Today's religion and world affairs news from the United States and around the globe: women in the West turning to ISIS, economic inequality fueling Boko Haram, and a Chinese ban on Islamic veils.
AROUND THE WORLD
The Islamic World Versus the Islamic State
by Thomas Stackpole
Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/02/05/the-islamic-world-versus-the-islamic-state-jordan-pilot-united-nations/
The war against the Islamic State and the brand of extremist violence it exemplifies won’t be won or lost on the battlefield. Defeating the group, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said Thursday, will instead first require debunking the ideological propaganda the group spews to justify its killing.
The Spreading Rage at ISIS
New York Times editorial
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/06/opinion/the-spreading-rage-at-isis.html?ref=todayspaper
If the outrage on display in the Middle East translates into a broader fight against barbaric jihadism, and a deeper commitment to eradicating it, Lieutenant Kasasbeh’s cruel death may prove not to have been in vain.
Why Do Women in the West Turn to the Islamic State? For the Same Reasons as Men
by Farhaan Wali
Conversation op-ed
http://theconversation.com/why-do-women-in-west-turn-to-islamic-state-for-the-same-reasons-as-men-36851
It appears that religious revivalist tendencies inspire female activists, who ultimately seek to embrace “a new vision for society.” In most cases, female migrants felt their identity and purpose had been empowered by preserving the notion of “true Islam.” The challenging process of turning away from their previous lives is mitigated by their strong idealistic world-view.
How Inequality Fuels Boko Haram
by Seth Kaplan
Foreign Affairs
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/142958/seth-kaplan/how-inequality-fuels-boko-haram
While Boko Haram carries many features of a terrorist group, it is more insightful to consider it—and even crucial in figuring out how to defeat it—in another light: as a product of Nigeria’s poor and unequal governance. If Nigeria wants to defeat Boko Haram, it must address the needs of the less developed north.
To Forgive a Warlord
by Andrew Green
Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/02/06/ongwen-uganda-icc-joseph-kony-international-justice/
One of the Lord’s Resistance Army’s top leaders, Dominic Ongwen, has been denied amnesty and the Ugandan government has referred his case to the ICC. Many worry that the government might have destabilized the very foundation of the north’s recovery through this move.
Indian Christian Protesters Clash With Delhi Police After Church Attacks
by Andrew MacAskill
Reuters
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/02/05/indian-christian-protesters-clash-with-delhi-police-after-church-attacks/
Hundreds of Christian protesters clashed with police in New Delhi on Thursday as they pressed demands for government protection amid concern about rising intolerance after a series of attacks on churches. Political rivals have accused the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party of exploiting religious divisions in the run-up to state elections in Delhi at the weekend.
China’s Ban on Islamic Veils Is Destined to Fail
by Timothy Grose and James Leibold
Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/02/05/chinas-ban-on-islamic-veils-is-destined-to-fail/
In recent years, the veil has emerged as a key battleground in the struggle to regain stability in Xinjiang. Stripping women of their head and body coverings provides the Chinese Communist Party with a rare measure of what it sees as progress in the struggle against what it calls “Islamic extremism” in this far western region. However, as officials seek to eliminate veiling, they risk further straining an already fragile relationship between the Uighur ethnic minority and a party machine dominated by the Han ethnic majority.
Pope Tries to Pray Away Putin
by Patrick Callahan
RealClearReligion
http://www.realclearreligion.org/articles/2015/02/06/pope_tries_to_pray_away_putin.html
While Pope Francis is correct that peace should be the ultimate end in Ukraine, his appeal to end the violence ignores the act of aggression that caused the conflict. Prayer alone will not stop Putin, and considerations of prudent, pragmatic policy must also be included in the moral calculus.
Old Tradition of Secularism Clashes With France’s New Reality
by Steven Erlanger and Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/06/world/old-tradition-of-secularism-clashes-with-frances-new-reality.html?ref=todayspaper
In the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo killings and an attack on a Jewish supermarket by Islamist gunmen, there are new questions about laïcité and whether it is being fairly applied in a France with an estimated five million Muslims—close to 8 percent of the population and making up the largest number of regular worshipers.
DOMESTIC
When Buddhists Were Public Enemy No. 1
by Peter Manseau
CNN op-ed
http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/04/us/buddhism-us-enemy/index.html
When the Dalai Lama attends the National Prayer Breakfast this Thursday, it will not only be an implicit endorsement of the Tibetan Buddhist leader's stand against China in the name of religious freedom, but also an acknowledgment that Buddhism is firmly established as one strand among many in the tapestry of American spiritual diversity. Yet it might also serve as a reminder that a religion now considered universally benign once endured suspicion, vocal protest, and even government surveillance—much as Islam has in recent years.
related | Critics Pounce after Obama Talks Crusades, Slavery at Prayer Breakfast
by Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obamas-speech-at-prayer-breakfast-called-offensive-to-christians/2015/02/05/6a15a240-ad50-11e4-ad71-7b9eba0f87d6_story.html
related | Obama Warns at National Prayer Breakfast of Those who use Religion to Wage War
by Sarah Pulliam Bailey
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obama-warns-at-national-prayer-breakfast-of-those-who-use-religion-to-wage-war/2015/02/05/e485e416-ad39-11e4-9c91-e9d2f9fde644_story.html
The Islamic World Versus the Islamic State
by Thomas Stackpole
Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/02/05/the-islamic-world-versus-the-islamic-state-jordan-pilot-united-nations/
The war against the Islamic State and the brand of extremist violence it exemplifies won’t be won or lost on the battlefield. Defeating the group, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said Thursday, will instead first require debunking the ideological propaganda the group spews to justify its killing.
