Archive: Society | Religion Religion
UNICEF brings children’s rights to monasteries in Bhutan
The world of monastic schools in Bhutan is veiled in mystery. It is home to
around 4,000 boys, some of them as young as five, training to become monks.
In a ground-breaking project UNICEF is entering this closed-off world to
establish a child-protection framework in a centuries-old order. More
MP hopeful fresh attempt to make Good Friday state holiday will succeed
The Christian Democrats are pushing to make Good Friday a state holiday in
the Czech Republic, as it is in several European states. Previous attempts
to give workers a day off on the religious holiday have failed. However, a
senior party figure says the Christian Democrats are now hopeful of finding
support for the revival of a tradition ended by the Communists. More
Cardinal Vlk tells Czech officials not to mentor the Catholic Church
The law on church restitutions approved by the Czech Parliament in 2012
should enable churches active in the Czech Republic to gain full
independence from the state by 2030. However, changing an order that’s
been in place for decades is not proving easy. In an Easter interview for
Czech Radio Cardinal Miloslav Vlk slammed Czech officials for mentoring the
Catholic Church and reminded them that the communist days are over. More
Populists helping ISIS sow fear, says sole Czech Muslim legislator Hassan Mezian
Hassan Mezian is the only Muslim legislator in the Czech Parliament. The
Social Democrat senator moved to Prague from Damascus to study medicine in
1967, and, apart from spells in his native Syria and elsewhere, has spent
most of his life practicing in the central Bohemian town of Litoměřice.
When we met at the Senate, our conversation took in Syria, Czech Muslim
life, and growing anti-Muslim populism in politics. But first I was curious
to hear about Dr. Mezian’s period treating Bedouins during his military
service. More
Hundred European rabbis attend Prague self-defence course
Around a hundred rabbis from across Europe have come to Prague to attend a
self-defence course designed to provide Jews with a means of fighting back
in the event of anti-Semitic attacks. The move comes amidst increasing
fears security within the European Jewish community following a number of
attacks. More
"My Czech kebab shop is an embassy for a positive image of Islam"
Chez Amis is an Arab-Oriental grocery store that also doubles as a fast
food establishment selling kebabs, falafel, hummus, couscous and other such
delicacies. Situated on Spálená street in the centre of Prague, it is
owned and operated by Algerian-born Amis Boussad. He agreed to talk with me
in his store, among other things, about life for Muslims in the Czech
Republic. More
President Zeman warns of “appeasement” of Islamic radicals
Czech President Miloš Zeman has called on the world to deal with Islamic
radicalism the same way it ultimately had to deal with Nazism in the 1940s.
The comments were made at Prague Castle before dozens of European leaders
as part of events marking the 70th anniversary of the liberation of
Auschwitz. More
Czech-Arab center head Shadi Shanaah on Islamic radicalism, Islamophobia and multiculturalism
The terrorist attacks in Paris have put the spotlight on Europe’s Muslim
minorities, triggering broad debate on Islamic radicalism, immigration
policy and the concept of a multi-cultural Europe. In this special program
we’ll take a closer look at the Czech Republic’s small Muslim
community, how it is perceived by the majority population and how it has
been impacted by the developments in Europe. More
Minister: Czech Muslim community non-radical for historical reasons
Following last week’s terrorist attacks in Paris, the Czech authorities
are not ruling out the possibility of the radicalisation of individual
Muslims in this country. However, says the minister of the interior, the
Czech Muslim community as a whole is unusual in not having a radical
component, having arisen in very different circumstances than the
communities in bigger European states. More
We didn’t know them but feel our friends were killed, says founder of Czech satirical cartoon
Perhaps the best known Czech satirical cartoon is Zelený Raoul, which
often employs extremely graphic images to poke fun at a wide range of
targets in the pages of Reflex magazine. Following Wednesday’s horrific
attack on the offices of France’s Charlie Hebdo, I discussed the possible
implications for political and religious satire with Zelený Raoul founder
Tomáš Baldýnský. My first question: Has the comic strip every included
images that might be considered offensive to Muslims? More
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