Today's religion and world affairs news from the United States and around the globe: the US-Israel relationship, Muslim chaplains in French prisons, and the consequences of banning sharia law.
BERKLEY CENTER IN THE NEWS
Benjamin Netanyahu's Blunder Puts Cracks in the US-Israel Relationship
by Drew Christiansen and Ra’fat Aldajani
National Catholic Reporter op-ed
http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/benjamin-netanyahus-blunder-puts-cracks-us-israel-relationship
The longevity, partisanship and intensity of the ongoing spat between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama's administration over U.S. negotiations with Iran on the nuclear issue have opened up rifts that may herald the beginning of a fundamental long-term shift in U.S.-Israeli relations. The latest blow-up with the Obama administration resulted when Netanyahu accepted a back-door invitation from Republican House Speaker John Boehner to address Congress that bypassed the White House and inserted Netanyahu square in the heart of the bitter U.S. partisan divide.
AROUND THE WORLD
A Muslim Chaplain Caught in the Middle
by Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/04/world/a-muslim-chaplain-caught-in-the-middle.html?ref=todayspaper
Following the Charlie Hebdo and Jewish supermarket attacks, the French government is turning to Muslim chaplains to help prevent the spread of radicalization in prisons. Salah Hamidi, one of these chaplains, felt caught between dueling responsibilities: offering spiritual guidance to the 600 or so Muslim inmates, while also helping the prison administration detect and deal with any signs of fomenting radicalization.
In English Town, Muslims Lead Effort to Create Interfaith Haven
by Ari Shapiro
NPR
http://www.npr.org/2015/03/03/390286095/in-english-town-muslims-lead-effort-to-create-interfaith-haven
Amid stories about religious friction and ethnic tensions, the transformation of All Souls Church provides a story of harmony and integration in one culturally diverse community.
Being an Atheist in the Middle East
Economist
http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2015/03/freedom-and-scepticism
A physically courageous atheist from a Muslim-majority land says that a few months in America have reinforced his belief that believers and sceptics can and should deal courteously with one another and work together for freedom in places where it is dreadfully violated.
Sorry, Prime Minister Netanyahu, Iran Is Not the Islamic State
by Ishaan Tharoor
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/03/03/sorry-prime-minister-netanyahu-iran-is-not-the-islamic-state/
Iran's theocratic rulers are hardly champions of religious pluralism and tolerance, but they are not crazed fundamentalist jihadists, bent on smashing idols and butchering religious minorities. There are long-standing communities of Christians and Jews in the country, who are better protected in Iran than they would be in other parts of the region. As flawed as it may be, the regime's democracy is more genuine and competitive than what one finds in a host of other Arab states that stir far less outrage from Netanyahu.
Pope Francis Approves Legal Framework for Vatican Financial Reform
by Philip Pullella
Reuters
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/03/04/pope-francis-approves-legal-framework-for-vatican-financial-reform/
Pope Francis approved detailed new plans to reform Vatican finances on Tuesday, giving the Australian cardinal leading the changes sweeping powers to monitor Vatican departments and ensure budgets conform to international accounting standards.
DOMESTIC
The Unfortunate Consequences of Banning Sharia Law
by Rahel Gebreyes
Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/03/consequences-of-banning-sharia-law_n_6790436.html
Many states have successfully passed or are considering laws to prohibit the application of sharia or foreign law in court, but according to scholars, these potentially unconstitutional regulations could turn a nonexistent threat into a real concern and undermine the American justice system.
State Legislatures Pit Religious Freedom Against Civil Rights
by Sarah Barringer Gordon and Nomi Stolzenberg
Religion & Politics
http://religionandpolitics.org/2015/03/03/state-legislatures-pit-religious-freedom-against-civil-rights/
Religious accommodation has frequently been the last refuge of those who seek to escape the imposition of new anti-discrimination laws, especially in the field of sexuality and marriage. The newly proposed state Religious Freedom Restoration Act bills would undo that result, abandoning our nation’s commitment to equality before the law. That would be a dangerous development, and a sadly counterproductive outcome for all religious interests.
