Stories about Religion from October, 2010
India: Joyous Bangla During Puja
Sukanya C notes how elated the people of West Bengal state in India are in celebrating the Durga Puja festivities.
Brunei and the music of Maher Zain
The Brunei tour of Swedish singer Maher Zain, who is known for his Islamic inspirational songs, confirmed the global appeal of his music. The Brunei blogosphere and twittersphere are still buzzing with Zain's recent visit.
Jamaica: Storm's Perspective
Active Voice posts an interview with Storm Saulter, the director of Better Mus Come, Jamaica's latest feature film.
Pakistan: The Role Of Political Islam
Feroz Khan at Pak Tea House discusses the importance of reducing the role of political Islam.
China and Tibet: Democracy in Exile
Being a Tibetan in exile is a loss that manifests in many forms: the loss of homeland and natural rights fall within that. To some degree, the loss is also a blessing in disguise. Exile bestows upon Tibetan refugees in Dharamshala a reinforced national identity, a free voice, the right to practise and spread their religion without fear of persecution and the right to vote.
Brazil: Abortion debate heats up in presidential runoff
The debate on abortion has taken centre-stage in the runoff of the Brazilian presidential elections, with bloggers concerned it is being used to win votes rather than foster discussion of a contentious issue.
India: The Best Solution For The Ayodhya Dispute
TheBigThinkg has the best solution for the Ayodhya dispute: “remove the idols of Ram and Sita which has been placed inside the Babri Masjid structure against all Agama Sastras, by people drunk with Abhimana and Ahamkara (such people are called hoodlums/thugs) and let our Muslim brothers to decide what they...
Bangladesh: Feminist Responses Towards Fundamentalists
Kaberi Gayen at E-Bangladesh discusses about the role of women in response to the growing fundamentalism and neo-liberal economy.
Pakistan: Twin Blasts at Karachi Sufi Shrine
Yesterday two suicide bombs struck Abdullah Shah Ghazi (a sufi) shrine in Karachi, killing at least 10 people and injuring at least 50 others. Fahad Desmukh posted in his blog some eyewitness reports recorded at the shrine just after the blasts occurred.
Indonesia: Defending “right to worship”
Jennie S. Bev writes about the duty of the Indonesian government to protect the people's right to worship. There have been a series of attacks against Christian church groups in the country in the past months.
Tajikistan: Sewing a pattern
Alpharabius ponders on the situation in Tajikistan in the aftermath of a series of destabilizing occurences involving Islamic militants and escaped convicts.
Video: French Burqa Ban Protest in Minishorts and Niqab
Tea and Politics wonders about the definition of full veil, as two French Muslim girls walk around in niqab (face veils) and minishorts to protest the “Burqa Ban” in France.
Egypt: Kareem Amer's Sentence Ends on November 5
November 5 marks the end of Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer's or Kareem Nabil Sulaiman four year prison term. “We have reasons to believe that Kareem may not be released on this date. We also fear that he might be tortured nearing the date of his release,” says the Free Kareem...
Malaysia: Christians should use the name Yahweh
Ramanathan reacts to the reported proposal of a Malaysian Cabinet Minister urging Christians to use the name Yahweh when referring to God. Malaysia is a Muslim-dominated country.
Kenya: Kenyan Minister Fights for Gay Rights
Fighting for gay rights from the pulpit in Kenya: “Yesterday we had a Kenyan Minister make a very sensible argument towards protecting rights of homosexuals and sex workers.”
Sahel Region: On Paying Ransom for Hostages
Hostage-taking by a militant Islamist group called Al-Qaeda in The Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) is on the rise in the Sahel region which spans across several countries in the north of Africa. In order to free hostages, governments and companies have put political pressure on the African nations involved, or opted to pay ransoms directly. However, the strategy of paying ransom is often decried as ineffective and dangerous in the long run.
India: Searching For The Perfect Solution Of The Ayodhya Babri Masjid Problem
Priyank Chandra at Desicritics is not satisfied with the court verdict of the Ayodhya Babri Masjid case and suggests three alternative solutions.
Kuwait: Eat, Watch and Pray
A major cinema company in Kuwait has announced that it would introduce a 10 minute break in its daily schedule to give worshippers the chance to perform their maghreb prayers. The announcement, on Twitter, received mixed reactions.
Muslim World & US: Burning the Quran, Media Attention & Terry Jones
Terry Jones and his Dove World Outreach Center have drawn vast international media attention for a plan that had scheduled the burning of the Quran today, September 11th, in Gainesville, Florida. Than plan has since been scrapped. Netizens react in this post.
