In the News, February 13, 2015

February 13, 2015

Today's religion and world affairs news from the United States and around the globe: China's new counterterrorism policies, the condition of the Muslim minority Rohingya population in Burma, and the Anglican church's actions against gender-based violence. 
AROUND THE WORLD
Do China's New Terrorism Laws Go Too Far?
by Julia Famularo
National Interest
http://nationalinterest.org/feature/do-chinas-new-terrorism-laws-go-too-far-12242
The blunt fact is that Chinese counterterrorism policies enable authorities to crack down on Tibetan civil society in an unprecedented manner. Scholars and experts must continue to monitor whether policies are implemented in a way that fails to distinguish between legitimate security threats and wholly legitimate acts of political and religious dissent. 

Why Does This Buddhist-Majority Nation Hate These Muslims So Much?
by Ishaan Tharoor
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/02/13/why-does-this-buddhist-majority-nation-hate-these-muslims-so-much/
The situation in Burma has changed for the better. The country has opened up. The secretive, dictatorial military junta that once held sway has allowed the advent of a fledgling, albeit heavily curtailed democracy. Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was freed from decades of house arrest and is now a main leader of the opposition. But the miserable condition of the Rohingya, a forgotten, stateless people, persists. 

When North and South Agree
Economist
http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2015/02/gender-violence-and-religion
The worldwide Anglican community is taking a more proactive stance against gender-based violence, with women playing a large role.  

Couples Who Choose Not to Have Children Are ‘Selfish,’ Pope Says
by Scott Neuman
NPR
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/02/12/385735269/couples-who-chose-not-to-have-children-are-selfish-pope-says
Pope Francis said that couples who opt not to have children are being "selfish" as he spoke of a "greedy generation" that's choosing not to procreate. The pontiff's remarks come just weeks after he seemed to send a contradictory message, telling Catholics that they don't need to breed "like rabbits." 

Distorting Christian History to Defend Islam
by Michael J. Ortiz
Wall Street Journal op-ed
http://www.wsj.com/articles/michael-j-ortiz-distorting-christian-history-to-defend-islam-1423785970
In an attempt to find a peaceful alternative for those in the Islamic world who advocate violence for political and religious goals, Christians in the West shouldn’t distort the history of Christianity, or stand idly by while others do so. Letting this version of events shape perceptions of Christian history invariably means a portrait of religion as a force of darkness, while science and technology will always be beacons of sanity and light. 

DOMESTIC
No, Atheism Does Not Need a Moment of Reckoning
by Nathan J. Robinson
Washington Post op-ed
http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/02/13/no-atheism-does-not-need-a-moment-of-reckoning/
Connecting the killings of three Muslim students in North Carolina in any way to atheism rests on a dangerous underlying principle. To begin with, the link between the religious or political persuasions of criminals and their criminal behavior should always be approached cautiously. To suggest that the atheistic beliefs of Craig Hicks turned him murderous is akin to saying that Jodie Foster caused Reagan to be shot, or that Judaism caused the Cave of the Patriarchs massacre. 

Christians Can Worship in Mosques Too
by Saima Sheikh
Patheos op-ed
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/islamahmadiyya/2015/02/christians-can-worship-in-mosques-too/
Christine Weick interrupted the Muslim Friday prayer service at the National Cathedral last November, and now she has dared Franklin Graham to hold services at any Mosque because she thinks that he will be refused. As a member of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, I “double dare” Franklin Graham to come to any of our Mosques. A mosque is a house of God and anyone can come to pray. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s mosques are open to all who want to worship peacefully because we follow in the footsteps of our beloved Prophet Muhammad, who never refused anyone from entering or praying at any Mosque. 

An Appeal for ‘Patient Pluralism’
by Michael Gerson
Washington Post op-ed
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-call-for-patient-pluralism/2015/02/12/f9a636e4-b300-11e4-886b-c22184f27c35_story.html
In some forms of modern liberalism, only the individual and the state are, in any meaningful sense, real—and one of the primary purposes of the public authority is to enforce the rights of individuals against oppressive social institutions. But there is an opposing view: Religious freedom is not merely the individual right to believe but also the right to associate with fellow believers. A community, in this view, is enriched by a proliferation of communities offering differing views of the good life (within the broad boundaries of public health and safety). And this requires the protection of institutional religious freedom.
Opens in a new window