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Wednesday, November 11, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Religion
BRAZIL: Child Rape Case Revives Debate on Abortion
The case of a nine-year-old girl who was raped and impregnated by her stepfather has revived the debate in Brazil on sexual violence, the need to reform the abortion law, and the shortcomings of the health system when it comes to dealing with the few cases in which abortion is legal.
ENVIRONMENT-INDIA: Kerala Has Elephantine Problems
Among attractions for visitors to southern Kerala state is the way elephants are seen closely integrated into the religious lives of the people.U.S.: Islamist Govts Not the Enemy, Say Mideast Experts
Scores of Middle East and democracy experts released an open letter to U.S. President Barack Obama Tuesday asking him to focus more of his foreign policy efforts at making reforms in the region, including boosting human rights.U.S.: Muslim Women Try to Shatter the “Glass Minaret”
It's Ramadan, and Sara Elghobashy and a group of her women friends, having broken their fast, are looking for a mosque where they can hear the recitation of Koran.
Q&A: Gitmo Uighurs Highlight a Complex Ethnic Problem
Although United States President Barack Obama was quick to order the closure of the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay soon after assuming office, the question of what to do with the roughly 175 current inmates who are unlikely to be prosecuted by the U.S. remains.RIGHTS-US: Profiling Still Plagues Muslim Communities
On the heels of a recent poll that found that American Muslims experience emotional turbulence due to the stereotypes and suspicion of Islam since the Sep. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, two major Muslim-American organisations issued scathing indictments of the tactics of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security.
RIGHTS-PAKISTAN: Women Defy Militancy, Patriarchy
The challenges and contradictions facing Pakistani women were never so apparent as now. While striding ahead in a country that gave the world its first female, Muslim prime minister, they also face the threat of terrorism which claimed her as a victim.
RIGHTS-PAKISTAN: Child Marriages Mock Laws, UN Conventions
All of seven, Perween sat on a string cot in her bridal finery, awaiting the big moment. She looked a little confused and peered from under her big, red shawl to see what the fuss was all about.
RIGHTS-INDIA: Moves to Scrap Hated Security Laws in Kashmir
As political parties in Indian Kashmir debate the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the insurgency-hit state, civil rights activists hope that this will fructify into a withdrawal of the sweeping powers given to armed forces in this state since 1990.RIGHTS-US: Lawsuits Challenge Charity Blacklisting
In two court cases that could test the limits of the Barack Obama administration’s executive authority as well as its commitment to transparency, human rights lawyers are challenging the government’s right to use information obtained through warrantless wiretapping as evidence and to shut down charitable organisations without allowing them to defend themselves.IRAQ: Stumbling From One Conflict to Another?
When U.S. President Barack Obama announced his plan last week to pull out all U.S. combat troops from Iraq by September 2010, the news did not generate much enthusiasm among Iraqi Kurds.POLITICS: Dutch Foe of Islam Ignores US Allies' Far Right Ties
The fiercely anti-Islam Dutch MP Geert Wilders has been traveling through the U.S. this week on a highly-publicised trip to meet with politicians, promote his controversial film ‘Fitna’, and raise money for his legal defence back home.SOUTH-EAST ASIA: ‘Bali Process’ May Address Rohingya Crisis
South-east Asian governments are examining the possibility of using a seven-year-old regional mechanism, known as the ‘’Bali Process,’’ to find an answer to minority Muslim Rohingyas fleeing ethnic cleansing in military-ruled Burma.RIGHTS-BURMA: Rohingya Issue Figures in Regional Summit
Burma’s military regime has set a tough challenge for regional leaders to grapple with when they gather for a summit over the weekend in this resort town south of Bangkok.PAKISTAN: Time Running Out to Restore Stability – U.S. Report
The United States and its allies must act urgently to prevent Pakistan - the only predominantly Muslim nation with nuclear weapons - from descending into a spiral of economic, security, and political crises, according to a new report released here by an influential think tank.
ENVIRONMENT-PAKISTAN: Warnings From Vanishing Vultures
"The thought of my carcass being pecked at by vultures isn’t at all pleasant," said Bapsi Sidhwa, a leading Pakistani diasporic writer now living in the United States. She was referring to the ancient Parsi funerary rite of 'sky burial'.UAE: Women’s Participation is the Norm
In the gender-sensitive Gulf milieu, efforts by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to empower women and recognise them as partners in the nation-building process has received praise, but experts stress that the scope for improvement is limitless.RIGHTS-PAKISTAN: Peace Deal With Taliban Setback For Women
The ceasefire agreement reached by the provincial government in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and the Taliban on Feb.16, involving implementation of shariah (Islamic law), is being seen as a setback for women’s rights in the area bordering Afghanistan.SOUTH-EAST ASIA: Burma's Muslim Rohingyas – The New Boat People *
It happened decades ago when this region was gripped by the fallout of the United States’ war in Vietnam. But the ‘boat people’ phenomenon is back, and this time it has to do with Burma’s Muslim Rohingyas fleeing harsh realities at home.POLITICS-US: Christian Zionist’s Crusade Bears Fruit
During a recent appearance on the Fox News Channel's "Fox and Friends" programme, Mike Evans accused former President Jimmy Carter of everything from helping overthrow the Shah of Iran to causing the Russians to invade Afghanistan and provoking the assassination of Egyptian president Anwar Sadat.MIDEAST: Human Rights Defenders Under Siege
The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama must take a leadership position in championing human rights in the Middle East and North Africa by using U.S. economic and trade leverage and confronting the growing global threat of authoritarianism being promoted by Arab regimes, advocates say.« 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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