In the News, November 19, 2015

November 19, 2015

Today's religion and world affairs news from the United States and around the globe: the Paris attacks, religion in the GOP race, and labelling products made in Israeli settlements.

BERKLEY CENTER IN THE NEWS
World Support for EU Action on Israel's Products
by Drew Christiansen and Ra'fat Aldajani
National Catholic Reporter
http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/world-support-eu-action-israels-products
The horrific terror attacks in Paris last week completely overshadowed a significant story earlier in the week, the European Union’s issuing of new guidelines for the labeling of products from illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT).

PARIS ATTACKS
Paris Attacks Highlight Jihadists’ Easy Path Between Europe and ISIS Territory
by Katrin Benhold
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/19/world/europe/paris-attacks-islamic-state-jihadis.html?ref=todayspa...
As many as six of the assailants who killed 129 people with guns, grenades and suicide bombs at six sites last Friday were Europeans who had traveled to Syria and returned to carry out attacks at home — precisely the nightmare scenario security officials have been warning about for the past two years.

Italy Deploys Soldiers Around Vatican and Rome After Paris Attacks
Reuters FaithWorld
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/11/19/italy-deploys-soldiers-at-vatican-and-around-rome-aft...
Rome has visibly beefed up security in the wake of last week’s attacks in Paris, with soldiers on guard in busy areas of the Italian capital and heightened checks for visitors to Vatican City.

AROUND THE WORLD
Life as a Muslim in Paris | The Wider Image
Reuters FaithWorld
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/11/19/life-as-a-muslim-in-paris-the-wider-image/
The strictly secular country [of France] has struggled to assimilate [the minority Muslim] population, mostly made up of descendants of immigrants from ex-colonies, who often feel shut out of mainstream society and jobs.

This Shouldn’t Be a Surprise, But Muslims Don’t Like the Islamic State
by Ishaan Tharoor
Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/11/19/this-shouldnt-be-a-surprise-but-muslims...
A Pew survey of global attitudes conducted earlier this year shows that vast majorities of people polled in 11 majority-Muslim countries oppose the Islamic State, the militant group also known as ISIS and ISIL.

DOMESTIC
How Religion is Roiling the GOP Race
by MJ Lee
CNN Politics
http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/17/politics/republican-religion-muslim-paris-attacks/index.html
The horrific terrorist attacks in Paris have abruptly elevated religious tolerance to a top political issue in the 2016 presidential campaign -- a race already heavily influenced by identity politics.

Save Persecuted Religious Minorities First
by James S. Robbins
USA Today op-ed
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/11/17/save-persecuted-religious-minorities-first-syria-co...
The U.S. may not impose religious tests, but the Islamic State terrorist group does. Muslims who remain under the oppressive rule of the caliphate might suffer, but Yazidis, Assyrian Christians and other indigenous religious minorities are marked for extermination, with women and children sold into sex slavery.
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