Stories about Ethnicity & Race from August, 2009
China: Han's prejudices and discriminations towards Uyghur
The July 5 Xinjiang riot has passed over a month and the majority of Chinese netizens are still blaming the West and Rebiya Kadeer for promoting Xinjiang separatist movements. Nevertheless, there are some whispering voices popping up here and there in the Chinese Internet, like this one sentence comment at...
Poland, UK: “Polish Action”
Sylwia Presley posts a review of a “new portal, Polish Action, dedicated to promotion of a positive image of Poles abroad.”
Slovakia, Hungary: New Slovak Language Law
Hungarian Spectrum writes about the new Slovak language law and reviews Hungarian reactions: “Is this a new effort to fuel nationalism despite, or perhaps because of, membership in the EU?”
Bermuda: Challenging the Status Quo
“Why is it that when it comes down to that final vote Bermudians get scared and stick with the status quo?”: 21 Square examines the island's political climate, while Bermuda Jewel wonders if white Bermudians are politically irrelevant.
China: Everyday life cultural conflicts in Xinjiang
Tim, a foreign teacher in Xinjiang university, blogs about the cultural conflicts and misunderstandings between Hans and Uyghurs in daily life. He has censored himself from addressing the issue in the past month but finally speaks up.
Pakistan: Condemning Gojra Riots
Last Saturday riots broke out in the Gojra town of Pakistan over alleged desecration of the Holy Quran and houses of the local Christian community were set on fire leaving seven people burnt to death and eighteen others severely injured. The widespread communal violence has been condemned severely by the Pakistani blogosphere.
Israel: LGBT center shooting in Tel-Aviv
It is becoming ever more evident that Saturday's deadly shooting at a Tel Aviv LGBT center was a product of pure hate. Gilad Lotan sums up from reactions from Hebrew blogs.
Pakistan: A Simple Misunderstanding At Gojra
Communal violence in Gojra, Paksitan took the life of eight Christians including four women and one child. Hamid Abbasi at Chowrangi calls it a shame and wonders how a *simple misunderstanding* could bring the whole city on the verge of a civil war.
Caucasus: An interview with Bart Woord
International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY) Secretary General Bart Woord took time out to speak to Global Voices Online about the role new media can play in the region and the case of Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli, two video bloggers recently detained in Baku on what many consider to be politically motivated charges.
India: Communal Hypocrisy
Prerna at I love life… so I explore writes about the tradition of being selective when renting houses in India and opines that the use of minority card against it when convenient “is not going to benefit the cause of the people who are being discriminated”.
Lebanon: Armenian quarter
The Los Angeles Times blog posts an entry on Beirut's Armenia quarter of Bourj Hammoud and a photo exhibition currently underway which explores the community. The entry includes a video report.
Caucasus: An interview with Micael Bogar
With three frozen conflicts and many ethnic fault lines, peace and stability in the South Caucasus often seems unreachable. After living and working in the the region for many years, Micael Bogar is now Projects Manager at the American University's Center for Social Media and speaks to Global Voices Online on the potential for new media tools to circumvent divisions and bring estranged neighbors together.
