The recent factory disaster in Bangladesh killed more than 400 workers, all of whom were working on clothes they could never afford. The clothes were sent to richer countries, whose citizens were able to purchase the clothes far more cheaply than in their own country. It does not appear as if many consumers of these clothes have gone through a serious rethinking of whether being able to buy cheaper clothes is worth jeopardizing the lives of those who produce them. Such a rethinking is long overdue. Bangladesh should deal harshly with those who refused to protect their workers from needless death; consumers of those products should think about whether they are profiting at the expense of some very vulnerable people.
People in the US can be forgiven if they did not know that today was International Workers’ Day: I’m not aware of any media outlet that called anyone’s attention to the holiday. Globally, however, that day was celebrated in a variety of different ways. Unfortunately, some of the observances were violent as many workers protest against the rising rates of unemployment in many countries.
The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life interviewed more than 38,000 Muslims in 39 countries and asked many questions of great relevance to the study of world politics. One of the more interesting chapters is the one on how Muslims around the world view the rights of women. The survey, not surprisingly, reveals a remarkable diversity of opinion, a result that should undermine the common misconception about a monolithic consensus within Islam.
World Politics News 
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