Today's religion and world affairs news from the United States and
around the globe: Catholics press for a nuclear ban at UN conference, what social science says about countering extremism, and Tunisia fulfills the promise of the Arab Spring.
BERKLEY CENTER IN THE NEWS
Catholics to Press Nuclear Weapons Ban at UN Treaty Review Conference
by Dennis Sadowski
Catholic News Service
http://ncronline.org/news/peace-justice/catholics-press-nuclear-weapons-ban-un-treaty-review-conference
Despite the slow pace toward disarmament, the U.S. Catholic church can play an important role in ensuring that American officials continue making progress toward meeting the Non-Proliferation Treaty's ultimate goal, said Jesuit Fr. Drew Christiansen, distinguished professor of ethics and global development at Georgetown University.
AROUND THE WORLD
In an Already Troubled Nepal, a Picture of Despair Emerges
by Gardiner Harris
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/27/world/asia/nepal-known-for-its-toughness-and-disarray-is-seriously-tested.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0
The nation of 27 million was in political and economic disarray well before a powerful earthquakeon Saturday shattered buildings and lives. The natural disaster seemed sure to complicate attempts to repair the rifts opened by decades of war and political paralysis.
For Some Muslim Youth, Islamic State's Allure Is a Meaningful Alternative to Western Values
by Timothy Phillips and Nir Eisikovits
Global Post op-ed
http://www.globalpost.com/article/6527455/2015/04/24/muslim-youth-allure-isis-meaningful-alternative-western-values
What IS and its exuberant pornographers of murder offer young European Muslims is something that Western liberal democracy, with its emphasis on individual self-realization and material comfort, has trouble with: The chance to be part of an all-enveloping ideology that provides transcendent meaning to one’s life.
Here's What the Social Science Says About Countering Violent Extremism
by Scott Atran
Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-atran/violent-extremism-social-science_b_7142604.html
In a post adapted from a speech given in a UN Security Council ministerial debate, Atran argues that combatting violent extremism requires governments to foster an environment wherein young people can work together in a local environment to achieve positive personal dreams and find meaning in their lives.
Faith Turns Christians into Terrorist Targets
by Greg Botelho
CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/24/world/terrorists-attacks-on-christianity/index.html
Of course, Christians aren't the only ones who have suffered at the hands of such organizations. For example, most victims of ISIS are fellow Muslims who refuse to go along with the ISIS worldview and ruthless tactics. Still, there's ample evidence that Christians have been targeted.
Fulfilling the Arab Spring
by Jackson Diehl
Washington Post op-ed
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/investing-in-the-legacy-of-the-arab-spring/2015/04/26/c44b1638-e9c7-11e4-9767-6276fc9b0ada_story.html
That one country, Tunisia, has succeeded in establishing a working democracy, despite power struggles between secularists and Islamists, and terrorism by jihadists, shows that the goal of democratic transformation was neither a pipe dream nor a Western imposition unsuited for Arab lands. It remains the only workable long-term solution for a region that must balance the interests of multiple religious sects and ethnic groups and find means to compete in global markets beyond oil and gas.
In Sisi’s Egypt, Blasphemy is Still a Crime
by Hazel Haddon
Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/04/21/in-sisis-egypt-blasphemy-is-still-a-crime/
The number of blasphemy cases in Egypt soared in the years after the 2011 revolution, and at the time many blamed the rise of political Islam for fostering a climate of sectarianism. But almost two years after a military coup routed the Muslim Brotherhood and brought General Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi to the presidency, rights advocates say that the overall number of prosecutions for insulting Islam has remained the same.
The G-Word
by Thomas de Waal
Foreign Affairs
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/142489/thomas-de-waal/the-g-word
A century on, discussions about the Ottoman massacre of Armenians are still dominated by questions surrounding the use of one fraught and divisive word: “Genocide.” Washington should use the term but also recognize its many limitations.
Malaysia Orders Probe after Protest Forces Church to Take Down Cross
Reuters
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/04/24/malaysia-orders-probe-after-protest-forces-church-to-take-down-cross/
Malaysia has ordered an investigation into a protest by Muslim demonstrators who forced a small church in the capital to take down its cross, the latest sign of growing religious tension in the multiracial Southeast Asian nation.
"Divorce Italian Style" Becomes Easier, Faster With New Law
by Philip Pullella
Reuters
http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/04/23/italy-divorce-idINKBN0NE1JB20150423
Italy has slashed the time it takes to get a divorce to six months from three years in the latest sign of the Catholic Church's waning influence over life and politics here. The change is part of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's efforts to tame the country's much-hated bureaucracy. "Another promise kept. Let's move forward," he tweeted after the law passed in parliament late Wednesday.
DOMESTIC
It’s Not Gay Marriage vs. the Church Anymore
by William N. Eskridge, Jr.
New York Times op-ed
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/26/opinion/sunday/its-not-gay-marriage-vs-the-church-anymore.html
Today, some progressives harbor inaccurate stereotypes about religious people as anti-gay and intolerant. The Episcopalians, Unitarians, Presbyterians and many other faiths are falsifying those stereotypes. Just as American religion is changing, so, too, are the ranks of those who are pushing for equality.
Scott Walker, a Pastor’s Son, Runs on Faith as Iowa Beckons
by Trip Gabriel
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/26/us/politics/scott-walker-runs-on-faith-as-iowa-nears.html?ref=todayspaper
Scott Walker, the son of a Baptist preacher, learned a lot about being a politician by going to church. Now, Mr. Walker’s lifelong church involvement may be a powerful asset as he positions himself to run for the Republican presidential nomination and focuses on early primary and caucus states dominated by evangelical voters.
