Blog 12: Religous Division

Women Arrested in Mumbai for Complaining on Facebook

Last Sunday a woman in Mumbai was arrested for posting a Facebook status that “created or promoted enmity, hatred or ill will between classes”. This woman, Shaheen Dhadha, posted a status that questioned the importance of Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray. Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray died and to show respect during his funeral there was a “bandh”. This means stores in Mumbai were closing. Shaheen Dhadha posted a status saying that people like Thackeray die every day therefore a bandh is unnecessary. Dhadha was arrested as well as her friend who “liked” the status; both women were sentenced to 14 days in jail after a bond of 15,000 rupees ($270) was paid. Days after the arrest of Dhadha, 2,000 Shiv Sena workers vandalized Dhadha’s family’s orthopedic clinic. There are people outraged at the women and there is also a majority of people outraged at the government for arresting the women. Former Supreme Court Judge Markandey Katju defended Dhadha saying, “To my mind it is absurd to say that protesting against a bandh hurts religious sentiments.” There is a lot of talk about how only these two women were arrested, while hundreds of other posts like this were made on Facebook.

This article is a clear case of rights being violated. All people should have the right of freedom of speech; but not all places around the world have this. In the United States no one would be arrested for posting a comment on Facebook; it is interesting to see what little freedom other countries have. Shaheen Dhadha posted a status on Facebook protesting against a bandh and the government arrests her for disrupting religious views. Countries around the world have limited freedom when religion and government are involved. This article can also relate to women’s rights; would they have been arrested if they were male?

 http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/19/women-arrested-in-mumbai-for-complaining-on-facebook/ 

Blog 11 - Gay Pakistanis, Still in Shadows, Seek Acceptance

Gay Pakistanis, Still in Shadows, Seek Acceptance

In Pakistan, homosexual acts are illegal. The gay scene in Pakistan is very discrete; gay couples exist in Pakistan but are secretive. Homosexuality is viewed as going against religious views. Openly gay people in Pakistan will face discrimination and violence, most commonly from their families. Two women that live in Pakistan have started the gay and lesbian support group. The group, “O”, researches lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues and provides legal advice. O knows that openly gay rights activating is not going to happen in Pakistan for a while, but they have started by sharing and being accepted by their families. O has helped people in difficult family situations and helped with a foreign-operated prostitution ring. O is currently working to overturn a code that influences parents to shun their gay child. Self-definition in Pakistan deals a lot with class; upper and educated class identify as gay if they are, but lower and working class will not identify as gay. The older generation of Pakistan separates gay from identity. There is potential conflict for younger Pakistanis because they are growing up with a more westernized perception of sexual identity. An anonymous gay Pakistan journalist state: ““They’ve got all the access to content coming from a Western space, but they don’t have the outlets for expression that exist over there””.

This article is about a group of Pakistani people who believe in gay rights. This group believes that openly gay people in Pakistan is not going to happen for many years. Homosexual acts in Pakistan are illegal; and gays are usually shunned from their families. The youth in Pakistan have access to beliefs about sexual identity from the United States and are forming a different view on sexuality. American youth have an outlet of expression but Pakistani youth do not. The younger generation of Pakistan is going to have more frustration than the older generations about sexuality; and will express their frustration. The new gay marriage laws in Massachusetts and Maryland will not only affect the United States, but also places like Pakistan where people do not have the same opportunities.

  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/04/world/asia/gays-in-pakistan-move-cautiously-to-gain-acceptance.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0

Blog 10: Relgious Division

Remembering Biafra

Nigeria has endured many hardships over the years, including: regional and religious division. Nigeria is place for potential, talent, and riches; but it is difficult to get by in Nigeria without being a member of the small and corrupt oil-fed. Nigeria is a place with 250 ethnic groups and more than 500 languages. Nigeria was granted independence in 1960, and seven years later the Ibos declared independence from Nigeria. The newly declared nation called themselves the Republic of Biafra. The Nigerian government did not intervene when thousands of Ibos were massacred, and creating the Republic of Biafra was created to empower the Ibos; but the creation of Biafra caused more conflict and massacres. The Biafran war lasted two years; the federal government blockaded Biafra and thousands of civilians were killed. The leader of the Republic of Biafra, Ojukwu, refused to give up. This conflict was widely spread by the media, and was some of the first footage of starving children in Africa.  The final death toll was between one and three million people.

This article is about Nigeria and how the country had much potential before it became a corrupted nation. When Nigeria gained independence there was talent, education, and potential; Nigeria became corrupted and devastated with war. The Ibos were subject to persecution before the Republic of Biafra, and once Biafra gained independence everything became a mess. The war that occurred killed millions of people. Nigeria had expectations and goals, but became a shattered nation by becoming consumed with war and corruption. As I was reading this article I thought of how easy it is for conflicts like this to keep occurring. Nigeria is not the only country to have regional and religious division. Countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and North Korea have experience similar situations with controlled government, declaring independence, and blockades. 

 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/04/books/review/there-was-a-country-by-chinua-achebe.html?pagewanted=all

Blog 9: Religious Conflict

Syria Clashes and Bombing Mar Holiday Cease-Fire

There was a deadly bombing near a Damascus children’s playground in Lebanon; this started the first day of a cease-fire. The bombing near the children’s playground killed five people and injured more than thirty, including children. The Syria conflict practiced a four-day cease fire, mostly because of the most important Muslim holiday of the year. Id al-Adha is the Feast of Sacrifice; and with no violence occurring, protesters gathered in the streets all across Syria. The Syrian Army stated they would cease military operations for four days in respect to the holiday. Not everyone respected the cease-fire; there were reports of fighting at the start of the holiday. One neighborhood in the city of Homs reported being hit by six missiles. Another report stated that security forces had resorted to tear gas to control the violent protests. Protesters are angry at the cease-fire and angry at the government; the Syrian protest movement turned into a fight between the Sunni and Alawites. Commander, Arafat Mahmoud, suspects the Syrian Army was trying to regroup after losing checkpoints and chunks of the city of Aleppo. Mahmoud states that the Syrian Army “wants a cease-fire just to reinforce their bases.” Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad and his opposition would rather overpower each other than to negotiate.

This article was about a bombing that happened because of a cease-fire attempt in Syria. The people of Syria are angry with the government and military and participate in violent protesting. The bombing that took place near the children’s playground in Lebanon was in a poor, mostly Sunni neighborhood. Previous attacks like this have been orchestrated by extremist organizations.  The idea of negotiating peace with the Syria conflict is not an effective strategy; there has been cease-fire attempts which only lead to more violence. The people do not want to negotiate, they want to fight and overpower one another.