Today's religion and world affairs news from the United States and around the globe: the Paris attacks, Syrian refugees, Myanmar elections, and the Pope's visit to a synagogue.
PARIS ATTACKS
Marine Le Pen’s Anti-Islam Message Gains Influence in France
by Adam Nossiter
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/18/world/europe/marine-le-pens-anti-islam-message-gains-influence-in-...
Well before the attacks that killed 129 people in Paris on Friday, Marine Le Pen, the president of the far-right National Front party, was parlaying fear of Islam, migrants and open borders into political support. Now, with France angry and in mourning, she is seizing the opportunity to expand her appeal and show her clout, underscoring how far-right messages are resonating across Europe.
Refugees Across Europe Fear Repercussions From Paris Attacks
by Alison Smale and Kimberly Bradley
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/19/world/europe/refugees-paris-attacks.html
After many fled their homeland to escape war and the terrors of Islamist extremism, they now find that their long trek into the heart of Europe may be no guarantee of their safety. At the same time, the migrants, most of them Muslim, are likely to be viewed with greater suspicion, making it more difficult to settle into the communities they had hoped to join.
Republicans Call for Halt to Syrian Refugee Program
by David M. Herszenhorn and Michael D. Shear
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/18/us/politics/paul-ryan-calls-for-halt-to-syrian-refugee-program.htm...
More than two dozen Republican governors are pledging to try to block the entry of Syrian refugees, and all the Republican presidential candidates have called for barring the refugees entirely or limiting the group to Christians. President Obama, on a trip to Manila, expressed outrage at what he called “political posturing” by Republicans on the issue, accusing them of making statements that the Islamic State could use as a recruiting tool.
Obama Calls Idea of Screening Syrian Refugees Based on Religion ‘Shameful,’ Defends White House Strategy
by Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/11/16/obama-calls-idea-of-screening-syrian...
Obama addressed the issue of whether the United States and other countries should continue to accept refugees and condemned the screening of Syrian refugees based on religion. "That's not American. That’s not who we are. We don’t have religious tests to our compassion."
Don’t ‘Scapegoat’ Syrian Refugees, Catholic and Evangelicals Say
by David Burke
CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/17/politics/catholics-evangelicals-refugees/index.html
Two of the country's largest and most influential religious groups, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Association of Evangelicals, are urging the United States not to halt the resettlement of Syrian refugees after the deadly terrorist attack in Paris last Friday.
Imam, Rabbi And Pastor Join Hands In Powerful Display Of Unity
by Antonia Blumberg
Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/interfaith-service-paris-attacks_564a3c7ee4b08cda348a1096?jzkf0f...
The November 13 terrorist attacks in Paris has left the world reeling. Once again, religion is at the crux of a tragedy that has threatened to tear the global community apart. But in Bethesda, Maryland, Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders stood together over the weekend to share a message of solidarity.
In Light of the Paris Attacks, Is It Time to Eradicate Religion?
by Miroslav Volf
Washington Post op-ed
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/11/16/in-light-of-the-paris-attacks-is-it-...
In a globalized world, the terror of God’s crazy-eyed followers is threatening lives, peace and prosperity of everyone on the planet. We are tempted to conclude: The sooner that humanity either eradicates or quarantines off religion, the better our world will be. This conclusion would be too hasty, however.
AROUND THE WORLD
Finding Peace Within the Holy Texts
by David Brooks
New York Times op-ed
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/17/opinion/finding-peace-within-the-holy-texts.html?src=me
It’s easy to think that ISIS is some sort of evil, medieval cancer that somehow has resurfaced in the modern world. But in his book “Not in God’s Name: Confronting Religious Violence,” the brilliant Rabbi Jonathan Sacks argues that ISIS is in fact typical of what we will see in the decades ahead. The 21st century will not be a century of secularism, he writes. It will be an age of desecularization and religious conflicts.
Boko Haram Is Suspected After Explosion in Nigeria Kills 32
by Dionne Searcey
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/18/world/africa/after-explosion-in-nigeria-kills-32-boko-haram-is-sus...
