Shia news stories on Newser

Secret Hand in Syria Crackdown: Iran

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 11:50:25 CDT

Iran has a hand in the revolutions currently sweeping the rest of the Arab world. In Syria, Iran is secretly assisting President Bashar al-Assad to quell the pro-democracy demonstrations, US officials say. But in Bahrain and Yemen, Iran is looking to aid Shiite protesters, thus destabilizing the countries—both US...

200 Malaysians Face Charges for Deviating From Islam

Rob Quinn — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 08:54:05 CST

Buddhism, Christianity, and Hinduism are accepted in Muslim-majority Malaysia, but the government has stepped up efforts to quash non-Sunni strains of Islam. More than 200 Shia Muslims have been arrested in a swoop on outlawed Islamic sects, and they are likely to be charged with "following the teachings of a...

What to Do With a Koran Written in Saddam's Blood?

Matt Cantor — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 07:00:05 CST

Nearly eight years after Saddam Hussein’s fall from power, Iraqi officials are still grappling with relics of his rule. Debate is raging over the fate of a Koran written in 27 liters of Saddam’s own blood, drawn by a nurse and lettered by a calligrapher over a two-year period in...

In Secret Talks, Iran Forged Deal for Pro-Tehran Iraq

Matt Cantor — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 11:14:16 CDT

Iran was behind the recently struck deal between Nouri al-Maliki and Muqtada al-Sadr, and the result could be an Iraqi government friendly to Tehran and distanced from the West, the Guardian reports. According to the paper's sources, Syria, Hezbollah, and top Shia religious leaders were involved with a secret campaign...

Iraqi PM Loses Election; Supporters Threaten Violence

Nick McMaster — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 15:00:50 CDT

Iraq's fragile democracy is in danger after vote counts released today showed Nouri al-Maliki narrowly lost the election. The current PM's party lost to Ayad Allawi's Iraqiya, 91 to 89. Though the margin was slim, electoral observers and diplomats say the result was fair and largely free of fraud. Nonetheless,...

Death of 'Neda' May Echo for Weeks in Iran

Jason Farago — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 06:40:59 CDT

It's not clear who killed the Iranian protester known as Neda, but footage of her gruesome shooting in the streets of Tehran may transform the demonstrations gripping Iran, Time reports. Shia Muslims mourn their dead three, seven, and 40 days after death, and Iranians often use those commemorations for protests....

Suicide Bomber Kills 30 at Pakistan Funeral

Jason Farago — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 06:39:01 CST

At least 30 people died and 50 more were injured after a suicide bomber blew himself up during a funeral in Pakistan's volatile northwest, reports the New York Times . The bomber targeted the funeral of a Shia Muslim who was shot only yesterday, and eyewitnesses described seeing limbs scattered across...

Suicide Bomber Kills 35 in Iraq

Gabriel Winant — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 09:15:51 CST

A female suicide bomber killed at least 35 Iraqi pilgrims on the way to a religious festival today, reports CNN. Another 45 were wounded. The victims, mainly women and children, were in the town of Mussayib, about 40 miles south of Baghdad. Hundreds of thousands of Shia pilgrims are currently...

Al-Sadr Urges 'Revenge' Attacks Against US for Gaza

Peter Fearon — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 02:59:25 CST

The anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has urged radical Shi’ite militants to strike American targets in Iraq as retaliation for US support of Israeli’s attack on Gaza, the Times of London reports. Al-Sadr also called on nations with Israeli consulates to close those missions in solidarity with Palestine. A US official...