Today's religion and world affairs news from the United States and
around the globe: the Berkley Center holds a conference on Proselytism and Development, UN seeks to "discredit ISIL," and New York City schools add Muslim holy days to the calendar.
BERKLEY CENTER IN THE NEWS
Faith-Based Aid Groups Face a Hurdle: The Faith That Drives Them
by Cathy Lynn Grossman
Religion News Service
http://www.religionnews.com/2015/03/06/faith-based-aid-groups-face-hurdle-faith-drives/
Leaders of Christian and Jewish international aid groups say their efforts are often met with twin suspicions: That the real purpose is to proselytize and that a religious message is tied to material aid. Not so, say Pastor Rick Warren, who has led Saddleback Church to donate millions of dollars and hours of labor in Africa, and Ruth Messinger, president of American Jewish World Service. The two were keynote speakers at a discussion on “Proselytism and Development in Pluralistic Societies,” sponsored by the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, at Georgetown University.
Thomas Merton and the Eternal Search
by Paul Elie
New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/thomas-merton-and-the-eternal-search
Paul Elie reflects on the life and work of Thomas Merton and a new exhibit about him at Columbia University.
AROUND THE WORLD
Same Anger, Different Ideologies: Radical Muslim and Neo-Nazi
by Katrin Bennhold
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/06/world/europe/two-outcomes-similar-paths-radical-muslim-and-neo-nazi.html?ref=todayspaper
The ideologies that once motivated Mr. Ahmed and Mr. Orell could hardly be more different. Yet strip away ideology and what emerges are two strikingly similar tales of radicalization, militancy and, in the case of these two men, de-radicalization. Both had grievances that eroded their self-esteem and made them angry. Both were seduced by a narrative that put them at the center of a greater cause and offered them what they craved most: a sense of belonging and a plan to act on their resentment.
U.N. Human Rights Boss Seeks Campaign to ‘Discredit ISIL’
by Stephanie Nebehay
Reuters
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/03/05/u-n-rights-boss-seeks-campaign-to-discredit-isil/
The top United Nations human rights official called on Thursday for an international campaign to “discredit ISIL”, and urged Muslims worldwide to defend their faith against misrepresentation by violent extremists.
Will Greece's New Government Help the Muslim Minority Integrate?
by Joanna Kakissis
NPR
http://www.npr.org/2015/03/06/391149303/will-greeces-new-atheist-government-help-muslims-integrate
For decades, Muslims in northeastern Greece were cut off from the rest of the country. Mainstream politicians backed by the Greek Orthodox Church ignored them.
Honour Thy Father and Mother
Economist
http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2015/03/pope-and-elderly
Pope Francis made some remarks this week about a big contemporary problem—the neglect of older people by their children and younger relatives—that bore all his hallmarks. The tone of his comments was at once humane, almost folksy, somewhat politically radical, quite traditional and quite shocking. Failing to look after old folk was not just a bad habit, he told an "audience" of 20,000 people in Rome, it was a mortal transgression: in other words the sort of sin that can consign you to hell, eternal punishment, if you fail to repent for it before you die.
DOMESTIC
From Mosul to Motor City
by Aaron Foley
Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/03/05/from-mosul-to-motor-city/
Since the early 20th century, the Detroit area has been a refuge for Middle Eastern immigrants of all religious sects, a group that includes Chaldeans and Assyrian Christians. Now, with the Islamic State on a murderous rampage in Syria and Iraq, ripples are being felt in this part of the American heartland. The sense of concern only grew when, last week, Islamic State militants kidnapped some 220 Assyrian Christians in northern Syria.
New York City Adds 2 Muslim Holy Days to Public School Calendar
by Michael M. Grynbaum and Sharon Otterman
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/05/nyregion/new-york-to-add-two-muslim-holy-days-to-public-school-calendar.html?ref=todayspaper
New York will become the nation’s first major metropolis to close its public schools in observance of the two most sacred Muslim holy days, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday, a watershed moment for a group that has endured suspicion and hostility since the Sept. 11 attacks.
Interview: Christian Woman Explains Why She's Wearing a Muslim Hijab During Lent (Part 1)
by Vincent Funaro
Christian Post
http://www.christianpost.com/news/why-is-this-christian-woman-wearing-a-muslim-hijab-during-lent-part-1-135036/
Jessey Eagan, a Christian mother of two and part-time children's director at Imago Dei Church in Peoria, Illinois, has chosen to wear a hijab this Lenten season and has been blogging about her experience #40daysofhijab since she started. In an interview with The Christian Post on Monday, Eagan explained why she decided to wear the traditional head covering—worn in public by women of some Muslim sects, but not all—and shared some of the reactions that she's received from both Christians and Muslims.
In U.C.L.A. Debate Over Jewish Student, Echoes on Campus of Old Biases
by Adam Nagourney
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/06/us/debate-on-a-jewish-student-at-ucla.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0
A debate over whether or not to confirm a Jewish nominee for the UCLA student council’s Judicial Board has served to spotlight what appears to be a surge of hostile sentiment directed against Jews at many campuses in the country, often a byproduct of animosity toward the policies of Israel.
Christian, or Feminist?
by Emma Green
Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/03/christian-feminist/386609/
Dianna E. Anderson’s new book, Damaged Goods, explores the difficulty of reconciling women’s liberation with evangelical faith. For the next generation, this might be a useful framework for engaging with both Christianity and feminism, and one that will probably resonate: understanding the work of Jesus and the identities of women not in abstract political terms, but as glimpses of truth people use in shaping their own lives.
