This is the newsletter of the Oasis International Foundation, www.oasiscenter.eu
Editor: Maria Laura Conte
Forefront
For a piece of cloth, the burqa debate in France (and elsewhere)
Even though the debate began in France, it will soon be front-page news in other Western countries as well. The question is, ‘should Muslim women be legally banned from public spaces (schools, hospitals, roads, etc.), if they cover their whole face?’ A parliamentary committee examined the issue and must report to France’s National Assembly within a few weeks. Discussions regarding the matter have been intense because it raises questions about the separation of state and religion, the place of religion in the public sphere, the meaning and role of religious symbols, as well as the nature and significance of what is referred to as tradition. Oasis looks at the media take on the issue, and publishes an editorial article by Laurent Marchand, a journalist at Ouest France, one of France’s foremost newspapers, who examines the ins and outs of the matter. (Image taken from Flickr)
A detailed, step-by-step account of what happened to Orthodox Copts on Christmas Eve in Nag Hammadi. C. Abdelmalek, cultural counsellor of St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria, looks at the massacre of Christians, examines the facts and describes their social, political and economic background.
In spite of tensions running high across the country, the local Catholic community has reached a much hoped for milestone. Good News, a satellite TV broadcaster, is now on the air; its goal is to counteract anti-Christian bias and provide an alternative look at current affairs in Pakistan.
The articles published in this newsletter are the exclusive responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Oasis Foundation
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For a piece of cloth, the burqa debate in France (and elsewhere)
