Stories about Religion from March, 2008
Bosnia & Herzegovina: New UNESCO Heritage Site; New Cross Memorial
Elia Varela Serra reviews bloggers' reactions to one of the main news in the Bosnian blogosphere this week: the addition of the Višegrad stone bridge to UNESCO's World Heritage List. Also, she reports on the controversy caused by plans to build a memorial to the Serbian war victims in Sarajevo.
China: Responses to the Dalai Lama's appeal
As Lhasa has supposedly quieted down, the anti-CNN.com crowd has gone off the deep end, that might be worth exploring more. The death threats they've been making towards Western media representatives stationed in China certainly haven't gone unnoticed. On Mutant Palm blogger Davesgonechina's list of links chosen in a move...
Pakistan: Updating the Azaan
Five Rupees from Pakistan thinks that the traditional way of calling the faithful to pray – the Azaan is a bit outdated.
Bangladesh: On Wilders’ Fitna
a bengali in TO has a look at Geert Wilders’ Fitna and finds it unimpressive and amateurish even for a rant.
Netherlands: What is the problem,Mr.Wilders?
Kamangir,an Iranian blogger, shares his idea about Geert Wilders’ famous video:”the video contradicts itself when at the end it asks for the Islamic ideology to be defeated. If that’s what you are asking for, Mr. Wilders, which I totally agree with you in it, then why offend billions of Muslims?”
India: Right Wing and Films
La Dolce Vita takes a closer look at Geert Wilders, a Dutch right wing parliamentarian who is in the news for making an anti-Islam film.
South Asia: Anti-Islam film
Voice of South on a controversial anti-Islam film made by a member of the Dutch parliament.
Algeria: Kosovo and the Islamic Ummah
Algerian Nouri Luhemiya writes about Kosovo and the Islamic Ummah.
Taiwan: Religious buildings–a way to explore how cultures mix
The popular image of multi-culturalism as a mosaic, a salad bowl in which different cultures mix but keep their integrity, is misleading. Cultures are more like soups, flavored with many ingredients, some identifiable. –From the book ‘Cultures and societies in a changing world,’ written by Wendy Griswold. Taiwan has a...
Afghanistan: UK Judges to Learn Sharia?
Sanjar reports that recently the Anglican Church's Archbishop Dr. Rowan Williams expressed that there was nothing wrong with the British legal system adopting some laws from Islamic shari'a and implementing them for British citizens of the Islamic faith.
Czech Republic: “A Scary Masterpiece”
Czechmatediary.com writes about the Bone Church of the town of Kutna Hora.
El Salvador: Sand Carpets During Easter Week
On Holy Friday in El Salvador, many faithful continue the tradition of creating sand carpets on the streets of the cities. Hunnapuh [es] collects images of these colorful creations.
Arabeyes: Bloggers Indifferent to Magdi Allam's Conversion to Catholicism
During Easter weekend, Pope Benedict XVI baptized several adults into Catholicism. Among them was Magdi Allam, an Egyptian-born Muslim who has lived in Italy for more than half his life and is known as a critic of Islamic extremism.
Guyana: Learning to Live
“The confusion I come to is this – something new growing in we the people”: Guyana-Gyal says that her fellow Guyanese are “learning to live despite the threats of badness, despite the thought that any minute, Fine Man and he pack can savage again.”
Central and Eastern Europe: Easter Roundup
Adventures in Wheelville marks Easter in Slovenia; Polandian writes about the “ingredients” of “the nationwide ‘holiday shuffle'” in Poland, and Kinuk describes her family's Polish holiday feast; Csíkszereda Musings writes about the first Easter of the two, which are “are over a month apart” in Romania this year; Bojan's Blog...
Ukraine: Construction in Kyiv
Ukrainiana writes about undesirable construction that is changing Kyiv – here and here (with photos and video).
Uzbekistan: Islam in Fergana Valley
Libertad writes about Islamic trends in Fergana valley and new religious group emerged in Kokand city.
Czech Republic, Slovakia: Whipping Girls and Other Easter Traditions
Easter is a very important celebration both in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, called Velikonoce - from Veliké noci or Great Nights. Although the religious connotations of Easter were suppressed under the communist regime, nowadays Czechs and Slovaks are again aware of the strong Christian background of Easter, although they regard it as mostly fun times. Many traditions are still observed, especially in villages. Several bloggers have been describing some of them.
Lebanon: Easter Morning
Diamond in Sunlight shares with us her Easter Morning in Beirut.
Brazil: The end of the Burning of Judas
Once one of the most popular Easter-time rituals in Brazil, the ‘Burning of Judas‘ is disappearing from the streets of Rio de Janeiro, as noticed Jorge Alberto [pt].
Moroccans Celebrate Eid el Mawlid en-Nabaoui, the Prophet's Birthday
Eid el Mawlid en-Nabaoui, or the Celebration of the Prophet Muhammed's Birth took place yesterday in Morocco and throughout much of the Sunni Muslim world. It's an official holiday in Morocco, celebrated with street processions and other festivities.
