Following the brutal massacre in two mosques in New Zealand earlier this month, Asia Media staffers penned their thoughts on what it means to be an ally to the Muslim community, and how the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, exemplifies it. MUHAMMAD ALOTHMAN WRITES– “Welcome Brother,” the first…
Full Article NEW ZEALAND: ALLIES, THIS IS HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY
AASHNA MALPANI WRITES – Muslim women in India took the lead in changing the tone of the narrative from being a victim to an activist. The women united against the disputed practice of “triple talaq”—an Islamic law that allows men to split from their wives by saying the Arabic word…
Full Article INDIA: HOW TO DIVORCE IN UNDER 3 SECONDS – THE TRIPLE TALAQ LAW
SHUTING LI WRITES – Who are the Uighurs and why have they become such an issue in East Asia? Here is a simplified analysis – absent of ideology, slant and misunderstanding – that you won’t normally find in the mainstream news media. First of all, we must note that conflict in…
Full Article CHINA: Uighurs, the Under-Told Story
In a nation where homosexuality is shunned, journalists rise up to defend the rights and dignity of gay, lesbian and transgender people against verbal and sometimes physical assault from invasive television media. Here’s the kicker: this nation is Pakistan. The country is known for having the highest Muslim population in…
Full Article PAKISTAN: The Rocky Road to Acceptance
ANNIE LUNDGREN WRITES – A Chinese production company recently launched the 3D cartoon series “Princess Fragrant,” which follows a Uyghur girl’s adventures along the Silk Road. The character, who sports a traditional Uyghur hat and long braids, was inspired by the ancient Chinese legend of “Fragrant Concubine,” the Uyghur consort…
Full Article CHINA: Cartoon Character Calls for CooperationELIZABETH NAAI WRITES – Religious violence taints Thailand’s picturesque south shores. Most Thais are Buddhist, but the south hosts a large Muslim Malay population near neighboring Malaysia. Both religions renounce violence, but attacks have claimed 5,700 lives since ethnic religious conflict began there in 2004. Recently, eight minutes of raining…
Full Article THAILAND: Is the South a Tourist Destination? Sadly, Not Right NowALEXANDRE GUIRAUD-COINTREAU WRITES – The United Arab Emirates has been insulted and demands the offender stop: Egyptian-born Muslim cleric and head of the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated International Federation of Muslim Scholars (IFMS), Yousuf Al Qaradawi, who resides in Doha. According to Gulf Times, the clash began over the topic of the…
Full Article QATAR: The UAE is NOT HappyELODIE INTROIA WRITES – Religious violence has flared in Myanmar for more than a year. Now a disturbing neo-Nazi-like movement has emerged that aims to contain the rights of minority Muslims. The man critics say is behind the effort: Buddhist monk Ashin Wirathu. Wirathu’s 969 Movement has been widely described as…
Full Article MYANMAR: A Buddhist Plan to Segregate MuslimsSyndicated columnist and LMU professor Tom Plate writes — Within days, President Barack Obama is set to visit Southeast Asia and this is a very good thing. The region is becoming more significant by the month. U.S. policy is said to be in the process of ‘pivoting’ to Asia after…
Full Article TOM PLATE: The Islamic Challenge for AmericaThe US often criticizes Singapore for restricting freedom of the press, especially on visceral topics. But after speculation that the assassination of Christopher Stephens, US Ambassador to Libya, was a result of the “Innocence of Muslims” trailer, based on a longer video made by radical (so-called) Christians to denigrate the…
Full Article SINGAPORE: Singapore Says “Told You So”