Stories about Religion from February, 2008
India: Hazrat Nizamuddin
Indian Muslims Blog on the shrine of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya in Delhi.
Exchange Student ‘Starved’ in Egypt
Elijah Zarwan, from Egypt, discusses a wire story about a 17-year-old American exchange student who was allegedly ‘starved’ after being paired with a Christian Coptic family, which fasts for 200 days a year.
Jamaica: This and That
Jamaica and the World puts in her two cents’ worth on everything from a Minister being charged with fraud to the island's roller-coaster crime rate.
Poland: Giertych's Fear of Feminism
The beatroot reports on Maciej Giertych's fear of feminism.
Iraq: Kissenger and the Persian Dreams
‘Kissinger thinks (or at least he pretends to think) that Iran has dreams of rekindling old Persian dreams of domination. He also says Bush will be looked upon more favorably in less than 50 years,” writes Iraqi blogger Abbas Hawazin, who further explains his position from a possible civil war...
Iraq: Ben Kerishan and Wahhabism
Emirati Ben Kerishan blogger (Arabic) provides a concise, humorous and insightful summary of the history of development of Salafist Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia, one of the most dangerous evils in our present world, writes Iraqi blogger Abbas Hawazin in this post.
EGYPT: Muslim Brotherhood Trial Postponed
“The verdict in the military trial of 40 leading members of the Muslim Brotherhood has been postponed until March 25, according to friends who went out to Haikstep Military Base today in the hope of being the first to hear,” writes Elijah Zarwan, from Egypt.
Algeria: Arabs Against Zionism
Algerian blogger Nouri shares his observations on anti-Zionist sentiments among Arabs – of different religions.
Cuba: Cardinal Points
“Nowhere in the world has the Catholic Church been a greater force for evil than in Cuba,” according to Review of Cuban-American Blogs. Babalu is not impressed with Cardinal Bertone's recent visit either.
Jamaica: Domestic Violence
Blogging from Jamaica, ClaudeMills.com examines possible push factors in cases of domestic violence.
Sudan: Boycott anything Danish
“This is so utterly silly,” writes Sudanese Thinker after the Sudanese president orders people to boycott Danish goods: “Okay so let’s see. First, a Danish newspaper prints a bunch of cartoons depicting the Prophet (which is nothing new). Next thing we know, Islamists mobilize anger and all hell breaks lose,...
Kenya: Msafara Initiative
Pastor M introduces Msafara Initiative in Kenya: “The Msafara initiative continues to gather momentum. Check out the new website www.msafara.co.ke to learn more about how you can be involved. Many churches across Kenya have signed on to Msafara and many more are signing on! Churches involved so far come from...
Kenya: Democracy as a spiritual battle
Wheels of Hope in Kenya takes a spiritual path to heal the nation: “The battle for Kenya is a spiritual battle: a battle waged by the forces of darkness against the nation and fought in the spiritual realms. Demonic spells were cast over different cities in the nation in the...
Barbados, Jamaica: Abortion Debate
Blogging from Barbados, Gallimaufry draws attention to the issue of legalising abortions in the Caribbean.
Abu Aardvark: Doha Notes
Abu Aardvark attended the Brookings Institution's annual US-Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar, and shares his thoughts about the event and the people he met here.
Egypt: Monopoly on Backwardness
Elijah Zarwan, from Egypt, links to a story of an Israeli MP blaming the recent earthquake on gays and comments: “Lest anyone think that we in the Muslim world have a monopoly on backwardness and comical fundamentalism.”
Pakistan: Why is YouTube blocked?
YouTube appears to be blocked in Pakistan, All Things Pakistan points out that this may have a political rather than a “cultural” reason – given that a number of videos of election rigging were posted.
Morocco: Hijab as a Choice
Much has been said about "the veil," or hijab. Perhaps too much - mention it, and suddenly everyone - Muslim or not - is an expert. In Morocco, hijab is certainly a choice. Young and old alike don the headscarf, and in big cities, seeing it is as common as not seeing it. Although in rural areas it is more prevalent, all women have (legal) freedom of choice whether or not to wear it.
Egypt: 150 Muslim Brotherhood Members in the Dock
Security forces arrested at least 70 members of the Muslim Brotherhood in predawn raids around the country this morning, bringing the total number of members arrested in the past week to at least 150, writes Elijah Zarwan, from Egypt.
Barbados: Hair Them Out
“Why should these young men be barred from finishing their studies and leading productive lives because they made a hairstyle choice?”: Cheese-on-bread! blogs about the latest controversy in Barbados – students being banned from classes because of how they choose to wear their hair.
Jordan: Wikipedia and Prophet Muhammad
Another storm is brewing in the Arab world regarding the depiction of Prophet Muhammed in drawings after Wikipedia refused the demands of more than 180,000 people who called for the illustrations to be removed. Here's the latest buzz from the Middle East.