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Wednesday, November 11, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Religion
POLITICS: Top Pastor Catches Flak for Reaching Out to U.S. Muslims
Pastor Rick Warren would never be described as laid back. However, since delivering the invocation at President Barack Obama's inauguration in late January, he's been somewhat on the down low.
Q&A: Teens Wrongly Excluded From Family Planning
Nafissatou Diop has worked for decades on issues of reproductive health, HIV/AIDS and development in West Africa, including designing and implementing many studies and programmes.RIGHTS-US: Muslim Groups Seek Reform of Charity Blacklisting
While President Barack Obama conceded in his speech in Cairo last month that U.S. rules on charitable giving "have made it harder for Muslims to fulfill their religious obligation", civil rights advocates are pressing the president to turn his words into action.TURKEY: Constitutional Crisis Escalating
Tension between the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party and the high command of the Armed Forces (TSK) has escalated to new heights after a series of political coups and counter-coups.CHINA: Rights Groups, U.S. Officials Call for ‘Restraint’
Human rights groups have expressed concern over the deadly clashes involving Uighur protestors in the western China's Xinjiang region Sunday, which left 156 dead and over 800 injured.RIGHTS: Muslims Under Scrutiny Despite Waning of ‘Terror War’
When the administration of President Barack Obama formally abandoned the longstanding U.S. "war on terror" - perceived by some as a codeword for "war against Islam" - there were hopes of a new relationship between the United States and the Muslim world after eight long years of political friction.
FRANCE: ‘Where Is the Burqa They Want to Ban?’
There was not a burqa in sight. On the bustling streets around Boulevard de Belleville, in one of the most diverse neighbourhoods here, women wore a variety of clothing, including summer dresses, jeans, chadors, headscarves and traditional African dress, but no burqas.RELIGION-BRAZIL: Intolerance Denounced at UN
"Ialorixá" Gilda died of a massive heart attack in 1999 after members of a pentecostal church swarmed into her temple and hit her over the head with a Bible. Her death drew attention to the growing religious intolerance in Brazil, which was denounced this week at the United Nations.AUSTRIA: Racism on a Sharp Rise
Mainstream political parties in Austria must change their approach if a growing anti-immigrant sentiment stoked by far-right politicians is to be curbed, racism watchdogs and political analysts say.BALKANS: Church Hands Out Shock Treatment
The torture of drug addicts who had turned to the Serbian Orthodox Church for help has sent shock waves across the country.TURKEY: Military Ghost Rises Again
Less than two years after its discreet sealing, the truce between ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party and the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) seems to have ended.
RELIGION-CUBA: Women in the Pulpit
Izet Samá has no regrets about her decision to devote every waking hour to her mission as pastor of the Presbyterian-Reformed Church, guiding a small congregation in the Cuban province of Havana.US-IRAQ: Fate of Withdrawal Pact to be Decided at the Polls
As Iraqis witness a spike in violence after a months-long relative lull, the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has decided to put its security agreement with the U.S. to a public referendum, although the move appears to be only heightening a sense of uncertainty over the fate of the country.POLITICS-INDIA: Hindu Fundamentalism in Retreat
As the leaders of the pro-Hindu, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) blame each other for the massive debacle that the party suffered in the April/May elections it is clear that its fundamentalist agenda has few takers in a rapidly modernising India.U.S.: Report Blasts Terror Financing Laws and Investigations
Muslim charities in the United States are subject to unfair treatment by the government under terrorism financing laws, according to a new report which says the effect has been a chill on charitable giving that violates Muslims’ right to freely practice an important requirement of their religion.U.S.: Museum Attack Seen as Home-Grown Terrorism
Wednesday’s killing of a guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum by an elderly white supremacist is the latest incident in what many see as a potential new wave of right-wing violence triggered, at least in part, by the election of President Barack Obama and the economic downturn.RIGHTS-US: Palau Agrees to Take Guantanamo Uighurs
The announcement Wednesday that Palau will accommodate Chinese Muslims from Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba leaves many unanswered questions, among them whether the U.S. will accept this gesture and whether it will be the best solution to the problem of the Uighurs’ resettlement, rights activists say.US: Washington Heaves Sigh of Relief After Allies Win in Lebanon
The victory of the Western-backed coalition in Lebanon’s Sunday elections will likely allow the U.S. to avoid making tough decisions about how to deal with the country had the opposition, led by an armed Islamist militia, won.
RELIGION: New Family Law for Sunni Women in Bahrain Not for Shiites
A new family law for Sunnis, which protects the rights of women in Shariah (Islamic) law courts, was approved by Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, on May 27. Women’s activists have pledged to continue their fight for a just law for the Gulf Arab kingdom’s Shiites.
U.S.: Obama Appeals to Muslim World for "New Beginning"
In what was perhaps the most widely anticipated speech delivered by a U.S. president abroad in recent memory, Barack Obama Thursday extended a hand to the world’s 1.4 billion Muslims, receiving repeated applause and a standing ovation from the audience at Cairo University in the Egyptian capital.US-MIDEAST: Cairo Speech Widely Hailed at Home
U.S. President Barack Obama's historic speech in Cairo Thursday elicited broad approval from around the U.S., with the notable exception of the neoconservative right.« 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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