Stories about Religion from February, 2007
Egypt: Nawal Al Saadawi Show
Egyptian blogger Zeinobia accuses Egyptian feminist and writer Dr Nawal Al Saadawi of coming up with an annual gimmick to ensure her name remains in the news. “(I)n 2004 she wanted to be a president ,in 2006 she came and her daughter with the new idea that people to be...
Sudan: Diversity And Identity Crisis
Many of the posts on the Sudanese blogosphere during the past 2 weeks discussed Sudan's diversity and also revolved around the issue of identity. Sudanese Thinker had an interesting post entitled “Sudan: Arab or African?” He was responding to a question posted on Sudan Watch: Since Sudan belongs to both...
Indonesia: Fertility in Indonesia
Indonesia Matters has a break down of the fertility rates in Indonesia by religion and ethnicities.
Arabisc: A Pictorial Tour of North Africa
There is one word to describe this picture taken by American blogger Cory Driver, who is based in Morocco, and it is wow! Not being a photography critic, however, I am reserving my exclamation for the amazing work Driver is involved with in Moroccan villages, including that of Tattiwin, located...
Israel: Christians at the End of the Tunnel?
Israel-based blogger Anglosaxy posts an interesting photograph here, which he has aptly captioned: Christians at the End of the Tunnel.
India: On Islamic Banking
Cuckoo's Call on the tenets of Islamic Banking. “Very few people know what Islamic banking is or what interest-free economy means. Only some devout Muslims who try to adhere strictly to the Islamic stricture against interest follow Islamic economics. We do not find mainstream academic institutions working on this subject.”
Egypt: Jesus Family Tomb Discovered.
Egyptian blogger Zeinobia gives us links to the discovery of a tomb allegedly belonging to the family of Jesus Christ here. She also gives us her very own analysis of the findings here.
Egypt: Has Sadawi Escaped?
Egyptian blogger Sandmonkey is wondering about whether writer and feminist Nawal Al Saadawi is ever returning to Egypt here. “There are rumors floating around that Nawal el Seadawy, the prominent egyptian femenist, had escaped Egypt to Belgium and then the US after she was charged with dsidain for religions. She...
Saudi Arabia: Government Cracking Down on Bloggers, New Saudi Ambassador to US, and More
A Press frenzy over Saudi school curriculums, a govermental campaign targeting a number of male Saudi bloggers, Anna Nicole Smith, Kareem Amer, forced divorces, a new government program to fight corruption, and much more are keeping the Saudi blogosphere lively. Khloud did a great job at summarizing a recent BBC...
Poland: “Tree Huggers Versus Cross Huggers”
The beatroot writes: “Protests turn weird as the religious in Poland turn up to demonstrate against environmentalists. It’s almost enough to make me turn into a tree hugger!”
Latvia: Alexei Ledyaev
Marginalia writes about a Russophone Latvian “self-described ‘apostle'” who “has suggested replacing Latvia's constitution, the Satversme, with the Ten Commandments, introducing Christian totalitarianism, and ‘humbling all liberals and homosexuals’.”
Tajikistan: Islam & Identity
Lola discusses what being Muslim means to Tajik identity and what cultural and religious practices make one sufficiently Muslim without being considered what many in Tajikistan consider a “fanatic.”
Syrian Blogsphere: Free Kareem, Towards a Democratic Syria, Arabism and More
The Syrian blogsphere reacted to the news about the sentencing of Egyptian blogger Kareem Nabil Sulaiman with disgust. Abu Kareem from Levantine Dreamhouse wrote… The language of the charges is sickeningly familiar. It is the language that paranoid authoritarian governments use when they feel threatened, when someone tells the TRUTH....
Lebanon's War, Again
How will the Lebanese get over their past if they don't discuss it, says Syrian blogger Abu Kareem. “Many if not most Lebanese children get their education in non-secular schools that teach different versions of the history of Lebanon. All schools, however, seem to agree on one thing; when it...
Touring Libyan Blogs: Between history, hair, leadership, cleaning the floor and many more stories
Most of us have studied some history, many of us think we know history, but the majority of us are really ignorant about large parts of our own history. That is why the personal accounts of travellers a la Ibn Battuta style are so important to record the making of...
Street food from Panama, Mandoo from Korea, and a Hot Pot Video from Shanghai
#1: From Korea: Kimchi Mamas and a recipe to prepare Mandoo, the easy to prepare Korean dumplings! If you've never made mandoo before, it really isn't hard. The dumpling-making is the most time-consuming part. Once they are made, you simmer the mandoo gently in a pork-beef-chicken broth (yes, all three)...
Free Kareem: Egyptian Bloggers Speak Out
The sentencing of Egyptian blogger Kareem Nabeel Sulaiman to four years in prison for articles he wrote in his personal blog may have come as a shock to many around the world, but for Egyptian bloggers the lesson is just too close to home for comfort. Kareem was sentenced by...
Egypt: If Muslims are Weird..Read This:
If you think Muslims are weird, then Egypt-based blogger Tom Gara urges you to read this.
Uzbekistan: Mathematical Expression
Claire Wilkinson discusses a report showing that medieval Islamic art shows an understanding of complex geometry that did not find mathematical expression until fairly recently. The researcher first became interested in the subject while visiting Islamic structures in Uzbekistan.
Poland: Anti-Euthanasia, Anti-Missile, Anti-Semitism
The beatroot writes on one Polish man's right to die, on the U.S. anti-missile systems, and on the anti-Semitic writings of the Polish education minister's father. As always, the discussion area is bursting with comments.
UAE: The Giant Wheel of Hatred
Dubai-based blogger SS is disgusted with the lack of tolerance he is witnessing around him. “Today, I found myself being attacked… for I spoke about the grace of life and kindness. If kindness and goodness is only something you share with your group/sect/herd/religion – then what's the point of living...