Faith-Based Aid Groups Face a Hurdle: The Faith That Drives Them
by Cathy Lynn Grossman
Religion News Service
http://www.religionnews.com/2015/03/06/faith-based-aid-groups-face-hurdle-faith-drives/
Leaders of Christian and Jewish international aid groups say their efforts are often met with twin suspicions: That the real purpose is to proselytize and that a religious message is tied to material aid. Not so, say Pastor Rick Warren, who has led Saddleback Church to donate millions of dollars and hours of labor in Africa, and Ruth Messinger, president of American Jewish World Service. The two were keynote speakers at a discussion on “Proselytism and Development in Pluralistic Societies,” sponsored by the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, at Georgetown University.
Thomas Merton and the Eternal Search
by Paul Elie
New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/thomas-merton-and-the-eternal-search
Paul Elie reflects on the life and work of Thomas Merton and a new exhibit about him at Columbia University.
AROUND THE WORLD
Same Anger, Different Ideologies: Radical Muslim and Neo-Nazi
by Katrin Bennhold
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/06/world/europe/two-outcomes-similar-paths-radical-muslim-and-neo-nazi.html?ref=todayspaper
The ideologies that once motivated Mr. Ahmed and Mr. Orell could hardly be more different. Yet strip away ideology and what emerges are two strikingly similar tales of radicalization, militancy and, in the case of these two men, de-radicalization. Both had grievances that eroded their self-esteem and made them angry. Both were seduced by a narrative that put them at the center of a greater cause and offered them what they craved most: a sense of belonging and a plan to act on their resentment.
U.N. Human Rights Boss Seeks Campaign to ‘Discredit ISIL’
by Stephanie Nebehay
Reuters
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2015/03/05/u-n-rights-boss-seeks-campaign-to-discredit-isil/
The top United Nations human rights official called on Thursday for an international campaign to “discredit ISIL”, and urged Muslims worldwide to defend their faith against misrepresentation by violent extremists.
Will Greece's New Government Help the Muslim Minority Integrate?
by Joanna Kakissis
NPR
http://www.npr.org/2015/03/06/391149303/will-greeces-new-atheist-government-help-muslims-integrate
For decades, Muslims in northeastern Greece were cut off from the rest of the country. Mainstream politicians backed by the Greek Orthodox Church ignored them.
Honour Thy Father and Mother
Economist
http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2015/03/pope-and-elderly
Pope Francis made some remarks this week about a big contemporary problem—the neglect of older people by their children and younger relatives—that bore all his hallmarks. The tone of his comments was at once humane, almost folksy, somewhat politically radical, quite traditional and quite shocking. Failing to look after old folk was not just a bad habit, he told an "audience" of 20,000 people in Rome, it was a mortal transgression: in other words the sort of sin that can consign you to hell, eternal punishment, if you fail to repent for it before you die.
DOMESTIC
From Mosul to Motor City
by Aaron Foley
Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/03/05/from-mosul-to-motor-city/
Since the early 20th century, the Detroit area has been a refuge for Middle Eastern immigrants of all religious sects, a group that includes Chaldeans and Assyrian Christians. Now, with the Islamic State on a murderous rampage in Syria and Iraq, ripples are being felt in this part of the American heartland. The sense of concern only grew when, last week, Islamic State militants kidnapped some 220 Assyrian Christians in northern Syria.
New York City Adds 2 Muslim Holy Days to Public School Calendar
by Michael M. Grynbaum and Sharon Otterman
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/05/nyregion/new-york-to-add-two-muslim-holy-days-to-public-school-calendar.html?ref=todayspaper
New York will become the nation’s first major metropolis to close its public schools in observance of the two most sacred Muslim holy days, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday, a watershed moment for a group that has endured suspicion and hostility since the Sept. 11 attacks.
Interview: Christian Woman Explains Why She's Wearing a Muslim Hijab During Lent (Part 1)
by Vincent Funaro
Christian Post
http://www.christianpost.com/news/why-is-this-christian-woman-wearing-a-muslim-hijab-during-lent-part-1-135036/
Jessey Eagan, a Christian mother of two and part-time children's director at Imago Dei Church in Peoria, Illinois, has chosen to wear a hijab this Lenten season and has been blogging about her experience #40daysofhijab since she started. In an interview with The Christian Post on Monday, Eagan explained why she decided to wear the traditional head covering—worn in public by women of some Muslim sects, but not all—and shared some of the reactions that she's received from both Christians and Muslims.
In U.C.L.A. Debate Over Jewish Student, Echoes on Campus of Old Biases
by Adam Nagourney
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/06/us/debate-on-a-jewish-student-at-ucla.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0
A debate over whether or not to confirm a Jewish nominee for the UCLA student council’s Judicial Board has served to spotlight what appears to be a surge of hostile sentiment directed against Jews at many campuses in the country, often a byproduct of animosity toward the policies of Israel.
Christian, or Feminist?
by Emma Green
Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/03/christian-feminist/386609/
Dianna E. Anderson’s new book, Damaged Goods, explores the difficulty of reconciling women’s liberation with evangelical faith. For the next generation, this might be a useful framework for engaging with both Christianity and feminism, and one that will probably resonate: understanding the work of Jesus and the identities of women not in abstract political terms, but as glimpses of truth people use in shaping their own lives.
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