· June, 2012

Stories about Religion from June, 2012

Georgia: Men Can Wash Their Own Feet

Making Connections not only posts a recent video by Georgian bloggers against homophobia, but also one calling for gender equality in the South Caucasus country. The blog notes that the second video, featuring Georgian men saying they can wash their own feet, is in response to a comment by the...

Comoros: Women Barred from Public Beach for Religious Reasons

  26 June 2012

Women are no longer welcome at the beach of Itsandra-Mdjini [fr] reports Mlimadji in Comores-Actualités.  He explains that city officials decided to ban women from the beach at the request of religious leaders.  The beach is managed by the cultural association Twamaya and  has historically been open to everyone without consideration of...

Cuba: Papal Mass Dissident Still Protesting

  25 June 2012

Pedazos de la Isla reports that “Andrés Carrión Álvarez, the Cuban who shouted ‘Down with Communism’ during the papal mass in Santiago de Cuba this past March…is still on hunger strike.”

Will a Unified Time Zone Work for Indonesia?

  24 June 2012

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelagic country, plans to synchronize its three time zones on October. The business sector is supporting the plan but netizens and religious leaders have many questions.

St. Lucia: Flower Festival

  20 June 2012

At “I and Iyanola”, Nkrumah Lucien completed a two-part blog post exploring the origins of Saint Lucia's flower festivals: “It is not that La Wòz and La Magwit cannot be made into an app…but that those practicing these traditions were not allowed the space and material conditions to allow them...

Iran: ‘Zuckerberg should take action against insulting Islam’

  18 June 2012

The state-funded group, “The Islamic Revolution Council of IT and Digital Media Activists” have asked Mark Zuckerberg in an open letter to take action against those who ‘insult Islam’ in Facebook and prosecute them. They compared those who ‘insult Islam’ in Facebook to terrorist attacks in Iraq against Shia people...

India: Activist Facing Arrest For Exposing Church Miracle

  15 June 2012

Sasi at Random Thoughts reports that Sanal Edamuruku, the President of the Indian Rationalist Association, is facing arrest for proclaiming that the “dripping cross” outside Vile Parle’s Velankanni church is not a miracle, but the result of a natural action. A petition is online to call for dropping the complaints...

Myanmar: Rakhine Villages Attacked

  10 June 2012

Tensions are running high in the Rakhine area of Myanmar after a series of violent incidents. Netizens have criticized 'inaccurate' Western media reporting, which highlighted the continuing tension among ethnic groups in the country.

Tajikistan: Sharia Replaces Secular Law

Blogger Kayumars Ato writes [ru] that Sharia, or Islamic law, is gradually replacing secular law in Tajikistan. Excessive red tape and corruption in the country's courts increasingly lead Tajiks to consult Islamic leaders for guidance in disputes relating to marriage, divorce, and inheritance.

Photos of Colossal Churches in South Korea

  8 June 2012

South Korean churches are being widely criticized for building huge church buildings. One net users posted photos of colossal churches. The church appeared in the last photo has recently created controversy for re-routing subway exits for their convenience.  

China: Forgiving the Tiananmen Massacre Murderers?

  6 June 2012

While more than 180,000 people attended the annual candlelight vigil on June 4, in Hong Kong for China's June 4th incident (Tiananmen Square protests), exiled former student leader Chai Ling wrote that she has forgiven the murderers of the massacre. Her comments have stirred up a lot of debate.