Stories about Religion from July, 2012
Russia: Anti-Church Activist Flees Under Psychiatric Incarceration Threat
A blogger and leader of the Youth Human Rights Group in Karelia, has fled Russia to Poland after months of interrogations by prosecutors that included threats of detention in a psychiatric clinic in retaliation for statements made online against the Russian Orthodox Church.
Ethiopia: Messages of Solidarity from Christians for Muslims
Messages of unity from Ethiopian Christians have gone viral in the Ethiopian digital public as Ethiopian Muslims persistently kept their peaceful protest in a bid to end government’s meddling in their religious affairs. A multitude of Christians have changed their Facebook status by announcing their allegiance with Ethiopian Muslims.
Pakistan: The business Of Ramadan
Samra Muslim at Pak Tea House writes that the month of Ramadan is not important for religious reasons but it is the month of business all around creating a lot...
Pakistan: Hindu Boy Converted to Islam in Live Telecast
A Ramadan special on a private TV channel is making news in Pakistan. Controversial TV show host Maya Khan, invited a religious scholar to convert a young Hindu boy to Islam live on her show. But some say the conversion was forced.
Trinidad & Tobago: Ramadan & Coffee
What's Ramadan like for a coffee drinker? Find out here.
Nigeria: Rediscovering the ‘Osun-Oshogbo’ Sacred Groove
Train locals on the use of social media tools and they will tell their own stories, posits a Nigerian documentary producer Immanuel Afolabi while talking about his journey to the Osogbo Sacred Groove and the role of social media in reviving dying or invisible African religious practices.
Saudi Arabia: The “Faceless” Experiment
Rana Jarbou is a Saudi blogger who has decided to carry out an experiment. For a week she is wearing the niqab or face veil, to see how she feels, and to see if she is treated differently.
Morocco: 22-Year-Old Arrested For Posting Cartoons of Prophet Mohammed on Facebook
According to online news magazine eMarrakech, a young Moroccan was arrested on Friday in Casablanca on charges of posting “insulting caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed on Facebook.” The accused, whose...
Bangladesh: Dhaka Becomes Capital of Islamic Culture
The Bangladesh capital Dhaka has been declared as the capital of Islamic culture along with two other cities by the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO). Dhaka is termed as the city of mosques, but many of the centuries old mosques are in dilapidated state.
MENA: Welcoming Ramadan
Ramadan, the ninth month in the Islamic calendar has just begun. It is a time when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, try to get closer to God and celebrate their blessings. Around the world, Muslims have been trying to capture the spirit of the month with photographs, sharing them on different social media websites.
Pakistan: Polio Vaccination Ban Affects 240,000 Children
The lives of 240,000 innocent children are at stake due to the recent ban on Polio inoculation by the Taliban in the region of FATA. The militants also consider this anti-polio campaign as an act of espionage, and the tribal leaders are backing them.
Mozambique: Scholarship Students Kicked Out of Sudanese University
An open complaint letter published on social media by a group of scholarship holders from Mozambique at the International University of Africa, in Khartoum, Sudan, regarding their precarious social and financial situation, led to five of them being expelled and sent back to their home country.
Russia: Facebook and “Gay Propaganda”
Alexandra Evans of FP's Passport blog links to an RT news item about a group of Russian Orthodox activists who are campaigning to have Facebook blocked in Russia because of...
Ethiopia: Muslim Protest Gaining Momentum
Ethiopian police resorted to physical violence against Muslim activists, transgressing sacred places in their mosques, the Muslim activist Facebook group, Dimtsachin Yisema (Let Our Voice Be Heard), reports. Since May, Ethiopian Muslims have been protesting the government’s meddling in their religious affairs.
Slovakia: Catholics Protest the Sacking of Popular Archbishop
A concert in support of Róbert Bezák, the popular archbishop of Trnava who was sacked for unknown reasons, took place on Tuesday and was the next step in various protests,...
Saudi Arabia: The Mosque and the Corniche
Saudi blogger Ahmed Al Omran tweets: “Hai'a [Saudi religious police] targets corniche-goers with a mobile mosque. If they can't force you to go to mosque, they bring mosque to you.”
Myanmar : Jackie Chan Visits Orphanage
Myanmar netizens discussed[my] Jackie Chan's visit to an orphanage in Myanmar in his capacity as a UNICEF Ambassador. Some are wondering why he didn't take off his shoes in Dhamma...
Pakistan: Angry Mob Lynches Alleged Blasphemer
In a shockingly outrageous incident in Bahawalpur, an angry mob attacked an alleged blasphemer and burnt him alive.
India: Multiculturism and Intolerance
Purba Ray asks whether multiculturalism breeds intolerance.
Mali: Worldwide Inactivity Over Destruction of Timbuktu Shrines
June 30, 2012, will go down in history as one of the most devastating dates for Mali and for its cultural heritage. It's when Islamist group of Ansar Dine, one of the armed groups controlling northern Mali, set about demolishing the shrines of Muslim saints in the city of Timbuktu.
Singapore: Church Scandal Sparks Dissent
Leaders of Singapore's biggest church have been arrested for alleged misuse of funds. The reported luxurious lifestyle of the church founder and his pop singer wife has sparked intense debate amongst critics and church members.
