Monthly Archives: January 2016

Religion + Belief

Interregional News | Shiite Muslims

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Execution of Saudi Shiite leader sparks protests throughout the Middle East and South Asia
  • From Saudi Arabia to India by way of Bahrain, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, and Pakistan, Shiite Muslims protested the Saudi government’s execution of Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
  • Nimr had been convicted of order followers to attack the police, a crime of “banditry” that carries an automatic death sentence.
  • Before his arrest in 2012, Nimr had publicly called for nonviolent demonstrations to draw attention to the oppression of the minority Shia community in Saudi Arabia.

Read more:
“Shi’ite Muslims worldwide decry execution of Saudi cleric” (Reuters)
“Protests in Kashmir, Bahrain and Pakistan over killing of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr” (The Guardian)
“Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr: Figurehead Shia cleric” (BBC)

(Image Credit: AFP, via BBC)

Nationality + Migration, Religion + Belief

India News | Foreigners & Non-Hindus

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Court orders Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu to turn away out-of-dress-code visitors
  • The Madras high court issued an order banning jeans, shorts, skirts, leggings, and short sleeves from the 6,000 Hindu temples in the southern Indian state.
  • The court cited a desire to “enhance spiritual ambiance” as the motivation for the ruling.
  • The ruling applies to locals as well as foreigners at what are major tourist attractions, with one temple receiving more than 4 million visitors per year.

Read more:
“Tamil Nadu temples ring in dress code” (The Hindu)
“Hindu temples in southern India enforce western clothing ban” (The Guardian)

(Image Credit: M. Vedhan/The Hindu)

Class + Socioeconomics

China Feature | The Homeless

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The “McRefugees” of China

“If you don’t have money, you can barely sleep.”

China’s homeless have begun turning one of the most recognizable beacons of global American corporatism for a bit of shut-eye: McDonald’s. With more than a thousand of the restaurants in mainland China open 24 hours a day, it has become a haven for the homeless in a country that severely restricts shelter residency. The New York Times profiles a few of those who make the nightly trek to the golden arches.

Read more:
“China’s Homeless Find Shelter Under McDonald’s Golden Arches” (The New York Times)

Additional reading:
“1,400 homeless sleeping on Hong Kong’s streets, double government estimates” (South China Morning Post)
“Down and Out in China” (Radio Free Asia)

(Image Credit: Lam Yik Fei/The New York Times)