Religion

Dozens Die in Attack on Court in Afghanistan

By AJ Correspondents
Suicide bombers disguised as soldiers have stormed a court in western Afghanistan, killing at least 44 people in an attempt to free Taliban fighters standing trial, officials say.

Pope Francis Takes Over Sexophobic Church

By Mario Osava
Jorge Bergoglio begins his papacy as Francis I facing the challenge of a Catholic Church caught up in a burdensome contradiction with modern society, because of its negative attitude to sexuality and women.

Arab Spring Shifts Focus of World Social Forum

By Alberto Pradilla
The World Social Forum’s traditional focus on economic, political and social injustice caused by globalisation shifted towards the revolts and unrest of the Arab Spring, in the current edition of the global gathering in Tunisia.

Thailand Holds Peace Talks with Muslim Rebels

By AJ Correspondents
Thai authorities and Muslim rebels leaders have started peace talks aimed at ending almost a decade of unrest in the country's far south, as fresh violence killed at least five people.

Discord Now Strikes Male Bands in Kashmir

By Athar Parvaiz
The girl band in Kashmir was silenced; the male bands are running into fears of another kind of silence.

As Iraq Anniversary Fades, “Strategic Narcissism” Stands out

By Jim Lobe
After a week of retrospectives on the tenth anniversary of Washington’s ill-fated invasion of Iraq, the most compelling consisted of a retrospective of the retrospectives.

Pope Francis Raises Hopes for an Ecological Church

By Marcela Valente
The new pope’s choice of the name Francis, to honour the Catholic Church’s patron saint of animals and the environment, has awakened the hopes of ecologists and others who are concerned about rampant consumerism and the deterioration of the planet.

OP-ED: Genuine Constitutional Monarchy Is the Only Way Out for Al Khalifa

By Emile Nakhleh
As the Bahraini and international media continue to dissect the meaning of Crown Prince Salman’s appointment as first deputy prime minister, powerful factions within the ruling Al-Khalifa family must be pondering the future of their rule.

Q&A “What Matters Isn’t Bergoglio and His Past, but Francis and His Future”

By Fabiana Frayssinet
Brazilian theologian Leonardo Boff, a leading exponent of liberation theology, the progressive current in the Latin American Catholic Church, does not believe reports that depict the new Pope Francis as collaborating with Argentina’s 1976-1983 dictatorship.

Taliban Victims Seek Support

By Ashfaq Yusufzai
People disabled through bomb and suicide attacks by the Taliban in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and the nearby Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province are seeking support for themselves, and demanding strict action against the Taliban.

Catholics in Argentina Protest Church’s Complicity in Dictatorship

By Marcela Valente
Argentine archbishop Jorge Bergoglio was selected as pope at a time when the Roman Catholic Church in this South American country is facing a rebellion by priests and laypersons who reject the role of the church leadership during the 1976-1983 dictatorship and the lack of reparations for past omissions and complicities.

Hints of Changes to Come in Rome

By Sabina Zaccaro
No one would expect a Pope elected by an extremely conservative conclave to implement revolutionary reforms within the Catholic Church. Still, many see in the newly elected Pope Francis some signs of change.

Latin American Breeze to Sweep Vatican

By Marcela Valente
The selection of a Latin American pope, who is known for his austere lifestyle and his work with the poor, has created a stir among Catholics in the region, who are confident that Pope Francis will help bolster the Vatican’s tarnished reputation.

Poll Finds Mounting Hostility Among Arabs towards Iran

By Katelyn Fossett
A poll released Tuesday shows a stark decline in favourability among Arab and Muslim citizens regarding the Iranian government and its policies.

For Iran and Pakistan, Energy Trumps Enmity

By Fatemeh Aman
Iran appears to be putting its immediate economic and strategic needs ahead of religious solidarity as it seeks to promote ties with neighbouring Pakistan.

Activists Urge Cardinals Who Concealed Sex Abuse to Skip Conclave

By Emilio Godoy
As the Roman Catholic Church gets ready for the conclave that will select a new pope, activists and victims worldwide are stepping up their efforts to keep cardinals directly or indirectly involved in cases of paedophilia from participating in the papal election process.

Taliban Can’t Beat This Act

By Ashfaq Yusufzai
The applause has continued long after the curtain came down on the last performance of Khushal Khan Khattak in the northern Pakistan city of Peshawar last month. The enthusiastic reception should have the Taliban worried.

Bangladesh Finds a Touch of the Arab Spring

By Peter Custers
Is Bangladesh just trying to process its dark legacy, the trauma of the genocide that took place during the country´s liberation war in 1971? Or is something more afoot?

Q&A: ‘Alliance of Civilisations, a Need and a Challenge’

By Pavol Stracansky
The fifth global forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC), founded to promote intercultural understanding and dialogue to bring civilisations closer, came to a close Thursday after two days of talks, at which world leaders restated their commitment to the Alliance’s ideals and pledged to build on the foundations it had laid to expand its work.

Argentina’s Deal with Iran Could Carry Political Price

By Marcela Valente
Despite the government's insistence that the purpose of the agreement struck with Iran is merely to investigate the 1994 bombing of the Jewish institution AMIA, as the Argentine parliament voted its ratification, discussions focused on geopolitics and the country's position in the changing international scenario.

‘Media Needs an Alliance With Minorities’

By Pavol Stracansky
Amid calls from world leaders for media diversity and plurality to be strengthened to combat a rising tide of extremism and intolerance, media experts have warned that change should not be expected overnight and that governments and states have a crucial role to play in the process.
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