Category Archives: Religion + Belief

Age, Gender, Nationality + Migration, Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief, Sexual + Gender Minorities

Canada News | Muslim Women

Quebec premier defends proposed legislation banning face-covering attire for certain civic employees and toughening consequences for hate speech
  • Premier Philippe Couillard indicated that the legislation under consideration by Quebec lawmakers would ban face coverings on public servants in roles requiring face-to-face engagement with the public.
  • The draft legislation is a narrower version of the previous government’s proposal to ban the wearing of religious symbols by all public servants.
  • The current draft of the hate speech law creates a Human Rights Tribunal, which would oversee investigations and punitive actions for individuals inciting violence against vulnerable groups.

“The role of the government is to draw a line in the sand. … This issue of face covering for me has very little to do with religion, and a lot to do about the image of women, the status of women in our society. Showing your face is the essence of communication.”

Read the full story at the New York Times.

(Image Credit: Mary Altaffer/Associated Press, via the New York Times)

Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief

China News | Uyghur Muslims

Attack on traffic stop amidst Ramadan tensions leaves at least 18 dead in southwest Xinjiang in China
  • In the Tahtakoruk district of Kashgar (Kashi), suspects attacked unarmed traffic police with a vehicle, knives, and explosives, leading to three officers’ deaths and injuring at least four others.
  • Armed backup arrived and reportedly killed 15 suspects, though the exact number of dead was unclear in the confusion of the aftermath.
  • The violent incident occurs as tensions have increased in Xinjiang between the government and the autonomous region’s Muslim Uyghur population over Ramadan, with government restrictions on participation in activities for the holy month having angered citizens.

Read the full story at Radio Free Asia.

Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief
New York mayor adds Lunar New Year as school holiday, to the relief of Asian-American families
  • The addition had been a campaign promise from Mayor Bill de Blasio, and its passage comes just ahead of the State Legislature’s consideration of an identical measure.
  • Mayor de Blasio also added two Muslim holidays–Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha–to the calendar three months ago.
  • Asian-American students comprise almost 15% of the city’s public school population, and other cities with similarly large populations such as San Francisco have added the holiday before.

“Finally, students of Asian descent will not be forced to choose between observing the most important holiday of the year and missing important academic work. … Lunar New Year is a deeply important cultural observance for nearly 15 percent of public school students, and this designation gives Lunar New Year the respect and recognition it has long deserved.”

Read the full story at the New York Times.

(Image Credit: Ángel Franco/The New York Times)

Religion + Belief
Turkish Jewish community hosts 700 for fast-breaking dinner during Ramadan
  • The iftar was held in appreciation for community support in the rebuilding and restoration of the historic Edirne synagogue, which reopened in late March.
  • Originally built in 1907 following a fire that wiped out 13 of the city’s synagogues, the Great Synagogue has become one of Europe’s landmark synagogues.
  • There had been controversy surrounding the reopening following the provincial governor’s announcement that it would be turned into a museum following a military raid on an Israeli mosque, but he later retracted those remarks.

“We thought that the most convenient way to thank people in Edirne was to share an iftar meal with them. We thank them all very much. We returned to Edirne and found a more beautiful home than our own.”

Read the full story at the Hurriyet Daily News.

(Image Credit: via the Hurriyet Daily News)

Nationality + Migration, Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief

Israel News | Ethiopian Israelis & Immigrants

Ethiopian Israelis in Tel Aviv protest Israel Attorney General’s closure of criminal case against police officer who assaulted Ethiopian IDF soldier
  • Hundreds took to the streets in demonstration, with road blockages and clashes with the police leading to at least 19 arrests.
  • Joining the protests were keses, spiritual leaders in the Ethiopian Jewish community who say they lack official rights and recognition in their roles.
  • Ethiopian Israeli soldiers organized an online protest despite law forbidding soldiers from engaging in protest still on the books.

“We are not enthusiasts of protests, but we are unwilling to remain silent. The attorney general closed the case against the policeman, and we will continue protesting until that case is opened.”

Read the full story at Haaretz.

(Image Credit: Reuters, via Haaretz)

Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief
Palestinian man kills one Israeli man and wounds another in attack near Jewish settlement in the West Bank
  • Waving the Israelis down, the gunman asked for directions to the nearby spring before pulling out a pistol and shooting them.
  • The deceased was 25-year-old Danny Gonen, a student from Lod.
  • Hamas praised the act, but authorities have yet to determine whether the gunman acted as a part of a larger organization.

“We will not accept a situation in which a young hiker has his life taken from him in the land of Israel because he is Jewish. … The murderous attack that occurred today is another step in the quiet and serious escalation in acts of terrorism we have witnessed in recent months.”

Read the full story at the New York Times.

Age, Nationality + Migration, Religion + Belief
Refugee camp in Erbil, Iraq, tries to bring hope to displaced youth through education
  • Led by Father Douglas al-Bazi in the neighborhood of Ankawa, the Mar Elia camp provides youth with a library, music lessons, games, organized trips, and English courses in addition to the standard education curriculum, funded by private donations.
  • The camp opened in Iraqi Kurdistan last year, initially taking in 500 displaced Christians.
  • With larger populations and few to no private resources, neighboring camps struggle to provide basic services like basic education and medical services, making a spot in Mar Elia a prized commodity in the region.

“When the kids arrived here, they were completely lost for the first two weeks, angry and selfish. I remember the first time we offered them toys; within five minutes they destroyed them all. … Our kids, if they don’t have education, if they don’t have someone to look after them, do you think they are going to work for NASA? I don’t think so. It’s easy for IS to thrive among abandoned people.”

