religion
24/05/2013 / CHINA
What is this naked man chasing after?
Run, Li Binyuan, run! Sometimes Li runs while carrying a giant crucifix, sometimes a blow-up doll — but always in his birthday suit. Read more...
Contributors
01/04/2013 / LIBYA
Libyans try to rebuild community after holy Sufi site destroyed
Last Thursday, unknown persons set off explosives that destroyed the mausoleum of Sidi Al-Andaloussi, a five-century-old Sufi holy site in Tajura, near Tripoli. Refusing to give in to religious extremism, local residents immediately launched a fundraising effort to rebuild this sacred site. Read more…
Contributors
22/03/2013 / IRAQ
Prisoners clubbed with batons at Abu Ghraib prison
Baghdad Central Prison, previously known as Abu Ghraib, continues to be rocked by prisoner abuse scandals. An amateur video showing inmates being beaten up has been leaked onto the Internet. These prisoners have been described as Sunnis. This has fed sentiments by Sunnis that they are being discriminated against in a country largely ruled by Shiites, and which continues to be shaken by civil unrest. Read more...
Contributors
20/03/2013 / CHINA
China locks Tibetan monks in monastery for 'political re-education'
Since March 17, the Tongkyap monastery, located in northeast Tibet, has been put on lockdown by Chinese authorities. Hundreds of monks have been kept inside in order to undergo “political re-education.” The reason: one of the monks at this monastery wrote a book about the spate of self-immolations by Tibetan monks that started in 2008, and which continues today. Read more...
Contributors
23/02/2012 / AFGHANISTAN
US apology for burning of Korans fails to quell Afghans' anger
Afghans are finding it hard to believe that US troops from the northern city of Bagram’s military base burned prisoner’s Korans “by mistake”, as contrite top US brass have tried to explain. The news sparked three days of violent protests in cities across the country. Read more…
Contributors
22/08/2011 / VENEZUELA
Thugs in their lifetime, worshipped as saints today
As Venezuela’s urban crime rate soars, devotion to a very particular group of saints known as the “Santos Malandros” or “Corte Malandra” is becoming widespread. These “holy thugs” wearing dark sunglasses, baseball caps and guns tucked in their belts might have been petty criminals during their lifetime, but are now considered modern-day Robin Hoods. Read more...
Contributors
29/07/2011 / SYRIA
Bombing of a mosque in Syria reignites tensions between Sunnis and Alawis
A Sunni mosque in the eastern Syrian city of Homs was recently targeted by heavy bombing from Syrian armed forces. This is one of the first times authorities have openly attacked a religious building. The event shocked residents and drew attention to the growing inter-religious tensions underlying the popular revolt against president Bashar al-Assad and his government. Read more…
Contributors
01/07/2011 / CHINA
Even Buddhist monks to sing for Chinese Communist Party’s 90th anniversary
Chinese citizens warmed up their vocal chords to celebrate the Chinese Communist Party’s 90th anniversary on Friday, July 1, by preparing a repertoire of patriotic songs for the big day. Much to the surprise of our Observer on the ground, even the country’s once ostracised Buddhist monks are rehearsing for the celebrations, despite their difficult past under the communist regime. Read more...
Contributors
30/06/2011 / TUNISIA
Is Tunisian culture under threat from Islamists?
On April 26, the main cinema in Tunisia’s capital Tunis was vandalised by a group of armed religious fundamentalists, who threatened audience members at the screening. Our Observers on the ground tell us that Tunisia’s cultural scene is increasingly coming under attack. Read more...
25/05/2011 / CHINA
The 'diabolical cult' that threatens China
A series of government advertisements posted around the city of Tianjin (south of Beijing) warn against a “sick and diabolical cult” that is trying to “control people’s minds”. Is it a terrorist group that is such cause for alarm? Not exactly…
