Blog #10 On eve of anniversary, Turkey’s ‘cultural genocide’ of Armenian history is ongoing

Summary
As the 100th anniversary of the death of 1.5 million Armenians comes around Turkey is faced with more than the usual accusations and arguments. Pope Francis has come out and called the events of 100 years ago a genocide but surprisingly the US President Barrack Obama has done as the Turks do and did not refer to it as such. This adds to the frustration the Armenians face as places such as Varagavank, an Armenian Monastery, continue to fall into disrepair and ruin. Armenians are now calling it a cultural genocide as unfulfilled promises by the Turks have seen monasteries made into mosques or Turkey not coming through with properly repairing and upkeeping these historical buildings.

Analysis
100 years later and the Turks still refuse to call the actions that everyone else in the world sees as genocide as not genocide and deflects to earlier conflicts between the Armenians and the Turks before the end of the Ottoman empire. It also seems to be a great disrespect to convert monasteries that many would consider to be priceless historical artifacts into a usable mosque or a museum. It's almost similar to other Muslim dominated nations calling the holocaust a hoax. It's the most disappointing that the US president would be unwilling to call it how it is while the Catholic Pope, a man who has spent his career trying to mend religious bridges, is more than willing to call it out.

Source
http://www.religionnews.com/2015/04/23/eve-anniversary-turkeys-cultural-genocide-armenian-history-ongoing/

Blog #9 Combat in Yemen risks stirring sectarian hatred among Muslims

Summary
In Yemen there are two large groups at play, the Saudi backed Sunni residing in the North and the Iran backed Houthi Shi'ite. These two groups once shared mosque and had been able to keep tensions from exploding has had just that happen. Three weeks of combat between the two has started out to be regional in nature has turned more and more into a sectarian fight as the Shi'ite claim they are defending their land and against marginalism while the Sunni claim they fight in the better interest of Yemen. The terrorist group Al Qaeda has been operating in the region for months now committing suicide bombings against Houthi mosques and attacks on off duty soldiers. These attacks, along with centuries of various disputes have seen the lines between sectarian and regional blur more as the fighting and outside influences continue.

Analysis
It's a shame such things happen but it seems more and more Muslims have began causing internal strife within their own territories as seen by the likes of ISIS and Al-Shabab. Though blood feuds between Sunnis and Shi'ite have been happening since the early Islamic period one would think such a thing would be left in the past as most religions have ended the crusade mentality against their own kind. These kinds of conflicts also have the added casualty of the reputation of Islam as a whole being seen more as a terrorist religion and one of violence to many, rather than a religion of peace and discipline that many Western Muslims claim it to be.

Source
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/04/13/combat-in-yemen-risks-stirring-sectarian-hatred-among-muslims/

Blog #8 After Islamist attack, armed guards shield Kenyan churches

Summary
Kenyan churches have begun making usage of armed guards in the wake off the university attack on its Christian students and the subsequent threat to turn Kenyan cities "red with blood." The entire country has seen a massive increase in very visible and thorough security made up of a mixture of armed private security, plain clothed police and heavily armed police. Hotels in Nairobi have added large metal gates with security check points, crime filled areas have been given a dusk to dawn curfew, government and public centers have been infested with security and the undersides of cars are inspected to check for bombs and many of the areas that have been places of previous attacks have been placed under heavy watch. "All the mall owners, who take security very seriously, revised their security measures before Easter. But after the Garissa attack, they increased it again." said Peter Bach. The assault on Garissa was marked as retaliation for Kenyan sending peacekeeper units into Somalia.

Analysis/Thoughts
Kenya has seemed to have put itself under complete lock down in both a mixture of fear of future attacks and determination to prevent and combat further attacks. It actually is a nice site that Kenya has begun these security enhancements to protect its populace from further danger but hopefully these security measures won't be as needed further down the road. Kenya is determined to combat Muslim terrorism unlike much of the Mid East which seems content on almost letting ISIS run its rampage all it wants.

