· August, 2008

Stories about Religion from August, 2008

Barbados: Crop-Over Culture

  20 August 2008

Although the recent Crop Over celebrations were well attended, Barbados Underground thinks that should not be the only criterion for measuring success: “Cultural development and expression are important to the well being of any nation. While the fete element in Crop Over seems to be flourishing, we are concerned that...

Saudi Arabia: It's all in the name

It is common practice for converts to Islam to adopt Muslim names. But is it necessary - and what kind of name is appropriate? One Saudi blogger ponders the question, while some others are thinking about the use of aliases in the blogosphere - and yet another encourages the government to 'name names'.

Grenada: Carnival is Over

  18 August 2008

Blah Bloh Blog‘s wide range of photos and video offers a comprehensive overview of Grenada's recently-concluded Carnival celebrations.

Angola, Brazil: A culture shock divide

  17 August 2008

Angola and Brazil's special relationship means that business between the two former Portuguese colonies is booming - as well as migration both ways across the Atlantic. But, how are these two sibling peoples getting on? This post offers the perspectives of both an Angolan and a Brazilian blogger living in Luanda.

Bahrain: Code of Ethics Site Launched

“In order to consolidate all our efforts regarding the Code of Ethics Against Hate Speech and the mechanisms which will be adopted in the future to effect the Code and oversee it, I have registered and authored a new site [Ar] specifically for that purpose,” says Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al...

Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago: Stating the Facts

  15 August 2008

A freelance writer pens an Emancipation Day article for The Jamaica Observer that suggests “slavery was good for the black man”, prompting The Modest Goddess to point out “the staggering amount of evidence that contradicts (his) writing.”

Lebanon: The image of Islam

While Muslims are frustrated with the way western media portrays Islam negatively, Nash argues that some Muslims, by abandoning some of Islam's basic teachings, like tolerance and forgiveness, are themselves giving Islam a bad image.

Maldives: Non-Muslims to be Barred from Citizenship?

  14 August 2008

On 7 August, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the President of the Maldives, and Asia's longest serving ruler, ratified the amended constitution of the country. It culminated a process of constitutional amendment that lasted four years. One controversial amendment would prevent non-Muslims from becoming citizens of the Maldives, curtailing freedom of religion in the country.

USA: Blogging for Anglican Inclusion of LGTB Priests and Bishops

  13 August 2008

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual priests and bishops made efficient use of citizen media to support their campaign for inclusion in the Anglican Church at the recent Lambeth Conference, a global gathering of 650 bishops and archbishops held at the Canterbury Cathedral in the United Kingdom.

Barbados: Police Accountability

  11 August 2008

“A life full of promise and potential has been lost to us – both as a community and as a people”: Martial arts instructor Wayne Quintyne describes the I’Akobi Maloney he knew, while Barbados Free Press draws attention to another unresolved case of police brutality.

China: Citizen reporter to be deported

  10 August 2008

The day after live-vlogging the rare phenomenon that is a loud Free Tibet protest in the middle of Tiananmen Square, Noel ‘noneck’ Hidalgo has just tweeted that he is to be deported. Guess he wasn't using Tor.

MENA: Obama's Muslim Outreach Coordinator Resigns

Mazen Asbahi, the attorney who had volunteered as Barack Obama's outreach coordinator to Muslim and Arab-Americans, has resigned after accusations of ties to Jamal Said, an imam at a fundamentalist mosque in Illinois. Asbahi briefly sat on the board of Allied Assets Advisors Fund with Said in 2000. Bloggers from the Middle East react in this post from Jillian York.