· March, 2009

Stories about Ethnicity & Race from March, 2009

Palestine: Land Day

body on the line’s Palestine-based author writes about her experience with Land Day. The blogger visited towns in which Palestinians have resisted as well as the towns and villages of her friends.

Taiwan: Buddhist master creates controversy

  31 March 2009

Buddhist Master Hsing Yun created controversy at an international Buddhist conference when he claimed, “There are no Taiwanese in Taiwan and Taiwanese are all Chinese.” Taiwan blogs The View from Taiwan and Letters from Taiwan both write about how Buddhism is being used for political purposes.

Hong Kong and the Philippines: Satire or racism?

  31 March 2009

A Senate leader in the Philippines just filed a resolution condemning a Hong Kong writer Chip Tsao for his article “The War at Home” in HK Magazine (originally published on 27 of March). Now the article has been taken down in the website but the Senate Resolution also asked the...

France, Americas, Africa: The “Y'a Bon” Awards

  30 March 2009

On March 17th 2009, a group called les Indivisibles [Fr] launched the “Y'a Bon Awards”, a dubious honour bestowed upon politicians, journalists, or any public officials who have contributed to the spreading of racism in France. The Awards have sprung from reactions to a century-long advertising campaign that has not sat well with most black people in France.

Palestine: The Changing Face of Jerusalem

  30 March 2009

Ned, who lives in Ramallah, writes about the changes he has seen taking place in Jerusalem: “Israel is clearly trying to change the whole face of Jerusalem, making it more Jewish than it has ever been. In the process, thousands of Arabs are losing their right to live in the...

Armenia: Blogger Interview

  30 March 2009

The DOTCOM project which brings together Armenian, Azeri and U.S. teenage bloggers has now updated its interview with Arzu Geybullayeva with one conducted with Global Voices Online's Caucasus Regional Editor Onnik Krikorian. In particular, the potential for blogs and online social networking sites to cross geographical and geopolitical divides is...

Israel: A Letter to Bernard Kouchner

Dr Hatim Kanaaneh has written an open letter to Bernard Kouchner, French foreign minister: “The news that you have preemptively spoken against any official objection to the expected appointment of Avigdor Lieberman to the post of Foreign Minister of Israel distresses me. … (As) a Palestinian citizen of Israel…Mr. Lieberman...

Palestine: Experiencing Contempt in Egypt

Gull from the Gaza Beach is angry with Egypt: “The overwhelming majority of Palestinians who passed through Cairo International Airport have a stock of stories about the humiliation to which they are exposed … The Egyptian government contributes to the suffering of the Palestinian people.”

Cuba: Antúnez Surrounded

  25 March 2009

Uncommon Sense and Octavo Cerco share their thoughts on reports that the Cuban police “have surrounded the home of Cuban dissident Jorge Luis García Pérez (Antúnez), who for more than a month has [led] a hunger strike to protest abuses by the Castro dictatorship.”

Israel: The Language of Taxis

Rasha Helwa, who is a Palestinian citizen of Israel living in Acre (and describes herself as living in Palestine), has written a series of short posts at her blog Zaghroda about her thoughts when taking shared taxis, and on the significance of the language - Arabic or Hebrew - that the driver chooses to use.

Azerbaijan: Cultural Clash

  24 March 2009

Scary Azeri in Suburbs remembers a visit from her teenage years to the mountain village of Ismailli. The blog says the trips were always a welcome escape from the summer heat of the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, but the blogger also remembers that they also highlighted the cultural differences between the...

Pakistan Day And The Lawyers’ Movement

  24 March 2009

Pakistanis celebrated Pakistan day yesterday. Chapaty Mystery discussed the significance of the day and mentioned how the recent successful lawyers’ movement has provided “an opportunity for Pakistan to undertake a serious re-consideration of its self-conception.”