Today's religion and world affairs news from the United States and around the globe: how ISIS conceives of law and order, threats to religious freedom in Crimea, and discrimination against religious conservatives.
AROUND THE WORLD
Caliphate of Law
by Andrew F. March and Mara Revkin
Foreign Affairs
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/143679/andrew-f-march-and-mara-revkin/caliphate-of-law
Indeed, whatever ISIS believes about the apocalypse, it sees itself as creating a distinctive and authentic legal order for the here and now, one that is based not only on a literal (if selective) reading of early Islamic materials but also on a long-standing theory of statecraft and legal authority.
Her Majesty’s Jihadists
by Mary Anne Weaver
New York Times Magazine
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/19/magazine/her-majestys-jihadists.html?_r=0
More British Muslims have joined Islamist militant groups than serve in the country’s armed forces. How to understand the pull of jihad.
Losing Their Religion in Crimea
by Thomas J. Reese and Daniel I. Mark
Foreign Affairs
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/143682/thomas-j-reese-and-daniel-i-mark/losing-their-religion-in-crimea
Moscow is applying all of its restrictive laws in Crimea, including its anti-extremism law, which defines extremism as merely asserting the superiority of one’s religious beliefs and does not require the threat or use of violence for prosecution. This law, which USCIRF, the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission, and other organizations have repeatedly called on Moscow to reform, remains a major threat to religious freedom in Russia. And now it has come to Crimea, and Kremlin-installed local authorities are using it to persecute religious minorities.
Fear and Loathing in Hungary
Wall Street Journal editorial
http://www.wsj.com/articles/fear-and-loathing-in-hungary-1429053336
Rising extremism in Hungary is one of the most alarming political developments in Europe. The latest sign came Sunday when voters in the country’s western Tapolca district elected a candidate from the far-right Jobbik party in a special vote. The party is openly anti-Semitic and its leaders are also among Europe’s loudest cheerleaders for Vladimir Putin and the Iranian regime.
Wesley's Sons and Daughters
Economist
http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2015/04/methodism-and-world-leaders
What do Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher, and Hillary Clinton have in common? Answer: in all three cases, their early views of the world were shaped (along with other influences, of course) by the Methodist church.
Map: These Are the World’s Least Religious Countries
by Rick Noack
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/04/14/map-these-are-the-worlds-least-religious-countries/?tid=pm_world_pop
A new survey conducted by Gallup International and the WI Network of Market Research looks at atheism or lack of religiosity in 65 countries.
DOMESTIC
Religious Conservatives Are the Targets of Discrimination, Lawyer Says
by John M. Glionna
LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-conservative-religious-protection-law-20150403-story.html#page=1
Jordan Lorence is a veteran attorney who in 2006 represented a female photographer in one of the cases widely cited in the “religious freedom" law debate this week. From his office in Washington, he has watched the events in Indiana and Arkansas and quickly reached this conclusion: Religious conservatives are the ones being discriminated against for their stance of conscience.
Is Christianity Dark Enough for Millennials?
by Emma Green
Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/04/rachel-held-evans-on-her-new-book-searching-for-sunday/390459/
An interview with the author Rachel Held Evans about her new book and searching for authenticity in the church.
Balancing Faith and Science in the I.C.U.
by Corey L. Kennard
New York Times op-ed
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/04/15/balancing-faith-and-science-in-the-i-c-u/
When a physician, as the lead team member, ignores or minimizes the importance of a patient’s faith, issues of trust arise and treatment barriers are created that become almost insurmountable for the medical team. Conversely, a physician’s discomfort with conversations surrounding a patient’s faith often has much to do with the possibility of hearing words like “miracle,” “cure” or “hope.” These three powerful words can cause tension in the patient/physician relationship, further prohibiting either side from feeling empowered to implement the best medical treatment plan.
Student Coalition at Stanford Confronts Allegations of Anti-Semitism
by Jennifer Medina
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/15/us/student-coalition-at-stanford-confronts-allegations-of-anti-semitism.html?ref=todayspaper
The debate over what constitutes anti-Semitism has spilled into Stanford University’s student government election, with a Jewish student claiming that she was asked how her Judaism affects her view of divestment from Israel, morphing what was a contest about campus issues into a fierce discussion on identity and loyalties.
