Islamist “hyper-extremism” is not only destroying the multi-faith ecology of the Middle East but also threatening parts of Africa and the West, according to a new report. The latest edition of Religious Freedom in the World, a global survey published by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), identifies ISIS as the main source of a campaign described as genocidal by the US Secretary of State, John Kerry. Victims include Shia Muslims as well as Christians and Yazidis.
The report focuses on the Syrian civil war and the regional conflict to which it has given rise. Formerly diverse communities in the Middle East are described as becoming “increasingly mono-religious”. The spread of extremist Islam is also said to represent a threat to diversity among Muslims, “with widespread reports of moderates – including from within the same branch of Islam – being forced out in their thousands for refusing to accept ISIS and other hardline groups”. The report ascribes the menace in part to growing Sunni–Shia rivalry in several hotbeds of conflict beyond Syria and Iraq.
