Dozens of Muslim properties have been razed to ground by the government in India in the aftermath of Hindu-Muslim violence. Critics of the Hindu-first government say the demolitions are a collective punishment for Muslims that is a warning bell for potential genocide.
Read MoreThe doors of the historic Grand Mosque in Indian-administered Kashmir reopened for Friday prayers this month, in time for Ramadan expected to begin April 2, after the Indian government had banned the weekly gathering there for 30 consecutive weeks.
Read MoreOn March 15 an Indian court upheld a state “hijab ban” that prevents Muslim girls from wearing the head covering at schools. The ruling could set a precedent for other states governed by the ruling Hindu-first Bharatiya Janata Party.
Read MoreElection results in India show a crushing defeat for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party in the northern farming state of Punjab, the heart of Sikhism, after a surge of anti-Sikhism among the right-wing. The Hindu-first BJP needed support from Sikhs in the state but only bagged two seats out of 117 in the state’s legislative assembly.
Read More(REVIEW) Museum goers are challenged to “transform” their emotions at the Rubin Museum of Art’s latest exhibit, “Mandala Lab.” It aims for those who complete the interactions to leave with a greater awareness of their emotions and a new understanding of how Buddhism and its art, used as sacred tools, can improve one’s everyday life.
Read MoreWhen government officials demolished a makeshift mosque last summer as part of an anti-encroachment drive to clear land settled by refugees and migrant workers, the Rohingya community in Delhi’s Madanpur Khadar neighborhood mourned the loss of not only tents and homes along the polluted riverbank but also its place of worship.
Read More(ANALYSIS) We interrupt your reading about the war in Ukraine with a very important post about the global Catholic Synod on Synodality. Synod on Synodality? Say that three times fast. For some Catholics, it’s kind of a Zen thing.
Read MoreOn this International Women's Day, here are five women of faith to remember who were pillars for building their societies: Sojourner Truth, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, Prathia Laura Ann Hall, Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Zilda Arns.
Read MoreThe State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations will take over naming imams in all mosques from the Caucasian Muslim Board if amendments to the religion law awaiting their second reading in Parliament are approved. The amendments would also give the committee the leading role in reappointing all imams every five years.
Read MoreEnes Kanter Freedom’s efforts go far beyond the basketball court. He is one of the most outspoken basketball players and athletes at the professional level when it comes to activism, standing up for religious freedom and the oppressed. He’s been one of the few pro athletes willing to criticize China for its treatment of religious minorities.
Read More(OPINION) Recent years have seen several incidents in India that should have raised the alarm and should have been monitored and analyzed along the lines of the serious risk of genocide and other atrocities. These incidents include the government’s systematic discrimination against the Muslim minority in India.
Read MoreSyed Ali Sarvat Jafri lives near Ayodhya, the Indian city that witnessed violent intercommunal rioting after Hindu nationalists tore down a 16th century mosque. Jafri aims to spark conversations about history, memory and heritage-preservation through his art, which draws on his ancestral legacy of blending Hinduism and Sufism in poetry.
Read More(OPINION) The 2022 Beijing Games are surrounded by controversy. The Chinese government is accused of genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities. Evidence shows the Uyghur people are held in concentration camps, forcibly sterilized and subjected to forced labor, torture, rape and sexual violence.
Read More(OPINION) A recent Pew survey found that 40% of countries and territories worldwide had blasphemy laws in 2019. But a few caveats bring a greater understanding of how blasphemy laws and hate speech laws are impacting believers and nonbelievers today.
Read MoreLast year saw the highest number of physical attacks against Indian Christians on record, with 486 attacks, a rise of 80% from 2020, according to United Christian Forum, which collects the data from a phone helpline. Meanwhile, Open Doors USA recently ranked India as the 10th most dangerous country for Christians.
Read MoreUkrainian Christians have experienced death, displacement and loss in conflicts with Russia that date back to 2014. That’s when Russia seized Crimea. And now, Russia has amassed some 127,000 troops along its western border with Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian defense ministry.
Read More(OPINION) Thich Nhat Hanh, the monk who popularized mindfulness in the West, died in the Tu Hieu Temple in Hue, Vietnam, on Jan. 21, 2022. He was 95. In the 1960s, Hanh played an active role promoting peace during the years of war in Vietnam. In his mid-20s, he became active in efforts to revitalize Vietnamese Buddhism for peace efforts.
Read MoreOf the 7.6 billion people on Earth, 2.4 billion identify as Christian, 1.9 billion as Muslim, 1.2 billion as Hindu and more than 500 million as Buddhist. Those are just the four largest religions. In other words, 310 million in the U.S. do not necessarily constitute the epicenter for all religion in the world. If anything, religion in America is a unique outlier.
Read More“Autobiography of a Yogi,” published in 1946, popularized Eastern religious concepts like “cosmic consciousness” and practices like yoga and meditation in the West. Brother Jayananada, who became a monk after reading the book over 40 years ago, spoke with ReligionUnplugged.com about its 75th anniversary and its lasting impact.
Read More(OPINION) Recent years have seen a crackdown on human rights and democracy in Hong Kong. Within a few months, three pro-democracy outlets disappeared from Hong Kong. Nonetheless, Hong Kong authorities have rejected claims of a crackdown and denied targeting the media.
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