Today's religion and world affairs news from the United States and around the globe: the relationship between Islam and ISIS, what it means to be British and Muslim, and the impact of Netanyahu's speech on American Jews.
AROUND THE WORLD
How Islamic is the Islamic State?
by Lee Keath and Hamza Hendawi
Huffington Post op-ed
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/02/islamic-state-islam-experts_n_6784434.html?utm_hp_ref=religion
An estimated 20,000 Muslims have streamed into the territory in Iraq and Syria where the Islamic State has proclaimed what it calls a "caliphate" ruled by its often brutal version of Islamic law. But how rooted in Islam is the ideology embraced by this group that has inspired so many to fight and die?
Britain’s Muslims Still Feel the Need to Explain Themselves
by Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro
NPR
http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2015/03/02/390188555/britains-muslims-still-feeling-the-need-to-explain-themselves
Jihadi John, runaway schoolgirls, no-go zones: the headlines are everywhere in Great Britain. If you are Muslim in Britain, you can't get away from them. Views from London and Birmingham are considered side-by-side in response to the question, ‘What does it mean to be Muslim and British?’
Who Are Assyrian Christians?
by Carol Kuruvilla
Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/02/assyrian-christians-isis_n_6786926.html?cps=gravity_2677_-4413128020804228376
During the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Assyrian Christians faced persecution in the form of massacres, rapes and cultural desecrations.At least 400,000 Assyrian Christians fled Iraq during the Iraq War between 2003 and 2009, with many more leaving after the Islamic State group began to gain a foothold in the region. Assyrians Christians in the diaspora are now worried for their fellow believers back in the homeland.
Turkey is Becoming More Secular, Not Less
by Mustafa Akyol
Al Monitor
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/03/turkey-is-getting-more-secular.html
Is Turkey turning into “another Iran”? Since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in 2002, Turkey’s “Islamization” has been a recurrent theme in the media. In his new book, “Anxious Conservatives: The Turkey That Moves Away From Religion,” Volkan Erit presents ample evidence suggesting that the power of religion is actually declining in Turkish society.
Israel and the Democrats
by Bret Stephens
Wall Street Journal op-ed
http://www.wsj.com/articles/bret-stephens-israel-and-the-democrats-1425340271
The Democratic Party is on the cusp of abandoning the state of Israel. That’s a shame, though less for Israel than it is for the Democrats. The understanding not only that Jews are entitled to a state, but also that a liberal democracy is entitled to defend itself—robustly and sometimes pre-emptively—against illiberal enemies, is why the party of Harry Truman, Scoop Jackson, and Daniel Patrick Moynihan commands historic respect.
DOMESTIC
Netanyahu Speech Creates Rift Among Jews
by William M. Welch
USA Today
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/02/netanyahu-speech-american-jews_n_6786192.html?utm_hp_ref=religion
Many are concerned about the threat to Israel from Iran’s nuclear program, and others believe Netanyahu’s unrestrained attacks on the White House and in-your-face visit jeopardizes the close ties Israel has long enjoyed with the United States. The divisiveness among Americans mirrors that of many Israelis equally concerned the visit will plunge traditionally close relations between US and Israeli leaders to an unprecedented low.
Why Our Children Don’t Think There Are Moral Facts
by Justin P. McBrayer
New York Times op-ed
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/02/why-our-children-dont-think-there-are-moral-facts/
While there are no national surveys quantifying this phenomenon, philosophy professors with whom I have spoken suggest that the overwhelming majority of college freshman in their classrooms view moral claims as mere opinions that are not true or are true only relative to a culture. If there are no truths about what is good or valuable or right, how can we prosecute people for crimes against humanity?
How Islamic is the Islamic State?
by Lee Keath and Hamza Hendawi
Huffington Post op-ed
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/02/islamic-state-islam-experts_n_6784434.html?utm_hp_ref=religion
An estimated 20,000 Muslims have streamed into the territory in Iraq and Syria where the Islamic State has proclaimed what it calls a "caliphate" ruled by its often brutal version of Islamic law. But how rooted in Islam is the ideology embraced by this group that has inspired so many to fight and die?
Britain’s Muslims Still Feel the Need to Explain Themselves
by Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro
NPR
http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2015/03/02/390188555/britains-muslims-still-feeling-the-need-to-explain-themselves
Jihadi John, runaway schoolgirls, no-go zones: the headlines are everywhere in Great Britain. If you are Muslim in Britain, you can't get away from them. Views from London and Birmingham are considered side-by-side in response to the question, ‘What does it mean to be Muslim and British?’
Who Are Assyrian Christians?
by Carol Kuruvilla
Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/02/assyrian-christians-isis_n_6786926.html?cps=gravity_2677_-4413128020804228376
During the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Assyrian Christians faced persecution in the form of massacres, rapes and cultural desecrations.At least 400,000 Assyrian Christians fled Iraq during the Iraq War between 2003 and 2009, with many more leaving after the Islamic State group began to gain a foothold in the region. Assyrians Christians in the diaspora are now worried for their fellow believers back in the homeland.
Turkey is Becoming More Secular, Not Less
by Mustafa Akyol
Al Monitor
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/03/turkey-is-getting-more-secular.html
Is Turkey turning into “another Iran”? Since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in 2002, Turkey’s “Islamization” has been a recurrent theme in the media. In his new book, “Anxious Conservatives: The Turkey That Moves Away From Religion,” Volkan Erit presents ample evidence suggesting that the power of religion is actually declining in Turkish society.
Israel and the Democrats
by Bret Stephens
Wall Street Journal op-ed
http://www.wsj.com/articles/bret-stephens-israel-and-the-democrats-1425340271
The Democratic Party is on the cusp of abandoning the state of Israel. That’s a shame, though less for Israel than it is for the Democrats. The understanding not only that Jews are entitled to a state, but also that a liberal democracy is entitled to defend itself—robustly and sometimes pre-emptively—against illiberal enemies, is why the party of Harry Truman, Scoop Jackson, and Daniel Patrick Moynihan commands historic respect.
DOMESTIC
Netanyahu Speech Creates Rift Among Jews
by William M. Welch
USA Today
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/02/netanyahu-speech-american-jews_n_6786192.html?utm_hp_ref=religion
Many are concerned about the threat to Israel from Iran’s nuclear program, and others believe Netanyahu’s unrestrained attacks on the White House and in-your-face visit jeopardizes the close ties Israel has long enjoyed with the United States. The divisiveness among Americans mirrors that of many Israelis equally concerned the visit will plunge traditionally close relations between US and Israeli leaders to an unprecedented low.
Why Our Children Don’t Think There Are Moral Facts
by Justin P. McBrayer
New York Times op-ed
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/02/why-our-children-dont-think-there-are-moral-facts/
While there are no national surveys quantifying this phenomenon, philosophy professors with whom I have spoken suggest that the overwhelming majority of college freshman in their classrooms view moral claims as mere opinions that are not true or are true only relative to a culture. If there are no truths about what is good or valuable or right, how can we prosecute people for crimes against humanity?
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