Stories about Religion from December, 2011
Pakistan: Images from the Manghopir Shrine
Blogger Karachi Walla shares some images from a visit to the Manghopir Shrine – one of the oldest Sufi shrines located in the suburbs of Gadap town, to the North-West of Karachi.
India: Looking Back on 2011
Shashi Shekhar at Offstumped looks back on the year 2011 and finds that it has been anything but predictable.
Bethlehem: Armenian and Greek Clergy Clash at Christmas
Armenian and Greek priests have once again clashed, but this time at the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, much to the astonishment and amusement of social media users worldwide.
Libya: Celebrating Xmas now that Gaddafi is Gone
Libyan blogger Highlander, at From the Rock, shares some observations on Christmas in Libya, now that Gaddafi is gone.
India:Call for ‘Back to Basics’ in Kashmir
AL-HAQU-MURUN visits Kashmir and senses a growing, socio-religious conflict within the Muslim community. He feels that, if left unattended, this could have serious repercussion in the coming days.
Colombia: Christmas for Children at ‘The House of the Hummingbird’
Mike, in his blog about Bogotá, posts pictures of Christmas at La Casa del Colobrí (“The House of the Hummingbird”), which “supports many poor families who live in central Bogotá – in particular families who were displaced when the old Cartucho neighborhood was bulldozed to create the Tercer Milenio Park.”
Sri Lanka: When Santa Looks Scary
indi.ca feels that Sri Lanka's Santas are invariably scary – offers a few pictures to illustrate the same.
India: The Appeal of Christmas
Raja Basu at Potpourri tells us why he feels that Christmas is a pan-religious festival, meant for the entire world.
Iran: Blogger May Face Death Penalty
Several bloggers and news sites reported [fa] that Mohammad Reza Pour Shajari, a jailed blogger , may face charge of ‘Waging War Against God’ (moharebeh). A death sentence can be pronounced in this case. He criticized Islam and Islamic Republic in his blog, Iran Land's Report.
Iran: ‘Pure comments campaign’
Iranian officials are going to launch a “pure comments campaign” against blasphemy and pornography. Khoshnevis says [Fa] that 1000 individuals have been recruited to put comments on “dirty websites and blogs” to “diss-effect” their content.
Barbados: remembering “Hitch”
Barbados-based B.C. Pires posts his reflections on the death of writer Christopher Hitchens: “for all his flaws … worth a few hundred pastors and priests to me, perhaps a few thousand.”
Brazil: Bishop Points Out Rape as Women's Excuse for Abortion
Luis Soares, from the blog Pragmatismo Político (Political Pragmatism) quotes [pt] Bishop of Guarulhos, in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, Luiz Gonzaga Bergonzini, who said that “women lie when they say they were raped”. In the bishop's mind, he adds, women lie in order to have abortions, because the...
Trinidad & Tobago: Online Petition Against Offensive Ad
Globewriter is heartened that Project Runway winner, Anya Ayoung-Chee, has “[thrown]her weight against hate” by signing a petition “to demand the Trinidad Express apologize for running an offensive advert that, among other things, described LGBT people as ‘broken’”, and urges you to do the same.
Trinidad & Tobago: Dangerous Ad
Bloggers from Trinidad and Tobago voice their outrage at a newspaper ad that claims to educate people about homosexuality, calling it “a vile advertisement that can only be described as hateful, mean spirited and a pack of lies.”
El Salvador: Visiting El Calvario Church
Fernando Marroquin [es] posts pictures of El Calvario church in downtown San Salvador. He blogs about the church's history and encourages his readers to get acquainted with San Salvador's historic downtown.
Nigeria: My Interview With Santa Claus
Crazy Nigerian interviews Santa Claus: “Me: There’s so much I’ve been dying to ask you…like why don’t you ever come to Nigeria? Santa: Oh, all the houses there don’t have any chimneys. Me: But you can’t expect chimneys in a country that’s hot virtually all year round! Santa: Sorry my...
Paraguay: Photos of the Pilgrimage to Caacupé
Yluux published a photo essay [es] on the pilgrimage to the city of Caacupé on December 7 and 8: “hundreds of thousands flock [to the city] from all over the country to pay homage to the Virgin of Caacupé.”
Russia: Holy Relic Visits Nation Emerging From State-Sponsored Atheism
People from across Russia traveled great distances and endured hardships in order to view the Virgin Mary's belt - a relic believed to promote fertility. In the decades since the fall of the USSR, religion has been reinventing itself in Russia.
Poland: Netizens Debate Proposal to Re-Introduce Death Penalty
The leader of Poland's largest opposition party has announced his support for re-introduction of the death penalty for "the gravest crimes." Although this announcement may be treated as a way to win over some voters, a huge debate on the subject has started nevertheless. Anna Gotowska reports.
Egypt: A Baha’i Blogger's Take on the Elections
The Baha’is of Egypt number perhaps only 2,000 people, but over the years the community has faced discrimination and sometimes hostility. Global Voices Online has spoken to Baha’i blogger Wael about the current situation of the Baha’is in Egypt and the changes that the elections might bring.
Kuwait: Christmas in Kuwait
Mark, from Kuwait, lists the places which have put up Christmas decorations in the Arab Sheikhdom. Tune into the comments for reactions.
