Posts in Asia
Hindu woman lost for 43 years, adopted by Muslim village, reunites with her family

An unbelievable story of reunion after 40 years is being hailed as an example of religious harmony in India. A Muslim truck driver found a mentally disabled Hindu woman on the side of the road near his village and gave her shelter. He and his family searched for her relatives, until finally during a COVID-19 lockdown, a breakthrough in the mystery came.

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Hindu pilgrimage in Kashmir takes new meaning during pandemic

A popular Hindu pilgrimage to a cave where Lord Shiva is believed to have dwelled has been a display of Hindu-Muslim unity. That is changing this year, as the Indian government allows pilgrims to travel to the Muslim-majority region despite a COVID-19 lockdown that ensures mosques stay shut.

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Celebrating America: Why we honor Columbus and ignore Vespucci

(OPINION) As Italians gained in power, Columbus Day officially became a U.S. federal holiday starting in 1968. Amerigo Vespucci, however, is barely mentioned in American classrooms.

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6 Recipes To Celebrate Religious Holidays At Home This Summer

Easter, Ramadan, and Eid al-Fitr—amid COVID-19 lockdowns, religious celebrations have looked different this year. Thankfully, they don’t have to taste different. Most of us are still practicing our faith with social distancing, but staying home is the perfect way to venture into new recipes and maybe even taste a new religious tradition.

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India’s police brutality targets Muslims and journalists as Hindu nationalism grows

(OPINION) India needs to urgently tackle its problems of obvious intolerance and police brazenness against members of the minority Muslim community and those who protest the government. Recent viral videos show physical attacks and intimidation have become commonplace, particularly under the guise of enforcing COVID-19 lockdown measures.

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Having Fled Genocide, The Rohingya Muslims Now Face COVID-19 Risk

(OPINION) The Kutupalong refugee camps in Bangladesh are inhabited primarily by the Rohingya, a Muslim minority group that fled mass atrocities in Myanmar. Amid the spread of COVID-19, there is a growing fear that the refugees will now face further threat to their lives, as the camps are more densely populated than New York City.

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Bolton: Repression of Chinese Catholics, Falun Gong 'didn't register' to Trump

The former National Security Advisor’s inside look at the Trump administration claims a widespread indifference from the president to China’s suppression of religious freedom, even as other diplomats pressed for the U.S. to act.

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Missionaries Around The World Are Responding To COVID-19

With the swelling challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic further depriving the impoverished, Danielle Schneider, Brad Brunsch and Rachel Simmons face a year of ministry like no other.

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Indian Sikhs sanitizing over 500 temples, mosques and churches for reopening

The charity United Sikhs has organized volunteers to regularly clean and sanitize some of India’s most prominent religious sites of every faith to allow religious leaders and devotees to worship with minimized risk of infection from coronavirus. Many religious sites in India begin reopening Monday, June 8.

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In Photos: Malaysians celebrate Eid al Fitr in lockdown

After a gathering in Kuala Lumpur in late February spread coronavirus to several countries in the region, Malaysia has made great progress in flattening its COVID-19 curve. Here is how Muslim families celebrated Ramadan and Eid al Fitr under a lockdown.

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Kashmir Gun Battle Leaves Hundreds Homeless During Eid and COVID-19 Pandemic

This week Indian security forces killed a rebel militant commander in Kashmir, destroying dozens of homes in the process amid rising coronavirus cases in India. Some families say the Indian officers started the fires and looted their possessions.

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COVID-19 is creating new burdens for religious minorities

(OPINION) The chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed governments across the world the liberty to heighten existing religious persecution. Many religious minorities are discriminated against in healthcare provision and some are even being blamed for the spread of the virus.

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A pandemic book list for readers interested in religion

(OPINION) Go with heavy material. Certain translations of holy books offer valuable insights into our world and this era. Thomas Paine’s skewering of biblical religion is a worthy read, along with classics like “Lord of the Flies.”

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How The Jason Bourne Films Inspired A Pill-Sized Bible

A China-based Christian ministry hosts hacker events for Christians with backgrounds in the CIA, military and related intelligence fields. They use advanced technology to create and use devices ranging from drones, Bibles the size of credit cards and a pocket-sized WiFi device called the Gospel Cloud, inventions that 007 would be proud of if he were a man of God.

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John Paul II centennial: 6 things you didn't know about the pope's life

Monday marks the centennial birth of Karol Wojtyla, who became Pope John Paul II and was canonized a saint following his death. John Paul II was one of the longest-serving pontiffs in church history, the first non-Italian elected pope in 455 years and spent much of the 1980s ending communism in Eastern Europe.

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Modi Government Accused Of 'Witch Hunt' Against Muslim Activists

The arrests of several Muslim activists amid the coronavirus lockdown is seen by critics of the Modi government as a way to blame Muslims for the Delhi riots that killed more than 50 people in February and squash protests of a citizenship law passed in December seen as discriminatory against Muslims.

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