No Woman, No Drive

Should Saudi women be allowed to drive? Several Saudi women got behind the wheel this weekend to protest the ban, risking arrest. Social activist and comedian Hisham Fageeh made this video clip yesterday, the day the women protested the ban. The video has made Fageeh an internet sensation.

Here's an interesting story by The Washington Post's Max Fisher about Fageeh and the video.

Thanks to@jennphillips for the tweeting the link. 

Malaysia: Who Can Refer to God as "Allah"

Should only Muslims be allowed to refer to god as "Allah?" That's what a Malaysian Court ruled last week. According to Reuters News, the ruling will hurt Malaysia's image as a moderate Islamic country. Even conservative Muslims condemn the ruling arguing, according to Reuters, "that the word Allah has been used by different faiths for centuries."

Here's a story about the decision from the Huffington Post.

Hinduism: Monotheistic or Polytheistic?

Teaching Hinduism?  Is it a monotheistic religion or is it a polytheistic religion? 

Here's an excellent short clip about the concept of God in Hinduism developed by the magazine, Hinduism Today and the Hindu Students Association.  It explains Hinduism as a monotheistic religion in which Hindus believe in "one all-pervasive supreme being who is both immanent and transcendent."

The Woman Before Her: A Tale of Two Indias

Two Indias, both represented by women  in this award-winning documentary. One represents a fundamentalist movement that preaches resistance to other religions like Islam and Christianity and teaches young women "an unusual combination of proper Hindu femininity and fighting skills."

The other represents " bikini-clad women of the Miss India pageant." According to the Guardian, the two Indias are "tradition and modernity on a collision course."  POV, Documentaries with a Point of View developed this film which premiered on PBS in September.  Here's a review from the Huffington Post from last year when the documentary was first released. If you are a Netflix subscriber, you can stream the video.

30 Renowned Writers Speaking of God

What do big time writers  like Nadine Gordimer, Isaac Asimov,  Arthur C. Clarke, Philip Roth or Margaret Atwood think about God?

Over 30 writers make an appearance on this 25-minute clip. Jonathan Pararajasingham, a British medical doctor specializing in Neurosurgery, created this montage of 30 writers discussing God. You can see the whole list on Open Culture where I found the clip. Most, you will find, question God's existence and some are clearly doubtful.

Religious Symbols: Take the Quiz

How well do you know the major symbols of the various religions?  Take the quiz at the Huffington Post here.

Yoga: The Art of Transformation: Freer Sackler Museum

Billed as "the world's first exhibition of yogic art," The Freer Sackler Museum in Washington DC opened a new exhibit on yoga art today. The museum site also includes an excellent slide show of  some of the art. You can read a review of the exhibition  here at the Huffington Post.

And here's a great review of the exhibit by the New York Times.

Hinduism and Modern India

Studying Hinduism?  Here is an interesting clip from PBS Religion and Ethics News Weekly about Hinduism today. Fred de Sam Lazaro talks to a  middle-class Hindu family about their faith and challenges to it from the modern world. The clip is several years old but still worth watching.

Why Turkey Lifted its Ban on Islamic Headscraf

By Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36537319

As the western world debates restricting religious-oriented attire, Turkey just relaxed its restrictions on women wearing headscarves in state institutions.

The National Geographic has an excellent story about the decision that might be good for both world history and religion classes. That's because the article reviews the founding of the modern state of Turkey by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Atatutrk instituted a number of clothing regulations designed to make Turkey a more secular country. Most of those regulations dealt with men. The fez, for example was outlawed but Ataturk left the headscarf alone. Restrictions began in 1980 after a military coup. It was outlawed in most state institutions like schools, government offices, and hospitals.

Turkey's opposition party, according to the National Geographic, says that the relaxation of the restrictions are "a serious blow to the secular republic." But Turkish prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan argues that headscarf-wearing women are as much a part of the republic as those who do not ear headscarves. Moreover, he wanted to make sure that conservative women who wore headscarves would not be discouraged from applying to government or higher education jobs.

Here's a video clip from the BBC about the decision to lift the headscarf ban.

 

Eid Al-Adha 2013: Feast of Sacrifice

Eid Al-Adha, also called the festival of sacrifice, is a four day Muslim holiday that celebrates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael before God sent a ram in his place.  It is one of the most important holidays on the Muslim calendar. American Muslims observe the holiday today, October 15th.

In commemoration, Muslims around the world usually slaughter sheep or cattle. The Guardian has a excellent slide show with a few photographs showing some of that sacrificial offering.

Other resources for the holiday include:

• The Atlantic's In Focus has a page of great photographs
• BBC Religion has a short page about the holiday
• The Huffington Post also has a good slide show
• The Global Post has a page of great phtographs

Below, boys lead  rams to the Atlantic Ocean where they will wash them in preparation for the Eid Al-Adha feast in Senegal.

Navratri 2013: Worshipping The Divine Mother

Navratri, the Hindu festival of nine nights that began on October 5th and ended Sunday, was celebrated all over India with great fanfare. The Huffington Post has a terrific series of festival photographs.

