Why is 海角大神 Science in our name?
Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and we鈥檝e always been transparent about that.
The church publishes the Monitor because it sees good journalism as vital to progress in the world. Since 1908, we鈥檝e aimed 鈥渢o injure no man, but to bless all mankind,鈥� as our founder, Mary Baker Eddy, put it.
Here, you鈥檒l find award-winning journalism not driven by commercial influences 鈥� a news organization that takes seriously its mission to uplift the world by seeking solutions and finding reasons for credible hope.
Explore values journalism About us
Why a great grandmother is the symbol of Belarus protests
David Clark Scott
The three women leading the Belarus opposition 鈥� after what they say were fraudulent elections, on Aug. 9 鈥� have been .听
But Nina Bahinskaya isn鈥檛 going anywhere.听And therein lies a deeper problem for President Alexander Lukashenko, who鈥檚 been in power for 26 years.
You see, Ms. Bahinskaya is a 73-year-old great-grandmother who鈥檚 emerged as a symbol of political defiance. She鈥檚 been among the more than 100,000 pro-democracy protesters marching in Minsk every weekend since early August.听聽
This bespectacled woman with short-cropped white hair was twice her size after he snatched her red-and-white Belarusian flag during an Aug. 26 protest. The video went viral.听
It 鈥�,鈥� she concedes to the BBC, but if 鈥測our things are stolen, you won鈥檛 just say 鈥榯hank you.鈥欌��
Today, people chant 鈥淣ina, Nina鈥� when they spot her in Minsk. Women stop her for selfies and call her an inspiration.
Ms. Bahinskaya may be the latest Twitter sensation, but she鈥檚 been a thorn in the regime鈥檚 side for decades. She tells Radio Free Europe that to pay the fines she鈥檚 incurred from protesting.
鈥淲e are not slaves. People must be free,鈥� she tells the BBC.听
So, when you next hear about the massive protests in Belarus 鈥� and you will 鈥� think of Nina. She represents a quality of resoluteness that isn鈥檛 likely to fade.
