· December, 2008

Stories about Religion from December, 2008

India: Betrayed By Own Democracy

  12 December 2008

“We feel betrayed by our own democracy,” comments an Indian Jew while sharing the pain of the loss of the Jewish community during the recent Mumbai terror attacks.

Middle East: Snapshots of Eid

  11 December 2008

For millions of Muslims around the world, Eid Al Adha was a time for celebrations, family gatherings and reflections on the occasion. Here's a snapshot of reactions from bloggers in Tunisia, Kuwait, Egypt and Turkey.

Egypt: Inanities on Homosexuality

  11 December 2008

Sarah Carr, blogger and journalist addresses how a published feature titled “Honey, I’m homosexual” and online comments perpetuate myths about homosexuality and, in doing so, contributes to the culture of intolerance in Egyptian society.

Israel: Praying for Rain

  11 December 2008

The first hard rains of winter fell this week after months of waiting, causing all of Israel to breath a sigh of relief. Jews, Muslims and Christians were also united in their prayer for rain, reports Maya Norton.

Paraguay: Jesuit Ruins

  10 December 2008

Osval visits the Jesuit ruins in Paraguay [es/en], where the Tupi-Guaraní indigenous groups were taught by the Roman Catholic group.

Russia: Aleksiy II

  10 December 2008

Updates on the media and Russian blogosphere reports on the death of Aleksiy II, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia – at IZO. Stella Rock of OpenDemocracy.net writes about the late Patriarch's legacy. Window on Eurasia writes on Aleksiy II's legacy, too, and discusses the patriarch's potential successors.

Central & Eastern Europe: Mikołajki, Mikuláš

  10 December 2008

In Poland, “Santa Claus visits twice” – according to the POLSKI blog: on St. Nicholas Day and for Christmas. Same in Slovakia, writes The Foreigner's Guide to Living in Slovakia, and in the Czech Republic (more about it on CzechFolks.com and on My Czech Republic Blog.

Slovenia: A Mosque for Ljubljana

  10 December 2008

Sleeping With Pengovsky writes that “the city of Ljubljana is one of the few (if not only) European capital with a substantial Muslim community and without a mosque” and highlights the political obstacles to building the mosque.

Ethiopia: Is the Orthodox church losing ground?

  9 December 2008

Arefe of Addis Journal comments on the decrease in the number of Orthodox Christians, traditionally the dominant church in Ethiopia, in the new census of the country. And, drawing on Professor Medhane Tadesse's essay, “Religion, Peace and the Future of Ethiopia”, he analyses the reasons for this decrease.

Libya: Eid Al – Adha 2008

  8 December 2008

After a long hiatus, Libyan bloggers are back at work behind their keyboards, wishing each other a happy Eid, discussing the increasing prices and reflecting on Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca which Muslims perform. Fozia Mohamed tunes in to bring us the story.