TAG: religious extremism

Report: Indonesia’s LGBT Community Under Threat’

(Jakarta) – The Indonesian government stoked an unprecedented attack on the security and rights of sexual and gender minorities in early 2016, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The government campaign included hateful rhetoric, discriminatory edicts, and the use of force to repress peaceful assembly. The 56-page report, “‘These Political Games Ruin […]

Sexual politics in June 2016

The proposal launched in May by the LAC 5 countries for the creation of a Special Mandate on Human Rights and Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (reported by SPW) has taken its course. On June 30th at the 32 Session of the UN Human Rights Council a resolution was adopted that establishes the mandate of […]

Statements after the massacre at an Orlando LGBT nightclub

Solidarity with the LGBTQI community – Frida Mourning Orlando’s Loss from Kabul – Open Society India vigils in memory of Orlando shooting victims – Orinam End Hate, End Violence: GALANG Philippines’ Statement on the Orlando Shooting Massacre Mesahat Foundation Statement on Orlando Massacre.pdf ILGA Statement on Tragic Shooting in Orlando – ILGA The O Pakistan […]

Remarkable analyses of the Orlando killings: A compilation

The mass shooting at the Pulse, the nightclub in Orlando, took over the media screens and pages on the third week of June 2016. The tragedy has also been the subject of a series of very good analyses, which examine its many intersections in terms of sexual politics, the politics of religion, geopolitics, Islamophobia, masculinities […]

India vigils in memory of Orlando shooting victims

By Orinam Jun 13 2016 A makeshift memorial with flowers and handprints rests in a parking lot near the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla. source: Getty via NPR The mass shooting in Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, US, during the early hours of June 12, resonates with those of us who have faced […]

Orlando, Mon Amour: Stand against Terror and Hate

Early reports suggest that Mateen pledged allegiance to “Islamic State” while launching his shooting spree. We will know more in the days to come. I am grateful to those who are righteously rushing in to defend Muslims from the inevitable backlash and deplorable discrimination in the shell-shocked wake of this massacre. However, I would also ask them not to do so by downplaying the harsh realities of Islamist political ideology and the way it purveys hatred against many groups, including gays.

Fear and Loathing in Orlando

The drumbeats have started. Almost immediately after a mass shooting that left over fifty people dead on Latin night in a Florida gay nightclub, Pulse, the news shifted to the identity of the shooter himself. As soon as his name and the fact that his father immigrated (long ago) from Afghanistan was announced, the narrative began unfolding as Naeem Mohaiemen put it, on cue: This must be a terrorist attack.

ISIS and Women: A STATUS/Conversation with Rafia Zakaria

In this interview with STATUS/الوضع host Katty Alhayek, journalist and author Rafia Zakaria discusses her articles on ISIS and women, and the challenges that she faces when sharing her perspective on these issues with a wider audience.

Sexual Politics in April 2016

A new wave of deadly attacks against human rights and secular activists is at play in Bangladesh. In final April, two LGBT activists were hacked to death, fueling outrage and protest around the world. Weeks before, some protesters were detained during the celebration the Bengali New Year. In the context of this crisis we bring […]

As the Brazilian crisis unfolds, the abortion frontlines keep burning

Since our reports of early 2015, SPW has always linked developments in the abortion debate to the on-going Brazilian political and economic crisis. On April 17th, 2016, this crisis reached an initial point of culmination when the House of Representatives voted for and approved the admissibility of the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff.

An unamed letter from Bangladesh regarding the murders of LGBT activists

SPW shares an unnamed letter written by Bangladesh activist after the murders of LGBT activists in the Asian country in the past weeks. The letter draws attention for the danger of protesting around the global against the murders, while it may actually fuel Western hegemonic discourses that claim to defend and promote tolerance, usually through […]

Nigerian lawmakers voted down a women equality bill citing the Bible and Sharia law

Nigerian lawmakers on Tuesday (Mar.15), voted against a gender and equal opportunities bill (pdf). The bill, which did not pass a second reading, was aimed at bridging the gap between the rights of men and women in Nigeria. It also sought to end questionable and unpleasant stereotypical practices that drive discrimination based on gender. While […]