(ANALYSIS) On July 11, 2024, the Argentine Federal Court of Criminal Cassation handed down its decision in a case concerning the issue of Uyghur genocide ordering the prosecutor to open an investigation. The decision follows a criminal complaint setting out the international crimes committed against the Uyghur and other Turkic people in Xinjiang, China, and the identity of those most responsible for these crimes.
Read More(ANALYSIS) On the morning of Aug. 3, 2014, the Islamic State group launched a ruthless and swift campaign in Sinjar, in northwestern Iraq. The target was Yezidis: a monotheistic religious group whose members have long been persecuted. What explains the ferocity of this genocidal campaign?
Read MoreThe Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage gives a major push for reconciliation between Hindus from the rest of India and Muslims in Kashmir, acting as a catalyst for bringing together communities divided by violence. The holy cave was discovered by a Muslim devoted to Lord Shiva, a deity in the Hindu trinity. Despite the government’s intervention, the pilgrimage has brought people together.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Spirituality and religion, while often overlapping, have distinct differences. Spirituality is primarily about an individual's personal connection to a higher power, the universe or a deeper sense of meaning and purpose in life. It is flexible and subjective, allowing for a wide range of beliefs and practices tailored to personal needs and experiences. In contrast, religion typically involves organized institutions with established doctrines.
Read More(REVIEW) Is subjugation and oppression central to the life of a Muslim woman? What roles do Islamophobia and white supremacy have in this misogyny? And where do the biggest threats to Muslim women’s freedom and safety really come from? These are some of the many pertinent questions that Samia Rahman answers in her new book, “Muslim Women and Misogyny: Myths and Misunderstandings.”
Read MoreOne of the more unusual places in Delhi is the Charity Birds Hospital on the grounds of the Digambar Jain Temple. The three-story building has been helping sick birds for decades, but has become even more relevant over the last few years given climate change and India’s recent heatwave.
Read MoreIndonesia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi officially opened on Wednesday the two-day International Conference on Cross-Cultural Religious Literacy aimed at encouraging dialogue between different faith traditions. The conference hopes to strengthen the country’s respect for religious pluralism, while also addressing a variety of topics for reaching out to other faiths through education programs and human rights legislation.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Between 2006 and 2008, Nepal transitioned from a Hindu monarchy to a secular democracy. It dissolved its monarchy completely, and the former king left the palace in June 2008. He has been living ever since as a private citizen. What had religious kingship looked like in Nepal? Why was it ended — and why do some people want it back?
Read MoreMillions continue to suffer religious persecution globally, with wars and civil conflicts exacerbating already existing ills in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, the U.S. State Department documented in its 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom. The report attempts to present an overview of persecution by governments, extremists and members of society, relying on information from government officials, religious groups, nongovernmental organizations, journalists, human rights monitors, academia and the media.
Read More(TRAVEL) The path to the Beatles Ashram, once the tranquil retreat of the famous British band, is now overgrown with lush plants reclaiming the crumbling structures. Tucked away in the Himalayan foothills, this abandoned Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram was a brief escape for the Beatles from their hectic lives in the spotlight. Decades later, fans find this site a place they must visit.
Read MoreManipur is witnessing renewed violence, with the latest escalations being reported from Jiribam district, an area that borders Assam’s Cachar district, after a Meitei farmer’s death was attributed to a Kuki-Zo armed group. Two people from the Hmar-Mizo tribal communities, which are part of the larger Zo tribe, were killed, and 48 houses and a church owned by tribals were destroyed.
Read MorePersonal history, memory and imagination are key to the work of London-based painter Matthew Krishanu, whose atmospheric, pared-back compositions explore childhood, religion and the legacies of colonialism. Many of his paintings are informed by his upbringing in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where his father worked as a priest with the Anglican missionary agency United Society Partners in the Gospel.
Read More(ANALYSIS) After a decade in power, Modi and his party seemingly overlooked a fundamental question: If Modi is the face of the party as well as its election campaign, what does that face represent? Did they assume his image alone would signify a “guarantee” to the country’s people? If so, they should have highlighted the “guarantees” that were fulfilled and honored. However, they appeared to lack such examples.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Garuda is well known as the loyal vehicle of Hindu deity Vishnu and is usually depicted as a large mythical eagle with a man’s upper body. Nevertheless, his duties do not confine him to merely being a divine servant. He also represents freedom and power. For many years, Garuda had been burdened by family responsibilities and an inescapable fate resulting from his mother’s debt from karma.
Read MoreIndia’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, scored 240 seats in the final tally. It will need the help of its coalition partner, the National Democratic Alliance, to meet the requirement of 272 seats to form the government. Here’s everything you need to know about the election results and what it all means for Indian democracy.
Read MoreAs India gears up for the largest national elections ever conducted on the planet, the Christian community, although a minority, faces unique challenges that underscore the significance of its political representation. The issues range from persecution to the enforcement of anti-conversion laws, with the recent unrest in Manipur spotlighting the urgent need for their voices to be heard.
Read MorePulling off Vacation Bible School for 700 children is a daunting challenge for most churches. Pulling off VBS for 700 children during community upheaval is not just challenging, it is practically impossible. But Anna Yumnam* and her team from TMG Bible Church* in Manipur, a state in northeast India, managed to accomplish the seemingly impossible in June 2023. This was Yumnam’s first year as the church’s children’s ministry director. She expected hurdles of course, but perhaps not trials of this intensity.
Read More(PHOTO ESSAY) The community walks as part of a procession connected to the Perlon Unggahan traditional ceremony of welcoming the holy month of Ramadan in Banyumas in Central Java. This ritual — carried out to remember and pray for their ancestors — typically includes hundreds of people from different villages who travel to the Bonokeling cemetery complex.
Read MorePakistani Hindu refugees have once again garnered attention following the notification of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act. The law aims to grant Indian citizenship to immigrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh who belong to the Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist or Christian faiths and had entered India before 2014 due to religious persecution.
Read More(ANALYSIS) As the UPR was looking into the situation in Afghanistan, atrocity crimes continued. On the same day as the U.N. review, a gunman stormed a mosque in Andisheh town of Guzara district in Herat province, western Afghanistan. Six people were killed in the attack. The mosque is said to have belonged to Afghanistan’s minority Shiite community.
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