Individuals are using manga to drown out ISIS propaganda. The birth of ISIS-chan (Japanese: ISISちゃん, Aishisu Chan) took place in January to damage ISIS’ image SEO. ISIS-chan’s popularity increased after hacktivist group Anonymous targeted and exposed sympathetic ISIS Twitter accounts. The use of ISIS-chan comes with its own set of rules: do not insult Islam, avoid Islamic iconography and avoid naming Allah or the Prophet Muhammad. Alongside a strict no-gore, no-porn policy. At the turn of 2015, an alleged ISIS account attempted to spread propaganda on unrelated Japanese hashtags. Examples included ‘Daikan’ (a term to describe the coldest day of the year) and ‘Zuwaigani‘ (queen crab). A hashtag dedicated to Hitoshi Saito, the two-time judo Olympic gold medalist, who died on January 20, after a battle with cancer, became a target. The propaganda depicted the impeding peril of hostages Kenji Goto and Haruna Yukawa. Some created the hashtag #ISISクソコラグランプリ (ISIS kusokora guranpuri or ISIS crappy collage grand prix) to invert fear and ridicule the terror group. #ISISクソコラグランプリ pic.twitter.com/PR3BwpJevL — temmo kun (@temmo5) January 20, 2015 ISIS had threatened to murder both men unless Japan paid a $200m ransom – the same amount President Shinzo Abe donated to countries fighting the [...]
The post How Twitter users are ridiculing ISIS with cartoon memes appeared first on Religious Reader.
Continue ReadingA recently discovered manuscript at Birmingham University could be one of the world’s oldest fragments of the Quran, thanks to scientific analysis. Tests at Oxford University’s Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit dated the parchment between AD 568 and 645 with 95.4 per cent accuracy. That timeline is a close match to the time of the Prophet Muhammad (AD 570 and 632). This accidental discovery gives new significance to the study of Islam in Birmingham. A PhD researcher, Alba Fedeli, decided to get the parchments tested. The manuscript was misbound with leaves of a similar seventh century Quran manuscript. Susan Worrall, Director of Special Collections (Cadbury Research Library), at the University of Birmingham, said: “We are thrilled that such an important historical document is here in Birmingham, the most culturally diverse city in the UK” The manuscript, which consists of two parchment leaves, contains parts of Suras 18 to 20, written in Hijazi, an early Arabic script. According to Professor David Thomas, Professor of Christianity and Islam, the findings are significant. With a ‘degree of confidence’ the parchment text is traceable to less than two decades after Muhammad’s death. “These portions must have been in a form that is very close to the [...]
The post ‘Oldest’ Quran manuscript found in Birmingham University appeared first on Religious Reader.
Continue ReadingThe story of Jan Karski’s bravery in the Second World War came to life in a recent documentary in his native Poland. Sławomir Grünberg’s ‘Karski and the Lords of Humanity‘ (Karski i władcy ludzkości), blends archival footage, animation, and interviews to retell a story of wartime heroism. Born in the Polish city of Łódź in 1914, the youngest of eight Catholic children, Jan Romuald Kozielewski later adopted the nom de guerre of Karski. The city exposed a young Karski to multiculturalism. He found himself living alongside Germans, Jews, Russians and Poles. That exposure to Jewish life created an affinity within Karski. Academic pursuits helped him join Poland’s diplomatic service. When interning for the foreign minister, he found himself in Nuremberg, Germany. Karski saw the Nazi propaganda rallies in 1933 and the toxicity of Nazi antisemitism. It created a deeper sympathy for their plight and a sense of foreboding. Other diplomatic assignments brought him to London and Paris. But the outbreak of war brought a career change as he enlisted in the army in 1939. In a few short weeks, invasions from German then Soviet troops divided Poland. The Soviets arrested Karski and placed him in a detention camp; but a [...]
The post Jan Karski: the Catholic spy who warned about the Holocaust in 1942 appeared first on Religious Reader.
