Today's religion and world affairs news from the United States and around the globe: ISIS, Boko Haram, and a court ruling on contraception.
AROUND THE WORLD
Iraq and U.S. Find Some Potential Sunni Allies Have Already Been Lost
by Ben Hubbard
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/16/world/iraq-and-us-find-some-potential-sunni-allies-have-already-been-lost.html?ref=todayspaper
In the Islamic State’s rapid consolidation of the Sunni parts of Iraq and Syria, the jihadists have used a double-pronged strategy to gain the obedience of Sunni tribes. Now, as the United States and the Iraqi government urgently seek to enlist the Sunni tribes to fight the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, they are struggling to undo the militants’ success in co-opting or conquering the majority of them.
Yazidi Girls Seized by ISIS Speak Out After Escape
by Kirk Semple
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/15/world/middleeast/yazidi-girls-seized-by-isis-speak-out-after-escape.html?ref=todayspaper
The sisters were among several thousand girls and young women from the minority Yazidi religion who were seized by the Islamic State in northern Iraq in early August. The 15-year-old is also among a small number of kidnapping victims who have managed to escape, bringing with them stories of a coldly systemized industry of slavery. Their accounts tell of girls and young women separated from their families, divvied up or traded among the Islamic State’s men, ordered to convert to Islam, subjected to forced marriages and repeatedly raped.
Who Are We?
by Thomas Friedman
New York Times op-ed
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/16/opinion/sunday/thomas-l-friedman-who-are-we.html?ref=todayspaper
Well, conversations here in Dubai, one of the great Arab/Muslim crossroads, make it clear that the rise of the Islamic State “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria, and its barbaric treatment of those who are against them—moderate Sunnis or Shiites, Christians, other minorities and women—has revived this central debate about “who are we?”
UAE Has Taken First Step to Tackle Terror
National editorial
http://www.thenational.ae/opinion/editorial/uae-has-taken-first-step-to-tackle-terror
The UAE government has designated 83 organizations—including Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, its UAE branch Al Islah, as well as ISIL, Al Qaeda and Al Houthi rebels in Yemen—as terror groups, in line with a federal law on combating terrorism. Not only is it important to prevent these groups getting bigger but the UAE’s designation of them as terror groups makes the government’s announcement an act of transparency.
Could Oman Be the Next Crisis?
by Michael Rubin
Commentary
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2014/11/14/could-oman-be-the-next-crisis/
While it’s doubtful that Oman will make as radical a political shift as it did as a result of the last succession, the failure of the White House to adopt a proactive strategy toward the region does put its future in doubt. While Washington shouldn’t necessarily muck about in Omani royal politics, it is a vital interest to protect the integrity of the process and prevent Iran from doing so.
Fighting Female Genital Mutilation
by Mona Eltahawy
New York Times op-ed
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/17/opinion/fighting-female-genital-mutilation.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0
We need nothing short of a recognition that ending female genital mutilation is part of the “social justice and human dignity” revolution that we began in Egypt in January 2011. We can better protect our girls when we recognize that those chants of our revolution are essentially demands for autonomy and consent—for all.
Boko Haram Is Acting Increasingly Like the Islamic State. Why Don’t We Treat It That Way?
by Jacob Zenn
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/11/13/boko-haram-is-acting-increasingly-like-the-islamic-state-why-dont-we-treat-it-that-way/
Boko Haram is taking more and more cues from its counterpart in the Middle East, mirroring its savage tactics and inflamed rhetoric. If the United States doesn’t strengthen its resolve to stop Boko Haram’s expansion, the militants’ gains could become a morale boost for the global radical jihadist movement and a loss for democracy and stability in Nigeria and worldwide.
DOMESTIC
Court Rejects Challenge to Obamacare Rules on Contraceptives
by Nina Totenberg
NPR
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/11/14/364152815/court-rejects-challenge-to-obamacare-rules-on-contraceptives
A federal appeals court in Washington has rejected a challenge to Obamacare regulations that allow religious nonprofits to opt out of providing birth control coverage.
Building Bridges Where Needed on Chicago’s South Side
by Samuel G. Freedman
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/15/us/building-bridges-where-needed-on-chicagos-south-side.html?ref=todayspaper
A feature on Dr. Rami Nashashibi, a Palestinian professor at Chicago Theological Seminary who founded the interfaith group Inner-City Muslim Action Network.
