Global Scans · Religion · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: Huge growth is expected over the next several decades as the world's Muslim population grows faster than every other major religious demographic, and as urbanization and rising incomes in developing countries with large Muslim populations mean more will be buying, rather than producing their own food.

• [New] The recent war between Israel and Iran, though short of regime change, is expected to catalyze major transformations in Iran's Islamic Republic. The Cipher Brief
• [New] Iran reportedly sent Trump the threat at the G7 summit earlier this month and warned that the Islamic Republic could activate sleeper cells from within the US. Counter Extremism Project
• [New] Iran cannot triumph in that struggle, and defeat could spell the end of the Islamic Republic, at least in its current form. Financial Times
• [New] Like Afghanistan, the militias that will come from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps will have the Taliban's advantage of home action, guaranteeing a long war. Acled
• [New] Senior Iranian regime officials accused Israel of committing crimes for violating the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic and threatened that the Zionist regime would pay a heavy price. The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center
• Fears about Iran's nuclear program among Western and Arab nations have grown in recent years because the Islamic Republic has enriched uranium far beyond the levels needed for civilian purposes such as fueling nuclear power plants. Fortune
• Israel now sees an opportunity to press its advantage, to expand the Gaza war east into a broader regional campaign that would deal a decisive blow to Iran, put an end to its Axis once and for all, and even force the collapse of the Islamic Republic. Financial Times
• After high-profile strikes involving exploding pagers and walkie-talkies targeting Hezbollah operatives in the Islamic Republic, Israel recently took aim at Iran's nuclear programme - the greatest existential threat the Jewish state faces. CapX
• Iran has arrested dozens of people on suspicion of spying as fears grow in the Islamic Republic over the extent of its infiltration by Israel's Mossad intelligence service. News-Press NOW
• Israel could hit military bases or strongholds of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and may focus on disarming Iran's air force to curtail its ability to strike Israel again. The i Paper
• Israel's targeting of the educational, cultural and religious life of the Palestinian people will harm the present generations and generations to come, hindering their right to self-determination. The Independent
• Russia has no interest in a U.S. or Israeli strike on Iran, which could destabilize or even collapse the Islamic Republic. Meduza
• Reluctant to join the new Syrian forces, foreign fighters might create independent groups, defy central authority, or work with other extremist organizations such as the Islamic State. SpecialEurasia
• The Gulf Arab states, like Israel, worried that the United States, in its push for the nuclear accord, was ignoring the growing regional threat posed by the Islamic Republic and its proxies. Foreign Affairs Magazine
• Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, emphasized the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program and stated that the Islamic Republic is prepared for inspections of its nuclear facilities but will not accept bullying. Iran Front Page
• Iran's arch-foe Israel, which sees Iran's nuclear program as an existential threat, has repeatedly threatened to bomb the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. BusinessWorld Online
• Digital solutions based on Islamic finance principles are in demand not only in Muslim countries, offering Kazakhstan an opportunity to export its fintech innovations. The Astana Times
• Western nations may pursue a censure of Iran at the Board of Governors at the International Atomic Energy Agency - which could see them ultimately invoke the so-called snapback of U.N. sanctions on the Islamic Republic. New Delhi Times
• A Romanian man has pleaded guilty in a US federal court to leading a widespread swatting and bomb threat campaign that targeted more than 75 public officials, religious institutions, and journalists across the United States. Romania Insider
• Iran's arch-foe Israel, which sees Iran's nuclear programme as an existential threat, has repeatedly threatened to bomb the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. The Hindu
• In April, Christian leaders and nonprofits reportedly lobbied the Trump administration to carve out an exception for Afghan Christians who they warned may face persecution if returned to the Taliban-controlled country. Klasko Immigration Law Partners, LLP
• Since Assad's fall, Israel has launched airstrikes, seized a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone inside Syria and threatened to invade to protect the Druze religious minority after Druze factions clashed with the new Syrian security forces under al-Sharaa. Yahoo News
• There are fears that the U.S. scaling back, especially in volatile regions like the Sahel, where al-Qaida and Islamic State operate, risks losing ground to extremists. allAfrica.com

Last updated: 30 June 2025