Syed Azharuddin is part of the Students’ Islamic Organization or SIO. During the pandemic many college students studying out of hostels away from home were stranded by the lockdowns. The SIO works to provide food, funds and transport to students irrespective of their religion, in an effort to combat Islamophobic inequalities along the way. Produced by Anupama Chandrashekaran with Newsreel in partnership with ReligionUnplugged.
Read MoreDelhi, India-based Jesuit Refugee Services work with refugees from Afghanistan and Myanmar. Like many refugee communities, they face extreme anti-immigrant discrimination. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many have spiraled into deeper poverty. Jesuit Refugee Services started a women's tailoring group to help the refugees find income and safety. With earnings trickling in from hand-stitched masks, clothes and decorations, these refugee women are finally achieving some stability. Produced by Anupama Chandrashekaran with Newsreel in partnership with ReligionUnplugged.
Read MorePublished from The Media Project's virtual conference, Board Member and Islam expert Dr. Paul Marshall examines the use of blasphemy laws. In his lecture, Dr. Marshall discusses how blasphemy law is used to prevent religious reformation and theological discourse, and stop popular human rights-focused policymaking from progressive Muslim politicians in Muslim majority nations through cycles of violence and intimidation.
Read MoreDr. Robert Carle interviews Director and CEO of The Bowery Mission, James Winans to discuss how the Mission has managed the pandemic, shifted strategies to avoid community spread and partnered with the city government to help a growing population of homeless people find temporary housing.
Read MoreKarwan e Mohabbat is an organization in Uttar Pradesh, India fighting bigotry with empathy and solidarity for families of people killed or lynched in the name of religion. During a complete shutdown of the country at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, they began to feed a forgotten group — thousands of migrant workers who were walking thousands of kilometers home with only the clothes on their backs. Published by ReligionUnplugged in partnership with Newsreel Asia.
Read MoreThe city of Franklin, Tennessee has newly erected a statue to honor the United States Colored Troops (USCT), the segregated soldier regiments of primarily Black and formerly enslaved people who fought for the Union during the Civil War. Though there are several of these statues in the U.S., none have previously been installed directly outside a town hall like this statue in Franklin. Rev. Chris Williamson spoke with Religion Unplugged intern Bethany Johnson about the lead up to the statue's construction, its historical roots and how churches can better aid in creating unity in their communities.
Read MoreAs schools in India moved online in the pandemic, poor children without smartphones felt abandoned by the system. Charter For Compassion’s Anjali Gurmukhani Sharma works to ensure that underprivileged school girls, at risk for being married or being buried in housework, get phones to continue with online schooling. Produced by Anupama Chandrashekaran with Newsreel in partnership with ReligionUnplugged.
Read MoreA Jain temple in India’s western metropolis, Mumbai, urgently pedals to vaccinate as many people as it can - caste, religion no bar. Jinesh Shah who started this initiative has worked tirelessly to accommodate vaccination camps for even the homeless. Produced by Anupama Chandrashekaran with Newsreel in partnership with ReligionUnplugged.
Read MoreThe Springtide Research Institute's new annual study is released today. Religion Unplugged Contributor, Anna Carlson interviews the executive director of the Institute, Dr. Josh Packard to discuss the insights of the new report and the trends of the religious habits of young people in America.
Read MoreMercy Angels is a philanthropy based in the south Indian city of Bangalore, run largely by members of the Muslim community who help perform the last rites of people who have died from the Coronavirus. Volunteers like Tanveer Ahmed have helped bury and cremate the dead of all religions when their families cannot do so. Ahmed shares his experiences with Anupama Chandrashekaran with Newsreel in partnership with ReligionUnplugged.
Read MoreJon Seidl's anxiety was originally considered by his church and by him as just a trait of his personality. Managing Editor Meagan Clark interviews Seidl about being diagnosed with anxiety, depression and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and about the ways some Christian traditions misunderstand the realities of mental health. Seidl's new book “Finding Rest”, about these struggles and their intersections with faith, recently released in bookstores and has topped some Amazon bestseller lists.
Read MoreWith radical changes to the political, religious and cultural environment in Afghanistan all at once, the norms for how the Afghan people are discussed particularly by western journalists is currently under construction. Senior Contributor and Board Member Roberta Ahmanson and Senior Contributor Terry Mattingly discuss what the future of journalism and religion coverage in Afghanistan might look like and highlight the blind spots that could follow.
Read MoreJan Bradley and her husband, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. John Bradley, run the Lamia Afghan Foundation, one of the non/governmental organizations working to get Afghan refugees to safety. Religion Unplugged columnist Bobby Ross Jr. and Christian Chronicle correspondent Cheryl Bacon interviewed Jan and John about the status of the families they know, the real life Lamia and what's next for the Afghan people in danger.
Read MoreReligion Unplugged visited the Orange Country Rescue Mission in California to learn more about one of the most innovative approaches to homelessness in America. We spoke with Jim Palmer, the president and CEO of the Rescue Mission at the Village of Hope, a unique college campus-like facility that trains homeless men and women in life and job skills while treating other aspects of the whole person.
Read MoreExecutive Editor Paul Glader interviews Fernando Arroyo about his time as a soldier in Afghanistan, dealing with the trauma of war, the loss of friends and what rehabilitation can look like at the Orange County Rescue Mission after the 20 year conflict.
Read MoreThe Media Project and the Acton Institute, in partnership with the Center for Early African Christianity and a host of other excellent partner organizations hosted the third lecture in a series regarding what historic Christianity in Africa can teach us about racial justice in America today. This lecture featured Lisa Fields, Founder and President of the Jude 3 Project. It was hosted LIVE in October, 2020 on the ReligionUnplugged Facebook page.
Read MoreData by Springtide Research shows that Gen Z felt exceptionally lonely and purposeless in 2020, and yet participation alone in religious groups did not help them. Managing Editor Meagan Clark spoke with Springtide’s Executive Director Josh Packard about their report’s findings that are particularly applicable to parents, religious leaders, college professors and anyone else with members of Gen Z in their lives.
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