Stories about Religion from August, 2009
Nepal: Sadhus – The Mystic Men
Dhiraj Shrestha posts pictures and writes about the Sadhus (Babas) or the mystic men of Nepal.
Malaysia: Alcohol ban
Mental Jog from Malaysia opposes the proposal to ban the selling of alcohol in some areas of the country.
Bosnia & Herzegovina: The Mostar Cross Controversy
Bosnia Blog writes about the controversy caused by the cross erected in Mostar in 2000.
Ukraine: Street Children
Michelle Knisley of Scenes from the Sidewalk shares stories of some of the Ukrainian street children that her ministry has helped over the years.
India: Religious Profiling
Sidhusaaheb writes about a case of religious profiling he faced while staying in a hotel in Indore of Madhya Pradesh state in India: “they had specific instructions to inform the police, whenever a Sikh, Muslim or Tamil came to stay.”
Bolivia: Honoring Dogs on the Feast of St. Roch
Bolivians recently celebrated the Feast of St. Roch, the patron saint of dogs. On this day, many people give extra attention to pets that have given them so much throughout the year.
Poland, Ukraine: Łemkowszczyzna/Lemkivshchyna
Raf Uzar writes about “Lemko Land, better known as Łemkowszczyzna or Lemkivshchyna” and its people.
Terrorism crackdown in Indonesia
Last week media reported a shootout between the police and the group of Indonesia's most wanted terrorist, Noordin Mohammed Top. Indonesian netizens react to this issue.
Egypt: We are All Egyptians
“We need a law which recognises us as Egyptians only, not as Muslims or Christians but as Egyptians only,” writes Wael Nawara [Ar], from Egypt.
Uzbekistan: Religion-related murder in Tashkent
Noah Tucker reports on a highly controversial killing in Uzbekistan, in which an Interior Ministry's agent was shot to death in his own apartment.
Bangladesh: Krishna Janmashtami Parade
Sadiq Alam at Inspirations and Creative Thoughts writes about the Janmashtami Parade in Dhaka, which is celebrated to mark the birthday of Lord Krishna: “(the) most striking feature of Janmashtami Parade is the custom of dressing up as Krishna, Radha and other characters from the life of Krishna.”
Guatemala: Pilgrimages to the Chi-Ixim Church
Nelson Benjamin Pérez Paque posts a history and photos of the church in Chi-Ixim church located in the Guatemalan municipality of Tactic. It has become a site for pilgrimages where the faithful often climbs 1 km to reach the church, which is said to produce miracles.
Cuba: Concert for Peace?
The Cuban Institute of Music has announced that popular Colombian singer Juanes is scheduled to perform at a "concert for peace" in Havana come September 20th. Cuban bloggers are divided on whether the event is a good idea.
Bahamas: Young Mother Killed
As a young mother is murdered in the Bahamas, bloggers vent their outrage – Weblog Bahamas: “Stop the madness that is destroying our country”; Womanish Words: “Where is the public outcry? Where is the conscious, active women's movement in the Bahamas, and in the Caribbean for that matter?”
Sri Lanka: Perils Of Communal Schools
Nazeeya Faarooq at Groundviews starts the discussion describing why Sri Lankan Muslims celebrated the recent Pakistani win against the Sri Lankan cricket team and states that the ethnic segregation is perpetuated and perpetrated by having communal schools in Sri Lanka and the absence of comparative religion as a subject.
Pakistan: Baitullah Mehsud Possibly Killed
As the news of the death of Baitullah Mehsud, the Taliban warlord and the most wanted man in Pakistan emerged, people received it with a sense of relief and some did not want to believe. Pakistani bloggers share their opinions on this news.
Myanmar: Buddhists Outraged by Actor's Photo
A controversial photo of a Burmese actor and his friends wearing saffron robes was posted on a popular Burmese blog, creating a severe outrage within the Burmese Buddhist community. GV author Tan translates a few Burmese blog posts.
Uzbekistan: Tashkent’s head Imam stabbed outside his home
Noah Tucker reports that Imam of Tashkent was stabbed outside his home on 31 July and remains hospitalized in serious condition. This is the second attack on a Uzbekistan's religious figure in the last 30 days.
Myanmar: Actor in Monk Photo Scandal
A controversial photograph of a popular Burmese actor and his friends posing in saffron robes on the day of their ordination at a Buddhist monastery was published on a popular Burmese Website on Tuesday causing outrage and a severe backlash.
Maldives: Against ‘Condomization’
Dr Mauroof Hussain slams the public display of condom ads in Maldives and opines: “‘condomization’ of the society is not the solution for AIDS. Rather, promoting decency, family values and observing the limits set by our Creator is the only solution.”
Palestine: Hebron Full Of Tension
In the West Bank, the blogger at Minnesoterblog posts photos of Hebron, saying: “Hebron’s mix of hard-line ideological settlers (mostly of American and French origin) that live in and control the old city give it a tense atmosphere.”
