Us and Them | antropologi.info

Religious divide grows amid Thai unrest

Published on November 2, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, Asia, religion cosmology, Us and Them

Asia Times

BANGKOK – Though southern Thailand’s ethnic-Malay Muslims are drawing closer together in the face of heavy-handed government tactics to quash a simmering separatist insurgency, religion is splitting them as Islamic fundamentalists, or reformists, challenge the prevailing Sufi Islam.

Thailand’s Muslims are a mixed bunch, comprising ethnic Malays, Thais, Indians and a smattering of others. “Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala, most of the Muslims there are Malay, but there are Thai Muslim communities there as well, some local and some from other parts of the country,” says Michiko Tsuneda, a University of Wisconsin cultural anthropologist studying Thai-Malay Muslim communities in southern Thailand. >> continue

Asia Times

BANGKOK - Though southern Thailand's ethnic-Malay Muslims are drawing closer together in the face of heavy-handed government tactics to quash a simmering separatist insurgency, religion is splitting them as Islamic fundamentalists, or reformists, challenge the prevailing Sufi Islam.

Thailand's Muslims…

Modern technology helps reinvigorate traditional values

Published on October 21, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, Asia, books, religion cosmology, technology, Us and Them

The University of Chicago Press

An interview with anthropologist Jonah Blank, author of Mullahs on the Mainframe: Islam and Modernity among the Daudi Bohras. The Daudi Bohras are a unique denomination of Indian Muslims, with a worldwide population numbering up to one million.

“Perhaps the most important lesson the Bohras can teach outsiders is that Muslims can indeed embrace modernity while remaining true to their traditions and core beliefs.”

“Perhaps the most important way in which technology has bolstered traditional values has been by permitting Bohras around the world to have immediate and constant contact with the dai-ul-mutlaq (the spirtual leader of the community). Due to the dai’s crucial importance, Bohras have eagerly pounced on each new generation of communications technology—from fax to email to digital cellphones—to maintain close contact with the dawat (the Bohra clergy)”. >> continue

The University of Chicago Press

Malaysian Idol – “a space for young people of different ethnicity to interact”

Published on October 19, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, media, Us and Them

malaysianidol.blogdrive.com / New Sunday Times

Critics dismiss Malaysian Idol as ’empty entertainment’ but educators endorse the programme for its unifying factor. Among others, critics had called it a morally decadent programme that might influence local youth to go against Asian values.

Social anthropologist Professor Wan Zawawi Ibrahim from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Institute of the Malay World and Civilisation loves the show for its multicultural content. “Malaysian Idol is a space for young people of different ethnicity, faiths and cultures to interact,” he says.

Wan Zawawi, whose main areas of research include pop culture and multiculturalism, admires the bond shared by the participants. It has been noted frequently that Malaysian undergraduates are not comfortable mixing with those of different ethnic backgrounds. >> continue

malaysianidol.blogdrive.com / New Sunday Times

Critics dismiss Malaysian Idol as 'empty entertainment' but educators endorse the programme for its unifying factor. Among others, critics had called it a morally decadent programme that might influence local youth to go against Asian values.

Social…

Columbus Day: Celebrating a holocaust

Published on October 12, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, indigenous people / minorities, Native American, Northern America, Us and Them

MSNBC / The Indian Country

Stannard, board member of the new American Indian Genocide Museum being established in Houston, said the most massive act of genocide in the world followed the arrival of Columbus in the Americas.

When Columbus first sighted land on Oct. 12, 1492, the American Indian Holocaust began. The Spanish were driven by their lust for gold and silver and the English fueled by their desire for property. Christians killed with zeal those they believed defiled with sin. Their goal was exterminating the Indian race. Overall, 95 percent were obliterated. >> continue

SEE ALSO
Professors deconstruct heroic myth of Columbus (Daily Nebraskan)
Venezuela: The Transition from Columbus Day to Indian Resistance Day (The NarcoSphere)

MSNBC / The Indian Country

Stannard, board member of the new American Indian Genocide Museum being established in Houston, said the most massive act of genocide in the world followed the arrival of Columbus in the Americas.

When Columbus first sighted land…

Study Finds New York City’s Muslims Growing Closer Since 9/11

Published on October 5, 2004 by lorenz Posted in anthropology in the news, Northern America, religion cosmology, Us and Them

The New York Times

Facing increased discrimination after the Sept. 11 attacks, New York City’s Muslims have identified more deeply with their religious roots, setting aside the sectarian and linguistic differences that have traditionally divided them according to a six-year study released yesterday by Columbia University.

The study also assessed news coverage of Muslim Americans before and after Sept. 11 and concluded that negative visual depictions of the group rose substantially after the attacks.

The study, financed by the Ford Foundation, provides the most comprehensive look yet at the religious, social and political affiliations of New York City’s estimated 600,000 Muslims both before and after Sept. 11, 2001, and involved work by more than a dozen academic researchers and professors. It was coordinated by Louis Abdellatif Cristillo, a Columbia anthropology professor >> continue or use this link (Islam Online)

The New York Times

Facing increased discrimination after the Sept. 11 attacks, New York City's Muslims have identified more deeply with their religious roots, setting aside the sectarian and linguistic differences that have traditionally divided them according to a six-year study…