Link
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/04/05/after-islamist-attack-armed-guards-shield-kenyan-churches/

Blog #7 At least 147 killed, hundreds rescued in Kenyan university attack that targeted Christians

Summary
The Muslim militant group called al-Shabab attacked Garissa University College in North-East Kenya, an area where 90% of the population is Muslim. The attack took place at 5:3am on April 2nd and 147 were wounded or killed and about 500 were held hostage. The casualties were believed to all be Christians. When the Kenyan military arrived to resolve the issue all of the Muslim hostages were released but al-Shabab kept hold of all the Christians. Later on the Kenyan military managed to rescue the remaining hostages. This has been the biggest attack in this area but it is one of many and they have all been targeting Christians or those who could not recite the Qu'ran.

Analysis
It's sad to see that these Christians living in this region of Kenya are being killed for simply being Christian and that, once again, Muslim extremists are soiling the name of moderate Muslims. I certainly do hope that the Kenyan military can eventually resolve the outstanding issue and remove al-Shabab from Kenya.

Source
http://www.religionnews.com/2015/04/02/least-70-killed-hundreds-rescued-kenyan-university-attack-targeted-christians/

Blog #6 Fearing Islamic State, some Afghan Shi’ites seek help from old Sunni enemies

Summary
A meeting between ethnic Hazara elders and local Taliban commanders was held as the Hazaras want protection from IS. The Hazaras are a Shi'ite minority killed off in great number by the Taliban and have been enemies for some time but the Hazara feel that IS is more of an immediate threat and this threat comes in the form of masked men calling themselves "Daish," which is the regional term for IS, who've already kidnapped many Hazaras. This request was agreed to by the Taliban commanders. The growing fear isn't really one of military fear but of that the global "brand" of IS would attract many members of the battle weary Taliban who've become fractured. The fear is also that of religious minority Shi'ite, such as the Hazaras, as IS is extremely, and violently, anti Shi'ite.

Despite not having an official territory hold in Afghanistan and no systemic support many are still worried as Taliban fighters have already reported armed encounters against IS fighters. There are reports that as many as 6 provinces have IS members operating in them. This growing number and string of recent attacks breeds concern amongst the Aghani Government, Taliban, and the Hazaras, though no one has claimed these attacks many blame IS.

Analysis
The combination of such old enemies shows how concerned they really are with the growing IS threat but also spreads some level of alarm at how far the hand of IS has been reaching. I don't think it will be long until the Taliban and IS are on a full scale war with each other such as has been seen in Iraq. I personally hope that IS gets extinguished by the Taliban and those who wish to see them gone.

Link
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/03/23/fearing-islamic-state-some-afghan-shiites-seek-help-from-old-sunni-enemies/

Thomas Cohen
Soc 202-01

Blog #5: On election’s eve, Netanyahu says no Palestinian state as long as he’s Israel’s PM

Summary
Israeli PM Netanyahu has made the announcement that if he was re-elected he would prevent the formation of an independent Palestinian state. This announcement, made on Monday, is a reversal of a previous hint that he would accept a palestinian state. Netanyahu told the Israeli news source NRG “Whoever moves to establish a Palestinian state or intends to withdraw from territory is simply yielding territory for radical Islamic terrorist attacks against Israel,” Due to Netanyahu's trailing in the polls his opponents, who favor peace accords with Palestine, have accused him of just playing up fears of radical Islam to get the public on his side. Polls predict that his opponents will gain double the seats in parliament than his coalition. He proclaims that, as in years past, he will continue to stand up for Israeli interest despite opposition. Such is the case where he promoted the establishment of Har Homa. Despite all this Israel is looking to have neither left nor right contain a majority hold.

Analysis
I find it an interesting turn of events that Israel might have a much larger centrist base than before considering that many have very black and white views on issues dealing with Palestinians or social issues. My favor is that the Israelis prevent a Palestinian state as I agree with Netanyahu's fears from radical Islam, which is a valid threat in that sector of the world.

