In New South Wales, Australia, forty-eight-year-old defendant Hamdi Al-Qudsi appeared before the Supreme Court for his trial on July 18th. Al-Qudsi pleaded “not guilty” to charges that he intentionally directed a terrorist organization as he prepared toexecute attacks.
The decision of the United Kingdom's Department of Education to prohibit a Salafi activist from spreading his hateful teachings was welcomed by the National Secular Society (NSS). This ruling notes that several harmful sermons were published. This decision prevents the former faith school proprietor from managing private or state school teachings.
In the nearly 300-page report of an independent investigation, the first correlative study of the immense Protestant sect of Southern Baptists, several top clergy members were found to have minimized, ignored, and even vilified sex abuse survivors who came forward for help.
The Associated Press (AP) acquired more than 10,000 names of Muslim minority Uyghurs from Konasheher County who were imprisoned due to China's "war on terror." The leaked data reveals that nearly one in 25 Uyghurs in that county received prison sentences based on trumped-up terrorism-related charges, achieving the highest incarceration rate in the world.
Marvel's “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” has been banned in Egypt over the gay characters featured in the film.
In a Tweet on April 23, IMAX Egypt, a chain of movie theaters famous for showing films in 3D, announced that they wouldn't be offering Marvel's newest installation of Dr. Strange. "Doctor Strange and Wanda will not be here during their journey between universes," the Tweet said.
More than 40 people were injured in Sweden over the violent riots over the weekend. The clashes were sparked by rallies organized by a far-right, anti-immigrant organization called Stram Kurs (Hard Line).
A woman who sued a police officer for allegedly forcing her to be baptized was found dead in her home on April 13. The 42-year-old Shandele Marie Riley's body was discovered in her home in Log Cabin Lane in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee.
According to Hamilton County Police, Riley's cause of death is still unknown. The police are waiting for the medical examiner's autopsy reports to check for any foul play involved.
After announcing their " Fasting From Whiteness " for the Lenten season, a Christian church in Oak Park, Illinois, is in hot water. According to Religion News (RNS), the issue sparked so much controversy causing the church’s website to crash.
An atheist conference scheduled for April 10 was postponed to a later date. Nitin Hande, one of the event organizers, said the police told them to reschedule their conference because certain Hindutva groups expressed opposition to their event.
Eight men, including a journalist and a prominent theater artist in Madhya Pradesh, were arrested, stripped, and photographed by local police. One of the victims also said they were beaten and abused before being stripped.