· August, 2012

Stories about Religion from August, 2012

Pakistan: Conflicting Reports in #SaveRimsha Blasphemy Case

  31 August 2012

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 jail. There have been a few conflicting reports about the case, and the most significant one being a picture of a girl being used, that has now become the face of the #SaveRimsha campaign.

Russia: Chainsaws to the Cross

RuNet Echo  29 August 2012

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. Was it a copycat political statement, or a dire plot by the Kremlin to sow discord?

Pakistan: Long Road to Peace and Security

  29 August 2012

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 the nation will continue to play in the overall security and stability of the region.

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 one of the grand mosques in Riffa to another mosque in Tubli. Following the news, various campaigns started on Twitter in support of the cleric, attributing the transfer to his last Friday sermon in which he openly criticized the building of a new Roman Catholic Church in Awali, on a land donated by the monarch.

Russia: State-Owned TV Caught in Anti-Semitism?

RuNet Echo  25 August 2012

Writing on Openspace.Ru, Oleg Kashin discusses [ru] a short-lived but disconcerting report [ru] from state-owned Vesti.Ru about Patriarch Kirill's recent trip to Białystok, Poland, where he visited the Nikolsky Cathedral — home to the relics of Gavriil Belostoksky, the patron saint of children in the Russian Orthodox Church. Vesti.Ru temporarily featured language endorsing the...

Vibrant Maldives Eid Celebrations – Despite the Political Wrangling

  22 August 2012

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 much controversy and debate. The news was met with skepticism from people who saw it as a political publicity stunt to show numbers, as support for the ruling government.

United States: Significance of Paul Ryan for the Hispanic Population

  20 August 2012

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. Little has been said, however, with respect to the effect that it will have on the Hispanic population in the United States.

Caribbean: Marking Eid

  20 August 2012

There were just two posts from within the Caribbean region talking about Eid-ul-Fitr, which was celebrated yesterday: this one from Guyana and this, from Trinidad and Tobago, which republishes the President's Eid message.

Russia: Zombies Versus the State in Omsk

RuNet Echo  20 August 2012

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 assembly, and could be charged with breaking the law. Why had roughly 300 people come together? The answer to that question is the "Zombie Parade": the city's first attempted 'walk of the living dead.'

Libya: Hijab Fiasco at Power Handover Ceremony

A problem marred Libya's National Transitional Council power handover to the newly elected 200-member General National Congress in a ceremony: The master of ceremony was the unveiled female presenter Sarah Elmesallati, who was ordered to leave the stage after an Islamist MP walked out of the ceremony in objection to her presenting the historic ceremony. Netizens go to Facebook to record their objection or support.