Stories about Religion from March, 2007
Poland: Demography
The beatroot writes: “Poland’s population is shrinking faster than any other country in the EU. Strange that, in a country that claims to be 95 percent Catholic, don’t you think?”
Pakistan: The Black Madonna
Light Within on the authenticity of the Black Madonna in various cultures. “Believe it or not — she is black! Her features, in most instances, are non-European! And ironically, most...
Israel: Is the Mount Temple a Muslim Holy Site?
Israeli blogger AgentAzure is questioning the attachment of Muslims to the Temple Mount based on photographs he has posted. “However, my impression, formed under the influence of the pictures posted...
Egypt: Meet Abu Omar
Frederik Richter, writing for The Arabist, links to an article which visits the Alexandria home of Islamic clergyman Abu Omar, who was kidnapped by the CIA in Milan and tortured...
Egypt: The Burqini Question
Issandr Al Amrani still has a few unanswered questions about the Islamic bikini – burqini. “I’m not trying to make fun of this — people can wear what they want...
Somalia: the Land of the Gods
A brief study of the Land of the Gods by Abubakar Ali: Unlike ancient Egypt where scholars were able to uncover and translate numerous writings and records, our knowledge of...
Tajikistan: The President vs. Islamization
At neweurasia, Vadim discusses the Tajik president's opposition to the construction of new mosques. Vadim agrees with the president that the money could be better spent on new businesses and...
Tha Balkans: The Mississippi Parallel
Bosnia Vault compares Mississippi of the 1950s and 1960s to the Balkans of today.
South Asia: Inter Immigrant Solidarity
Sepia Mutiny on inter-immigrant solidarity in the US. “There are many layers of solidarity here: Islam, immigration, and a lot of professional overlap, particularly in the taxi and livery cab...
Arabisc: Egypt – The Home of Thousands of Political Prisoners
Egyptian blogger Ala'a Abdulfatah claims that there are thousands of political prisoners in his country, who are behind bars without trial. مصر فيها ألاف المعتقلين السياسيين، محدش يعرف عددهم بالظبط...
Egypt: How Big a Threat is Militant Islam?
Egypt-based blogger Tom Gara is wondering how big a threat is militant Islam. “For me, it just isn't that big. Islamic terrorists, if they are lucky, will manage a couple...
Bahrain: The Problem with Parliament
“I am quite convinced that this parliament doesn’t know why it was actually voted in. Apart from the sectarian overtones in almost every thing they do, they cannot distinguish between...
Lebanon: Women, Politics and the Zalghouta
This week’s summary of the Lebanese blogosphere has posts about politics, peace activism, internal tourism, tradition, feminism and how to cook moghrabiyeh. So let’s start: In an educational and well...
Georgia: Gelati and Motsameta
Onnik Krikorian posts photos of Gelati and Motsameta, two religious sites in Georgia's Imereti region. The former is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
El Salvador: Vatican's notification to Fr. Jon Sobrino, S.J. made public
“You can now read for yourself the notification from the Vatican to Father Sobrino declaring that certain propositions in his writings ‘are not in conformity with the doctrine of the...
Dubai: 200 Women Preachers Trained
Secret Dubai Diary posts a news article which says that 200 women are being trained as preachers in the rich Emirate. He describes the development as “extremely encouraging and significant...
Bahrain: Islam Needs Positive Public Relations
Islam needs a public relations campaign makeover, writes Bahraini blogger emoodz, following news reports that a British Muslim has been found guilty of soliciting murder during a London rally against...
Bahrain: Newspaper Accused of Spreading Sectarianism
Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif blames a local newspaper for spreading sectarianism. “Whatever it is, the only way to defeat such sectarianism is not to give in to it and...
India: Ardh Kumbh Mela
Swajana has a video from the Ardh Kumbh Mela. The pilgrimage occurs four times every twelve years, once at each of the four locations. Each twelve-year cycle includes the Maha...
Jamaica: On Islamic fundamentalism
Jamaican novelist Marlon James weighs in on the actions of Ahmed Akkari, who circulated a suspicious photocopy designed to inflame Muslim sensibiliites à la the Danish cartoons.
Egypt: Blogger Kareem's Plight Continues to Grab Headlines
Once again the plight of Egyptian jailed blogger Kareem Nabeel Sulaiman grabs the headlines, along with support pledges from bloggers around the world. An Alexandria Appeal Court today upheld Kareem's...