Source
http://www.religionnews.com/2015/03/17/elections-eve-netanyahu-says-no-palestinian-state-long-hes-israels-pm/

Blog #4 Islamic State militants bulldoze ancient Nimrud ruins as idolatrous

Summary
ISIS fighters have taken over, looted, and demolished the Assyrian city of Nimrud as part of an ongoing series of assaults on historical and cultural sites. The fighters do this as the dismiss the country's pre-islamic history as idolatrous. UNESCO has declared the actions ISIS has been taking as a "cultural cleansing" and a war crime. Fortunately many of the statues and major pieces were removed from the ruins a while ago by archaeologists. The actions have been compared to the Taliban's destruction of Afghanistan's giant Bamiyan Buddhu statues in 2001. The assault on Nimrud has taken place roughly a week after ISIS fighters went into a Mosul museum and destroyed many priceless artifacts. This is simply the latest in a series of attempts to cleans the history of Iraq away.

Analysis/Thoughts
I find acts like this to be absolutely unforgivable and it makes me question why many of the neighboring nations have waited this long to remove what is obviously a destructive force to both Muslims and non-Muslims. It's a damn shame that such precious and priceless artifacts of history are being allowed to be destroyed to fit the view point and will of an extremist, terrorist, faction.


Source
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/03/06/islamic-state-militants-bulldoze-ancient-nimrud-ruins-as-idolatrous/

Blog #3 Turkey’s atheists and religious minorities join forces to protest religious instruction in schools

Summary
In Turkey religious minorities are teaming up with atheists to protest and attempt to end the mandatory religious education that has been sweeping across the country. The minority group are the Alevis and are actually the second largest religious group in Turkey. Unlike the Christians and Jews, the Alevi are not officially seen as a religious minority and are not exempt from the religious education which is structured around sunni Islam.

Turkey is technically a secular country but in 2003 they elected Recap Tayyip Erdogan under the banner of the Justice and Development Party that had started to change. In response to protests and the one day boycott police began violently breaking up protests using things such as water canons and pepper spray and arrested the protest leaders for insulting the President. The boycott in particular was in response to the establishment of more religious secondary schools known as Imam Hatips which were typically used to train state Imams.

This holds the consequence of many secular schools being converted into Hatip schools and leaving many to have little choice but to enroll in these schools leading enrollment to skyrocket from 65,000 to 1 million. This had the response of the European Court of Human Rights ruled against this in September but it held little effect on Erdogan who responded “This is an incorrect ruling and there is no similar example in the West, The mandatory physics classes, the mandatory chemistry classes are not sources of debate anywhere around the world. But everybody talks about the religious courses.”

There are many who have had to resort to sending their kids to a further away city in order to avoid the religious schooling requirements but sometimes that's not enough as is the case with Cem Sarikaya who was forced to take all religious electives until having to resort to being sent to a private high school.



Analysis
This article seems very fitting considering the recent chapter on religion and ethnicity and that it has some major implications on the growing pressure religious minorities facing persecution. I also found it odd that the religious minorty in question that is technically Islam is being treated the same as those who are without faith or are agnostics.

Source: http://www.religionnews.com/2015/02/18/turkeys-atheists-religious-minorities-join-forces-protest-religious-instruction-schools/

SOC 202-01
Thomas Cohen

Blog #2 Iraq's Kakais: 'We want to protect our culture'

Summary 

A force of 680 fighters of the Kakai Battalion are being led by Farhad Nezar in a response to the threat of ISIL. The battalion is named after the religion the battalion follows which is a minority religion found mainly scattered across Northern Iraq. The threat these men face is the potential brutality shown to religious minorities by ISIL due to the failure of the Iraqi army when they abandoned Kirkuk. The brunt of the recent fighting takes place on the front lines around Kobane a little over a month ago but ISIL was unable to overtake and push forward the line.

