Religion

MIDEAST: Raze Illegal Buildings – Unless They Are Jewish

By IPS Correspondents
Backed by armed security men, the municipal inspectors race their jeeps through the narrow alleyways and up a hillside crowded with buildings.

MIDEAST: Corrupt Arab Regimes – Who is to Blame?

By Mel Frykberg
The Mideast continues to be plagued by autocratic Arab regimes where human rights, democracy and freedom of speech are a pipe dream for the average citizen. But who is to blame and what can be done to amend this situation?

MIDEAST: Helpless in Gaza

By IPS Correspondents
Scores of Palestinian women and their children carefully sift through the desert sands. They are looking for hard nuggets.

ARGENTINA: Torture Priest Still Celebrating Mass – Behind Bars

By Sebastián Lacunza
More than two years after he was sentenced to life in prison for crimes against humanity committed during the 1976-1983 dictatorship in Argentina, former police chaplain Christian von Wernich has not been penalised by the Catholic Church.

BALKANS: Moderate Patriarch Sets New Course for Serb Church

By Vesna Peric Zimonjic
The enthronement of a moderate as patriarch of the influential Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) has raised hopes for the planned integration of the country with the European Union (EU) and for Serbs coming to terms with the bloody Balkans wars of the 1990s.
Dr. Mahmoudi Ramahi, surgeon and secretary general of the Palestinian Legislative Council. Credit: Mel Frykberg/IPS

Q&A: ”Hamas Accepts Existence of Israel Within 1967 Borders”

By Mel Frykberg
Palestinian politics are at an impasse. The four-year term of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) ended on Jan. 25 with no new elections planned. Presidential elections, meant to be held last year, were also postponed indefinitely.

FRANCE: Burqa Ban Keeps Immigration Issue Alive

By IPS Correspondents
With the French regional elections coming up in March and a debate on national identity raging, the burqa polemic is keeping the immigration and "values" issue alive here.

IRAQ: Kurdish Leader Voices Indirect Support for Mutlak

By IPS Correspondents
The president of Iraq's Kurdistan region, Massoud Barzani, has expressed indirect support for the removal of Salih al-Mutlak and possibly other Sunni Arab politicians from a list of candidates banned from running in the March parliamentary elections.

MIDEAST: Pray the PA Way or Face Arrest

By Mel Frykberg
The Palestinian Authority (PA) is using West Bank mosques as a new battleground in its political offensive against its opponents within Hamas as well as critics from its own Fatah party.

POLITICS: Iraqi Body Softens Stance on Banned Candidates

By IPS Correspondents
A decision by Iraq's controversial Accountability and Justice Commission (AJC) Monday to remove 59 candidates from a list of over 500 candidates banned from running in the March parliamentary elections appears to be a sign that the AJC is softening its stance following widespread domestic opposition and a visit by U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden to Baghdad last week.

IRAN: Is a Ceasefire in the Making?

By Farideh Farhi
As Iran nervously awaits the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution on Feb. 11 - the day that has traditionally drawn the largest public demonstrations - a subtle change in public discourse can be detected.

MIDEAST: Civil Society Takes On Israeli Settlements

By IPS Correspondents
Salam Fayyad turned civil society activist this week. In Salfit, on the West Bank, the Palestinian prime minister threw onto a giant bonfire goods made in Israeli settlements.

MIDEAST: Israel Crushes Local Dissent, Attacks Global Criticism

By Mel Frykberg
Israel is lashing out at international criticism and attempting to crush local dissent in what appears to be growing sensitivity to reproach of its policies.

KENYA: Deportation Protest Leads to Widespread Arrests

By Susan Anyangu-Amu
Organisers of a protest march against the expulsion of Muslim cleric Sheikh Abdullah El Faisal say Kenyan police have arrested up to 400 people and are interrogating them to prove their nationality and try to uncover links to terrorism.
Omar Abdel-Razek Credit: Jon Elmer/IPS

Q&A: ‘Religious State, Recipe for Disaster’

By Jon Elmer
When Omar Abdel-Razeq was appointed finance minister following the election of Hamas in January 2006, the BBC characterised the post as the "least enviable job in the new Palestinian government."
Port-au-Prince residents retrieve the body of their relative from a pile outside the general hospital. Credit: UN Photo/Logan Abassi

HAITI: On Sunday, Mass Was About the Dead

By Garry Pierre-Pierre
Rosemarie Tintin's black hat and veil barely concealed the sorrow on her face. She recently lost her entire family in Haiti's devastating earthquake and the only place she could find solace was at her church.

MIDEAST: Israel Jails Palestinian Peace Activists

By Mel Frykberg
Israel has long argued that Palestinians should pursue their political objectives in a non-violent way. However, several prominent Palestinian peace activists have recently been arrested and jailed for doing just that.
Katérina Stenou Credit: A. D. Mckenzie/IPS

CULTURE: ‘Understanding Diversity Can Help Avoid Clashes’

By A. D. McKenzie
The International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures (2010) has not had an auspicious start.

ECONOMY: Dubai Debts Prompt Review of Islamic Finance

By Mona Alami
'The World’, a manmade archipelago off the coast of Dubai, developed by the Nakheel real estate company - which partly relied on the issuance of Islamic bonds, or sukuk, to finance the ambitious project - has come to symbolise for many the vulnerability of the Islamic financial market.

MIDEAST: Gaza Extremists Drifting Towards al-Qaeda?

By Mel Frykberg
Two separate bomb attacks on Internet cafes in Gaza last week have served as an uncomfortable reminder that extremist groups within the coastal territory may be stronger than the comparatively moderate Hamas organisation which rules the strip.

RIGHTS: Groups Protest “Profiling” at U.S. Airports

By IPS Correspondents
Civil liberties advocates and organisations representing Muslims believe the Barack Obama administration's decision to require extra scrutiny for travelers to the U.S. from 14 predominantly Islamic countries will lead to practices that are discriminatory and ineffective.
« Previous Page — Next Page »
*#*