Stories about Ethnicity & Race from January, 2011
Jamaica: Skin Bleaching
“All of a sudden the problem of skin bleaching is in the spotlight and we have top DJ Vybz Kartel to thank for it”: Active Voice explains.
Taiwan: Responses to “Chinese mothers” article
An article in the Wall Street Journal by Amy Chua about the parenting practices of “Chinese mothers” provoked many strong reactions. Taiwan bloggers Taiwan-Born American and shu flies responded to the article by writing about their own experiences as Taiwanese-Americans.
Russia: Internet for Tatar Diaspora
Paul Goble writes about the role of the Internet in connecting dispersed Tatar communities both in Russia and abroad. “… the Tatnet is thus serving as a virtual space in which all of them can come together, something Tatars in Kazan have long dreamed of but up until now they...
Armenia: Gay Russia
Unzipped: Gay Armenia reviews a documentary from three years ago on homosexuality in Russia. However, the blog notes, two of the gay men documented in the film are Armenians and concludes that it would be useful to screen the film in Armenia proper.
Pakistan: Protest Against Incitement To Violence
Citizens For Democracy writes a letter to the Chief Justice of Pakistan requesting for Suo Moto action against a cleric of the Mohabat Khan mosque Peshawar who had offered a reward for the murder of Aasia Noreen if the Lahore High Court acquits her.
Jordan: Solutions to Rising Sectarianism
A series of events in Jordan are raising concern of increased sectarianism between Jordanians of Transjordanian and Palestinian descent, as well as increased violence between tribes of Transjordanian origin. Betsy takes a closer look at the dialogue taking place online.
Christmas in Armenia and Georgia… and on Twitter
While Christmas was observed in the West on 25 December, other countries instead celebrated it earlier this week. In Armenia, however, it even became a trending topic on Twitter .
Egypt: New Year's Eve Church Bombing Draws Condemnation
Egyptian bloggers react to the worst church bombing in over a decade, where 21 people were killed, and another 79 injured during a New Year’s mass in a Coptic cathedral in Alexandria in this post by Tarek Amr.
Nigeria: Attacks in Northern Nigeria are ethno-religious
Yomi Ogunsanya argues that attacks in Northern Nigeria are mostly ethno-religious: “My concern is with the deliberate denial, by Nigerian leaders and theocratic elite, that most, if not all the violence we have seen in, particularly, Northern Nigeria, are attributable to religion or ethnicity or both.”
Armenia: Charity or Mismanagement?
The Truth Must Be Told [AM/EN] posts a two-part examination of the work of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, a charitable organization which attracts annually appeals for donations from Armenians worldwide. However, the blog says, with senior government figures on its Board of Trustees, the fund's work is overshadowed by allegations...
United States: Serbian Couple Struggles to Get Children Back
A U.S.-based Serbian couple Vuk and Verica Nastic have been going through hell since June 2010, when the U.S. Child Protection Agency (CPA) took away their children, son Damjan, 8, and daughter Nastasija, 5, because of alleged negligence and sexual abuse.