Author Archives: Jillian O'Connor

Spanish court issues arrest warrant against former Chinese president over Tibet

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Jillian O'Connor

Spain’s relations with China are about to suffer a world of hurt. On Tuesday, a Spanish court issued an arrest warrant for five Chinese ex officials, including China’s former president Jiang Zemin, 87, on claims of genocide against the Tibetan … Continue reading →

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Belfast City Official Responds to Youth Discontent

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Jillian O'Connor

On the River Lagan in Northern Ireland lies Belfast, a city divided by religion and politics dating from the time referred to as “The Troubles.” Although the bloody conflict between Catholics and Protestants ended 15 years ago, political tension stills … Continue reading →

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Peacemakers gather under heavy guard to confront Nigeria’s Christian-Muslim violence

Posted on November 6, 2013 by Jillian O'Connor

  Soldiers with automatic weapons flanked our convoy and armored personnel carriers guarded the entrance as we arrived at the opening of a peace conference here. This city, which has been a flashpoint in Nigeria’s ongoing violence among Christians and … Continue reading →

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Turkey: A Day in Fatih

Posted on November 1, 2013 by Jillian O'Connor

On weekday mornings the Fatih branch of Tekbir, a popular Istanbul-based Islamic fashion company, is quiet. One Thursday in early October Fatima, a Tekbir sales person, milled around the racks of clothes, smoothing down dress sleeves and tidying stacks of … Continue reading →

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LAT: Begging the Question on Child Marriage

Posted on November 1, 2013 by Jillian O'Connor

An October 30 article in the Los Angeles Times reports on a UN population study on child marriage and frames the problem as a primarily economic one. The 7.3 million babies born each year to girls under the age of 18 … Continue reading →

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International Town Hall: Egypt and the Struggle for Democracy

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Jillian O'Connor

America Abroad explores what lies ahead for Egypt’s fragile democracy in this international town hall discussion connecting audiences and a panel of experts in Los Angeles and Cairo. The conversation explored the Muslim Brotherhood’s future in Egyptian politics; the role … Continue reading →

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Tibet: A Wave of Self-Immolations

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Jillian O'Connor

More than 100 Tibetans have self-immolated since 2011 — including monks and nuns, farmers and nomads, adults and teenagers. The Chinese government blames the “The Dalai Lama Clique.” Meanwhile, Tibetans hope that the self-immolations will bring global awareness to China’s … Continue reading →

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Kenya: One month after Westgate attack, police still abusing Somali Muslims

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Jillian O'Connor

As the nation grieves, few Kenyans direct their anger toward Somali immigrants here. But that hasn’t stopped police from singling out Somali communities. GlobalPost’s Jacob Kushner writes from Eastleigh, the heart of Nairobi’s Somali Muslim district, about the ongoing religious … Continue reading →

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Shutdown is Over, But There Will Be a Next time

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Jillian O'Connor

This morning, federal workers thronged back to work after a full 16 days of unpaid holiday. And while the political drama of the past few weeks has certainly received its share of airtime, few commenters have sketched a connection between … Continue reading →

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WP: Jerusalem mayor’s race is more than politics as usual

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Jillian O'Connor

  Today’s WP article on Jerusalem’s mayoral race, to be decided on October 22, strangely sidesteps many of the deep religious and cultural divisions in that city. While noting that the incumbent multi-millionaire Nir Barkat has a reputation as a secularist … Continue reading →

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