On Monday, December 6, Pope Francis commented on a leaked internal document of the European Commission, calling it "anachronistic." The pope's comments were from an interview aboard the papal plane on his way back to Rome from Greece and Cyprus.
The Harvard Graduate Student Union ratified the changes to a four-year contract, adding caste as a protected category. The new provisions of the contract will pave the way for caste-sensitive policies and projects affecting close to five thousand student-workers in Harvard.
On November 9, Iran’s parliament confirmed receiving a bill that will criminalize owning pets, especially animals deemed “unclean” by Islamic law. The bill on the “protection of public rights against dangerous and harmful animals” was drafted by 75 conservative members of Iran’s parliament. The bill aims to amend the Islamic Penal Code to include the importation, sale, and keeping of various animals.
On Wednesday, November 10, Hindu devotees flocked to the banks of the Yamuna river in New Delhi to observe Chhath Puja. Despite the foaming waters caused by various forms of pollutants dumped into the river, the devotees were unfazed by the danger. People stood knee-deep, reciting prayers; others submerged themselves completely.
The United Colors of Benetton released a poorly timed fashion innovation headwear called the unisex hijab. The headwear was launched during the Milan Fashion Week in September, under the United Colors of Ghali capsule collection, the fashion company’s collaboration project with rapper Ghali Amdouni.
The Council of Europe (COE) pulled out ads for a campaign aimed at countering discrimination against European Muslim women who chose to wear head coverings. The Council of Europe is an inter-governmental human rights group with 47 member states. CoE also took down its Twitter post related to the campaign.
On Tuesday, October 26, the Supreme Administrative Court of Greece banned kosher and halal slaughter methods. These forms of ritual slaughter are religious requirements for Jews and Muslims. Both ways require animals to be slaughtered without anesthesia.
On October 30, Deva Chand (26), a Hindu gym trainer was shot in the head in Model Town, an upscale neighborhood in Northwest Delhi. Chand was shot by his brother-in-law, Shahnawaz (21), and Hrithik (20), both of whom are Muslim.
On Friday, October 29th, the Delhi High Court instructed Twitter to take down posts from the Atheist Republic account. The court refers to the "objectionable" tweets depicting the Hindu goddess Maa Kaali in a sensually revealing pose.
Iran’s use of Qisasor the legal principle of retribution has been put into the spotlight again. Earlier this month, a criminal court in Tehran, Iran, sentenced a man to forced blinding. According to the victim, the defendant stabbed him in the eye, causing irreparable damage.
