In the News, October 15, 2014

October 15, 2014

Today's religion and world affairs news from the United States and around the globe: the Synod of Bishops, clashes in Jerusalem, and religious tolerance in India, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar.


BERKLEY CENTER IN THE NEWS
What Did the Vatican Really Say About Gay Marriage Yesterday? Catholics Disagree
by Taylor Wofford
Newsweek
http://www.newsweek.com/what-did-vatican-really-say-about-gay-marriage-yesterday-catholics-disagree-...
“There is very little here that is new other than emphasis and tone,” said Thomas Farr, the director of the Religious Freedom Project at Georgetown, of the Vatican synod’s report, “Welcoming Homosexual Persons.”

related | The Great Catholic Cave-In That Wasn’t
by George Weigel
National Review
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/390228/great-catholic-cave-wasnt-george-weigel

AROUND THE WORLD
Saudi Sentences Iconic Shiite Cleric to Death
Associated Press
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/saudi-sentences-iconic-shiite-cleric-to-death/2014/1...
A well-known Shiite cleric was sentenced to death Wednesday by a court in Saudi Arabia, sparking fears of renewed unrest from his supporters in the kingdom and neighboring Bahrain.

Deadly Alliances Against Muslims
New York Times editorial
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/16/opinion/deadly-alliances-against-muslims.html?ref=opinion
It is folly for the governments of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in Sri Lanka, President Thein Sein of Myanmar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in India, or their political allies, to give even the appearance of tolerating Islamophobic groups in a region that has too often been convulsed by religious sectarian violence.

China Broadcaster Says Xinjiang Attack Mastermind Sought Islamic State
by Michael Martina
Reuters
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/15/us-china-xinjiang-idUSKCN0I413W20141015
A mastermind of violence in China's Xinjiang region in which almost 100 people were killed sought to establish an Islamic state, official media said on Wednesday, reinforcing government warnings about an Islamist threat.

Pakistani Taliban Leaders Pledge Allegiance to Islamic State
by Tim Craig and Haq Nawaz Khan
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/pakistan-taliban-leaders-pledge-allegiance-to-islamic-state/2014...
In another sign of the Middle East-based Islamic State’s expanding influence, the chief spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban and five regional commanders declared allegiance Tuesday to the group and its chief, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Rumors of Cow Killings in India Deepen Rift Between Hindus and Muslims
by Nida Najar
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/15/world/rumors-of-cow-killings-in-india-deepen-rift-between-hindus-a...
The victims of recent attacks are cows, deeply revered by many Hindus, and the perpetrators of these alleged assaults are mostly Muslims, making the fight a flash point between India’s largest religious groups on the eve of state elections.

Palestinians and Israeli Police Clash at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Compound
By Ori Lewis
Reuters FaithWorld
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2014/10/15/palestinians-and-israeli-police-clash-at-jerusalems-a...
Israeli police clashed with Palestinian protesters and shut down access to Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque compound on Mondayin a deepening dispute over access to the area, the third holiest shrine in Islam which is also revered by Jews.

Falling Away: How Education Makes People Less Religious — and Less Superstitious, Too
Economist
http://www.economist.com/news/international/21623712-how-education-makes-people-less-religiousand-le...
Just one extra year of schooling makes someone 10 percent less likely to attend a church, mosque or temple, pray alone or describe himself as religious, concludes a paper published on October 6th that looks at the relationship between religiosity and the length of time spent in school.

A Malaysian Pop Star Clad in Skinny Jeans and a Hijab
by Chen May Lee
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/14/arts/international/yuna-has-become-poster-girl-for-young-hijabster...
Yuna is the role model fans have been waiting for, a dynamic young career woman who is also an observant Muslim.

DOMESTIC
The Magic of Sukkot
by Dana Milbank
Washington Post op-ed
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dana-milbank-the-magic-of-sukkot/2014/10/14/1a2a9614-53c8-11e...
In pre-biblical times, Sukkot was a pagan celebration of the harvest. But over the centuries it has developed a secondary meaning as a memento mori—a reminder that life is fleeting. The sukkah, easily raised and demolished, reminds us that we are here temporarily.

Declining Number of U.S. Nuns, Even Among Traditional Orders, Charted in New Study
by David Gibson
Religion News Service
http://www.religionnews.com/2014/10/13/declining-number-u-s-nuns-even-among-traditional-orders-chart...
A new report shows that Catholic sisters in the US face a more serious challenge to their existence than the Vatican-led investigation of the American nuns: A rapidly aging membership and a decline in vocations that afflicts even the most traditional orders.
Opens in a new window