Stories about Religion from March, 2012
Cuba: Bloggers Uncomfortable as Pope's Visit Looms
As Pope Benedict XVI's controversial visit to Cuba draws closer, online discussion is heating up. Bloggers are upset over what they perceive as a partnership between communism and Catholicism, especially in light of reportedly ongoing human rights abuses and other surreptitious methods of curtailing personal freedoms.
Egypt: RIP Pope Shenouda III
Yesterday, the sun set on Egypt with a somber note - Pope Shenouda III, the Head of the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church, had died after a long severe battle of illness at the age of 89. Netizens react to the news.
Cuba: Bloggers Respond to Archbishop's Action
Bloggers are reaching boiling point over the political/religious acts of repression that have been taking place in Cuba - and the Pope hasn't even arrived yet. The latest controversy involves the request to remove protesters from a church, which reportedly came from the Archbishop of Havana.
Cuba: Preparing for the Pope
Havana Times says that “everything seems to be ready to welcome the Pope, who will visit Cuba from March 26 to 28″, while babalu cautions that “with the upcoming Papal visit to Cuba, it's important to remember who the real Catholics in Cuba are.”
Cuba: Kept Away from Church
Pedazos de la Isla says that the closer the Pope's visit to Cuba gets, the more the authorities appear to be clamping down on citizens.
Pakistan: Ban And Politics
Pakistan Blogzine reports that the Pakistan government has banned the extremist Deobandi Jihadi-sectarian organization Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) which has been condemned by right wing political parties like Jamaat-e-Islami and Jamaat-ud-Dawa.
Pakistan: The Rise of a Union of Religious Radicals
A religious union by the name of Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC) has emerged as the representative of Pakistan's extreme right-wing parties. DPC is an umbrella term for 40 religious parities of different denominations and civil society groups as well as netizens question their motives.
China: Appeal to Tibetans To Cease Self-Immolation
A number of Tibetans activists launched a signature campaign urging Tibetans to cease self-immolation and to cherish their lives in a time of oppression. Via Woser's blog.
Cuba: Trying to get the Pope's Attention
El Cafe Cubano reports that Cardinal Jaime Ortega has met with the Ladies in White to inform them that the Pope's schedule is “too busy” and he will likely not be able to meet with them during his visit; Translating Cuba, meanwhile, publishes a letter to the Pope in which...
Cuba: Opposition Wants to Meet with Pope
“The recent months leading up to Pope Benedict’s visit to Cuba have been marked by state violence against peaceful dissidents”: Pedazos de la Isla reports that a former prisoner of conscience is calling on “all Cubans in and out of the island to pressure Pope Benedict XVI so that he...
Cuba: Communication Cut-Off
On the heels of a visit from the Archbishop of Havana, Uncommon Sense questions the motives behind “cut[ting] off all communication between [a political prisoner on hunger strike] and his family”.
Cuba: Diaspora, Las Damas & the Pope
More discussion about the Pope's visit to Cuba – Havana Times reports that members of the Cuban diaspora plan to come to the island “to participate in Masses that will be officiated over by Pope Benedict XVI”, while Along the Malecon posts a video of the leader of Las Damas...
Cuba: Freedom of Faith?
“The pope can go to Cuba, but that doesn't mean Cubans on the island are free to exercise their faith…”: Uncommon Sense blogs about the persecution of a Catholic activist.
MENA: Which Salafist Movie Would You Watch?
Iraqi Lebanese blogger Karl Sharro decided to start a new hashtag where people tweet movie names after putting a Salafist flavour into them. And like most of the humuorous hashtags, this one got spread in no time, when Twitter users in different Arab countries started using it.
Pakistan: Shia Genocide – Spreading From Karachi to Kohistan
The changing political course in Pakistan post-Osama Bin Laden denotes a new wave of terrorism unleashed on religious minorities, especially the Shiites. In the past year many Shiites spanning from Karachi to Kohistan have been specifically targeted and killed, which some analysts are terming as genocide.
