Stories about Religion from February, 2011
Iran: A Blogger Who Prayed to See Protesters Beaten
After widespread protests in Iran on February 14, Iranian cyber-activists flooded the internet with videos, photos and tweets from the demonstrations. Meanwhile, a different interpretation of events exists on the internet too. Iranian pro-government Islamist bloggers are also prolific when it comes to sharing their thoughts online.
Côte d'Ivoire: Images of Vandalised Mosque in Yopougon
Ibrahim Diarra posted pictures of a mosque in Yopougon, Côte d'Ivoire which he says was vandalised on February 26 by President Laurent Gbagbo's Young Patriots. The photos appeared on the Facebook page, Pour la paix, rien que la paix en Côte d'Ivoire (“For peace, nothing but peace”). Côte d'Ivoire has...
Malaysia: ‘Guidelines for Celebrating Religious Festivals of Non-Muslims’
The Malaysian Department of Islamic Development has posted on its website the ‘Guidelines for Muslims Celebrating Religious Festivals of Non-Muslims,’ issued by the National Fatwa Committee for Islamic Religious Affairs.
Lebanon: March Against Sectarianism #Feb27 #uniteLB
Lebanese activists are marching today, Feb27, at noon, to demand the end of the confessional system that rules Lebanon. The activists are using this Facebook group to organize. The Unite Lebanon hashtag #uniteLb is also used for Twitter updates.
Pakistan: Facebook And Fundamentalism
Feisal Naqvi at Monsoon Frog writes how Fundamentalism is faring at the age of Facebook.
Egypt: Flag Unites Mosque and Church
Wael Ghonim shared this video through Twitter: “Thats the real face of Egypt. Young Egyptians connect a mosque and a church with the Egyptian flag.”
Liberia: Revive Liberia
Revive Liberia is a blog by Revive Liberia Missions, Inc., a wholly volunteer, non-denominational Christian group committed to improving the physical and spiritual lives of the people who live in post-war Liberia.
Ghana: Action Chapel, turn your noise down
Christian “terrorism” in Ghana: “It’s Sunday morning and yet again the local church, Action Chapel, has turned its speakers up full blast and are terrorising the neighbourhood with its noise. There is no escape in any room in my house as it sounds as if the church is taking place...
Cuba: Masses for Tamayo
Uncommon Sense reports that “State Security agents this week have been warning parishes in Havana to not celebrate Masses to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Orlando Zapata Tamayo.”
Indonesia: Accountability and religious violence
Blogger Unspun blames the lack of accountability for the rise of religious violence in Indonesia.
Indonesia: Solidarity for religious freedom
Indonesian citizens and netizens have formed a solidarity group to promote religious freedom in the country following the spate of attacks on religious minorities in the past weeks
Tunisia: Who’s to Blame for the Murder of the Polish Priest?
News of the murder of a Polish priest near the capital Tunis on February 18 was received with shock and grief by Tunisians. In Tunisian blogs and social media, many theories prevail of who could be responsible and what the motive would be.
Indonesia: Attack on religious minorities
Ahmadiyah followers were attacked by a mob in Indonesia resulting in several deaths. Netizens are asking the government to protect religious minorities
Pakistan: Love Or Hate Valentine's Day
In Pakistan there is a growing opposition against Valentine's Day celebrations on religious and cultural grounds. But Pakistani blogger Adil Najam asks: “since when is mohabbat (love) not part of our saqafat (culture)?”
Bahrain: Fighting Sectarian Bigotry Head On
Discussions on recent political and recent developments in Bahrain took a sectarian tone on Twitter. In a series of tweets, Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa takes a stance, and joins the crusade against sectarian bigotry.
Cuba: Church or State?
Uncommon Sense offers another example of why he thinks Havana's Cardinal Jaime Ortega “is on the wrong side” of the struggle.
Kyrgyzstan: Threat of radical islamists
Rahat informs his readers that police is on a patrol in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan's capital city, after the shootings between police and armed terrorists, who were identified by the officials as radical Islamic militants.
Global: Thoughts on interfaith harmony and world peace
In this, the first, World Interfaith Harmony Week, people from all faiths have been getting together to forget about differences and promote religious tolerance and dialogue based on the mantras "Love of God and love of one's neighbour" or "love of the good and love of one's neighbour". Worldwide bloggers share views on why this dialogue is so important – and why it is not impossible to achieve it.
Caribbean: Looking at Cairo
Caribbean bloggers have their eyes on Cairo. From Bermuda, Wishful Thinking republishes an image that offers “hope for humanity”; Cuba's Yoani Sanchez says: “The insinuation is clear: five decades of authoritarianism here at home has exceeded its expiration date” and Trinidad-based Globewriter adds: “When you target journalists and shut down...
Mexico: Día de la Candelaria and Tamales
Lesley Téllez in The Mija Chronicles writes about Día de la Candelaria, “a Catholic holiday that honors the purification of the Virgin Mary. It’s also an important day for eating tamales. The holiday is a follow-up to Three Kings Day on Jan. 6.” She includes a recipe for strawberry tamales.
Pakistan: Another Blasphemy Case
Tazeen at A Reluctant Mind criticizes the arrest of a 17 year old Pakistani high school student under blasphemy law on the charges of making derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) in his answer script of an examination.
