Religion

Nawal El-Saadawi: "I cannot stop writing" Credit: Cam McGrath/IPS

Q&A: “Women Will Benefit From Secularism”

By Cam McGrath
Controversy stalks dissident writer Nawal El-Saadawi, whose views on women and religion have put her at odds with Egyptian conservatives.

PORTUGAL: Bible Is “A Catalogue of Cruelties,” Says Saramago

By Mario de Queiroz
After a nearly two-decade truce, Portuguese Nobel literature laureate José Saramago has returned to the charge against the Catholic Church. This time his target is the Bible itself, which he describes as "a manual of bad morals," and a "catalogue of cruelties and of the worst of human nature."

RIGHTS-CHINA: Children Among “Missing” Xinjiang Detainees

By IPS Correspondents
"It was late in the evening, and we were just getting ready for bed. Three men in black police uniforms and another four in military camouflage came to our house. They said my sons have been involved in attacks against Chinese... they twisted their arms and led them away," said Kamalutdin K.

RIGHTS-EGYPT: Invoking Religion Against Liberals

By Cam McGrath
Self-appointed guardians of public morality are invoking an ancient instrument of Islamic jurisprudence against those whose ideas they deem immoral or heretical - or simply to gain fame.

CANADA: Harper Courts Religious Right, But Quietly

By Paul Weinberg
Stephen Harper's ruling Conservative government has managed to muddy the ideological right-wing aspects of his political agenda to stay in power in Canada without alienating his western and rural base of moral and social conservatives.

ENVIRONMENT-US: Interfaith Leaders Back Climate Bill

By Zach Rosenberg
An interfaith group of religious leaders Thursday announced the launch of DaySix.org, an initiative aimed at influencing the passage of Senate legislation on climate change.

PHILIPPINES: Muslim Unrest ‘A Political Problem in Religious Garb’

By Johanna Son
Pushing Muslims' long-held aspirations for genuine self-determination in mainly Catholic Philippines is a complicated struggle "because we are not a priority issue" for the central government.

JAPAN: Buddhist Priests Use Pop Culture to Win Back Faithful

By Catherine Makino and Naoyuki Ogi
Hip hop. Fashion. Zen café. Animation.

RIGHTS-EL SALVADOR: Anti-Gay Reform Fails in Congress

By IPS Correspondents
Constitutional reforms that would ban same-sex couples from marrying and adopting children in El Salvador failed to obtain the required number of votes in Congress.

TRINIDAD: Radical Muslim Leader Sparks Corruption Probe

By IPS Correspondents
Ever since he literally blazed into the lives of Trinidadians when he led more than 100 armed followers in a failed attempt to remove the A.N.R. Robinson government in 1990, radical Muslim leader Yasin Abu Bakr has been able to taunt the country with impunity.
There are only four women in Berlusconi's cabinet. Credit: Italian government

POLITICS-ITALY: Don't Even Speak of Equality! – Part 2

By Miren Gutierrez
Angelica Mucchi-Faina, psychology professor at the Perugia University, thinks that "in Italy you cannot even talk about equal opportunities for women in politics."
Luisa Capelli: Italian feminism "has been marginalised" Credit: Oriana Boselli/IPS

POLITICS-ITALY: Where Are the Women? – Part 1

By Miren Gutierrez
Four ministers out of 21; 193 parliamentarians out of 952 (upper and lower houses); no party leaders. Why are there so few women in Italian politics?

RIGHTS: Govt Enforcing Ramadan Fast

By Cam McGrath
Hundreds of Egyptians are reported to have been arrested for eating, drinking or smoking in public during daylight hours as part of a police campaign against people caught breaking the Ramadan fast.

RIGHTS-US: Some Guantanamo Prisoners Fight Release

By IPS Correspondents
As 13 prisoners held at the U.S. naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba appeared set to finally win their freedom, others are asking their release to be deferred.

MEXICO: Priests Targeted in Drug-Related and Other Violence

By Emilio Godoy
The priesthood has joined journalism as one of the most dangerous occupations in Mexico, according to a report by the Roman Catholic Bishops' Conference.

EGYPT: Christians Split Over Presidential Scion

By Adam Morrow
Leaders of Egypt's Coptic Christian Church have voiced support for Gamal Mubarak, son of President Hosni Mubarak, as preferred candidate for president. Concurrently, however, some Coptic activists are calling for demonstrations against what they see as official state bias against Christians.

HEALTH: Swine Flu Hits Ramadan Gatherings

By Cam McGrath
Muslims marked the start of the fasting month of Ramadan Saturday, but the global H1N1 pandemic has put a damper on religious festivities throughout the Middle East.

U.S.: ‘Civility Project’, Style Over Substance?

By Bill Berkowitz
Every year during August recess, many members of the U.S. Congress go back to their districts and hold town hall meetings to get a sense of what their constituents are thinking about, and to apprise them of upcoming legislation.

FILM-COLOMBIA: A Priest’s Passion for Justice

By Helda Martínez
The latest film out of Colombia is based on the true story of a priest in a rural town whose passions include a search for justice in an area that, like so many in this civil war-torn country, is hemmed in by armed groups, whether far-right paramilitaries, leftist guerrillas or state security forces.

POLITICS-US: Court Reins in Terror Finance Policy

By IPS Correspondents
A federal court this week ruled for the first time that the U.S. government cannot freeze an organisation's assets under a terror financing law without a warrant based upon probable cause and without telling the organisation the basis for its action and a meaningful opportunity to defend itself.

GERMANY: Terror Plot Emerges as Secret Service Game

By Julio Godoy
It was announced as a terror plot busted. German police had captured three young Muslim men in the small village Medebach-Oberschledor, some 450 km southwest of Berlin Sep. 4 in 2007. The police declared they had seized 730 kilograms of hydrogen peroxide, enough to make 550 kg of explosives.
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