The Spreading Rage at ISIS
New York Times editorial
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/06/opinion/the-spreading-rage-at-isis.html?ref=todayspaper
If the outrage on display in the Middle East translates into a broader fight against barbaric jihadism, and a deeper commitment to eradicating it, Lieutenant Kasasbeh’s cruel death may prove not to have been in vain.
Why Do Women in the West Turn to the Islamic State? For the Same Reasons as Men
by Farhaan Wali
Conversation op-ed
http://theconversation.com/why-do-women-in-west-turn-to-islamic-state-for-the-same-reasons-as-men-36851
It appears that religious revivalist tendencies inspire female activists, who ultimately seek to embrace “a new vision for society.” In most cases, female migrants felt their identity and purpose had been empowered by preserving the notion of “true Islam.” The challenging process of turning away from their previous lives is mitigated by their strong idealistic world-view.
How Inequality Fuels Boko Haram
by Seth Kaplan
Foreign Affairs
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/142958/seth-kaplan/how-inequality-fuels-boko-haram
While Boko Haram carries many features of a terrorist group, it is more insightful to consider it—and even crucial in figuring out how to defeat it—in another light: as a product of Nigeria’s poor and unequal governance. If Nigeria wants to defeat Boko Haram, it must address the needs of the less developed north.
To Forgive a Warlord
by Andrew Green
Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/02/06/ongwen-uganda-icc-joseph-kony-international-justice/
One of the Lord’s Resistance Army’s top leaders, Dominic Ongwen, has been denied amnesty and the Ugandan government has referred his case to the ICC. Many worry that the government might have destabilized the very foundation of the north’s recovery through this move.
Indian Christian Protesters Clash With Delhi Police After Church Attacks
by Andrew MacAskill
Reuters
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/02/05/indian-christian-protesters-clash-with-delhi-police-after-church-attacks/
Hundreds of Christian protesters clashed with police in New Delhi on Thursday as they pressed demands for government protection amid concern about rising intolerance after a series of attacks on churches. Political rivals have accused the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party of exploiting religious divisions in the run-up to state elections in Delhi at the weekend.
China’s Ban on Islamic Veils Is Destined to Fail
by Timothy Grose and James Leibold
Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/02/05/chinas-ban-on-islamic-veils-is-destined-to-fail/
In recent years, the veil has emerged as a key battleground in the struggle to regain stability in Xinjiang. Stripping women of their head and body coverings provides the Chinese Communist Party with a rare measure of what it sees as progress in the struggle against what it calls “Islamic extremism” in this far western region. However, as officials seek to eliminate veiling, they risk further straining an already fragile relationship between the Uighur ethnic minority and a party machine dominated by the Han ethnic majority.
Pope Tries to Pray Away Putin
by Patrick Callahan
RealClearReligion
http://www.realclearreligion.org/articles/2015/02/06/pope_tries_to_pray_away_putin.html
While Pope Francis is correct that peace should be the ultimate end in Ukraine, his appeal to end the violence ignores the act of aggression that caused the conflict. Prayer alone will not stop Putin, and considerations of prudent, pragmatic policy must also be included in the moral calculus.
Old Tradition of Secularism Clashes With France’s New Reality
by Steven Erlanger and Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/06/world/old-tradition-of-secularism-clashes-with-frances-new-reality.html?ref=todayspaper
In the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo killings and an attack on a Jewish supermarket by Islamist gunmen, there are new questions about laïcité and whether it is being fairly applied in a France with an estimated five million Muslims—close to 8 percent of the population and making up the largest number of regular worshipers.
DOMESTIC
When Buddhists Were Public Enemy No. 1
by Peter Manseau
CNN op-ed
http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/04/us/buddhism-us-enemy/index.html
When the Dalai Lama attends the National Prayer Breakfast this Thursday, it will not only be an implicit endorsement of the Tibetan Buddhist leader's stand against China in the name of religious freedom, but also an acknowledgment that Buddhism is firmly established as one strand among many in the tapestry of American spiritual diversity. Yet it might also serve as a reminder that a religion now considered universally benign once endured suspicion, vocal protest, and even government surveillance—much as Islam has in recent years.
related | Critics Pounce after Obama Talks Crusades, Slavery at Prayer Breakfast
by Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obamas-speech-at-prayer-breakfast-called-offensive-to-christians/2015/02/05/6a15a240-ad50-11e4-ad71-7b9eba0f87d6_story.html
related | Obama Warns at National Prayer Breakfast of Those who use Religion to Wage War
by Sarah Pulliam Bailey
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obama-warns-at-national-prayer-breakfast-of-those-who-use-religion-to-wage-war/2015/02/05/e485e416-ad39-11e4-9c91-e9d2f9fde644_story.html
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