MOSCOW, November 15 (Sputnik) — Security concerns among Shiite communities are rising due to the spread of anti-Shiite propaganda in normally calm and safe areas of the world, AFP reported on Sunday.
"The rise of anti-Shiism or Shia-phobia, is quite concerning to Shiite communities living in the West, and the Internet, Youtube, Twitter and Facebook play a big role in promoting these hate messages," said leader of London’s Shiite community Yousif al-Khoei.
The web has been flooded by anti-Shiite content, including horrifying videos of executions, posted by the Islamic State members. The IS, as well as other Islamist groups, inspired by the radicalized version of the Sunni ideology, claim that Shiites have to take punishment for the cruel repressions of Sunnis by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The content serves as a backlash against Syria’s leader, who has an Alawite background and is close ally of Shiite-dominated Iran.
"I definitely think we're seeing a wave of anti-Shiite bigotry,” said Middle East analyst, Andrew Hammond. "It's reaching places that you wouldn't imagine. […] It's really quite a striking phenomenon," he added.
According to AFP, Anti-Shiite spirits started to affect such countries as Great Britain and Australia, Indonesia and Nigeria. In Sidney, a Shiite community leader had to undergo a serious surgery after he was shot in the face by ISIS members near a prayer center, the Daily Mail reported in early November.
Great Britain has been suffering from sectarian violence since May 2013, when a gathering of Shiites was attacked by members of a Sunni radical group. According to Telegraph, 20 Shiites were killed during Shia festival by a suicide bomber attack in Nigeria, while significant number of Indonesian residents joined the so-called Anti-Shia Alliance, calling on the government to prohibit Shiism and promoting violent attacks against Shia followers.