Continue ReadingJuly 18 is a day for change. A change inspired by the legacy of Nelson Mandela. Each year, the Nelson Mandela Foundation makes a simple request: that you dedicate 67 minutes of your time to humanity. Why 67 minutes? The number represents Mandela’s 67 years of public service. In 2009, the United Nations adopted a resolution to recognise Nelson Mandela Day. Saturday July 18 would have been his 97th birthday. Inspired by Mandela’s values, the day intends to promote positive self-improvement through community work. That work can be as simple as spending 67 minutes making a new friend; irrespective of ethnicity or faith. Or spending those minutes donating unwanted items and clothing to a charity shop. What matters most is to do something that inspires positive change. The Nelson Mandela Foundation encourages individuals to nominate ‘community changers’ with the #Time2Serve hashtag. Others can take part with the #MandelaDay hashtag. To echo Mandela’s words in 2008: “There is still too much discord, hatred, division, conflict and violence in our world here at the beginning of the 21st century. A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place [...]
The post #MandelaDay: a chance for interfaith dialogue and community change appeared first on Religious Reader.
Continue ReadingDerby’s first free Sikh school still intends to open in September despite council opposition. Akaal Primary school opens its doors in September on the grounds of the city’s national Sikh museum. Lord Nash, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Schools, wrote to Derby City Council requesting permanent land for the school. A request now under review as they explore their legal position. The council insists that extra primary school places are not required. Dr Daljit Singh Virk, one of the school’s insisted that a ‘political game’ is at hand due to the local and national political divide. In spite of its Sikh ethos, the school offers 50 per cent of places to non-Sikhs. It also offers optional ‘Sikh studies’ outside of school hours alongside an ‘inclusive vegetarian food policy’. The curriculum promises a ‘Sikh ethos and a strong focus on literacy development. Our curriculum will be broad, balanced and thematic’. It will be the first East Midlands school to follow the International Baccalaureate Primary Years programme. By 2020, the school hopes to offer places to 420 students in the region. In a statement, the National Secular Society took a critical stance in line with broader criticisms of faith schools.
The post Derby’s first free Sikh school set to open in spite of land problems appeared first on Religious Reader.
Continue ReadingRabbi Capers Funnye Jr. is set to be the first “black chief rabbi” of the 21st century. The International Israelite Board of Rabbis, a US-based umbrella body for black Jewry, announced that Funnye will serve as the “titular head of a worldwide community of Black Jews“. That movement includes the denomination of Black Jews founded by Rabbi W.A. Matthew in Harlem in 1919. Other affiliated black Jewish groups include the Lemba of South Africa, the Abayudaya of Uganda, and communities in Nigeria. A key part of Funnye’s work as Chief Rabbi is to build relationships with Ethiopian Jews in Israel. Funnye has met with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to lobby for greater acceptance of black Jews. Funnye converted to Judaism as an adult. But in some circles, there is a shock that a rabbi is black. It is an image he is keen to change. “We have African-American Jews, African Jews, Filipino Jews, Mexican Jews, white Jews and biracial Jews. It is really what the Jewish people, in fact, have always looked like. … We have to promote that Jews have always been a global people,” said Funnye in a Chicago Tribune interview. His rabbinical career began in 1985; in [...]
The post Rabbi Funnye: the ‘first black chief rabbi’ appeared first on Religious Reader.
Continue ReadingIn an odd and provocative tweet, Richard Dawkins shared this image without context: pic.twitter.com/XlynBMwk9e — Richard Dawkins (@RichardDawkins) July 13, 2015 A lack of context left some followers confused. Some tweeted, ‘ISIS brides?’ and ‘@RichardDawkins Oh you ‘islamophobe’ Richard! Sharing the plight of Muslim women like this. How dare you! #sarcasm’ @RichardDawkins A powerful and haunting image, but could we have some context? — Tom Towler (@tjatowler) July 13, 2015 @RichardDawkins Contextualize, please — Janne Strang (@jannestrang) July 13, 2015 Others provide context: @RichardDawkins These women are not enslaved; they're participating in a passion play. See caption in attached image. pic.twitter.com/Gyiwvx53Cv — George Maschke (@georgemaschke) July 13, 2015 @RichardDawkins This is Shiite Muslim community commemorating Ashura in Lebanon. It's not about women slavery in Islam. — Adel (@Alcon_Naphcon) July 13, 2015 The truth behind the tweeted image dates back to 2011. Ali Hashisho took the photos during the Ashura procession in the village of Saksakieh, southern Lebanon. It is important to view Hashisho’s other photos of the event. What is Ashura? The day of Ashura holds special significance for Shia Muslims. It falls on the 10th of Muharram (the first month of the Islamic calender). It commemorates the martyrdom of [...]
