Faith Under Fire Trivia Quiz

Answer: Rohingya

The Rohingya are an ethnic group of Indo-Aryan origin who live mainly in the northern part of Rakhine State in Myanmar, close to the border with Bangladesh. They speak a variety of the Chittagonian language and are predominantly Sunni Muslim. However, Myanmar's 1982 Citizenship Law excludes them from the list of recognised ethnic groups, leaving most of them stateless and deprived of basic rights such as voting, travel, education and land ownership.

Since 1948, they have been targeted in repeated military operations, with major campaigns in 1978, 1991 and 2017. The 2017 crackdown followed attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army and resulted in mass killings, sexual violence and the burning of villages. Over 700,000 people fled to Bangladesh, joining earlier waves of refugees. The UN has described these events as ethnic cleansing and possible genocide.

The term "Rohingya" entered widespread international use in the 1990s, but Myanmar rejects it, referring to the group as "Bengalis". Even in exile, Rohingya people face overcrowded camps, restrictions and limited services. Today, approximately 1-1.5 million Rohingya people live in exile, while a smaller number remain in Myanmar under severe restrictions.

Answer: Pakistan

The Ahmadiyya are a Muslim sect founded in India in the late 19th century. Following the creation of Pakistan in 1947, they faced increasing persecution from Islamist groups who demanded that they be officially declared non-Muslims. Tensions escalated, culminating in violent riots in Punjab in 1953, which prompted the first use of martial law in Pakistan. Pressure mounted in the 1970s and, in 1974, the government officially declared Ahmadis to be non-Muslims, effectively legitimising social and legal discrimination against them.

During the 1980s under military ruler Zia ul-Haq, a new ordinance criminalised key religious practices by Ahmadis, including the use of Islamic terms and public worship. Successive civilian governments during the 1980s and 1990s, including that of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, upheld these laws, denying Ahmadis any official concessions and maintaining their status as non-Muslims. Many Ahmadis fled abroad, establishing communities in the UK, Germany and North America.

Persecution has continued into the 21st century, including deadly attacks on mosques. This has forced the community to practise their faith cautiously and often in private, while diaspora networks support education, charity and religious life.

Answer: Egypt

The Copts are a Christian minority in Egypt who are primarily associated with the Coptic Orthodox Church. Historically, the term "copt" referred to all native Egyptian speakers, but following the Arabisation and Islamisation of Egypt, it became almost exclusively associated with Christians. The majority of Copts are Miaphysite Christians, although smaller numbers belong to Coptic Catholic, Protestant or non-denominational communities. It is estimated that they make up 5-10% of Egypt's total population.

Copts have faced discrimination and violence for centuries. Following the Islamic conquest, those who did not convert to Islam were subject to a head tax (jizya). In modern times, they continue to experience social, economic and political marginalisation, restrictions on the construction of churches and periodic attacks by extremist groups. This violence has included massacres in El-Kosheh (2001), attacks on churches in Alexandria (2006), shootings during religious festivals and bombings claimed by ISIS in 2017. The 2011 revolution and the subsequent political instability have also led to renewed attacks on Copts and their properties.

Many Copts have emigrated due to these pressures, establishing communities across Europe and North America. In German-speaking countries, for example, active congregations can be found in cities such as Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart and Vienna.

Answer: Mount Sinjar

The Yazidis are a Kurdish-speaking religious minority with ancient roots in northern Mesopotamia. Their faith blends pre-Islamic, Christian and Islamic elements and is centred on the worship of Melek Taus, the Peacock Angel. The spiritual heart of the Yazidis is Lalish, a valley in northern Iraq which is the main site of pilgrimage and religious life.