Part of what also brought forth this resurgence was Saddam's policy against them that gerrymandered many Kakai areas to no longer keep them in power. They fear being uprooted by ISIL and Arabs living in their territories. They proclaim they simply wish to protect their culture and feel it's their duty to protect their lands and ask for the help of the international community to help achieve this goal. Though, despite not initially signing up, many Arabs in the area will join the Kakais if push comes to shove.

Analysis

This goes to show that ISIL is more than just a potential threat to the US or your everyday Iraqis but for those who aren't part of the mainstream Muslim communities. It apparently can be nearly a death sentence to many of those sub-cultures within that area. I feel it's a good, if not a bit ironic, turn of events when the locals stop relying on their poorly performing militaries and instead choose to defend their culture and cities themselves from hostility.

Thomas Cohen

2/13/2015

Source

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/02/iraq-kakais-protect-culture-150209064856695.html

Blog #1 In Egypt, Atheists Considered a "Dangerous Development"

Summary
Dar al-lfta, a government wing that deals with religious edicts in Egypt, claimed that the country only held 866 atheists and considered this to be a "dangerous development." This is no surprise considering Egypt's very stern anti-atheist view points and their nearly 90 million Muslim majority. This has been leading many to be arrested for "defamation of religion" as the Egyptian constitution allows for freedom of belief but only provides freedom of practice for the three Abrahamic religions.
Over the years, atheists in Egypt have faced a number of what we in the US would consider serious affronts to personal freedom. Many have been fired, threatened, arrested, and even turned over to the police by their own families. Even a Ministry of Interior official, Amin Ezz El-Din stated there would be a task force dedicated to arresting non-believers.

Analysis
Despite understanding where they're culturally coming from, I still find it odd that such a ridiculously low number of reported atheists in a country of millions is considered a "dangerous development." That's like putting 2 drops of bleach into a 50 gallon tank of water and deeming the water toxic. I find it odd though that the matter doesn't stem from them simply not being Muslim but them not being religious at all and how much of a violent reaction this garners.. 

http://www.religionnews.com/2015/02/02/egypt-atheists-considered-dangerous-development/

Blog 4: Iran Cleric Claims He Was Beaten Up By 'Badly Veiled' Women

Suzanne Nemchek

9/21/12

SOC 202-01

            A cleric and religious figure by the name of Hojatoleslam Ali Beheshti was allegedly beaten by two Iranian women after requesting for them to cover up (Barghi).  In an interview, Beheshti expressed that “he thought the women’s attire defied social codes and Islamic values” (Barghi).  The women did not follow his orders; rather, they allegedly insulted the cleric and proceeded to attack him (Barghi).  The attack put Beheshti in the hospital for three days and he claims that he is still in need of assistance as a result of the attack (Barghi). 

            This type of incidence represents a global battle for women’s rights that is still going on today.  Although the women were breaking the law in the eyes of Iran, a feminist would argue that this law is unfair.  Why are women required to cover up but men are not?  The answer is a religious one since Islam is the major religion of Iran.  In Islam, women are perceived as property of a male, whether that male be her father or her husband.  As property, the religion wishes to desexualize women by requiring a certain dress code so as to not attract other men.  Women all around the world are appalled by this view and treatment of women.  Even women in Iran, such as the two involved in the attack, do not wish to be treated any differently than the men.  Still, the law persists and, therefore, these two particular women committed a crime.  The severity of this issue of women’s rights in countries such as Iran continues in the possible punishment for these women.  Since one woman is considered the equivalent of half of a man in Islam, women receive harsher punishments for less crime.  With the assistance of developed countries, such as the U.S., there is a glimmer of hope for a women’s rights movement in Iran in the near future.  Such a movement would improve the lives of many women and create a fair society for both sexes.

Works Cited

Barghi, Shirin. 2012. “Hojatoleslam Ali Beheshti, Iran Cleric, Claims He Was Beaten Up By ‘Badly Veiled Women’”. The Huffington Post. Retrieved September 21, 2012. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/18/hojatoleslam-ali-beheshti-beat-up-woman-iran_n_1894877.html?utm_hp_ref=world