· May, 2010

Stories about Religion from May, 2010

Maldives: A Non Muslim In the 100% Muslim Nation

  31 May 2010

Hasan Ziayu reports about a Maldivian who openly announced his disbelief in Islam on state television and was detained by police. Now the dilemma is: one cannot become a Maldivian unless he is a Muslim, but since the person is already a citizen, what will happen to his citizenship?

Bangladesh: Facebook Temporarily Blocked

  30 May 2010

Bangladesh has become the second country in Asia after Pakistan to block the entire Facebook domain. Bangladeshi bloggers are expressing their astonishment, anger and protest against this ban.

France : A Legal Review of the Burqa Ban Bill

  29 May 2010

A lawyers blog Mieux connaître vos droits en Europe ponders the legal aspects of the French burqa ban bill (fr). Earlier,  the blog also  posted the main points of the bill and a survey of reactions from officials (fr).

Pakistan: Minorities At Peril

  28 May 2010

“The thirty years of state sponsored “true” Islam is showing its colors. In Pakistan all the minorities are constantly harassed and state’s protection has often proved completely ineffective when a serious attack occurs,” comments Raza Habib Raja at Pak Tea House while discussing the attacks on the religious sites of...

Secularism in France from a Foreigner's Perspective

  26 May 2010

Art Goldhammer, from French Politics blog, links to Eric Fassin‘s article in Le Monde (fr) and the NSAE's blog quotes in extenso from the article that describes French secularism in the style of the  Persian Letters (fr).

Egypt: Crackdown on the Egyptian Da Vinci Code

Dr Youssef Zidane's 2008 Azazeel created a stir, followed by resentment, when it was first published. Today, Dr Zidane is being accused of blasphemy and defaming Christianity and as insulting any of the 'heavenly faiths' is illegal in Egypt, he could face up to five years behind bars. Bloggers react to the development.

India: River Bath Festivals

  24 May 2010

Ram Banshal at India in Peril writes about the Indian tradition of river bath festivals and the high risk of exposing to viral infections via polluted river water.

India: Manipur In Peril

  21 May 2010

“The entire north east is in the grip of an unprecedented wave of Christianization with the help of foreign money,” comments Tarun Vijay, while discussing the problems in the Indian state of Manipur.

Middle East: “Blood Borders”

  20 May 2010

Martin W. Lewis from GeoCurrent Event blog reviews Ralph Lewis’ “Blood Borders” article on the idea of a complete reshape of Middle East borders in order to fit more appropriately the ethnic and religious affiliations of the region.

Facebook Is Blocked in Pakistan As It Indulges In A Controversial Campaign

  19 May 2010

After the outcry surrounding the Draw Mohammed Day Facebook page, which is campaigning for the creation of mass cartoon caricatures of Prophet Muhammed [PBUH] on the 20th of May, today the Lahore High Court ordered the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to block the entire Facebook.com domain in Pakistan till the 31st of May. Pakistani bloggers react.

Russia: Photos of Grozny

LJ user greedyspeedy posts the first installment of photos of Grozny, Chechnya, taken in April, and writes (RUS) in the comments: “This photo report is about the glossy Grozny; I'll show the other, gloomy, side of Grozny in part two. […] Compared to Gudermes, Argun – the largest cities after...