Stories about Ethnicity & Race from December, 2009
Overcoming negative stereotypes in the South Caucasus
An online project using new and social media to overcome negative stereotypes in the South Caucasus entered a second stage last week when two blogging Azerbaijani journalism students and a Georgian blogger joined in the initiative.
Poland, China: Lack of Response to Akmal Shaikh's Case
Polandian writes about Poland's lack of response to the execution of Akmal Shaikh in China: “[…] Akmal spent quite some time in Poland, was married to a Pole and is survived by two Polish children. The question was therefore raised as to why Poland did not join in the call...
Azerbaijan: Standing in line
Newly returned to Baku, Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines posts its observations on queuing in Azerbaijan. The blogger is not impressed and in a previous post also laments the state of the medical system in the country.
Slovakia: Coal That Does Not Burn
Tibor Blazko writes about Slovaks being fooled into buying coal from Poland that does not burn, but not taking legal action to fight fraud, and translates a few comments that show how differently Slovaks view what has happened.
Pakistan: Debunking Myths About Shias
There are some myths and misconceptions in Pakistan about the Shia sect of Muslims. Faisal Kapadia at Deadpan Thoughts starts a series to debunk those myths.
Moldova: Public Menorah Crushed in Chisinau
Eternal Remont writes about the destruction of a public menorah in the capital of Moldova and cites a response issued by the Russian Orthodox Church: “We believe that this unpleasant incident could have been avoided if the menorah had been placed near a memorial for victims of the Holocaust.”
Israel: A Day of Bedouin Hospitality
Jerusalem Gypsy recounts her day trip to visit the Rashaida Bedouins of southern Israel where she milked a camel, was counseled on Arabic music, and learned the value of sheep's versus goat's wool blankets.
Israel: National Policy Needed for Foreign Workers
Amir Mizroch advocates for a national policy to protect foreign workers in Israel. “You could see the migrant worker story as an inevitable cultural and economic phenomenon with huge potential benefits to Israel. Fields get tilled and houses get built. We enjoy their culture and they enjoy ours. Call it...
Poland: Language and Identity Abroad
Raf Uzar writes about the Polish language and identity abroad – here and here.
Romania: Hungarian Minority Politics
Hungarian Spectrum writes about the Hungarian minority politics of the recent presidential election in Romania.
Russia: “Cyber-Tatars”
Evgeny Morozov reviews the newest issue of Digital Icons (formerly known as the Russian Cyberspace Journal), which includes Dilyara Suleymanova's article that “explores how Tatar groups use Vkontakte, one of Russia's most popular social networks, for constructing and negotiating their ethnic identity.”
Israel: Separate But Equal?
Promised Land's Noam Sheizaf provides a comprehensive breakdown of the history and potential future of a new amendment to Israel's Basic Law on Human Dignity and Freedom, that, he says, “might officially turn Israel into a democracy for Jews only.”
Israel: Unwelcome Visitors in Jaffa's Ajami Mosque
Yudit of the Occupied blog questions why armed Israeli settlers would enter an Islamic mosque in Jaffa. “Was it to repectfully view the grave of Ibrahim Ajami? The ajami mosque, unlike some other beautiful Jaffa mosques, is not of great beauty. Not a place a tourist wold go out of...
Poland: ‘Arbeit Macht Frei’ Sign Stolen from Auschwitz
Last Friday morning, the sign ‘Arbeit Macht Frei‘ ('Work Sets You Free') was stolen from the gate of former Nazi death camp in Auschwitz, near Krakow. The theft caused many speculations but also serious reactions from the Polish government, museum authorities, Jewish organisations and the public online.
Qatar: Critiques bristle; calls to shut down popular online forum
A series of scathing posts on Qatar Living, an popular online forum, prompts locals to call for site's demise. Campaign not against all expats, says founder of anti-QL Facebook group.
No Indians Allowed
Haagen Dazs, an International ice-cream brand had opened its Delhi outlet and the sign on the door read, “Access restricted only to holders of international passports.” Like many Indian bloggers, J Srinivasan at Desicritics is outraged.
Azerbaijan: Education, free thought and development
Following a previous post from Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines on European concerns with the situation of freedom of expression in Azerbaijan, and especially following the imprisonment of video blogging youth activists Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli, the blog comments on remarks made by the country's Minister of Education. The...
Armenia: Embracing multiculturalism
Ianyan hosts a guest post responding to nationalist perceptions of identity, culture and language. The entry concludes that all nations and ethnic groups absorb other influences, benefiting from such a reality greatly while also evolving into something with their own unique peculiarities.
Philippines: Learning Hiligaynon
Tuon ‘Ta Hiligaynon is a tutorial blog on simplified Hiligaynon, one of the main languages in the Philippines.
Egypt: Synagogue Gone … Synagone
Bloggers and online activists in Egypt are calling for saving an old synagogue, currently used as an office for the National Democratic Party - the country's ruling party. Marwa Rakha sums up reactions in this post.
Armenia: Music Awards
Ianyan covers the 10th annual Armenian Music Awards in Los Angeles. The blog also live tweeted the event on her Twitter account.
