EXCERPT: For centuries, Islamic scholars have said that Muslim women must cover their hair. But many Muslim women don’t. There are about 1 million Muslim women in America; 43 percent of them wear headscarves all the time, according to the […]
Lifting The Veil: Muslim Women Explain Their Choice (NPR) Read More »
By Martin Surridge – France can’t seem to stay out of global headline news at the moment. In a two week period, Sarkozy’s government managed to team up with the U.N. to lead the charge against Gbagbo in the Ivory
Article18: France — Controversial Veil Ban for Muslim Women Continues to Divide Nation Read More »
EXCERPT: Chinese police on Sunday detained more than 100 churchgoers who tried to hold an outdoor prayer service on a pedestrian bridge in Beijing after having failed to secure permission to open a church. Although it is not uncommon for
Chinese police detain members of unregistered church (LA Times) Read More »
By Martin Surridge – Just a couple weeks before the revolution in Egypt inspired the Middle East and captured the attention of the world, we posted a link to an article that explained how Egypt’s Coptic Christian community was calling
EXCERPT: An advertising campaign to tackle Islamophobia has been unveiled on buses across the UK. Vehicles in several cities will carry the message “Muslims for loyalty, peace and freedom” in an attempt to challenge negative stereotypes of the faith. The
Bus advertising campaign tackles Islamophobia (BBC) Read More »
By Martin Surridge – Just a few weeks ago, I returned from one of the most beautiful and enchanting countries in Southeast Asia-Thailand-a country known for its love of soccer, its patriotic fervor, sandy beaches, and the rapidly developing, international
Part 2 of the profile on Thailand will be featured next week. This slightly more personal entry previously ran under the title “Observations of Liberty in China” back in Spring of 2010 and is rerun this week as part of
By Martin Surridge – On Tuesday I returned from one of the most beautiful and enchanting countries in Southeast Asia–Thailand–a country known for its spicy cuisine, tropical mountainous rainforests, marvelous Buddhist temples, and the cosmopolitan city of Bangkok. But there’s
By Martin Surridge – This week’s entry will be short. In just a few hours I will be boarding a plane to Thailand to work with a non-profit group setting up a freshwater system for villages in the north of
Article18: Thailand Preview Read More »
By Martin Surridge – President Barack Obama’s Kenyan connection and family lineage is well known, but the Hawaiian-born democrat from Illinois also spent several formative years in the nation of Indonesia–which he hailed last year as a country “defined by more than its
