Introduce your students to the poetry of Simin Behbahani, Iran’s national poet who died this week. Her poetry tells us a lot about Iran after the revolution. Although Behbahani wrote a lot about love, she also tackled political and social issues in Iran after the revolution of 1979. Some of her accolades include the the Simone de Beauvoir Prize for Women’s Freedom in 2009, and two nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Her poetry reveals both her love for... Read more
Here’s the distribution of the 1.6 billion Muslims from the Pew Research Center. That number makes Islam the 2nd largest religion in the world. And, contrary to popular perception, the vast majority, 62%, live in Asia/ Pacific! Here are some interesting facts about the distribution. Muslims make up the majority of the population in 49 countries Indonesia has the largest number of Muslims India has the second largest number of Muslims Read more
Here are two very short and engaging summaries of events in the Middle East ideal for high school students. The first explains the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The second explains who the Kurds are and why they are important. Both clips come from the TestTube Newtork which has some other great clips that cover history, government and current events. Read more
Young Muslim women are starting to add color and style to their headscarves, called hijabs. One reason for the new trend, reports the New York Times, is “the proliferation of glossy, fashionable images on social media sites.” That “could be making young women more confident about wearing the hijab.” Another reason may have been the release last year of the music video “Mipsterz” mixed to Jay Z’s “Somewhere in America” that featured urban women dressed in head scarves skateboarding, juggling and... Read more
Restored paintings on the Ajanta cave walls in Maharashtra, western India are, according to author and writer, William Dalrymple, “possibly the finest surviving picture galleries from the ancient world.” Restoration of the paintings in Cave #10 began in 1999 using infrared light, micro-emulsion and “cutting-edge Japanese conservation technology.” In a story for the Guardian called “The Ajanta Cave Murals: ‘Nothing Less Than the Birth of Indian Art,’ ” Dalrymple reports that archaelogists “succeeded in removing 75% of the layers of shellac,... Read more
Schools across India recently spent a week learning Sanskrit, India’s ancient language, with ties to early Indian culture and Hinduism. But not all Indians are happy with this new focus on Sanskrit, mandated by the government elected this spring. Tamils are the most vocal opponents. According to BBC News, “the Tamil language is not derived from Sanskrit and many …see it as a move by Hindu nationalists to impose their culture on religious and linguistic minorities.” The government denies this. Although less... Read more
The New Museum in New York City recently opened a new exhibit showcasing contemporary Arabic art which will run until September 28. The exhibit includes over 45 artists from 15 countries. You can see some of the pieces in the exhibit here at the Huffington Post. They tell an interesting story about issues in the Middle East from the Arab Spring to relations between Palestinians and Israel. Holland Cotter gives the exhibition a stellar review for the New York Times. To appreciate... Read more
Here’s a brief but terrific visual guide and timeline explaining the rise of ISIS from the BBC. Thanks to F.C. Tymrak for tweeting the link. Read more
This short clip explains how Nepal plans to turn the Buddha’s birthplace in Lumbini into “a global hub for peace and a center for Buddhist learning,” According to the BBC, the site of the temple contains the “remains of what is believed to be the earliest ever Buddhist shrine within the main Maya Devi temple.” Read more
Here are four religion infographics. Each shows the breakdown of the major religions differently. by geographics.cz via I saw this cool inforgraphic on another blog. The page is in Russian but the infographic is in English. You can magnify the image and move it around. Great graphic of the world’s religions. Some of the numbers are off because it was made in 2003 but it’s still a great visual Here’s a nice timeline of the major world religions from a... Read more
World Religions
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