Today's religion and world affairs news from the United States and around the globe: Israelis in Germany, the Vatican report on the family, blasphemy in Pakistan, Muslims in India, nuclear weapons in Iran, and faith on college campuses.
AROUND THE WORLD
In Exodus from Israel to Germany, a Young Nation’s Fissures Show
by Judi Rudoren
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/17/world/middleeast/in-exodus-from-israel-to-berlin-young-nations-fis...
Israelis have for years been drawn to Berlin’s cosmopolitan flair, vibrant arts scene and advanced public transportation. Pundits and politicians have denounced those who want to leave as anti-Zionist traitors.
Initial Report From Vatican on Families Is Criticized
by Laurie Goodstein and Elisabetta Povoledo
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/17/world/europe/initial-report-from-vatican-on-families-is-criticized...
In public, some conservative bishops have voiced dismay and even disdain for the preliminary report released Monday, saying that appearing to condone gay couples and unconventional families could lead Catholics astray and even cause a schism in the church.
Pakistani Christian Woman’s Appeal of Death Sentence Is Rejected
by Waqar Gillani and Salman Masood
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/17/world/asia/pakistan-christian-blasphemy-death-penalty.html?ref=tod...
The Lahore High Court of Appeals on Thursday upheld the death sentence of a Pakistani Christian woman in a high-profile blasphemy case and dismissed her appeal for acquittal.
Why India’s Muslims Haven’t Radicalized
by Jake Flanagin
New York Times op-ed
http://op-talk.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/16/why-indias-muslims-havent-radicalized/?ref=opinion
Despite the enormity of India’s Muslim community, one finds little mention of them in Western media reports on modern Islam. Perhaps because, in the wake of Sept. 11 and in the midst of the war on terror, the West’s chief concern with the global Muslim community has been its capacity for fostering extremism—and India’s Muslims remain largely un-radicalized.
Vatican Waters Down Gay References in English Translation of Divisive Text
by Phillip Pullella
Reuters
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2014/10/17/vatican-waters-down-gay-references-in-english-transla...
The Vatican made key changes to an English translation of passages about homosexuality in a divisive document on Thursday, watering down a message that had been seen as a major shift in its tone on gay people.
Joining Islamic State Is About ‘Sex and Aggression’ Not Religion
by Arie W. Kruglanski
Reuters
http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2014/10/16/joining-islamic-state-is-about-sex-and-aggression-n...
It is easy to look to religion for an explanation of why young men—and some women—become radicalized. But it is psychology, not theology, that offers the best tools for understanding radicalization—and how best to undo it.
Blasphemy, Pakistan and Ireland: An Evil That Resonates
Economist
http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2014/10/blasphemy-pakistan-and-ireland
A dreadful possibility moved a step closer this week: somebody might actually be executed under Pakistan's brutal blasphemy laws. The Lahore High Court upheld the death penalty imposed on Asia Bibi (pictured above in 2010), a Christian woman who worked on a farm in Punjab, for supposedly blaspheming against Islam.
When the Ayatollah Said No to Nukes
by Gareth Porter
Foreign Policyhttp://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/10/16/when_the_ayatollah_said_no_to_nukes_iran_khomeini
Iran argues that it has rejected nuclear weapons as incompatible with Islam and cites a fatwa of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as proof. American and European officials remain skeptical, however, that the issue is really governed by Shiite Islamic principles.
Holocaust Museum Displays Echoes of Nazi Era in Syria War Photos
by Siobhan O’Grady
Foreign Policy
http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2014/10/16/holocaust_museum_displays_echoes_of_nazi_era_in_syria...
The Holocaust museum, which is funded in part by the federal government, is displaying the photos from Syria’s death chambers in an exhibit called "Genocide: The Threat Remains," in a wing dedicated to genocide prevention.
DOMESTIC
Interfaith Chaplains Revitalize an Old Role on College Campuses
by Monique Parsons
NPR
http://www.npr.org/2014/10/16/356728066/interfaith-chaplains-revitalize-an-old-role-on-college-campu...
A third of young Americans report no religious affiliation. Given the odds, you might expect life around a college chaplain's office to be pretty dull these days. Not so.
American Catholics Have Mixed Response to Early Synod Report
by Sam Sanders
NPR
http://www.npr.org/2014/10/16/356728059/american-catholics-have-mixed-response-to-early-synod-report
The bishops indicated a softer message towards gay people, divorced individuals and those in less traditional families. NPR's Sam Sanders reports on how the summary is going over with American Catholics.
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