A blast in the northeastern Nigerian city of Yola on Tuesday night tore through a marketplace, killing 32 people and wounding 80 others, according to the local authorities and witnesses. No one claimed responsibility, but officials suspected the militant Islamic group Boko Haram, which has unleashed years of violence in the region. A police spokesman, Othman Abubakar, said officials were investigating.
After Myanmar Election, Few Signs of a Better Life for Muslims
by Austin Ramzy
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/19/world/asia/myanmar-election-rohingya-muslims.html
In the northwest, hundreds of thousands of ethnic Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim group, have been denied citizenship rights and are confined to bleak villages and camps. As Myanmar’s democracy movement prepares to take power after a landslide election victory last week, Muslims here wonder whether their lives will improve under the new government, led by the National League for Democracy.
Assailants in Bangladesh Attack Catholic Missionary
by Julfikar Al Manik and Ellen Barry
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/19/world/asia/bangladesh-attack-catholic-missionary.html
Unidentified assailants wounded an Italian missionary working in northern Bangladesh early on Wednesday, in the third attack on foreigners there since late September. Until recently, foreigners have rarely worried that they could be targets in Bangladesh, a vast Sunni Muslim democracy that has enjoyed steady economic growth in recent years, driven by a vibrant garment-manufacturing sector.
Saudi Arabia’s Wahhabi Dilemma in Spotlight After Paris Attack
Reuters
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/11/18/saudi-arabias-wahhabi-dilemma-in-spotlight-after-pari...
Saudi Arabia’s harsh religious tradition is seen by many outsiders – and some Saudi liberals – as a root cause of the international jihadist threat that has inflamed the Middle East for years and struck in Paris last week. However, while Riyadh has cracked down hard on jihadists at home, jailing thousands, stopping hundreds from traveling to fight abroad and cutting militant finance streams, its approach to religion has raised a dilemma.
Pope Francis to Visit Rome Synagogue for First Time
Reuters
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/11/18/pope-francis-to-visit-rome-synagogue-for-first-time/
Pope Francis will make his first pontifical visit to Rome’s Great Synagogue next year, the Vatican and the city’s Jewish community said in statements on Tuesday. Francis, who had a good relationship with the Jewish community in his native Argentina, will go to the synagogue on the bank of the Tiber River on Jan. 17 for the first time since he was elected pope in 2013.
Marine Le Pen’s Anti-Islam Message Gains Influence in France
by Adam Nossiter
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/18/world/europe/marine-le-pens-anti-islam-message-gains-influence-in-...
Well before the attacks that killed 129 people in Paris on Friday, Marine Le Pen, the president of the far-right National Front party, was parlaying fear of Islam, migrants and open borders into political support. Now, with France angry and in mourning, she is seizing the opportunity to expand her appeal and show her clout, underscoring how far-right messages are resonating across Europe.
Refugees Across Europe Fear Repercussions From Paris Attacks
by Alison Smale and Kimberly Bradley
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/19/world/europe/refugees-paris-attacks.html
After many fled their homeland to escape war and the terrors of Islamist extremism, they now find that their long trek into the heart of Europe may be no guarantee of their safety. At the same time, the migrants, most of them Muslim, are likely to be viewed with greater suspicion, making it more difficult to settle into the communities they had hoped to join.
Republicans Call for Halt to Syrian Refugee Program
by David M. Herszenhorn and Michael D. Shear
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/18/us/politics/paul-ryan-calls-for-halt-to-syrian-refugee-program.htm...
More than two dozen Republican governors are pledging to try to block the entry of Syrian refugees, and all the Republican presidential candidates have called for barring the refugees entirely or limiting the group to Christians. President Obama, on a trip to Manila, expressed outrage at what he called “political posturing” by Republicans on the issue, accusing them of making statements that the Islamic State could use as a recruiting tool.
Obama Calls Idea of Screening Syrian Refugees Based on Religion ‘Shameful,’ Defends White House Strategy
by Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/11/16/obama-calls-idea-of-screening-syrian...
Obama addressed the issue of whether the United States and other countries should continue to accept refugees and condemned the screening of Syrian refugees based on religion. "That's not American. That’s not who we are. We don’t have religious tests to our compassion."
