This is to voice your opinion and what you think of the current affairs.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Muslim protest turns violent in Athens



24/05/2009
ATHENS, Greece -- More than 1,000 Muslim protesters clashed with police in central Athens on Friday (May 22nd), causing havoc in the streets. Police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the protesters. At least 14 people, seven Muslim immigrants and seven policemen, were injured, and 46 people were arrested. More than 70 cars, ten stores and one bank were damaged. The protest was prompted by a police check in a coffee shop Thursday, when a policeman allegedly took a Koran from a customer, ripped it apart, threw it on the floor and stomped on it. Police have launched an investigation into the incident.
In other news Saturday, attackers threw firebombs at an Athens shop used as a Muslim prayer centre for immigrants, injuring at least three people. The assailants smashed the shop's windows and set it ablaze, police said. Police are investigating whether the arson attack is linked to the Muslim protests. (DPA, AFP, Reuters, DW, Kathimerini, Mina - 23/05/09; ANA-MPA, Reuters - 22/05/09)

Muslim clerics in Indonesia



Facebook, religion, social media
A group of 700 Muslim clerics in Indonesia gathered together yesterday to ponder the possibility of forbidding followers from engaging in illicit activities--such as flirting on Facebook, the most visited site in that country.
Indonesia, which boasts the world's largest Muslim population, claims about 831,000 Facebook users, which is a 645 percent increase over last year. That number will likely continue to increase exponentially, given that only 0.5 percent of the country's population is currently connected to the Internet thus far.
"People using Facebook can be driven to engage in distasteful, pornographic chatting," Amidan, an attendee of the conference told The Associated Press.
While the decisions of the conference wouldn't have any legal weight, Facebook still spoke out against the negative connotations. Said Facebook spokeswoman Debbie Frost:
People are typically using Facebook to connect with their friends, family or learn about local and world issues and events. We have seen many people and organizations use Facebook to advance a positive agenda.