Today's religion and world affairs news from the United States and around the globe: students banned from fasting during Ramadan, easing tensions over International Yoga Day, and a priest with a knack for conversion.
BERKLEY CENTER IN THE NEWS
Portrait of a Peacebuilder: Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne
by Katherine Marshall
Huffington Post op-ed
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-marshall/portrait-of-a-peacebuilde_b_7581908.html
Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne leads one of the world's most admired development initiatives: the Sarvodaya Shramadana Sangamaya movement. This organization has pioneered village level development for over 57 years and is inspired by Buddhist principles--especially the interconnected process of awakening both the individual and society. Its most recent focus has been peace building and restoring the wounds of Sri Lanka's bitter conflict.
AROUND THE WORLD
Muslim Students Banned From Fasting During Ramadan at Four British Schools
by Valerie Strauss
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/06/13/muslim-students-banned-from-fasting-during-ramadan-at-four-british-schools/
Several primary schools in London have forbidden students from fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, due to concerns for the children’s health. As the holy period falls at a particularly hot and busy time of the year, the schools sent letters home to parents explaining that, unless parents gained individual approval from a headmaster, fasting would not be permitted.
Will the Papal Encyclical Bring the 'Francis Effect' to the Climate Debates?
by Jim Wallis
Huffington Post Religion op-ed
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-wallis/will-the-papal-encyclical_b_7570164.html?utm_hp_ref=religion
The timing of the encyclical's release, three months before the pope's visit to the U.S. and six months before the climate talks in Paris, shows that the Vatican is being quite strategic about maximizing its impact on the global political system. That is why those who most profit from the status quo have been among the most vocal in critiquing the pope before it has even appeared.
The Long Wait
Economist
http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21654236-malaysias-rohingyas-get-little-help-government-long-wait
Many Rohingya were attracted to Malaysia not just because of its wealth but also its Islamic heritage. Yet life is tough for the 100,000 or so Rohingyas thought to have arrived there since the 1970s. Malaysia has not signed the UN’s convention on refugees, and makes no distinction between asylum-seekers and migrants who sneak in to find work. Rohingyas may not legally hold a job and have no right to health care or schooling. They are far more likely than locals to suffer beatings, rape or murder. They are commonly hassled by police, who see them as an easy source of bribes.
Muslims Can Chant 'Allah' Instead Of 'Om' On International Yoga Day: Indian Government Minister
by Betwa Sharma
Huffington Post Religion
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/12/international-yoga-day-muslims_n_7571154.html?cps=gravity_2677_-8740902748564961005
In their efforts to garner support for International Yoga Day and to dissipate some of the tensions the day's festivities have caused, the Modi government suggested that Muslim participants take Allah's name instead of chanting 'Om' or reciting shlokas.
Leading From Everywhere: The History of Centralized Islamic Religious Authority
by H.A. Hellyer and Nathan J. Brown
Foreign Affairs
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2015-06-15/leading-everywhere?cid=soc-tw-rdr
The rapid rise of Daesh (also known as the Islamic State or ISIS) has triggered a debate about how “Islamic” the group actually is and whether an Islamic religious authority can counter its extreme ideology. The consensus among Muslim religious scholars is that although ISIS draws on some Sunni Islamic references, its interpretations and applications of those references lie far outside an acceptable range.
Tolerant Islam Should be Protected
by Giles Fraser
Guardian op-ed
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2015/jun/12/tolerant-islam-worth-protecting-kazakhstan
With a population that has grown to 70% Muslim, the leaders of Kazakhstan find themselves at a decisive moment between a Soviet atheist past and an increasingly Islamic future.
DOMESTIC
An Opus Dei Priest With a Magnetic Touch
by Mark Oppenheimer
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/13/us/rev-c-john-mccloskey-iii-an-opus-dei-priest-with-a-magnetic-touch.html?_r=0
Some priests are known for their work among the poor, others for their learning, still others for decades of service to a parish. The Rev. C. John McCloskey III, a priest of the traditionalist Opus Dei order, has a different calling. He makes converts, often of the rich and Republican. He has personally prepared for conversion to Catholicism, among others,Gov. Sam Brownback of Kansas; the Supreme Court nominee Robert H. Bork; the columnists Robert D. Novak and Lawrence Kudlow; the conservative publisher Alfred S. Regnery; the anti-abortion activist Bernard Nathanson; and Lewis E. Lehrman, an investment banker and former candidate for governor of New York.
Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis Resigns after Charges of Sex Abuse Coverup
by Abby Ohlheiser and Michelle Boorstein
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/06/15/archbishop-of-st-paul-and-minnesota-resigns-after-charges-of-sex-abuse-coverup/
Ten days after prosecutors charged the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis of mishandling repeated complaints related to clergy sex abuse, the archbishop and another top bishop there resigned Monday in a rare public fall for U.S. church officials. Archbishop John Nienstedt and Auxiliary Bishop Lee Piché were not charged individually in the case and said they were stepping down to remove distractions from the archdiocese as it faces a crisis.
The Rise of Evangelical 'Nones'
by Ed Stetzer
CNN Belief Blog op-ed
http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/12/living/stetzer-christian-nones/index.html
The country's largest evangelical denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, announced this week that their membership fell for the eighth straight year in 2014. Yet, while the number of evangelical denominations is in fact declining, the number of evangelicals overall continues to grow.