Also known as Durga Puja, Navratri is dedicated to Durga, the mother goddess who also represents power. According to BBC Religion:  During Navaratri, some devotees of Durga observe a fast and prayers are offered for the protection of health and property. Many different ceremonies and festivals take place over the nine days.  Hindus buy new clothes, make special treats, and buy gifts for friends and family.

Here are some more resources for the holiday:

• The BBC has a short video clip about how the holiday is celebrated in Bangladesh.
• BBC Religions has a good page about the holiday itself.

Snake-Handling Preachers Open Up About 'Takin' Up Serpents'

Here's an interesting story from NPR about snake handling, a practice that dates back more than 100 years and is confined to about 125 churches in a few southern states and Appalachia. Snake handlers take up snakes to prove their faith in God and are part of the Holiness movement, a subset of the Pentecostal Church. You can listen to NPR's audio story here.

Jamie Coots, pictured above, is one of the most well known snake handlers and will appear in a National Geographic series about snake handling called "Snake Salvation" and premiers this fall.

According to NPR, snake handlers look to the 16th chapter of  Gospel of St. Mark. "And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; "They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."

Here's a clip from CNN about snake handling that I found last year.

Mack Wolford, a Pentecostal pastor and snake handler died last year after being bitten by a rattle snake and refusing healthcare. Here is the Washington Post story.

Tibetan Buddhism, Christian Science & Jainism

Interesting overview of the origins, rituals, beliefs, and practices of Tibetan Buddhism, Christian Science, and Jainism produced by CBS News

The Ramayana: For Western Audiences

Studying Hinduism? Introduce your students to the Ramayana with this essay by Daljit Nagra. He's written a new book about the fantastical stories of Rama and Sita which make up the great Indian epic, the Ramayana. In an essay for the Guardian, Nagra explains the popularity of the tales, their history, and their importance to Hindus.  

In 1987 and 1988, Indian television serialized the epic for an audience of over 100,000,000 people. 

According to Nagra, the epic was first written between 2000 and 3000 years ago by the Hindu sage, Valkmiki. Nagra summarizes the plot like this: 

 "It is set in northern India and the southern kingdom of Lanka, and tells of the supreme god, Vishnu, incarnating himself as a man (Rama) in order to vanquish the demon Ravana who is causing chaos in the heavens and on Earth. Rama is heir to the kingdom of Kosala in Ayodhya, but his father is persuaded by his wife against giving him the throne, and instead Rama is sent into exile followed by his devoted wife, Sita, and loyal brother, Lakshmana. The trio live peacefully in the forest until Sita is abducted to Lanka by Ravana who has fallen in love with her. Rama wins the support of a monkey army to help him fight Ravana's troops to win her back."

The Four Hindu Yogas Explained

Here's a good, quick, animated overview of the four Hindu yogas--Bhakti, Karma, Jnana, and Raja.

Mapping Paul's Journeys

Teaching the spread of Christianity?  Here's a site of interactive maps involving Jesus, Christianity and the Bible. The interactive maps include Paul's 1st, 2nd and 3rd journeys. Thanks to Richard Byrne at Free Technology for Teachers for  the links.

Where Did the Pews Go?

According to the Wall Street Journal, many churches are dispensing with traditional pews. "At bottom:" the Wall Street Journal reports, "churches want to trim remodeling costs, maximize space flexibility with stackable seating, or create a more approachable atmosphere to draw in unchurched young people." Thanks to Sarah Pulliam for tweeting the link.

Malala Yousafzai with Diane Sawyer

Malala Yousafza, the 16 year old Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban last year because of her support for female education, sits down with Diane Sawyer.  "I was spared for a reason," she tells Sawyer. Here is the video with a short story about the interview at  the Huffington Post on the occasion of a new book by Malala, simply called "I am Malala."

With the book's publication, the Taliban has renewed their threat against her.

And here is the NY Times documentary, Class Dismissed,  about Malala's clash with the Taliban.

Here is Malala with Jon Stewart and below that a clip from the NY Times called "On the Making of Malala."

Chagall's Jewish Jesus at the NY Jewish Museum

You can see Chagall's Jewish Jesus  at The Jewish Museum in New York in a program called  "Chagall: Love, War, and Exile."  In the clip above, a curator explains some of Chagalls's work including the crucified Christ.  And here's an interesting story from Art News.

Kumare': Fake Guru Exposes Real, Desperate Desire to Believe

Gurus are an important part of Hindu culture. But transplant them to America and you'll find a culture willing to believe, even if the guru is a fake called Kumaré. Here is the Kumaré's story from Interfaith voices last year.

50 Amazing Mosques

The Huffington Post has a slide show of what it thinks are the 50 most interesting mosques from around the world. You'll see interesting domes, minarets, and some very nontraditional architecture. For example, here is the Mashkhur Jusup Central Mosque in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan.  The slide show is fascinating and especially good with a high resolution computer screen.

The Untouchables: Breaking Down Caste Barriers in India

Here's an excellent clip on Untouchables in India. I'm going to show it to my World History class next week when we begin studying the Indus River and the roots of Hinduism.