Read the full story at Al-Monitor.

(Image Credit: Sebastien Chatelier, via Al-Monitor)

Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief
1 Comment
Beer festival in Muslim-majority region of China angers exiled leaders
  • The centerpiece of the festival, held in Niya County in Xinjiang, was a drinking competition that offered monetary prizes to the winners among the 60 attendees from the largely agricultural community.
  • The local government–with regional backing–promoted the event in the run-up to Ramadan, and with Quranic prohibitions on the consumption of alcohol, Muslim leaders from the exiled World Uyghur Congress considered the event a deliberate provocation.
  • The Communist Party allows restricted freedom of religion only for recognized groups, and fears of extremism have led to crackdowns on activity in Muslim communities, of which ethnic Uyghur communities form a part.

Read the full story at Reuters.

Religion + Belief
Pope Francis apologizes to Waldensian Protestants for historical persecution by the Catholic Church
  • During the first-ever visit by a Pope to a Waldesnian church, the Pope asked for forgiveness for the persecution of the sect that included a papal order of extermination in the late 15th century and the execution of 1,700 Waldensians in the 17th century.
  • The Waldensians now number roughly 30,000 worldwide, located mostly in Italy and Latin America.
  • The outreach comes ahead of the 500th anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation in 2017, for which the various sects of Christianity have yet to announce any joint plans.

“On behalf of the Catholic Church, I ask forgiveness for the un-Christian and even inhumane positions and actions taken against you historically. … In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, forgive us!”

Read the full story at Reuters.

(Image Credit: Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters)

Religion + Belief
China opens new path to Tibet holy site for Indian pilgrims
  • The new land passage offers a route from India through the Himalayas to Mount Kailash.
  • In addition to its geographic isolation, Kailash has remained out of reach for Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims due to China’s tight visa restrictions on travel to Tibet.
  • The opening comes as China and India work to improve relations and remove obstacles–including ongoing border disputes–to improved economic and political ties.

Read the full story at Reuters.

(Image Credit: Jacky Chen/Reuters)

Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief
Thousands rally in Charleston in show of solidarity following last week’s mass murder at the Emanuel AME Church
  • While organizers expected 3,000 to participate in the Bridge to Peace unity chain, police estimate around 10,000 attended the demonstration.
  • Local public servants helped organize the event, which took place across the iconic Ravenel Bridge connecting Charleston and Mount Pleasant.
  • The event followed the reopening of the church for Sunday services.

Read the full story at BuzzFeed.

(Image Credit: Mladen Antonov/Getty Images, via BuzzFeed)

Ideology + Affiliation, Nationality + Migration, Religion + Belief
Muslim Azerbaijani athletes receive waiver for Ramadan as they compete in the European Games
  • Azerbaijan, a predominantly Shia Muslim country, has 285 athletes competing in the Games, which the country is hosting.
  • Local clerics issued a fatwa excusing athletes from the period of abstention from food, drink, and sex during daylight hours.
  • The Games have brought unwanted negative attention to Azerbaijan, where political dissidents have faced aggressive crackdowns and rights violations.

“To make sure that the valiant Islamic sportsman is stronger than his competitor in the month of Ramadan, he cannot observe oruj [fast]. … To defeat a competitor on a sports field, to defend the honor of your country and raise the flag of your homeland is important and pleases God.”

Read the full story at EurasiaNet.

Religion + Belief
Inaugural International Yoga Day draws millions around the world to celebrate the ancient spiritual practice
  • In India, PM Narendra Modi joined 37,000 in Rajpath in New Delhi for 1.5 hours of asanas.
  • An estimated 200 million from 192 countries took part in events around the world that followed the rising of the sun, including politicians, military units, and other public workers.
  • Despite some pushback from Muslim leaders in the country and the ongoing holy month of Ramadan, India’s events saw many Muslims joining in the festivities.

“It marks a new era of training of human mind for peace and harmony.”

Read the full story at the Times of India.

Religion + Belief
Kenyan atheist society threatens legal action against government for failure to allow its registration
  • The Atheists in Kenya Society’s chairman says that despite his organization’s fulfillment of the requirements for registration with the government, it was denied.
  • The chairman claims that the deputy responsible for the registration of societies justified the exclusion by pointing to the Preamble of the Kenyan Constitution’s declaration of the supremacy of God.
  • Should the Society again be rejected and the matter taken to court, it will follow the same tack as the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, which won recognition in the spring.
“I visited their offices today and he told me that the Preamble of our Constitution recognises the supremacy of God. We reject this interpretation. The Bill of Rights fully protects Atheists and allows them to form an association.”
Read the full story at the Star.
(Image Credit: File photo of Milimani Law Courts, via The Star)
Religion + Belief
Canada’s transportation security agency amends controversial policy on headgear following outcry from the Sikh community
  • The change rolls back the Canadian Air Transport Security Agency’s April implementation of a new policy that targeted religious headgear for mandatory additional screening at airports.
  • Because travelers wearing non-religious headgear were not subject to the same protocol because the headgear could be removed, the World Sikh Organization released a statement condemning the de facto discriminatory policy on behalf of Sikhs who had identified themselves as targets.
  • The organization met with CATSA, who admitted the policy had been established by the government’s transportation department without consulting faith groups.

“I am being considered a security threat every time I travel for work, even (though) I’m a NEXUS cardholder. CATSA’s policy goes above and beyond what the Transportation Security Administration does in the U.S., and I believe it’s targeting religious minorities such as turbaned Sikhs.”

Read the full story at thestar.com.

(Image Credit: Nicholas Keung/Toronto Star)