In the News, February 19, 2015

February 19, 2015

Today's religion and world affairs news from the United States and around the globe: Denmark hesitates to blame Islam after recent attacks, Turkey builds mosques and soft power, and India's prime minister promises to protect religious minorities. 
AROUND THE WORLD
Religion’s Week from Hell
by Daniel Burke
CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/16/living/religion-week-hell/index.html
Across several continents, including North America, Europe, Asia and Africa, scores of religious believers suffered and died in brutal attacks over the past seven days. Christians, Muslims and Jews alike all fell prey to assaults. 

After Attacks, Denmark Hesitates to Blame Islam
by Andrew Higgins
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/20/world/europe/after-attacks-denmark-hesitates-to-blame-islam.html?partner=socialflow&smid=tw-nytimes
Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussein’s journey from drug-addled street thug to self-proclaimed jihadist declaring loyalty to the Islamic State terrorist group has stirred soul-searching in liberal-minded Denmark over whether Islam in fact was really a prime motivator for his violence, or merely served as a justifying cover for violent criminality. 

Turkey’s Mosque-Building Diplomacy
by Thomas Seibert
Al-Monitor
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/02/turkey-mosque-building-soft-power.html#
A state-sponsored program to build mosques in countries from Kazakhstan to Cuba has emerged as a foreign policy instrument for Turkey, boosting the country’s claim to a place on the international stage as a leader of the Islamic world that looks after Muslims everywhere. 

How Tech Can Fight Extremism
by Quintan Wiktorowicz and Shahed Amanullah
CNN op-ed
http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/16/opinion/wiktorowicz-tech-fighting-extremism/index.html
Violent extremists like the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, have become increasingly sophisticated at creating dense, global networks of support online, networks that are helping these groups run virtual circles around governments and communities. One solution is to encourage the involvement of more agile start-ups that are willing to move into niche markets like countering extremist messaging. 

Pregnant and Desperate in Evangelical Brazil
by Miriam Wells
Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/02/18/brazil-abortion-dilma-catholic/
As the country grows increasingly religious, strict abortion laws are forcing women to turn to risky, often deadly options to end their pregnancies. Brazil and its Congress have always been strongly influenced by the Catholic Church, but in the past two decades there has been a dramatic rise in evangelical Christian churches and an uptick in politicians who share their beliefs. 

Meet Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Pope Francis’ Former Secretary of State
by Andrea Purgatori
Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/18/cardinal-tarcisio-bertone-pope_n_6699464.html?utm_hp_ref=religion
For decades, he's been one of the church's most powerful officials--and he's been suspected of playing a central role in some of the Curia’s most mysterious intrigues, including last year's allegations that he mishandled millions of dollars through the Vatican Bank. 

Washington: The Wrong City at the Right Time
by Aaron David Miller
Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/02/18/islam-summit-saudi-arabia/?utm_content=buffer2fc3f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Instead of convening here in Washington, the White House summit on countering extremism and violence should be taking place in some Middle Eastern or South Asian capital, or preferably capitals. Indeed, this event shouldn’t be a one-off, but a series of rotating summits designed to get the Arab and Muslim world to face up squarely to the contagion of radical Islam that now stalks their lands.  

India’s Prime Minister Modi Vows to Protect All Religious Minorities
by Reuters Staff
Reuters
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/02/17/indias-pm-modi-vows-to-protect-all-religious-minorities/
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed on Tuesday to protect all religious groups, an apparent response to a series of attacks on Christian institutions in New Delhi fuelling concerns that minorities are being targeted by Hindu zealots. Critics say that Modi’s government, which is led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has failed to protect religious minorities and rein in Hindu extremists emboldened by its election victory last year.

DOMESTIC
Watchman on the Wall: Brent Walker’s 25 Years in DC
by Robert Dilday
Baptist News Global
http://baptistnews.com/ministry/people/item/29806-watchman-on-the-wall
For 25 years Brent Walker has observed the religious-liberty landscape from a perch at the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, just blocks from the U.S. Capitol and Supreme Court. He began in 1989 as associate general counsel then became general counsel in 1993 and executive director in 1999. Robert Dilday asked him to look back over his quarter-century on the “serpentine wall” of church-state separation.
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