Friday, April 24, 2015

Freedom of religion denied in China


No one should deny the people their choice of religion.

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Feb. 10 2015
URUMQI – In another crackdown on religious freedoms, China has forced the imams of eastern Muslim majority district of Xinjiang to dance in the street, and swear to an oath that they will not teach religion to children as well telling them that prayer is harmful to the soul.
During the incident, reported by World Bulletin on Monday, February 9, Muslim imams were forced to brandish the slogan that "our income comes from the CKP not from Allah".
State Chinese news said the imams were gathering in a square in the name of civilization where they were forced to dance and chant out slogans in support of the state.
They also gave speeches telling youth to stay away from mosques, and that the prayer was harmful to their health, encouraging them to dance instead.The slogans included statements glorifying the state over religion such as 'peace of the country gives peace to the soul’.
Female teachers were instructed to teach children to stay away from religious education and made to swear an oath that they will keep children away from religion.
Uighur Muslims are a Turkish-speaking minority of eight million in the northwestern Xinjiang region.
Xinjiang, which activists call East Turkestan, has been autonomous since 1955 but continues to be the subject of massive security crackdowns by Chinese authorities.
Rights groups accuse Chinese authorities of religious repression against Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang in the name of counter terrorism.
Last November, Xinjiang banned the practicing of religion in government buildings, as well as wearing clothes or logos associated with religious extremism.
In August, the northern Xinjiang city of Karamay prohibited young men with beards and women in burqas or hijabs from boarding public buses.

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Islam--freedom to choose belief

"God alone is the One who can monitor the real feelings of the human heart in this life, and the only one who- on the Judgment Day- will tell us of our religious disputes. It’s up to every human to choose monotheism, paganism or atheism; it’s his freedom of belief and he will be responsible before God alone on the last Day. " _ Ahmed Mansour

Source: http://www.ahl-alquran.com/English/show_article.php?main_id=6674

Mali musicians keep singing despite Islamists


How can anyone restrict music?

Mali musician: "If we ban music in Mali or in the entire world, it's as if you cut oxygen to people."



http://www.theguardian.com/news/video/2015/mar/03/mali-musicians-they-will-have-to-kill-us-first-video

Art can save us


Article about graffiti artist from Afghanistan, Shamsia Hassani:

http://artradarjournal.com/2013/07/19/art-is-stronger-than-war-afghanistans-first-female-street-artist-speaks-out/

Revive this blog

I think I will revive this blog in light of what's going on in the world. It will consist of anything I find interesting, but mainly have to do with the Middle East and freedom there, especially from extremists like ISIS.