding Ahmadis from the definition of Islam taught in public schools. This requirement effectively prohibits Ahmadi Muslims from holding elected office, as they recognize a prophet subsequent to Mohammed. They complained that Dalits, who are considered to be the lowest in the traditional Hindu caste structure, were being targeted and subjected to violence and torture in Thar and other areas. Salman Khan, the head of the Muslim family, remained at large. The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) designates religious affiliation on passports and requires religious information in national identity card and passport applications. Some community representatives said Christians continued to face difficulties in registering marriages with Islamabad union councils because the councils claimed they had no authority to deal with unions recorded by Christian marriage registrars (usually church authorities). Under the 2016 Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony is responsible for reviewing internet traffic and reporting blasphemous or offensive content to the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority for possible removal or to the Federal Investigative Agency for possible criminal prosecution. In June, the Punjab Provincial Assembly unanimously passed the Curriculum and Text Book Board Amendment Bill, which Governor Chaudhary Muhammad Sarwar signed into law. At least one individual was accused of spreading blasphemous content through social media under PECA. The proposal named a prominent Hindu business owner and ruling PTI party leader as the commissions chair, along with other Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Parsi, and Kalash members. Shias in Pakistan reputedly account for about 20 percent of the population or 42 million out of the population of 210 million making it the second largest Shia population in the world outside Iran. The court acquitted a second Christian in December. Civil society groups continued to state that the blasphemy laws disproportionately affected members of religious minority communities.
Shia-Sunni rift on rise in Pakistan, but Imran Khan govt's - ThePrint Shia Population Shia by Country (cont.) The provincial and federal governments have legal responsibility for certain minority religious properties abandoned during the 1947 partition of British India. If represented by a Muslim lawyer, however, non-Muslims may consult the FSC in other matters, such as questions of sharia or Islamic practice that affect them or violate their rights. Students who identify themselves as Muslims must declare in writing they believe Mohammed is the final prophet. Targeted killings of Shia and Ahmadi Muslims and violence and discrimination against Christians, Hindus, and Ahmadi Muslims continued to occur. 2020 Report on International Religious Freedom: Pakistan, An official website of the United States Government. A constitutional amendment devolves responsibility for minorities affairs, including religious minorities, to the provinces. On August 30, police charged Shia cleric Taqqi Jaffar with blasphemy for criticizing Mohammeds companions during a Karachi Muharram procession. According to Ahmadi Muslim civil society organizations, the government failed to restrict advertisements or speeches inciting anti-Ahmadi violence, as provided for in the National Action Plan.
Lebanon - The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency - CIA Leh's demand for UT status started in 1947 as the old statements of the former parliamentarian and religious leader, Kushok Bakula Rinpoche, indicate. According to the penal code, the punishments for persons convicted of blasphemy include the death penalty for defiling the Prophet Mohammed, life imprisonment for defiling, damaging, or desecrating the Quran, and up to 10 years imprisonment for insulting anothers religious feelings. Speech or action intended to incite religious hatred is punishable by up to seven years imprisonment. On December 15, the Lahore High Court acquitted a second Christian man, Imran Ghafur Masih, who had been sentenced to death for blasphemy in 2010. The constitution establishes Islam as the state religion and requires all provisions of the law to be consistent with Islam. shia surnames in pakistan. In July, Tahaffuz-e-Bunyad-e-Islam [protection of foundation of Islam bill] was passed by the Punjab assembly, which supported only the Sunni interpretation of Islam, provoking a huge backlash from the Shia community. rate of urbanization: 2.1% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Population Census | Pakistan Bureau of Statistics Khattaks brother, who witnessed the killing, named two suspects in his criminal complaint, including a friend of Khattak a lecturer from the University of Agriculture in Peshawar with whom Khattak had had a heated religious argument on October 4. The province-level Sindh Hindu Marriage Act and the national-level Hindu Marriage Act (applying to federal territory and all other provinces) codify legal mechanisms to formally register and prove the legitimacy of Hindu marriages.
11 Countries with Highest Shia Population - Insider Monkey According to the constitution and the penal code, Ahmadis may not call themselves Muslims or assert they are adherents of Islam. The court ordered police to hand over the woman to her Hindu husband and no police or court action was taken against Domki. 2,724,000. On July 21, the government returned a 200-year-old Sikh gurdwara to the Sikh community in Quetta. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), a national NGO, expressed concern over a surge in blasphemy cases against religious minorities, particularly the Shia community, and the continued potential for sectarian violence. Although the Sindh Hindu Marriage Act covers registration of Sikh marriages in that province, members of the Sikh community reportedly continued to seek a separate Sikh law so as not to be considered as Hindus for the purposes of the law.