America's North Shore Journal » Little Sects
In the Heart of the Taliban, Freedom Still Lives
Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP) is today arguably one of the most dangerous places in the world. But while that may be true of regions where the Taliban proliferate, there are still areas of NWFP where life goes on as normal. The most prominent of these is the Kalash region in the northern-most district of Chitral. It is named after the Kalash tribe which has been settled here since time immemorial. snip Hundreds of years ago about 3,000 Kalash people made their home in the Birir, Rumbur and Bumburet valleys among the Hindu Kush mountains of Chitral. Generally speaking, the people of Chitral, Muslim or Kalash, are liberal when it comes to religion. But the Taliban threat has now jeopardised all that, with the neighbouring district of Upper Dir firmly under their control. “Chitral is one … Read entire article »
Filed under: Islam, Little Sects, Religion, Society
Ram Slam Causes Big Bam
As near as I can figure, the Indians want to make the strait between them and Sri Lanka a little better for navigation. I did not know that it was so shallow. Fundie Hindus are protesting because their God, Ram, built a bridge there, with an army of monkeys. The Tamils, who are not Hindus, pointed out that Ram never went to engineering school. Hilarity ensued. BBC The chief minister of India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu is sticking to his controversial statement questioning the existence of Hindu God Ram. M Karunanidhi also said there was no proof that Lord Ram had constructed a bridge where a new shipping canal is planned between India and Sri Lanka. Hard-line Hindu groups say the chief minister’s statement is blasphemous. On Tuesday Hindu activists angered by the comments … Read entire article »
Filed under: Little Sects, Odd News, Religion, War on Terror
Indian Jews Come Home
The saga of the Indian Jews seems to be drawing to an end. I last reported on the Jews of India, supposed remainders of the Lost Tribes August 18, 2004. At that time they were arm wrestling with the Jewish religious authorities in Israel for recognition. They seem to have won. Houston Chronicle When Tzvi Khaute came six years ago from a remote corner of India, claiming to be of the lost Jewish tribe of Menashe, Israeli authorities didn’t buy it. Things may be starting to change. About 1,000 members of the Bnei Menashe community are now Israeli citizens, and 218 others, the largest single group so far, began arriving recently. Fifty-one landed at Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport, waving banners inscribed with the biblical passage “The sons shall return to their borders” and were greeted … Read entire article »
Filed under: Little Sects, Religion
Chic Sikh
Panthic Weekly She slung an M 16 rifle on her shoulders for the first time when she was 17. Now at 20, she is patrolling the streets of Kabul. Ranbir Kaur of the U.S National Guards first hit headlines in 2003 after becoming the first Sikh girl to join the U.S. armed forces that consists of over 200,000 women soldiers. Presently on active duty in Afghanistan, Specialist Kaur is on a one-and-a-half-year mission in the war-torn country. She was initially recruited to be a supply clerk during the Iraq war, as rules didn’t permit women to fight frontline. However, she says in a situation like Afghanistan, “everything is frontline”. Born in Nijjran, village of Jalandhar district, the young warrior reached the U.S as a seven year old after her father Mahan Singh secured … Read entire article »
Filed under: Iraq, Little Sects, Military, Our Best: Military Women, Religion, War on Terror
Lalish, Where the Universe Was Born
This is where the universe was born: photo copyright Michael Totten Michael Totten continues his reporting from the Kurdish north of Iraq. In Northern Iraq there is a place called Lalish where the Yezidis say the universe was born. I drove south from Dohok on snowy roads through an empty land, seemingly to the ends of the earth, and found it nestled among cold hills. I went there because the President of Dohok University told me to go. “I am a Muslim,†he said. “But I love the Yezidis. Theirs is the original religion of the Kurds. Only through the Yezidis can I speak to God in my own language.†Read the entire article. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Blogging, Little Sects, Other Bloggers, Religion
Storefront Churches
My present route to and from my office takes me through a significant portion of the northeast part of the city. Along my route there must be ten, or more, storefront churches. The Church of Christ as the Word Worldwide Ministries kind of thing. By the names of the pastors, or the use of Spanish, I quickly deduce that some are Latino. The others are probably black, because that’s what our inner city is, black and Latino. I break churches down into three categories, mainstream Churches, almost mainstream (they have an actual church building), and these guys. And I wonder… what do they provide their congregants that all the other churches don’t? I understand how Latinos drift from the Catholic Church. In Latin America, the Church is either a strong supporter of the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Commentary, Little Sects, Original writing, Religion
Iraq: Call Them Kurds Yezidi Yasitis Ezidis
Michael Yon is on assignment in Northern Iraq, and decided to track down one of the most interesting yet little known peoples of the region. I wrote about them here. Michael Yon The sun approached apex above clear skies, warming and drying the air as we entered the Yezdinar village. Several Yezidi men welcomed me graciously, and though my interpreter was Sunni Muslim, they welcomed him, too. None of the men had ever met an American. The Headman invited me into his home, where small children darted here and about, clearly excited yet smiling shyly at the foreigner in strange clothes. The men took off their shoes and as I started to unlace my boots, the Headman motioned that I could leave them on. I recognized this as an honor, but smiled and … Read entire article »
Filed under: Little Sects, Other Bloggers, Religion
Coming Soon: Future Posts
- Declaration of War 1812 (in 129 days)
- USS President vs HMS Belvidera (in 134 days)
- General Hull Invades Canada (in 153 days)
- First Battle of Sacketts Harbor (in 160 days)
On Y!CN
- Radioactive Gravel from Japanese Nuke Disaster Used in Buildings
- Fuel Supplies Reach Nome
- Fuel Convoy Reaches Nome
- Russians Sail to Rescue of Ice Bound Alaska Community
- Pope Embraces Anglicans in U.S. with New Ordinariate
- Nebraska Nuke Plant Placed on Special Inspection Status
- Radioactive Water Leaks at Japanese Nuke Site
- Japan Damaged Nuke Plants Still Not Under Control
Social Links
Mitt Romney, Mormon
May 11th, 2007 | 5 Comments
The former governor of Massachusetts is a Mormon. Should it matter? If the criteria for acceptance as a viable candidate is a logical belief system, than anyone who believes in a religion is disqualified. Faith, of any sort, does not enter that equation. Romney has been compared to JFK. I do not agree with the comparison in the way that it is meant, but I do agree. Both men in their public lives do / did not actively promote the morality of their religion. Few politicians do, and neither JFK nor Mitt Romney break that stereotype. The beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints are silly to me. If they are to be considered a “Christian” religion, they are on the very boundary of that definition. They surely believe … Read entire article »
Filed under: American Politics, Commentary, Little Sects, Original writing, Politics, Religion