The post Richard Dawkins, social media and the problem of echo chambers appeared first on Religious Reader.
Continue Reading“When crimes begin to pile up they become invisible. When sufferings become unendurable the cries are no longer heard. The cries, too, fall like rain in summer,” wrote the German poet Bertolt Brecht in 1935. This Saturday marks twenty years since the genocide in Srebrenica, denial of this genocide continues to poison the debate and efforts of reconciliation. The failure to prevent this genocide falls upon parts of Europe, the United States and United Nations. As of this year, 8,372 graves bear the names of the murdered Bosnian Muslims. Forensic experts continue to find human remains. Radovan Karadžic and General Ratko Mladic await verdicts in trials for directing genocide. Dutch forces shoulder much of the blame. For example, peacekeepers forced thousands of Muslim families out of their compound after pressure from Mladic’s troops. Last year, the Hague ordered the Netherlands to compensate the families of over 300 men murdered in the genocide. Dutch troops were so eager to leave, that outside of one exception, ignored signals of the looming offensive. They failed to report ‘troop movements, new reinforcements coming into the area, and large amounts of fuel being sent to the enclave’. A recent Observer article claimed the UN provided [...]
The post Genocide denial still haunts the Srebrenica debate appeared first on Religious Reader.
Continue ReadingBuddhist monks in Dhaka, Bangladesh are distributing food parcels to Muslims this Ramadan. Outside the Dhammarajika Monastery, in the Basabo neighbourhood, monks distribute hundreds of iftar parcels. Suddhananda Mahathero, the monastery’s head monk told the AFP: “Buddhism taught us that serving humanity is the ultimate religion. We are feeding the poor Muslims who cannot afford to buy proper meals to break their fast”. Some individuals travelled several kilometers on foot to cue for food. When the AFP observed, over 300 Muslims sought food parcels. A measured police presence ensures peaceful transactions. Muslims in Bangladesh colour the majority of the country’s religious makeup (86.6 per cent). The noted Buddhist minority mainly occupies the southern regions (near the border with Myanmar). In 2012, in the southeast of Bangladesh, Muslims protested a blasphemous image on Facebook. Rumour spread that the individual responsible was Buddhist. In response, protesters burnt at least four Buddhist temples and 15 homes of Buddhists. As some sought to ease community tensions, Amnesty International condemned the violence.
The post Buddhist monks in Bangladesh feed hundreds of Muslims during Ramadan appeared first on Religious Reader.
Continue ReadingThis Tuesday marks the 10th anniversary of the London bombings done by four men who professed to be Muslims, and carried out this attack in the name of Islam. Yet, the words of George Gordon Bryon could never have been truer: “History, with all her volumes vast, hath but one page.” The notion that history all too often repeats itself is both sad and shameful. Looking back a decade later, it is hard to indulge the fact that although our efforts may have increased, the violent ideology that caused the death of 52 people, has evolved and spread. Where there was just Al Qaida and the Taliban, we now have a so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, Boko Haram, Al Shabaab and many other smaller death cults. The sad truth is that a decade on from the July 7 bombings, we are none the wiser as to what attracts Muslims, in particular young people, to travel abroad, and engage in some of the most brutal acts of violence under the guise of worthwhile deeds. In countering violent extremism, we have heard academics, security experts, political commentators, politicians and community activists take vastly different views on what are the drivers [...]
The post Ignorning young British Muslim voices damages the radicalisation debate appeared first on Religious Reader.
Continue Reading