Muslims
The Burmese Muslims Who Are Refugees in Their Own Country
Violence between Buddhists and Muslims in Meiktila, Burma, led to thousands of people—mainly Muslims—being displaced and forced to live in crowded camps indefinitely. When we visited them, we were followed everywhere by the police.
Furious Buddhists Are Making Life Hell for Sri Lanka's Muslims
Gangs of Buddhists have been roaming the streets of Colombo, administering bloody mob beatings, and attacking places where Muslims work and worship. Economic frustration and potent nationalism finds a convenient scapegoat.
I Tried to Celebrate Ramadan With a Bunch of Muslims I Don’t Know
I’ve been feeling pretty down lately—I think living away from my family and friends in Toronto for about four years is finally starting to get to me. I wanted to feel part of something that felt like home and the Muslim Eid Festival seemed like the...
Is Burma’s Government Involved in Ethnic Cleansing?
The last couple of weeks have been filled with mixed news for the Burmese government. On the bright side, the European Union decided to permanently lift sanctions against the country and deeper trade ties with the United States were announced. On the...
Burma's Rohingya Ghettos Broke My Heart
Sittwe, the capital of Burma's restive Rakhine state, is a town divided. Or, put more accurately, segregated, thanks to the majority Buddhist Rakhine people developing a passion for beating, raping, and murdering members of the local Muslim Rohingya...
Is the Burmese Military Keeping Rohingya Women as Sex Slaves?
During my week in Sittwe, Burma, with the help of those who accompanied me, I obtained evidence that strongly implies that the Burmese military is imprisoning Rohingya women from the Arakhan region and using them as sex slaves.
The Joseph Colony Fire: Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan Provide Cover for All Kinds of Grudges
On the morning of March 9, a mob set fire to the Joseph Colony in Badami Bagh, a Christian neighborhood in Lahore, Pakistan. Television cameras captured crowds celebrating their arson that evening amid the smoldering destruction. A total of about 17...
God Behind Bars
I’m not proud to be prejudiced against religious people, but at least when in jail I definitely have a problem with them. It doesn’t matter what faith they’re representing, they usually seem to be delusional or crazy. I’ve lived next to convicts who...
Being the Muslim at a Christmas Party
As a Muslim from a Christian family, Christmas has historically been complicated for me. Converting to Islam as a teenager, part of what I wanted from my religion was a new identity; the differences between Christians and Muslims held more value for me...
Screwdrivers and Slingshots: Inside Burma’s Erupting Sectarian Strife
This summer, violence between Burmese Rakhine Buddhists and immigrant Muslim Rohingya people caused the death of around 60 people and the displacement of over 90,000 residents of that region. That ethnic conflict has once again escalated, weeks before...
I Walked Around in NonMuslim Clothes All Day Every Day Before I Became a Practicing Muslim
After reading Annette Lamothe-Ramos’ piece about walking around in a burqa all day, I felt, like many of you, I had to write something in response. I am not going to throw insults at her or defame the things she said. Those were her opinions and...
The EDL Want "Paedo Muslims" off England's Streets
But they didn't mention the paedo atheists at the mini-riot in Manchester last night.