Kenya Chapter press conference

IARF’s new Chapter in Kenya held its first press briefing with reference to the Westgate
shopping mall attack in Nairobi on 21 September 2013, by Somalia-based Al-Shabaab.

The Chapter’s particular concern is a possible Islamophobic backlash against members of
Kenya’s Somali community. It hopes to establish a media presence that advocates the
principles for which IARF and other interfaith workers stand, against any possible religion-
based targeting of individual or communities.

The guest of honour was the former Mayor of Nairobi, Professor Nathan Kahara, who is a
pioneer of interfaith in the East Africa region.

Please see the report here (PDF 4 pages, illustrated): Kenya Chapter press conference Nairobi 30nov13

Member group leader detained

On Thursday 5th December 2013, Sheikh Maytham Al Salman, Head of the Religious Freedom Unit in the Bahrain Human Rights Observatory (BHRO), and chairman of the Bahrain Interfaith Centre, an Associate member group of the IARF, was summoned to Al Hoora police station by the investigation unit of the Ministry of Interior Affairs, Manama.

For almost two hours, he was interrogated by two officers about his work in the area of religious freedom – namely, in being outspoken to the western press, and holding a press conference on the violations during Ashura on 18 November.

He was accused of:

1- inciting hatred against the regime

2- calling for unlawful gatherings (a press conference on the Ashura violations of 18th November 2013)

3- insulting a government body

He was also questioned about membership in the Bahrain Human Rights Observatory (BHRO) – a coalition of human rights organizations and defenders whose religious freedom unit he has been invited to head. The unit’s role is to defend religious rights and freedoms regardless of ideology or religion.

No violence was involved.

See here for our report on the 18th November 2013 press conference which occasioned this detention.