Religion News on the Web
Selected religion-related news from around the Web
August 28, 2011
- The New York Times
NYT: Halls of power narrow for Malaysian women
At the gathering in a hotel on the outskirts of the
Malaysian capital, there was talk of canvassing “highly persuadable”
voters, campaign budgets and media strategies. There was even a stirring
speech by a “candidate.”
August 27, 2011
- The Australian
Australian: Indonesia 'a model for Arab uprisings'
AUSTRALIAN ambassador Greg Moriarty
says Indonesia has shown the "Arab Spring" countries that Islam and
democracy are compatible, and demonstrated the wisdom of not
marginalising groups on religious grounds.
August 24, 2011
- The Associated Press
AP: Reports: Chinese priests detained over new bishop
A number of priests and laymen in China's underground
Catholic church have been detained in the country's northwest in a
struggle over the appointment of a new bishop, overseas reports said
Wednesday.
August 23, 2011
- The Associated Press
AP: Beijing's Panchen Lama ends trip to monastery
A Tibetan spiritual leader installed by China's communist
government against the Dalai Lama's wishes has finished a trip to a
major Buddhist monastery with comments unlikely to endear him to an
already skeptical Tibetan public.
August 20, 2011
- The Economist
Economist: Your billion or ours?
ONLY a year ago, a great diplomatic breakthrough—the exchange of
ambassadors between the world’s largest church and the world’s most
populous country—seemed to be in the offing.
August 15, 2011
- The Associated Press
AP: Victim of Indonesian mob attack sent to jail
An Indonesian man wounded when Islamic hard-liners launched a
deadly attack on his minority sect was sentenced Monday to six months in
prison — more than some of those caught on video taking part in the
lynching.
August 14, 2011
- The Associated Press
AP: Hundreds rally in Nepal for sexual rights
Hundreds of gay, lesbian, transgender people marched with
supporters in a southern Nepal town Sunday to demand equal rights under a
new constitution the country is in the process of writing.
August 09, 2011
- The Associated Press
AP: No shame for religious killings in Indonesian town
When Dani bin Misra was released from prison last
week after serving just three months for smashing in the skull of a
member of a Muslim sect, this conservative Indonesian town let out a
triumphant cry.
August 08, 2011
- The Washington Post
Wash. Post: Saudi beheading fuels backlash in Indonesia
As leader of Indonesia’s — and the world’s —
largest Muslim organization, Said Aqil Siraj used to get pelted with
angry e-mails and text messages whenever he questioned Saudi Arabia’s
rigid, ultra-puritanical take on Islam.
August 06, 2011
- The Straits Times
Straits Times: Books and bombs in religious schools
An
hour's drive from Jakarta and deep inside a residential area, the sounds
of a ball being kicked around can be heard from the Daarul Uluum
Islamic school, where students learn Islamic history and law alongside
English and physics.
August 01, 2011
- The New York Times
NYT: China blames foreign-trained separatists for attacks in Xinjiang
The authorities in China’s troubled Xinjiang region charged
Monday that the leader of the first of two lethal assaults over the
weekend had trained in Pakistan, an unusually specific accusation that
could hint at growing Chinese impatience with Pakistan’s inability to
control radical groups operating within its borders.
July 28, 2011
- The Wall Street Journal
WSJ: China's banned churches defy regime
On a recent Sunday at the Beijing Zion Church, Pastor Jin Mingri
laid out a vision for Christians in China that contrasts starkly with
the ruling Communist Party's tight reins on religion.
July 26, 2011
- The Associated Press
AP: Top Chinese church leader sentenced to 2 years
A U.S.-based monitoring group says a top leader in
China's underground Protestant church movement has been sentenced to two
years in a labor camp for organizing illegal religious gatherings.
July 26, 2011
- The Straits Times
Straits Times: Indonesian army given anti-terrorism role
Indonesia is bringing the army into the fight against
terrorism, authorising military officers to do everything from
investigating suspected terrorists to telling radical preachers to tone
down sermons.
July 22, 2011
- South China Morning Post
South China Morning Post: Ban on Islamic dress sparked Uygur attack
Local residents believe that an attempt by
the authorities in Hotan , Xinjiang , to gradually ban local Uygur women
from wearing black veils and traditional Islamic black outfits was one
of the main triggers of a deadly attack at a local police station on
Monday.