Today's religion and world affairs news from the United States and around the globe: Muslims in France after the November attacks, Islamophobia in Europe, American rabbis welcome refugees, and the San Bernardino shooting.
BERKLEY CENTER IN THE NEWS
The Role Faith Plays in the Fight Against AIDS
by Kelsey Dallas
Deseret News
http://national.deseretnews.com/article/6890/The-role-faith-plays-in-the-fight-against-AIDS.html#fkRYlIlAHpjaWjzA.99
Religious communities can also turn policymakers' attention to efforts targeted at disease prevention and treatment, and many religious nonprofits have done exactly that over the past 30 years, wrote Katherine Marshall, a senior fellow at Georgetown University's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs, for The Huffington Post.
AROUND THE WORLD
At No-Frills Premiere of Pope Francis Film, the Needy Are Honored Guests
by Elisabetta Povoledo
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/03/world/europe/pope-francis-film-chiamatemi-francesco.html
The premiere at the Vatican of a biopic about Pope Francis is expected to be a no-frills ceremony with goody bags filled with sandwiches, fruit, and a can of tuna for refugees, the elderly and homeless people invited to the showing.
British Jets Hit ISIS in Syria After Parliament Authorizes Airstrikes
by Steven Erlanger & Stephen Castle
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/03/world/europe/britain-parliament-syria-airstrikes-vote.html?ref=todayspaper
The British Parliament on Wednesday authorized airstrikes in Syria against the Islamic State, in a vote that became a wider test of British willingness to play an active role in international affairs, and British warplanes made their first attacks hours later.
France Shuts Down Three Mosques and Four Muslim Prayer Rooms
by Alissa J. Rubin
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/03/world/europe/france-shuts-down-three-mosques-and-four-muslim-prayer-rooms.html?ref=todayspaper
The French government has shut down three mosques and four informal Muslim prayer rooms out of concern that they were contributing to Islamic radicalization, the French interior minister announced Wednesday.
EU Commission Appoints Coordinators on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Muslim Hatred
European Commission News
http://ec.europa.eu/justice/newsroom/fundamental-rights/news/151201_en.htm
Today, First Vice-President Frans Timmermans and Justice Commissioner Věra Jourová appointed a coordinator on combating antisemitism and a coordinator on combating anti-Muslim hatred, as announced in the Commission's First Annual Colloquium on Fundamental Rights held in October.
DOMESTIC
Muslims Say the San Bernardino Shooting is a Crucial Moment
by Sarah Parvini, Kate Linthicum, and Taylor Goldenstein
Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-muslim-community-responds-to-shooting-20151202-story.html
Abdullah said the shooting marked "a crucial moment" for the Muslim community, one that would allow them to show that they are just as disgusted with the violence as anyone else.
How Fringe Attacks on American Muslims Became Mainstream
by Christopher Bail
Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2015/12/03/how-fringe-attacks-on-american-muslims-became-mainstream/
Over the past decade, 32 states proposed shariah law bans, controversies about the construction of mosques have increased by more than 800 percent, and the number of Americans with negative opinions of Islam has more than doubled, as my research shows.
1,000 American Rabbis Sign Letter Welcoming Syrian Refugees
by Ishaan Tharoor
Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/12/03/1000-american-rabbis-sign-letter-welcoming-syrian-refugees/
More than 1,000 rabbis in the United States signed onto a letter urging elected officials in the country to "exercise moral leadership for the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program."
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