For centuries, the Yazidis have faced repeated persecution and been accused of heresy by surrounding Muslim majorities. Under Ottoman rule, massacres and forced conversions were commonplace, and subsequent Iraqi governments restricted their rights and forcibly resettled them. The Yazidis' most severe tragedy occurred in 2014 when ISIS fighters attacked Sinjar, killing thousands of men and enslaving women and children. Tens of thousands fled to Mount Sinjar, where they were besieged without food or water until international airdrops and Kurdish forces established a safe corridor. These attacks are widely regarded as genocide.

Today, Yazidis continue to practise their faith under threat. Many remain displaced in northern Iraq, while others have emigrated to Germany and other countries such as Armenia or Georgia. Germany now hosts the largest diaspora of around 200,000 people.

Answer: Afghanistan

The Hazara are an ethnic group who primarily live in the Bamiyan Valley in central Afghanistan, also known as Hazarajat or Hazaristan. Smaller communities also exist in Pakistan, mainly in Quetta, as well as in Iran, Australia and parts of Europe. They speak the Hazaragi dialect of Persian and are predominantly Shia Muslim, unlike the Sunni majority in Afghanistan.

Historically, the Hazara have faced severe persecution. In the 1890s, the Afghan ruler Abdur Rahman Khan carried out massacres and deportations, killing or displacing up to two-thirds of the population. During the 20th century and the subsequent Afghan civil wars, the Hazara were repeatedly targeted by the Taliban and extremist groups in Pakistan. Nevertheless, they have made significant strides in education and politics. Notable figures include Habiba Sarabi, the former governor of Bamiyan, and Sima Samar, a doctor and politician.

Following the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan in 2021, the Hazara people have once again been persecuted and displaced, and they continue to face threats from Islamic State attacks outside Hazarajat.

Answer: Baháʼís

The Bahá'í Faith originated in 19th-century Persia (modern-day Iran), and it is now the largest religious minority in the country, with between 300,000 and 400,000 followers. Bahá'ís believe in the ongoing revelation of God through successive messengers. This conflicts with Islamic orthodoxy, which regards Muhammad as the final prophet. Due to this theological difference, as well as their cosmopolitan and non-nationalist outlook, Bahá'ís are considered heretical and politically suspicious, particularly under the Islamic Republic of Iran, which does not recognise them as an official religious minority.

The persecution of Bahá'ís in Iran is systematic and state-sanctioned and targets their civil, economic, social and cultural rights. Since the 19th century, they have faced executions, pogroms, property confiscation and restrictions on education and employment. After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, persecution intensified: Bahá'í holy sites were destroyed, leaders were executed, students were expelled and community institutions were dismantled. Arbitrary arrests, torture and propaganda campaigns continue alongside the exclusion of Bahá'ís from universities, public jobs and access to basic services. The government also pressures Bahá'ís to renounce their faith, threatening imprisonment or worse for non-compliance.

The Bahá'í community has responded with resilience, creating institutions like the Bahá'í Institute for Higher Education to provide alternative education for students barred from Iranian universities. International organisations, governments and the UN have repeatedly condemned Iran's treatment of Bahá'ís.

Answer: Uyghurs

The Uyghurs are a Turkic-speaking, predominantly Muslim ethnic group native to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwestern China. They have a rich cultural heritage of Central Asian, Islamic and Chinese influences and have historically practised a form of Sunni Islam with distinct customs, traditional music and a unique script derived from Arabic. Their society has long centred on cities such as Kashgar, Hotan and Urumqi, which were important Silk Road hubs.

Since the 20th century, the Uyghurs have experienced periods of political and cultural marginalisation, a situation which has intensified sharply in recent decades. The Chinese government has implemented strict security measures and policies under the guise of combating religious extremism and separatism. These measures include mass surveillance, forced assimilation programmes, restrictions on religious practices and widespread detention in so-called "re-education camps", where people are reportedly subjected to political indoctrination, forced labour and abuse. There have also been reports of the destruction of mosques and cultural sites, as well as restrictions on the Uyghur language in schools. Human rights organisations and international observers describe these policies as systematic and potentially amounting to cultural genocide.

