Shutdown of Islamic Paper Raises Questions in Ixana
Al-Rina, Ixana- A recent report from the Polytheism Sarda has reported well over half of former Muslims in the once-Sultanate of Ixana have become members of the Sarda. Officially, this is due to the relative ease of transference and the clear and obvious moral and factual correctness of Marshism, something that is of course beyond doubt. However, local conditions prove somewhat more complicated and a report from a local Ixanan paper- the Jaridat Alriyna- and the subsequent raid and shutdown of the offices of that newspaper have sparked discussion about the roles of non-Marshism and non-Sister Faiths in the nation.
Legally, there exists one faith in the Theocracy- Marshism- and a small number of Sister Faiths that are allowed to operate in the nation. Stevidian Catholicism, the Madokami Faith, the native Azen beliefs of Solisia- the number of such faiths are small, but adherents to those faiths are considered citizens and have officially sanctioned places of worship. More often than not, they are sanctioned and protected within the internal politics of the Matriarchy by the Polytheism Sarda, which quite willingly subsumes foreign faiths into their own sprawling belief system. However, there are occassional reports of the Inquisition shutting down places of worship of other faiths. While the numbers of non-Marshites and non-Sister Believers are, even in the boldest estimation, quite small, local scandals are the order of the day whenever a foreign place of worship is discovered. Lurrid teledramas about the corruption of youth by such organizations are a surprise hit on the Monotheism Sarda's television stations, though it is accepted to simply be part of the ongoing propaganda battle between the two. Indeed, it is often said that more actresses and actors have played a Scandinivian Christian on 'Ghugī Dē Pahirāburaja' than have ever existed in the nation.
Indeed, there has always been little reason for followers of non-accepted Faiths to live in the Theocracy. They are not citizens. Their religious rights are not recognized. The Theocracy is run on the precepts of a faith that in many cases stands in stark opposition to the belief systems of many foreign uncultured faiths. Private worship is technically illegal though only certain belief systems are actively and ruthlessly hunted down; public worship is universally prevented. What few foreign religious folk that exist upon entry to the Theocracy are in time either removed from society or, as is far more likely, slowly subsumed into the Polytheism Sarda, where their 'aberrant' beliefs can be reconciled with Marshism. Of course, over years, decades, generations and centuries, former believers of such faiths tend to become Marshites if they remain and the Polytheism Sarda proudly boasts of helping many wayward souls find themselves in Marshism where once they wandered darkly in other religions.
The situation is different on Ixana, if only because of local conditions. The former Sultanate had been well established for several centuries and the Islamic faith entrenched here. When the Sultanate collapsed and local Marshites called on the homeland to answer, the resulting addition to the Theocracy's nationhood was of unique characteristic. The majority of these new citizens were Islamic and while that changed quickly with mass migration to the island, there was little doubt as to the character of its previous leadership. The Inquisition worked ruthlessly to halt any attempts at radicalization and a vast military presence disallowed any large movements. Most importantly, several experts on the Islamic faith from the Polytheism Sarda started working immediately on converting membership of that faith to Marshism.
Officially, this has been a success. Over half of the confirmed members of the Islamic faith in Ixana have become members of the Polytheism Sarda, and most Mosques and religious institutions of that faith have been staffed by Polytheistic Elkons. Rates of religious violence on the island have fallen to record lows and of the remaining Muslims more than half have applied for a special status with the local administration, where they follows all laws and conditions for the period of Krama Pariva, or Gradual Conversion as given by the Arsi'Elkons. This allows those so accepted to enjoy the benefits of citizenship while not being members of the Faith, though they must by the end of the 2040s join the faith in good conscience or find themselves guilty of defrauding with their hearts and souls the Theocracy Herself.
Into this steps the Jaridat Alriyna, or Al-Rinan Gazette, the largest paper in the seaside city of a quarter million near the northeastern coast of Ixana. It has sparred with the local Polytheism Sarda administration in a number of ways. First it opposed its list of accepted dates for Islamic holidays that coincided with Marshite holidays. More pointedly, it has often tried to critizens the officially published Holy Books for Islam given by the Polytheism Sarda. However, its most terrible criticism has been reserved for what has become its final piece, what it purpots to be an in-depth investigation of the 'Conversions' that the Polytheism Sarda has touted as a great success.
Interviews with local Muslims and even former Sultanate officials indicate that while many have indeed converted, the pressure from the Sarda and the means of which they are achieving such high rates are 'immoral'. Magic Sarda aides, Citizen Cluster cybernetic mind control, Inquisitorial threats- the list goes on and they tell a story of a Sarda desperate to convert the local Islamic populace. The stories are as lurid as they are multitudinous and were for the most part little more than local gossip- until the offices were raided and several staff arrested by the Inquisition less than a day after publishing.
The reasons behind the shutdown vary wildly depending on who you ask. Locals believe the shutdown is due to the disparaging rumors published by the paper having the ring of truth to them, and the Polytheistic Sarda wanting to shut down any further investigation. The Monotheistic Sarda aligns in some ways with this, as it has often accused the Polytheism Sarda of approaching members of other faiths in immoral ways in an effort to achieve conversions. Still others say that the truth of the accusations and stories was less important to the Inquisition than the excuse it gave them to shut down one of the small number of news outlets that did not conform to the official Marshite narrative.
For its part, the Inquisition has said little more than it shut down the paper for 'collusion in illegal Sarda political matters' and has refused to elaborate further. The Polytheism Sarda has aggressively denied the accusations and local Marshites by and large have bristled. The Monotheism Sarda already has a drama prepared to be aired about the 'true story' of the Ixanan Muslims, while the Poltheism Sarda is threatening to unleash a torrent of 'harsh truths' about the conduct of the Monotheism Sarda's own 'faltering and unusual' conversion campaigns in neighboring nations. The Experience Sarda star Haljira Sincarla is unusually set to star in both series, a fact of some amusement considering the back and forth nature of the political infighting.
As for Jaridat Alriyna, little remains. Its digital presence has already been scrubbed, including local copies of their articles and digital archives. Only physical copies, what few exist in any case, remain and many of those are set to be destroyed by Inquisitorial agents. Already, high prices are being paid in the Hannera Marketplace, though how many sales are real and not tied to ever present law enforcement efforts remain to be seen. It is believed that the Inquisition will release a full report soon detailing what crimes the Alriyna and its staff are guilty of and what punishments have been doled out, and many local expect further efforts to be made against those who are part of the 'collusion'.
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