Stories about Religion from January, 2009
Bahrain: Why is God not Saving Palestinians?
American Coolred38, who lives in Bahrain, asks: “In your opinion…is it safe to assume…that the millions of prayers sent to God by Muslims asking for Palestinians to be saved and for the genocide to stop once and for all have fallen on deaf ears…but prayers sent out with hopes of...
Jamaica: Praying in Patois
Iriegal shares her thoughts on the production of a Patois Bible: “I just want to say $60 million dollars is a lot to invest…there is so much controversy in translating European English into Patois I really don't know how they are going to do it, even from and audio perspective.”
Indonesia: Bloggers Vs mainstream media on Israel-Palestine issue
Global Voices author Martin Manurung analyzes the media coverage of the Palestine-Israel conflict in Indonesia. He notes that Indonesian bloggers seem to be more mature and informed than most of the Indonesian mainstream media.
Poland, UK: Abortion
Polandian notes that thousands of Polish women are having abortions in the UK: “With it being illegal here in Poland, they are forced to travel to other countries thereby adding bureaucratic hassle and a strange environment/language to what must already be a very nasty and stressful situation.”
Hungary: Lifestyle, Literature, Law and More
A selection of posts from The Hungarian Spectrum: the lack of continuing education programs; health and lifestyle issues; domestic violence; writer György Dragomán; the Hungarian Secret Service and the Catholic Church.
Trinidad & Tobago: The Inferno?
“Somedays I feel that the effort to constantly be watching over my shoulder and worrying about the safety of friends and loved ones in this small country of just over 1Million people will wear me out”: Trin compares T&T to Dante's Inferno.
Palestine: Israeli Troops Enter Residential Areas of Gaza City
Thousands of Palestinians have been fleeing from Gaza City as IDF troops have entered residential areas. A number of the foreign activists in Gaza were helping at Al Quds hospital when it came under attack, and managed to get out reports of what was going on. We hear from them and other bloggers in this roundup of Gaza blogs by Ayesha Saldanha.
Israel/Palestine: Sderot Woman Speaks Out
The Villages Group: Cooperation in Israel and Palestine posts an entry called “Sderot War Diary,” in which a Sderot resident calls the conflict “not in my name and not for me you went to war.”
Taiwan: Lantern Festival traditions explained
The Lantern Festival is held on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month (9 February in 2009). Paul Katz at China Beat explains some of the Lantern Festival traditions in Taiwan. He also notes it is making a comeback in parts of China.
Iran: Two men were stoned to death
Varesh, an Iran based blogger, says[fa] that Iranian authorities did not keep their promises to stop stoning and two men who had been convicted of adultery were stoned in December.
Azerbaijan: Ashura in Baku
Joe's Trippin’ posts an extended entry complete with photographs and video of this week's Day of Ashura [See here for earlier coverage] in Baku, the capital of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Although the blog says that the Koran and most Moslem governments ban self-mutilation, a few dozen faithful flagellated or...
Tajikistan: Emotional Return For Haj Pilgrims
Daniel writes about the return of Haj pilgrims to the airport of Dushanbe, capital city of Tajikistan, noting that hundreds of police officers lined the airport's arrival terminal perimeter, taming an anxious crowd.
Jamaica: For Bloggers
Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp adapts Psalm 23 to suit the needs of bloggers.
Azerbaijan: Day of Ashura
Yesterday marked the Day of Ashura, a religious festival commemorating the martyrdom of Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, at the battle of Karbala. Often associated with images of flagellation using chains, the day is observed in Azerbaijan, a predominantly Shia but secular Moslem country in the South Caucasus, differently.
Armenia: New Year, Christmas Traditions
From the Mind of an Armenian Woman introduces its readers to traditions associated with the New Year and Christmas. In a second post, the same blog details how the church marks Christmas, celebrated in Armenia on 6 January.
Africa needs God?
Rombo of What an African woman thinks criticises a recent article by Mathew Parris for The Times UK titled “As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God“. And she wonders: “why does everybody assume that no African had ever climbed the mountain before the adventurous foreigner came along and...
Jamaica: Take My Word For It
Kadene Porter at Abeng News Magazine is less than impressed with the Jamaica Gleaner‘s New Year tradition of “publishing an exhaustive list of ‘prophetic’ utterances pronounced as the ‘Word of the Lord’.”
Russia: Fate of Mennonites during Stalin
Otto's Random Thoughts publishes a review of a documentary film on the fate of Mennonites in Stalin's Russia.
Americas: Celebrating the Visit of the Three Kings
The holiday season continues across the Americas, even as Christmas and the New Year holiday have all passed. In many countries in the region, the feast of “Los Reyes Magos” (The Three Kings) is an equally important festivity in many households. The day falls around the time of Epiphany and is celebrated on January 6th. Some of the region's bloggers recall the traditions in their own countries.
Nepal Entangled in Temple Row
New Year in Nepal is off to a bumpy start. Adding to the energy crisis, the country is now entangled in a row involving one of Hinduism’s holiest shrines -Pashupatinath. At the heart of the dispute is the debate over whether the tradition of Indian priests conducting rituals at the...
Japan: Teaching Buddhism by sign language
A blogger at Toppei no Minna Chigatte Minna Ii (トッペイのみんなちがってみんないい) introduces a website where it is possible for deaf followers to download the .wmv files and the original texts of the Buddhist Sacred Scriptures interpreted through the use of the (Japanese) sign language. While this initiative may not sound new...
