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Wednesday, September 23, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Religion
Iraqi Christians Cling to Their Faith in Jordanian Exile
As the 2003 United States-led invasion of Iraq began, the country’s Christians started streaming across the border into neighbouring Jordan. Today most of them continue to live here in abject poverty with no hope of ever returning to the land of their ancestors.
MIDEAST: Is Israel Sliding Towards a Police State?
Israeli nuclear whistle-blower Mordechai Vanunu has been sentenced to another three months imprisonment for allegedly refusing to perform community service in West Jerusalem.
Pope’s Visit Finds Catholicism on the Decline in Portugal
Pope Benedict XVI began a four-day visit to Portugal Tuesday in an uncomfortable scenario for himself and his followers, amidst accusations that the Catholic Church leadership protected pedophile priests, and the free distribution of condoms by hundreds of protesters here.
MIDEAST: Israeli Settlers Step Up Attacks on Palestinian Mosques
"There is immense anger as well as a feeling of vulnerability and fear when a place of sanctuary and holiness is subject to indiscriminate violence," says Issa Hussein.MIDEAST: West Bankers Made Refugees in Their Own Country
Several Palestinians have set up a protest tent in no-man’s land in the northern Gaza Strip, near the Erez border crossing into Israel, as they protest their deportation from the Israeli occupied West Bank into Gaza where Hamas authorities have refused them entry.MIDEAST: Hope Amidst Grim Prospects for Peace
Proximity peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, due to begin shortly after months of delay due to Israel’s continued settlement building on occupied Palestinian land, appear to have little chance of making a breakthrough.
Zarqa Lives Up to al-Zarqawi’s Ideals
Infamous as the hometown of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the late al-Qaeda leader, Zarqa is dominated by Islamic parties.Pope Rewrites Epitaph for Legion of Christ Founder
The Vatican's decision to appoint a special delegate to run the Legion of Christ and to set up a commission to look into the order after more than a decade of allegations of sexual abuse by its founder has shaken the powerful ultraconservative Catholic order established in Mexico.Chile Shaken by Sex Abuse Allegations against Revered Priest
A small group of feminists demonstrated outside the Metropolitan Cathedral in the Chilean capital Thursday to express their condemnation of an influential Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing at least five teenagers.
MIDEAST: Egypt, Hamas Complicit in Israel’s Gaza Blockade
A convoy of boats laden with humanitarian goods and accompanied by hundreds of journalists, human rights activists and European parliamentarians, is due to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza at the end of May.EGYPT: New Head of Al-Azhar Quits Party Politics
When Ahmed al-Tayeb, the newly-appointed grand sheikh of Egypt's prestigious Al-Azhar religious institution, relinquished his membership in President Hosni Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), it carried significance.
MIDEAST: Settler Sewage Ruins Palestinian Crops, Drinking Water
Residents of this Palestinian village refuse to buy the idea that the flood of raw sewage from the adjacent Israeli settlement of Kfar Etzion, that destroyed vineyards and contaminated their drinking water, was an accident.Rising Threats to Minorities in Sudan, Russia, Philippines
The growing threats against minorities and ethnic groups - who are vulnerable to mass killings and genocides - have significantly increased in three countries: Sudan, Russia and the Philippines.Goldstone Escapes Solomonic Trial
He is among the most respected international jurists. But in Israel today, and in much of the Jewish world, he is among the most reviled.Arizona Could Pay High Price for Anti-Immigrant Law
U.S. immigration experts, law enforcement officials and religious leaders are hitting back at the draconian legislation signed into law in Arizona last week, charging it will subject the state to "staggering potential costs" and vowing to have the law declared unconstitutional in the courts.
MIDEAST: Hunger Strike by Palestinian Prisoners Cuts No Ice
Raed Abu Hammad, 27, was allegedly kicked to death by Israeli prison wardens on Apr. 16. This while Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have been on hunger strike since Apr. 7 to press for better treatment.
JORDAN: Women Make Progress But Honour Killings Persist
Earlier this month, a 33-year-old man was charged with hammering his wife to death and dumping her body on the highway leading to the Queen Alia International Airport. The husband confessed to murdering her ''to defend his honour,’’ as she was meeting a male friend.
MIDEAST: Hamas to Carry Out More Executions
The Hamas authorities in Gaza have vowed to carry out more executions of those on death row despite intense international criticism and condemnation from both Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups.
MIDEAST: Custodial Death Marred Palestinian Prisoners Day
A young Palestinian man died in Israeli custody as hundreds of Palestinians took to the streets of villages and towns across the West Bank and Gaza to commemorate Palestinian Prisoners Day on Friday, Apr. 16.
Q&A: ‘U.S. Can Stop Israeli Settlements’
Ziad Abuzayyad was Palestinian cabinet minister responsible for Jerusalem affairs and a member of the Palestinian Legislature. During previous rounds of peace talks with Israel he was a leading member of the Palestinian negotiating team
MIDEAST: Gaza Border Tension Sparks Security Concerns
Tension on Israel’s border with Gaza has increased over the last two weeks. A number of rockets hit Israel while ensuing clashes between the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) and armed Palestinians left a number of Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers dead.« Previous Page — Next Page »
Religion plays a big and in some cases growing role in the socio-political dynamics within countries and often is a factor in civil and cross-border conflict, conflict resolution and peace building. From Burmese monks' marches to the role of religious fundamentalism, this dedicated site gathers IPS stories about how religion affects our world, from daily life to geo-politics.
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