Don’t ‘Scapegoat’ Syrian Refugees, Catholic and Evangelicals Say
by David Burke
CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/17/politics/catholics-evangelicals-refugees/index.html
Two of the country's largest and most influential religious groups, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Association of Evangelicals, are urging the United States not to halt the resettlement of Syrian refugees after the deadly terrorist attack in Paris last Friday.
Imam, Rabbi And Pastor Join Hands In Powerful Display Of Unity
by Antonia Blumberg
Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/interfaith-service-paris-attacks_564a3c7ee4b08cda348a1096?jzkf0f...
The November 13 terrorist attacks in Paris has left the world reeling. Once again, religion is at the crux of a tragedy that has threatened to tear the global community apart. But in Bethesda, Maryland, Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders stood together over the weekend to share a message of solidarity.
In Light of the Paris Attacks, Is It Time to Eradicate Religion?
by Miroslav Volf
Washington Post op-ed
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/11/16/in-light-of-the-paris-attacks-is-it-...
In a globalized world, the terror of God’s crazy-eyed followers is threatening lives, peace and prosperity of everyone on the planet. We are tempted to conclude: The sooner that humanity either eradicates or quarantines off religion, the better our world will be. This conclusion would be too hasty, however.
AROUND THE WORLD
Finding Peace Within the Holy Texts
by David Brooks
New York Times op-ed
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/17/opinion/finding-peace-within-the-holy-texts.html?src=me
It’s easy to think that ISIS is some sort of evil, medieval cancer that somehow has resurfaced in the modern world. But in his book “Not in God’s Name: Confronting Religious Violence,” the brilliant Rabbi Jonathan Sacks argues that ISIS is in fact typical of what we will see in the decades ahead. The 21st century will not be a century of secularism, he writes. It will be an age of desecularization and religious conflicts.
Boko Haram Is Suspected After Explosion in Nigeria Kills 32
by Dionne Searcey
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/18/world/africa/after-explosion-in-nigeria-kills-32-boko-haram-is-sus...
A blast in the northeastern Nigerian city of Yola on Tuesday night tore through a marketplace, killing 32 people and wounding 80 others, according to the local authorities and witnesses. No one claimed responsibility, but officials suspected the militant Islamic group Boko Haram, which has unleashed years of violence in the region. A police spokesman, Othman Abubakar, said officials were investigating.
After Myanmar Election, Few Signs of a Better Life for Muslims
by Austin Ramzy
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/19/world/asia/myanmar-election-rohingya-muslims.html
In the northwest, hundreds of thousands of ethnic Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim group, have been denied citizenship rights and are confined to bleak villages and camps. As Myanmar’s democracy movement prepares to take power after a landslide election victory last week, Muslims here wonder whether their lives will improve under the new government, led by the National League for Democracy.
Assailants in Bangladesh Attack Catholic Missionary
by Julfikar Al Manik and Ellen Barry
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/19/world/asia/bangladesh-attack-catholic-missionary.html
Unidentified assailants wounded an Italian missionary working in northern Bangladesh early on Wednesday, in the third attack on foreigners there since late September. Until recently, foreigners have rarely worried that they could be targets in Bangladesh, a vast Sunni Muslim democracy that has enjoyed steady economic growth in recent years, driven by a vibrant garment-manufacturing sector.
Saudi Arabia’s Wahhabi Dilemma in Spotlight After Paris Attack
Reuters
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/11/18/saudi-arabias-wahhabi-dilemma-in-spotlight-after-pari...
Saudi Arabia’s harsh religious tradition is seen by many outsiders – and some Saudi liberals – as a root cause of the international jihadist threat that has inflamed the Middle East for years and struck in Paris last week. However, while Riyadh has cracked down hard on jihadists at home, jailing thousands, stopping hundreds from traveling to fight abroad and cutting militant finance streams, its approach to religion has raised a dilemma.
Pope Francis to Visit Rome Synagogue for First Time
Reuters
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/11/18/pope-francis-to-visit-rome-synagogue-for-first-time/
Pope Francis will make his first pontifical visit to Rome’s Great Synagogue next year, the Vatican and the city’s Jewish community said in statements on Tuesday. Francis, who had a good relationship with the Jewish community in his native Argentina, will go to the synagogue on the bank of the Tiber River on Jan. 17 for the first time since he was elected pope in 2013.
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