The mysterious masked women of Iran
Source: BBC By Rodolfo Contreras A jumble of cultures The people in Hormozagan province on Iran’s southern cost are known as Bandari (Port People). Once an important stop on the […]
Israeli anger at Unesco motion’s failure to link holy site to Judaism
Source: The Guardian The United Nations cultural and heritage body, Unesco, has condemned Israel’s “escalating aggressions” regarding the holy site in Jerusalem’s Old City, known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif […]
New Smithsonian museum features stories of African-American faith
Source: RNS By Adelle M. Banks WASHINGTON (RNS) Long before the grand opening neared for the Smithsonian’s new museum devoted to African-American history, Amirah Muhammad had a difficult decision to […]
Indian-Americans, ‘Horsetown USA’ clash over building plans
Source: Associated Press By Ami Taxin NORCO, Calif. (AP) — The Southern California city of Norco markets itself as “Horsetown USA,” and it’s not unusual for cowboy hat-wearing residents to head out for lunch or run errands on horseback in its Old West-styled downtown. Local leaders celebrate that rural, equestrian […]
As a psychiatrist I’ve seen how culture affects views of mental illness
Source: The Guardian The UK has become more ethnically diverse in the past 20 years. Photograph: Tolga Akmen/LNP/Rex/Shutterstock By Yasir Abbasi Clinical director and consultant psychiatrist for addiction services, Mersey […]
My Voice Is My Right, Not “Your Gift”
Source: Huffington Post By Zoha Qamar Student at Columbia University The caramel dunes and rocky hills melt up into the sky. It is night, almost morning; it is dark, but not quite black-almost the last sparkling shade of heavy purple that bleeds from the spectrum between blue to black. A thick […]
Excommunicated Brazilian obstetrician fights for women’s right to abort Zika babies
Source: RNS RIO DE JANEIRO (RNS) Dr. Olimpio Moraes is used to being at the center of controversy. He’s been excommunicated twice by Brazil’s Roman Catholic Church for actively supporting […]
Know Thy Neighbor as Thyself: Small-Town Values and the Study of World Religions
Source: Huffington Post By Rose Deighton PhD Student in Islamic Studies, Writer, Contemplative If you grew up in rural Ontario, you would probably agree that cultural diversity wasn’t a […]
How “Star Wars” teaches spirituality
Source: Religion News Service Spoiler alert: “Star Wars” is an actual American religion. Consider the number of people who saw “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” during its opening weekend. That would be […]
Jewish publishers seek new models in struggling industry
Source: Religious News Service WASHINGTON (RNS) Editors and reporters from North American Jewish newspapers gathered in the U.S. capital this week to try to come up with solutions to the crisis facing their struggling industry. The meeting, which took place at the annual American Jewish Press Association conference Tuesday and […]