Portrait of a Peacebuilder: Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne
by Katherine Marshall
Huffington Post op-ed
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-marshall/portrait-of-a-peacebuilde_b_7581908.html
Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne leads one of the world's most admired development initiatives: the Sarvodaya Shramadana Sangamaya movement. This organization has pioneered village level development for over 57 years and is inspired by Buddhist principles--especially the interconnected process of awakening both the individual and society. Its most recent focus has been peace building and restoring the wounds of Sri Lanka's bitter conflict.
AROUND THE WORLD
Muslim Students Banned From Fasting During Ramadan at Four British Schools
by Valerie Strauss
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/06/13/muslim-students-banned-from-fasting-during-ramadan-at-four-british-schools/
Several primary schools in London have forbidden students from fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, due to concerns for the children’s health. As the holy period falls at a particularly hot and busy time of the year, the schools sent letters home to parents explaining that, unless parents gained individual approval from a headmaster, fasting would not be permitted.
Will the Papal Encyclical Bring the 'Francis Effect' to the Climate Debates?
by Jim Wallis
Huffington Post Religion op-ed
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-wallis/will-the-papal-encyclical_b_7570164.html?utm_hp_ref=religion
The timing of the encyclical's release, three months before the pope's visit to the U.S. and six months before the climate talks in Paris, shows that the Vatican is being quite strategic about maximizing its impact on the global political system. That is why those who most profit from the status quo have been among the most vocal in critiquing the pope before it has even appeared.
The Long Wait
Economist
http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21654236-malaysias-rohingyas-get-little-help-government-long-wait
Many Rohingya were attracted to Malaysia not just because of its wealth but also its Islamic heritage. Yet life is tough for the 100,000 or so Rohingyas thought to have arrived there since the 1970s. Malaysia has not signed the UN’s convention on refugees, and makes no distinction between asylum-seekers and migrants who sneak in to find work. Rohingyas may not legally hold a job and have no right to health care or schooling. They are far more likely than locals to suffer beatings, rape or murder. They are commonly hassled by police, who see them as an easy source of bribes.
Muslims Can Chant 'Allah' Instead Of 'Om' On International Yoga Day: Indian Government Minister
by Betwa Sharma
Huffington Post Religion
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/12/international-yoga-day-muslims_n_7571154.html?cps=gravity_2677_-8740902748564961005
In their efforts to garner support for International Yoga Day and to dissipate some of the tensions the day's festivities have caused, the Modi government suggested that Muslim participants take Allah's name instead of chanting 'Om' or reciting shlokas.
Leading From Everywhere: The History of Centralized Islamic Religious Authority
by H.A. Hellyer and Nathan J. Brown
Foreign Affairs
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2015-06-15/leading-everywhere?cid=soc-tw-rdr
The rapid rise of Daesh (also known as the Islamic State or ISIS) has triggered a debate about how “Islamic” the group actually is and whether an Islamic religious authority can counter its extreme ideology. The consensus among Muslim religious scholars is that although ISIS draws on some Sunni Islamic references, its interpretations and applications of those references lie far outside an acceptable range.
Tolerant Islam Should be Protected
by Giles Fraser
Guardian op-ed
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2015/jun/12/tolerant-islam-worth-protecting-kazakhstan
With a population that has grown to 70% Muslim, the leaders of Kazakhstan find themselves at a decisive moment between a Soviet atheist past and an increasingly Islamic future.
DOMESTIC
An Opus Dei Priest With a Magnetic Touch
by Mark Oppenheimer
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/13/us/rev-c-john-mccloskey-iii-an-opus-dei-priest-with-a-magnetic-touch.html?_r=0
Some priests are known for their work among the poor, others for their learning, still others for decades of service to a parish. The Rev. C. John McCloskey III, a priest of the traditionalist Opus Dei order, has a different calling. He makes converts, often of the rich and Republican. He has personally prepared for conversion to Catholicism, among others,Gov. Sam Brownback of Kansas; the Supreme Court nominee Robert H. Bork; the columnists Robert D. Novak and Lawrence Kudlow; the conservative publisher Alfred S. Regnery; the anti-abortion activist Bernard Nathanson; and Lewis E. Lehrman, an investment banker and former candidate for governor of New York.
Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis Resigns after Charges of Sex Abuse Coverup
by Abby Ohlheiser and Michelle Boorstein
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/06/15/archbishop-of-st-paul-and-minnesota-resigns-after-charges-of-sex-abuse-coverup/
Ten days after prosecutors charged the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis of mishandling repeated complaints related to clergy sex abuse, the archbishop and another top bishop there resigned Monday in a rare public fall for U.S. church officials. Archbishop John Nienstedt and Auxiliary Bishop Lee Piché were not charged individually in the case and said they were stepping down to remove distractions from the archdiocese as it faces a crisis.
The Rise of Evangelical 'Nones'
by Ed Stetzer
CNN Belief Blog op-ed
http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/12/living/stetzer-christian-nones/index.html
The country's largest evangelical denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, announced this week that their membership fell for the eighth straight year in 2014. Yet, while the number of evangelical denominations is in fact declining, the number of evangelicals overall continues to grow.
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