Stories about Religion from August, 2012
31 August 2012
Pakistan: Conflicting Reports in #SaveRimsha Blasphemy Case
The blasphemy law in Pakistan has been the focus of a heated debate yet again, after a minor christian girl named Rimsha was accused of blasphemy and was sent to...
Mali: Can Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Be Stopped?
The solution to the Mali crisis seems to be vanishing as time goes by. It has been five months now that the country has been divided into two parts. Julie...
29 August 2012
Russia: Chainsaws to the Cross

On August 25, unknown parties sawed down three wooden crosses in the city of Chelyabinsk, in the Urals. The same night, another cross came down in Arkhangelsk, in the north....
Pakistan: Long Road to Peace and Security
As Pakistan enters its 66th year of Independence, it is a good time to take stock of the security situation within the country - in order to understand what role...
28 August 2012
Bahrain: Cleric Relocated After Fiery Speech
Internet activists have reported that Bahrain’s Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs Sheikh Khaled bin Ali al-Khalifa has ordered the immediate transfer of Sunni cleric Dr Adel Hassan AlHamad from...
26 August 2012
Tunisian Political Cartoonist _Z_: ‘Nothing Has Really Changed’
Tunisian anonymous political cartoonist _Z_ has been using his blog to express himself since 2007. His caricatures, which did not please the country's former autocratic ruler Ben Ali, do not...
25 August 2012
St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Bahamas: Reproductive Rights
Two female Caribbean bloggers, in light of the recent debacle about U.S. congressman Todd Akin's controversial comments about women and rape, are discussing the issue of “the war on women...
24 August 2012
Pakistan: 11-Year-Old Christian Girl Detained for Blasphemy
'We can't repeal blasphemy law. A) mobs would go on vigilante sprees with no qualms & b) cops couldn't stop open shia killing, how this?' - Tweet from a Pakistani...
23 August 2012
22 August 2012
Arab World: Scenes of Eid from Syria, Palestine and Bahrain
Eid Al Fitr, which marks the end of the Muslim month of fasting - Ramadan, was commemorated with three days of celebrations across the Arab world, or so goes the...
Morocco: Is the ‘Allegiance Ceremony’ a Thing of the Past?
The bay'a is the name of an annual ceremony of "allegiance" to the King of Morocco. Activists are planning to stage a counter-manifestation today to pledge "Allegiance to Dignity an...
Vibrant Maldives Eid Celebrations – Despite the Political Wrangling
When the Ministry of Islamic Affairs of the Maldives announced that the 2012 morning Eid prayers in the capital Malé were to be celebrated in an open space, it created...
21 August 2012
Russia: Pussy Riot and the Orthodox Reformation

Retired priest speaks out for Pussy Riot, breaking with the Patriarch and renouncing his holy orders, but his letter is mostly plagiarized. What does this mean for Russia's religious Reformation?
20 August 2012
United States: Significance of Paul Ryan for the Hispanic Population
From the day that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney chose Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate, there has been extensive media coverage in favor and against the decision....
Russia: Zombies Versus the State in Omsk

Early last Sunday morning in the city of Omsk, a few hundred youths gathered together for a flashmob. Police were on hand to warn everyone that they represented an illegal...