Today's religion and world affairs news from the United States and around the globe: Pope Francis on climate change and pay equality, the interplay of religious belief and free speech, and multiculturalism in Europe.
AROUND THE WORLD
Learning about the Quran from a Catholic Archbishop
by Tom Gjelten
NPR Morning Edition http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2015/04/30/403090790/learning-about-the-quran-from-a-catholic-arc...
Michael Fitzgerald (...) devotes his priestly ministry to the promotion of interfaith understanding between Muslims and Christians, and became one of the top Roman Catholic experts on Islam. He has served as the archbishop of Tunisia, the papal nuncio — effectively a Vatican ambassador — in Cairo, and the Vatican's delegate to the Arab League.
The Pope Joins Climate Change Wars
New York Times editorial
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/29/opinion/the-pope-joins-the-climate-wars.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
The encyclical is plainly aimed at influencing the outcome of December’s summit meeting on climate change in Paris. The pope is right to speak up for our planet, and the greater the impact the better.
Pope Francis: It’s ‘pure scandal’ that women earn less than men for the same work
by Abby Ohlheiser and Michelle Boorstein
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/04/29/pope-francis-its-pure-scandal-that-wo...
John Carr (...) said Francis’s statement is not new in Catholic teaching but that the pope is highlighting it in a notable context – saving families. “Others talk about the moral pressures on families, but he also focuses on the economic issues. He is stating it in the context of the importance of the family, and he considers economic justice essential to the family,” Carr said.
Sabeen Mahmud: Martyr for Free Speech
by Razi Rumi
International New York Times op-ed http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/30/opinion/sabeen-mahmud-martyr-for-free-speech.html?ref=opinion
The international community should recognize that progress on fighting the Taliban is only part of the story. The Pakistani state must also be pushed to respect civil liberties and not allow the wanton slaying of liberal activists. Unless it does so, Pakistan’s democracy will slide back toward a disastrous authoritarianism.
A French School Deems Teenage Girl's Skirt An Illegal Display of Religion
by Alissa Rubin
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/30/world/europe/french-school-teenagers-skirt-illegal-display-religio...
A secondary school in northeast France has sent a 15-year-old student home twice in the last two weeks for wearing a long skirt that the principal judged was “an ostentatious sign” of the girl’s Muslim faith. The case has lit up social networks in France and infuriated many of the country’s Muslims, who see the school system’s censure of the girl as discriminatory.
What Explains Burundi's Protests
by Cara Jones and Stephanie Schwartz
Washington Post Monkey Cage blog http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2015/04/28/what-explains-burundis-protests/
Given what we know about the Great Lakes region, and elections as triggers for violence, the international community should be on high alert.
French Army Investigates an Allegation of Sex Abuse in Central African Republic
by Somini Sengupta
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/30/world/europe/french-army-investigates-an-allegation-of-sex-abuse-i...
Amid an uproar over a leaked United Nations inquiry into allegations of child sexual abuse by French troops posted in the Central African Republic, France confirmed on Wednesday that it was looking into whether some of its soldiers had abused children in its former colony.
The Failure of Multiculturalism
by Kennan Malik
Foreign Affairs
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/western-europe/2015-03-01/failure-multiculturalism
Thirty years ago, many Europeans saw multiculturalism—the embrace of an inclusive, diverse society—as an answer to Europe’s social problems. Today, a growing number consider it to be a cause of them.
DOMESTIC
American Sikhs and Religious Liberty
Research on Religion podcast
http://www.researchonreligion.org/religion-politics/rajdeep-singh-on-american-sikhs-and-religious-li...
An interview with Rajdeep Singh, director of law and policy at the Sikh Coalition.
Learning about the Quran from a Catholic Archbishop
by Tom Gjelten
NPR Morning Edition http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2015/04/30/403090790/learning-about-the-quran-from-a-catholic-arc...
Michael Fitzgerald (...) devotes his priestly ministry to the promotion of interfaith understanding between Muslims and Christians, and became one of the top Roman Catholic experts on Islam. He has served as the archbishop of Tunisia, the papal nuncio — effectively a Vatican ambassador — in Cairo, and the Vatican's delegate to the Arab League.
The Pope Joins Climate Change Wars
New York Times editorial
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/29/opinion/the-pope-joins-the-climate-wars.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
The encyclical is plainly aimed at influencing the outcome of December’s summit meeting on climate change in Paris. The pope is right to speak up for our planet, and the greater the impact the better.
Pope Francis: It’s ‘pure scandal’ that women earn less than men for the same work
by Abby Ohlheiser and Michelle Boorstein
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/04/29/pope-francis-its-pure-scandal-that-wo...
John Carr (...) said Francis’s statement is not new in Catholic teaching but that the pope is highlighting it in a notable context – saving families. “Others talk about the moral pressures on families, but he also focuses on the economic issues. He is stating it in the context of the importance of the family, and he considers economic justice essential to the family,” Carr said.
Sabeen Mahmud: Martyr for Free Speech
by Razi Rumi
International New York Times op-ed http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/30/opinion/sabeen-mahmud-martyr-for-free-speech.html?ref=opinion
The international community should recognize that progress on fighting the Taliban is only part of the story. The Pakistani state must also be pushed to respect civil liberties and not allow the wanton slaying of liberal activists. Unless it does so, Pakistan’s democracy will slide back toward a disastrous authoritarianism.
A French School Deems Teenage Girl's Skirt An Illegal Display of Religion
by Alissa Rubin
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/30/world/europe/french-school-teenagers-skirt-illegal-display-religio...
A secondary school in northeast France has sent a 15-year-old student home twice in the last two weeks for wearing a long skirt that the principal judged was “an ostentatious sign” of the girl’s Muslim faith. The case has lit up social networks in France and infuriated many of the country’s Muslims, who see the school system’s censure of the girl as discriminatory.
What Explains Burundi's Protests
by Cara Jones and Stephanie Schwartz
Washington Post Monkey Cage blog http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2015/04/28/what-explains-burundis-protests/
Given what we know about the Great Lakes region, and elections as triggers for violence, the international community should be on high alert.
French Army Investigates an Allegation of Sex Abuse in Central African Republic
by Somini Sengupta
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/30/world/europe/french-army-investigates-an-allegation-of-sex-abuse-i...
Amid an uproar over a leaked United Nations inquiry into allegations of child sexual abuse by French troops posted in the Central African Republic, France confirmed on Wednesday that it was looking into whether some of its soldiers had abused children in its former colony.
The Failure of Multiculturalism
by Kennan Malik
Foreign Affairs
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/western-europe/2015-03-01/failure-multiculturalism
Thirty years ago, many Europeans saw multiculturalism—the embrace of an inclusive, diverse society—as an answer to Europe’s social problems. Today, a growing number consider it to be a cause of them.
DOMESTIC
American Sikhs and Religious Liberty
Research on Religion podcast
http://www.researchonreligion.org/religion-politics/rajdeep-singh-on-american-sikhs-and-religious-li...
An interview with Rajdeep Singh, director of law and policy at the Sikh Coalition.
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