Iraq and U.S. Find Some Potential Sunni Allies Have Already Been Lost
by Ben Hubbard
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/16/world/iraq-and-us-find-some-potential-sunni-allies-have-already-been-lost.html?ref=todayspaper
In the Islamic State’s rapid consolidation of the Sunni parts of Iraq and Syria, the jihadists have used a double-pronged strategy to gain the obedience of Sunni tribes. Now, as the United States and the Iraqi government urgently seek to enlist the Sunni tribes to fight the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, they are struggling to undo the militants’ success in co-opting or conquering the majority of them.
Yazidi Girls Seized by ISIS Speak Out After Escape
by Kirk Semple
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/15/world/middleeast/yazidi-girls-seized-by-isis-speak-out-after-escape.html?ref=todayspaper
The sisters were among several thousand girls and young women from the minority Yazidi religion who were seized by the Islamic State in northern Iraq in early August. The 15-year-old is also among a small number of kidnapping victims who have managed to escape, bringing with them stories of a coldly systemized industry of slavery. Their accounts tell of girls and young women separated from their families, divvied up or traded among the Islamic State’s men, ordered to convert to Islam, subjected to forced marriages and repeatedly raped.
Who Are We?
by Thomas Friedman
New York Times op-ed
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/16/opinion/sunday/thomas-l-friedman-who-are-we.html?ref=todayspaper
Well, conversations here in Dubai, one of the great Arab/Muslim crossroads, make it clear that the rise of the Islamic State “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria, and its barbaric treatment of those who are against them—moderate Sunnis or Shiites, Christians, other minorities and women—has revived this central debate about “who are we?”
UAE Has Taken First Step to Tackle Terror
National editorial
http://www.thenational.ae/opinion/editorial/uae-has-taken-first-step-to-tackle-terror
The UAE government has designated 83 organizations—including Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, its UAE branch Al Islah, as well as ISIL, Al Qaeda and Al Houthi rebels in Yemen—as terror groups, in line with a federal law on combating terrorism. Not only is it important to prevent these groups getting bigger but the UAE’s designation of them as terror groups makes the government’s announcement an act of transparency.
Could Oman Be the Next Crisis?
by Michael Rubin
Commentary
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2014/11/14/could-oman-be-the-next-crisis/
While it’s doubtful that Oman will make as radical a political shift as it did as a result of the last succession, the failure of the White House to adopt a proactive strategy toward the region does put its future in doubt. While Washington shouldn’t necessarily muck about in Omani royal politics, it is a vital interest to protect the integrity of the process and prevent Iran from doing so.
Fighting Female Genital Mutilation
by Mona Eltahawy
New York Times op-ed
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/17/opinion/fighting-female-genital-mutilation.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0
We need nothing short of a recognition that ending female genital mutilation is part of the “social justice and human dignity” revolution that we began in Egypt in January 2011. We can better protect our girls when we recognize that those chants of our revolution are essentially demands for autonomy and consent—for all.
Boko Haram Is Acting Increasingly Like the Islamic State. Why Don’t We Treat It That Way?
by Jacob Zenn
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/11/13/boko-haram-is-acting-increasingly-like-the-islamic-state-why-dont-we-treat-it-that-way/
Boko Haram is taking more and more cues from its counterpart in the Middle East, mirroring its savage tactics and inflamed rhetoric. If the United States doesn’t strengthen its resolve to stop Boko Haram’s expansion, the militants’ gains could become a morale boost for the global radical jihadist movement and a loss for democracy and stability in Nigeria and worldwide.
DOMESTIC
Court Rejects Challenge to Obamacare Rules on Contraceptives
by Nina Totenberg
NPR
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/11/14/364152815/court-rejects-challenge-to-obamacare-rules-on-contraceptives
A federal appeals court in Washington has rejected a challenge to Obamacare regulations that allow religious nonprofits to opt out of providing birth control coverage.
Building Bridges Where Needed on Chicago’s South Side
by Samuel G. Freedman
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/15/us/building-bridges-where-needed-on-chicagos-south-side.html?ref=todayspaper
A feature on Dr. Rami Nashashibi, a Palestinian professor at Chicago Theological Seminary who founded the interfaith group Inner-City Muslim Action Network.
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