Stories about Religion from February, 2012
Russia: Great Lent Has Begun
Citizen media outlets have captured the multidimensional essence of the Russian Orthodox Lenten season, which began on Monday, including issues such the religiosity of post-USSR Russia, the liturgical calendar, the peculiarities of the Orthodox traditions and fasting rituals compared to those observed in the West, and the public statements made by prominent church officials.
St. Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago: Priestly Poetry & A New Literature Partnership
Caribbean Book Blog interviews priest and poet Fr. Lambert St Rose, while Bocas Lit Fest announces “a new partnership that will work towards enhancing the Caribbean literary scene and help kick-start an infrastructure to support writers, writing, and publishing.”
France : Who is French and who is not?
Abdellali Hajjat, author of the book The Boundires of National Identity: The Injunction to Assimilation in France and its Territories, explains in an interview [fr] on the blog Contretemps the ideological seeds of Islamophobia and the institutional logic that reinforces it. “Racism needs a crutch to provide the principle of...
Uzbekistan: Well-Known Uzbek Cleric Shot in Sweden
Nathan Hamm informs that a well-known imam from Uzbekistan who has been living as a refugee in Sweden, was shot outside his home, and that police rules out Swedish nationalists and investigates the crime internationally.
Cuba: More Sunday Detentions
Uncommon Sense blogs about yet another Sunday of repression as members of Las Damas de Blanco were again detained by authorities.
Jamaica: Lenten Songs
Diaspora litblogger Geoffrey Philp posts a poem about Lent.
Haiti: Prayers & Priorities
The Millikan Daily meets a “beach head for incoming Methodists to Haiti” and is less than impressed with her “mission”, saying: “I for one, am touched that there are people so kind and devout in their servitude to God that they would drink his blood all night on Ash Wednesday...
Afghanistan: Do not kill each other
Goftman Roshnayi says[fa] “burning Quran has become another pretext to kill each other in Afghanistan…When Talibans explode bombs, kill people and burn Qurans, nobody cares.” Five killed as protests over Quran burning rage in Afghanistan.
Trinidad & Tobago: Ash Wednesday
The TnT River blogs about Ash Wednesday traditions in Trinidad.
Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago: Lent Begins
Diaspora litblogger Geoffrey Philp posts a poem, Cutting Lent, by Trinidadian writer Cynthia James.
Egypt: Contemplating religion after sectarian clashes
Writing on the Magnum Foundation Emergency Fund's Tumblr, Rena Effendi comments on her conversations with Christians in Egypt who suffered from recent sectarian violence. The acclaimed photojournalist from Azerbaijan, a secular Muslim country, says faith is a personal issue and more about “relief from suffering than a path to forgiveness.”
Pakistan: Hate Campaign Against Products Of Ahmadi Owned Companies
Imran Jattala exposes more hate campaign against minorities in the capital of Pakistan as an association of bigoted lawyers recently banned products made by a minority-owned business from courthouses.
Arab World: Where Even Valentine's Day is Different
It's Valentine's Day today! The occasion was not forgotten despite a year of protest across a large portion of the Arab world. Netizens share their thoughts on this day of celebrating love.
Jamaica: Engaging on Twitter
“Twitter is a very interesting space once you engage”: Grasshopper Eyes The Potomac finds himself empowered by the microblogging service.
Tunisia: Spoiling the Revolution
Jolanare is weary of where the Tunisian revolution is heading to in terms of women's rights [fr]. She writes: “A young man verbally attacked me because I was wearing red lipstick. He shouted at me : “these are the so-called women of the democracy.” I replied that it is thanks...
Saudi Journalist Detained in Malaysia for ‘Offensive’ Tweet
Saudi journalist Hamza Kashgari was stopped at Malaysia's airport after Saudi Arabia ordered his arrest. The journalist is accused of sending a twitter message that ‘insulted’ Prophet Mohammad
Trinidad & Tobago: Seeing Siparia
MEP Publishers visits Siparia, a vibrant community that has had a fascinating part to play in the island's history.
Trinidad & Tobago: Cocoyea Craftiness
The cocoyea (pronounced Ko-ki-ye) is “the mid rib of the coconut leaf that is stripped with a knife” and has many uses, from bird-catching to kite-flying; in this post, Simply Trini Cooking explains how to make a broom out of it, which he calls “an integral part of our culture.”
Cuba: Bloggers Say Pope Should Postpone Trip
Cuban bloggers have been making their feelings known about the impending papal visit to Cuba, their main concern being that the Vatican is putting its stamp of approval on the Castro government despite regular reports of human rights violations coming out of the island.
France: The first Muslim public cemetery
Hanan Ben Rhouma of Saphir News reports [fr] that: “The first Muslim public cemetery in France was open in Strasbourg on Monday, February 6. In a sense, it is a unique cemetery of that kind because it is the first to be managed by local public authorities based on the Alsace-Moselle Accord...
Pakistan: How To Save The Shias
Laibaah discusses why Shias are being killed in Pakistan and suggests how can they save themselves from the threats.