Despite this repression, Uyghur communities continue to preserve their traditions, often in private or in diaspora communities across Central Asia, Turkey, Europe and North America. They maintain their distinct music, dance, cuisine, and religious observances, resisting efforts to erase their cultural identity.

Answer: Senegal

The Serer people are mainly found in Senegal, although there are also smaller communities in The Gambia and Mauritania. They have faced religious and ethnic persecution for a long time, since the 11th century. Initially, Muslim rulers attempted to force them to convert to Islam, leading to wars and jihads and causing those who resisted Islamisation to migrate southwards. The Serer lamanic class, who acted as priests and landowners, played a central role in defending their religion and social structure. Notable historical conflicts include the Battle of Fandane-Thiouthioune, in which the Serer successfully resisted Muslim forces, as well as ongoing skirmishes throughout the medieval and colonial eras.

The Serer were also persecuted by Christian European colonists, particularly during the Atlantic slave trade and French colonial expansion. Often misinformed by Wolof intermediaries, Europeans viewed the Serer as hostile or "uncivilised" for resisting conversion, slavery and land concessions. The Serer repeatedly defended their kingdoms against incursions by the Portuguese, Venetians and French, notably during the 19th-century battles of Djilas and Logandčme. Despite military defeats and the assassination of leaders, the Serer people maintained cultural cohesion.

Today, while overt persecution has decreased, the Serer continue to experience prejudice. Their resilience has preserved their distinct ethnic identity, traditional religion and cultural heritage and established them as one of the most historically resistant groups in West Africa to assimilation pressures from both Islam and Christianity.

Answer: Old Believers

The Old Believers are a group within the Russian Orthodox Church that split in the mid-17th century in opposition to liturgical reforms introduced by Patriarch Nikon. These reforms aimed to align Russian religious practices with those of the Greek Orthodox Church. They affected rituals, church texts and the manner in which the sign of the cross was made. Those who refused to adopt these changes were labelled heretics, a term that carried severe social and legal consequences.

The Russian state and church authorities systematically persecuted the Old Believers: they were fined, imprisoned, executed and exiled en masse, often to remote regions such as Siberia, where they could live in relative isolation. Despite this harsh treatment, the Old Believers preserved their religious rites, including their distinctive liturgical practices, iconography and singing styles. They also maintained strong communal networks.

Over the centuries, some groups emigrated to other countries and established communities in Eastern Europe, North America and South America. These diaspora communities helped safeguard Old Believer traditions and identity. The Old Believers also developed a distinct social and economic culture, often focusing on crafts, trade, and agriculture as a means of survival under persecution. Today, while the Russian Orthodox Church has formally reconciled with many Old Believer communities, some groups remain independent and continue centuries-old practices.

Answer: Syria

The Druze are a monotheistic religious minority in Syria, numbering around 700,000 people (approximately 3.2 per cent of the population). They primarily reside in rural, mountainous regions like Jabal al-Druze, the As-Suwayda Governorate, the Harim Mountains, and the southeastern slopes of Mount Hermon. The Druze faith historically developed from Isma'ili Islam, but is now considered an independent religion. Most Druze do not identify as Muslim.

Throughout history, the Druze have faced opposition and attacks from various Muslim regimes, including the Fatimid, Ayyubid, Mamluk and Ottoman authorities. In the 20th century, the Syrian government under Adib Shishakli conducted military campaigns against the Druze in Jabal al-Druze, resulting in civilian casualties and the destruction of property.

During the Syrian civil war, Druze communities were affected by violence, including the Qalb Loze massacre in 2015 and the 2018 attacks in Suwayda, which caused hundreds of deaths. In 2025, clashes between Druze communities, Syrian government forces and Bedouin groups resulted in further casualties and displacement. The Druze have historically maintained secrecy regarding their beliefs and adopted a cautious approach to integrating with surrounding communities.