Caliphate of Law
by Andrew F. March and Mara Revkin
Foreign Affairs
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/143679/andrew-f-march-and-mara-revkin/caliphate-of-law
Indeed, whatever ISIS believes about the apocalypse, it sees itself as creating a distinctive and authentic legal order for the here and now, one that is based not only on a literal (if selective) reading of early Islamic materials but also on a long-standing theory of statecraft and legal authority.
Her Majesty’s Jihadists
by Mary Anne Weaver
New York Times Magazine
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/19/magazine/her-majestys-jihadists.html?_r=0
More British Muslims have joined Islamist militant groups than serve in the country’s armed forces. How to understand the pull of jihad.
Losing Their Religion in Crimea
by Thomas J. Reese and Daniel I. Mark
Foreign Affairs
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/143682/thomas-j-reese-and-daniel-i-mark/losing-their-religion-in-crimea
Moscow is applying all of its restrictive laws in Crimea, including its anti-extremism law, which defines extremism as merely asserting the superiority of one’s religious beliefs and does not require the threat or use of violence for prosecution. This law, which USCIRF, the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission, and other organizations have repeatedly called on Moscow to reform, remains a major threat to religious freedom in Russia. And now it has come to Crimea, and Kremlin-installed local authorities are using it to persecute religious minorities.
Fear and Loathing in Hungary
Wall Street Journal editorial
http://www.wsj.com/articles/fear-and-loathing-in-hungary-1429053336
Rising extremism in Hungary is one of the most alarming political developments in Europe. The latest sign came Sunday when voters in the country’s western Tapolca district elected a candidate from the far-right Jobbik party in a special vote. The party is openly anti-Semitic and its leaders are also among Europe’s loudest cheerleaders for Vladimir Putin and the Iranian regime.
Wesley's Sons and Daughters
Economist
http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2015/04/methodism-and-world-leaders
What do Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher, and Hillary Clinton have in common? Answer: in all three cases, their early views of the world were shaped (along with other influences, of course) by the Methodist church.
Map: These Are the World’s Least Religious Countries
by Rick Noack
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/04/14/map-these-are-the-worlds-least-religious-countries/?tid=pm_world_pop
A new survey conducted by Gallup International and the WI Network of Market Research looks at atheism or lack of religiosity in 65 countries.
DOMESTIC
Religious Conservatives Are the Targets of Discrimination, Lawyer Says
by John M. Glionna
LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-conservative-religious-protection-law-20150403-story.html#page=1
Jordan Lorence is a veteran attorney who in 2006 represented a female photographer in one of the cases widely cited in the “religious freedom" law debate this week. From his office in Washington, he has watched the events in Indiana and Arkansas and quickly reached this conclusion: Religious conservatives are the ones being discriminated against for their stance of conscience.
Is Christianity Dark Enough for Millennials?
by Emma Green
Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/04/rachel-held-evans-on-her-new-book-searching-for-sunday/390459/
An interview with the author Rachel Held Evans about her new book and searching for authenticity in the church.
Balancing Faith and Science in the I.C.U.
by Corey L. Kennard
New York Times op-ed
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/04/15/balancing-faith-and-science-in-the-i-c-u/
When a physician, as the lead team member, ignores or minimizes the importance of a patient’s faith, issues of trust arise and treatment barriers are created that become almost insurmountable for the medical team. Conversely, a physician’s discomfort with conversations surrounding a patient’s faith often has much to do with the possibility of hearing words like “miracle,” “cure” or “hope.” These three powerful words can cause tension in the patient/physician relationship, further prohibiting either side from feeling empowered to implement the best medical treatment plan.
Student Coalition at Stanford Confronts Allegations of Anti-Semitism
by Jennifer Medina
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/15/us/student-coalition-at-stanford-confronts-allegations-of-anti-semitism.html?ref=todayspaper
The debate over what constitutes anti-Semitism has spilled into Stanford University’s student government election, with a Jewish student claiming that she was asked how her Judaism affects her view of divestment from Israel, morphing what was a contest about campus issues into a fierce discussion on identity and loyalties.
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