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Wednesday, November 11, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Religion
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.
Q&A: “Morales Is a Guide in a Long Period of Change”
The resurgence of the thinking of Aymara "amautas" or shamans about nature, the collective welfare of society and the defence of life is now a political project in Bolivia led by left-wing President Evo Morales.
MIDEAST: Adding Torture to Injury
It was bad enough that Ahmad Asfour was severely maimed by an Israeli drone strike outside his house on Jan. 9, 2009. But, his search for advanced treatment landed the journalism student, now 19, in Israeli prison where he remains.
MIDEAST: Gazans Gassed by Silent Killer
"You feel very sleepy and dizzy. You put your head down and all you want to do is sleep. Everything feels very peaceful, you are not even aware what is happening and if there is no immediate intervention you are dead within minutes," Enaam Abu Nada told IPS.GUATEMALA: Bringing Murdered Activist Bishop Back to Life on the Screen
On the evening of Apr. 26, 1998, as Bishop Juan Gerardi returned to the parish house at St. Sebastian's Church, three blocks from the seat of national government in the heart of the Guatemalan capital, he had no idea it would be the last day of his life. That night, his head was bludgeoned with a concrete block.MIDEAST: ‘Poetic Justice’ in Jerusalem
President Barack Obama has made plain he means to deconstruct Israel’s 43-year-old grip on East Jerusalem. But, for all Washington’s pressure, Israel seeks to tighten its hold on the occupied part of the city.
MIDEAST: Palestinian Christians Barred From Jerusalem for Easter
Israeli authorities prevented thousands of Palestinian Christians from entering Jerusalem and accessing Christianity’s most holy sites over Easter in an unprecedented clampdown on religious freedom.LATIN AMERICA: Controversial ‘Man Jesus Christ’ Pulls in Followers
"Abba, father," call out the people gathered in the meeting hall. They raise up their hands and stare enraptured at a television screen, where they are addressed by their spiritual leader, José Luis de Jesús Miranda, or as he calls himself, "the Man Jesus Christ."RIGHTS-US: Suit Challenges Ultra-Restrictive Prison Units
Two U.S. federal prisons are being used overwhelmingly to hold Muslim prisoners and prisoners with unpopular political beliefs, and are practicing religious profiling, retaliation and arbitrary punishment, according to a lawsuit filed by the Centre for Constitutional Rights (CCR).
RELIGION-LATIN AMERICA: Scarred for Life
As Catholic Church authorities in Latin America close ranks around the Vatican, whose credibility has been undermined by countless cases of child sex abuse committed by priests, other sectors are calling for major structural reforms in the institution.IRAQ: Uphill Coalition-Building Battle for Winners Unfolds
Iraq's major political forces are beginning what is likely to be a lengthy and uncertain process of talks to form a government. A key question is whether Iraq's politically diverse groups will join forces together based on ideological, ethnic, sectarian or merely pragmatist considerations.« 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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