Uncommon Ground Contributor Tara Abhasakun

Tara is a journalist and campaigner based in San Francisco, US

Articles by Tara Abhasakun:

YPJ Fighter Talks Life and Loss In The War Against ISIS

Hanna Bohman discusses fighting alongside leftist Kurdish militias against ISIS, and the YPJ’s proclaimed mission of democracy and women’s liberation. First of all, I’m sure you are asked this question a lot, but what inspired you to move to Kurdistan to fight with the YPG against ISIS? I truly believe that you have the most […] Read more

Asia Bibi’s Final Hearing is Tomorrow. Don’t Let Her Be Executed

Tomorrow, Asia Bibi has one final chance to prove her innocence, or be sentenced to death. The world must scream in her defense. Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman accused of blasphemy in 2009, is scheduled for her final appeal against execution on Monday. Bibi was accused of insulting the Prophet Mohammad after a dispute […] Read more

The Growing Tide of Violent Rhetoric Against Baha’is in Houthi Yemen

Yemen’s Houthis incite violence against Baha’is on social media.   On March 23, Yemen’s Houthi leader Abdel-Malek Al-Houthi made a speech in which he called the Baha’i faith a “satanic” movement that wished to “wage war” against Islam. On the same day of Al-Houthi’s speech, Houthi activist Ahmed Ayed published a tweet stating “we will […] Read more

Iranian Dreams: Exiles Describe Their Ideal Iran

We asked four Iranians, persecuted for varying religious and political reasons unable to return to their country what their ideal Iran looks like. The recent protests in Iran have sent a clear message that Iranians are unhappy with the state of their country. From economic policies to strictly enforced religious laws, Iranians are fed up […] Read more

Tunisian Atheist Risks Death If Forced to Leave Romania

Tunisian Atheist Nacer Amari, who lives in Romania will be forced to return to Tunisia in April. He fears being killed. Tunisian Atheist Nacer Amari, 41, has lived in Romania since 2011, when the Tunisian revolution shook the country. Amari, a member of the organization Tunisian Freethinkers, received a number of death threats on social […] Read more

Houthi Secretary-General Accuses Baha’is of Dividing Muslims

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis accuse Baha’is of seeking to divide Muslims, in an effort to incite hatred against the religious minority. In a statement last week, Sayyid Abdul-Malik Badreddin Al-Houthi, the Secretary-General of Yemen’s Shia political party Ansar Allah, accused Baha’is of seeking to create disunity among Muslims. An article in ParsToday said: “Explaining that the […] Read more

Tunisian Freethinkers are Under Attack

Tunisian Islamist extremists are threatening and attacking freethinkers, a sign of increasing violence in Tunisia following the 2011 revolution. Last week, Tunisian citizen Nacer Amari, a member of an organisation called Tunisian Freethinkers, announced on Facebook that the president of the organisation had been stabbed and assaulted by Islamic extremists outside a bar in Tunis. […] Read more