Religion News on the Web
Selected religion-related news from around the Web
October 20, 2011
- News Core
News Core: Pakistan overturns ban on booze . . . for export
IT IS an Islamic republic where
alcohol is forbidden to 97 per cent of the population and drinkers can
face 80 lashes of the whip under holy law - but in a move set to anger
religious conservatives, Pakistan is poised to become an exporter of
beer.
October 20, 2011
- The New York Times
NYT: Opinion: Iran, the Saudis and the new 'great game'
Whether the Iranian government actually sought to hire Mexican gangsters
to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington, as U.S. Attorney
General Eric Holder asserted at a dramatic press conference last week,
remains uncertain.
October 18, 2011
- The Associated Press
AP: Thousands celebrate freed Palestinian prisoners
Tens of thousands of flag-waving Palestinians celebrated the
homecoming Tuesday of hundreds of prisoners exchanged for an Israeli
soldier, with the crowd and a freed Hamas leader exhorting militants to
seize more soldiers for future swaps.
October 16, 2011
- Newsweek
Newsweek: Intolerant Arab spring
The recent clashes in Cairo between peaceful Coptic protestors and Egyptian
security forces are only the latest sad example of an old and recurring
phenomenon: persecution of native non-Muslim minority communities in
the world of Islam.
October 15, 2011
- The New York Times
NYT: Afghan symbol of identity is subject to search
Straight-backed, his bearing almost regal, Malik
Niaz, 82, entered the Afghan president’s compound this month, proudly
wearing his best turban: a silk one from Turkestan in the north of the
country, gray and black and white, its long tail draped gracefully over
his shoulder.
October 14, 2011
- The Economist
Economist: Now is the time
“ALL of us were there, throwing stones, moving dead bodies. We did
everything. There was no difference between men and women.” So says
Asmaa Mahfouz, an Egyptian activist, remembering the protests that
felled Hosni Mubarak at the beginning of the year.
October 13, 2011
- The Associated Press
AP: Islamic hard-liners attack rival shrines in Libya
Islamic hard-liners have attacked about a
half-dozen shrines in and around Tripoli belonging to Muslim sects whose
practices they see as sacrilegious, raising religious tensions as Libya
struggles to define its identity after Moammar Gadhafi's ouster.
October 12, 2011
- The New York Times
NYT: Egyptian Generals plead for understanding after death of coptic protesters
Under mounting criticism at home and abroad over clashes with troops that killed two dozen Coptic Christians on Sunday, Egypt’s
military rulers issued an extraordinary plea for sympathy on Wednesday,
urging Egyptians to understand that soldiers in riot gear and armored
trucks had been terrified of an angry crowd of demonstrators.
October 11, 2011
- The Globe and Mail
Globe and Mail: Captured Israeli soldier to be traded for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners
In a deal that may signal future co-operation between enemies, Israel
and the militant Palestinian movement Hamas have agreed to an exchange
of prisoners in which a young soldier, Gilad Shalit, virtually adopted
by his entire nation, will be coming home after more than five years
captivity as a hostage in Gaza.
October 09, 2011
- The Korea Times
Korea Times: Religious persecution in Pakistan
Stability in Central Asia is threatened by Pakistan’s
slow surrender to extremism. Many of Pakistan’s problems are rooted in
the spread of hateful and intolerant beliefs.
October 09, 2011
- Reuters
Reuters: Egypt generals ban using religious slogans in vote
Egypt's ruling
military council has amended election rules to ban the use of religious
slogans, a move the Muslim Brotherhood said on Sunday may prompt it to
reconsider using its traditional campaign phrase "Islam is the
solution".