Stories about Religion from January, 2008
Bahamas: Fixing Crime
“With all the shock-horror at our skyrocketing crime rate, you would never believe that the causes and progress of the country's social breakdown have been fully documented over the past 20-odd years”: Larry Smith at Bahama Pundit recommends a “back to your roots” approach to deal with crime.
Ukraine: Crimean Tatars Protest
Orange Ukraine writes, among other things, about Crimean Tatars’ protests in Simferopol over the long-delayed construction of a mosque.
Latvia: Old Believers
Aleks of All About Latvia writes about the Old Believers’ community in Latvia.
Peru: The Feast of the Three Kings in Ollantaytambo
Ollantaytambo, Peru, located near the city of Cuzco, recently celebrated the “Fiesta de Reyes” (Feast of the Three Kings). The Quechua and Spanish bilingual blog Habla Quechua [qu/es] has pictures and a description of the event.
Albania: BBC Journalist's Blog
BBC's Mark Mardell blogs about his trip to Albania.
Bahrain: Ashoora Reading
Bint Battuta attends Ashoora events in Bahrain, and shares some reading material about the rituals here.
Morocco: Ashoura and Fashion
Morocco is celebrating Ashoura, the 10th day of the month of Moharram (which is the first month of the Hijra calendar year). In other news, dress was a prominent subject amongst Moroccan bloggers over the weekend as well, reports Jillian York.
Pakistan: On Provocation
The Pakistani Spectator on a radical right-wing politician in Holland who is planning on broadcasting a provocative anti-Muslim film.
Lebanon: Ashoora and Hreeseh
From Lebanon, Rami Zurayk, introduces us to Ashoora and a local dish cooked during this occasion – Hreeseh.
Morocco: Personal Freedoms
The View From Fez directs us to an ongoing post about certain freedoms in Morocco.
Iran:Ashura in Tehran
Tadaneh has published several photos of Ashura ceremony,one of the holiest days in Shia religious calendar, in Tehran.
Iran:Ashura in Photos
Shia Muslims held ceremonies for Ashura,one of the holiest events in the Shia religious calendar. Vahid Gharai has published several photos of Ashura ceremony in Kerman, a city in central south of Iran.
Puerto Rico: Sexual Politics
"Hey mom what’s an abortion? Have you ever had one? Um yeah, and I thought of aborting you." Puerto Rican bloggers grapple with questions of feminism, reproductive rights, and gay marriage in this round up of posts.
Pakistan: Ringtones, Islam and Rhetoric
All Things Pakistan asks if ringtones are un-Islamic and points out the rhetoric behind the question.
Brazil: A half Portuguese, half African Brazilian street party
La Pasionaria Selénia posts her very nice pictures of yesterday's Feast of Bonfim, one of the most important annual popular celebrations in Salvador. The veneration of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim (Our Lord of the Good End) is an old Portuguese tradition that was imported to Brazil during colonial times, but...
Russia: Flag Unification for Hajj?
Window on Eurasia reports that the Russian Federation's Muslims make hajj “under the flags of their national republics or even nations.” This may change next year, though.
Iran:Hijab is not an obstacle for Women
Kourosh Ziabari says that Hijab (veil) is not an obstacle for women to become active in social life or make sport. He has published a few photos to support his idea.
Trinidad & Tobago: Hosay
Thebookmann features traditional Hosay celebrations in Trinidad and Tobago.
Afghanistan: Terrorism and Islam
Mohammad Fahim contemplates are there any grounds for terrorism in Islam and its traditions, following the suicide bombing at the hotel in Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan. “The Holy Quran makes it clear NOT to kill yourself”, he says.
A Muslim Britney Spears?
As if the media circus surrounding her wasn't enough, the latest news is that Britney Spears will be considering converting to Islam in order to marry her Pakistan-born paparazzo boyfriend, Adnan Ghalib. The Middle East and North African bloggers could hardly contain themselves, writes Jillian York.