Catholics to Press Nuclear Weapons Ban at UN Treaty Review Conference
by Dennis Sadowski
Catholic News Service
http://ncronline.org/news/peace-justice/catholics-press-nuclear-weapons-ban-un-treaty-review-conference
Despite the slow pace toward disarmament, the U.S. Catholic church can play an important role in ensuring that American officials continue making progress toward meeting the Non-Proliferation Treaty's ultimate goal, said Jesuit Fr. Drew Christiansen, distinguished professor of ethics and global development at Georgetown University.
AROUND THE WORLD
In an Already Troubled Nepal, a Picture of Despair Emerges
by Gardiner Harris
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/27/world/asia/nepal-known-for-its-toughness-and-disarray-is-seriously-tested.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0
The nation of 27 million was in political and economic disarray well before a powerful earthquakeon Saturday shattered buildings and lives. The natural disaster seemed sure to complicate attempts to repair the rifts opened by decades of war and political paralysis.
For Some Muslim Youth, Islamic State's Allure Is a Meaningful Alternative to Western Values
by Timothy Phillips and Nir Eisikovits
Global Post op-ed
http://www.globalpost.com/article/6527455/2015/04/24/muslim-youth-allure-isis-meaningful-alternative-western-values
What IS and its exuberant pornographers of murder offer young European Muslims is something that Western liberal democracy, with its emphasis on individual self-realization and material comfort, has trouble with: The chance to be part of an all-enveloping ideology that provides transcendent meaning to one’s life.
Here's What the Social Science Says About Countering Violent Extremism
by Scott Atran
Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-atran/violent-extremism-social-science_b_7142604.html
In a post adapted from a speech given in a UN Security Council ministerial debate, Atran argues that combatting violent extremism requires governments to foster an environment wherein young people can work together in a local environment to achieve positive personal dreams and find meaning in their lives.
Faith Turns Christians into Terrorist Targets
by Greg Botelho
CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/24/world/terrorists-attacks-on-christianity/index.html
Of course, Christians aren't the only ones who have suffered at the hands of such organizations. For example, most victims of ISIS are fellow Muslims who refuse to go along with the ISIS worldview and ruthless tactics. Still, there's ample evidence that Christians have been targeted.
Fulfilling the Arab Spring
by Jackson Diehl
Washington Post op-ed
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/investing-in-the-legacy-of-the-arab-spring/2015/04/26/c44b1638-e9c7-11e4-9767-6276fc9b0ada_story.html
That one country, Tunisia, has succeeded in establishing a working democracy, despite power struggles between secularists and Islamists, and terrorism by jihadists, shows that the goal of democratic transformation was neither a pipe dream nor a Western imposition unsuited for Arab lands. It remains the only workable long-term solution for a region that must balance the interests of multiple religious sects and ethnic groups and find means to compete in global markets beyond oil and gas.
In Sisi’s Egypt, Blasphemy is Still a Crime
by Hazel Haddon
Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/04/21/in-sisis-egypt-blasphemy-is-still-a-crime/
The number of blasphemy cases in Egypt soared in the years after the 2011 revolution, and at the time many blamed the rise of political Islam for fostering a climate of sectarianism. But almost two years after a military coup routed the Muslim Brotherhood and brought General Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi to the presidency, rights advocates say that the overall number of prosecutions for insulting Islam has remained the same.
The G-Word
by Thomas de Waal
Foreign Affairs
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/142489/thomas-de-waal/the-g-word
A century on, discussions about the Ottoman massacre of Armenians are still dominated by questions surrounding the use of one fraught and divisive word: “Genocide.” Washington should use the term but also recognize its many limitations.
Malaysia Orders Probe after Protest Forces Church to Take Down Cross
Reuters
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/04/24/malaysia-orders-probe-after-protest-forces-church-to-take-down-cross/
Malaysia has ordered an investigation into a protest by Muslim demonstrators who forced a small church in the capital to take down its cross, the latest sign of growing religious tension in the multiracial Southeast Asian nation.
"Divorce Italian Style" Becomes Easier, Faster With New Law
by Philip Pullella
Reuters
http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/04/23/italy-divorce-idINKBN0NE1JB20150423
Italy has slashed the time it takes to get a divorce to six months from three years in the latest sign of the Catholic Church's waning influence over life and politics here. The change is part of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's efforts to tame the country's much-hated bureaucracy. "Another promise kept. Let's move forward," he tweeted after the law passed in parliament late Wednesday.
DOMESTIC
It’s Not Gay Marriage vs. the Church Anymore
by William N. Eskridge, Jr.
New York Times op-ed
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/26/opinion/sunday/its-not-gay-marriage-vs-the-church-anymore.html
Today, some progressives harbor inaccurate stereotypes about religious people as anti-gay and intolerant. The Episcopalians, Unitarians, Presbyterians and many other faiths are falsifying those stereotypes. Just as American religion is changing, so, too, are the ranks of those who are pushing for equality.
Scott Walker, a Pastor’s Son, Runs on Faith as Iowa Beckons
by Trip Gabriel
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/26/us/politics/scott-walker-runs-on-faith-as-iowa-nears.html?ref=todayspaper
Scott Walker, the son of a Baptist preacher, learned a lot about being a politician by going to church. Now, Mr. Walker’s lifelong church involvement may be a powerful asset as he positions himself to run for the Republican presidential nomination and focuses on early primary and caucus states dominated by evangelical voters.
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