Benjamin Netanyahu's Blunder Puts Cracks in the US-Israel Relationship
by Drew Christiansen and Ra’fat Aldajani
National Catholic Reporter op-ed
http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/benjamin-netanyahus-blunder-puts-cracks-us-israel-relationship
The longevity, partisanship and intensity of the ongoing spat between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama's administration over U.S. negotiations with Iran on the nuclear issue have opened up rifts that may herald the beginning of a fundamental long-term shift in U.S.-Israeli relations. The latest blow-up with the Obama administration resulted when Netanyahu accepted a back-door invitation from Republican House Speaker John Boehner to address Congress that bypassed the White House and inserted Netanyahu square in the heart of the bitter U.S. partisan divide.
AROUND THE WORLD
A Muslim Chaplain Caught in the Middle
by Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/04/world/a-muslim-chaplain-caught-in-the-middle.html?ref=todayspaper
Following the Charlie Hebdo and Jewish supermarket attacks, the French government is turning to Muslim chaplains to help prevent the spread of radicalization in prisons. Salah Hamidi, one of these chaplains, felt caught between dueling responsibilities: offering spiritual guidance to the 600 or so Muslim inmates, while also helping the prison administration detect and deal with any signs of fomenting radicalization.
In English Town, Muslims Lead Effort to Create Interfaith Haven
by Ari Shapiro
NPR
http://www.npr.org/2015/03/03/390286095/in-english-town-muslims-lead-effort-to-create-interfaith-haven
Amid stories about religious friction and ethnic tensions, the transformation of All Souls Church provides a story of harmony and integration in one culturally diverse community.
Being an Atheist in the Middle East
Economist
http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2015/03/freedom-and-scepticism
A physically courageous atheist from a Muslim-majority land says that a few months in America have reinforced his belief that believers and sceptics can and should deal courteously with one another and work together for freedom in places where it is dreadfully violated.
Sorry, Prime Minister Netanyahu, Iran Is Not the Islamic State
by Ishaan Tharoor
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/03/03/sorry-prime-minister-netanyahu-iran-is-not-the-islamic-state/
Iran's theocratic rulers are hardly champions of religious pluralism and tolerance, but they are not crazed fundamentalist jihadists, bent on smashing idols and butchering religious minorities. There are long-standing communities of Christians and Jews in the country, who are better protected in Iran than they would be in other parts of the region. As flawed as it may be, the regime's democracy is more genuine and competitive than what one finds in a host of other Arab states that stir far less outrage from Netanyahu.
Pope Francis Approves Legal Framework for Vatican Financial Reform
by Philip Pullella
Reuters
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/03/04/pope-francis-approves-legal-framework-for-vatican-financial-reform/
Pope Francis approved detailed new plans to reform Vatican finances on Tuesday, giving the Australian cardinal leading the changes sweeping powers to monitor Vatican departments and ensure budgets conform to international accounting standards.
DOMESTIC
The Unfortunate Consequences of Banning Sharia Law
by Rahel Gebreyes
Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/03/consequences-of-banning-sharia-law_n_6790436.html
Many states have successfully passed or are considering laws to prohibit the application of sharia or foreign law in court, but according to scholars, these potentially unconstitutional regulations could turn a nonexistent threat into a real concern and undermine the American justice system.
State Legislatures Pit Religious Freedom Against Civil Rights
by Sarah Barringer Gordon and Nomi Stolzenberg
Religion & Politics
http://religionandpolitics.org/2015/03/03/state-legislatures-pit-religious-freedom-against-civil-rights/
Religious accommodation has frequently been the last refuge of those who seek to escape the imposition of new anti-discrimination laws, especially in the field of sexuality and marriage. The newly proposed state Religious Freedom Restoration Act bills would undo that result, abandoning our nation’s commitment to equality before the law. That would be a dangerous development, and a sadly counterproductive outcome for all religious interests.
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