Today's religion and world affairs news from the United States and around the globe: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Islam in Egypt, the plight of the Yazidis, and nuns in Sierra Leone.
BERKLEY CENTER IN THE NEWS
Strangers in the Night
by Drew Christiansen and Ra’fat Aldajani
National Catholic Reporter
http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/strangers-night
Home invasion—like settlement-building, confiscation of open Palestinian land, and home demolition—is part of an aggressive Israeli strategy for pre-empting Palestinian living space in the Holy Land. For years, Palestinians and Israeli human rights and settlement-monitoring organizations have raised the alarm against these practices. With these tactics, the Israeli political establishment works to preclude the possibility of a viable, sovereign and independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem.
AROUND THE WORLD
The Right to Say ‘God’ Divides a Diverse Nation
by Thomas Fuller
New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/04/world/asia/in-malaysia-allah-is-reserved-for-muslims-only.html?ref... According to a series of government orders and rulings by Malaysia’s Islamic councils, the word for God in the Malay language—“Allah”—is reserved for Muslims. Malay-language Bibles are banned everywhere except inside churches. State regulations ban a list of words, including Allah, in any non-Muslim context.
Egyptian Cleric Defends Forced Evacuation of Families From Sinai
by David Kirkpatrick
New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/04/world/middleeast/egyptian-cleric-defends-forced-evacuation-in-sina...
A government-appointed Muslim clerical leader on Monday provided a religious defense of the forced evacuation of more than 1,100 families from the Sinai Peninsula in an attempt to root out militant extremists.
Egypt’s Army of God
by Gilad Wenig
Foreign Affairs http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/142327/gilad-wenig/egypts-army-of-god
In a sense, the military’s embrace of Islam is unsurprising given the prominent role religion plays in Egyptian life and culture. Moreover, the generals understand its potency to maintain cohesion, boost morale, and garner public support. But in light of the coup against Morsi, it must also be seen as a significant element of the Egyptian state’s ideological battle to reclaim the mantle of Islam from the Muslim Brotherhood.
For Packed Part of Jerusalem, Expansion Plans Have Built Mostly Outrage
by Judi Rudoren
New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/04/world/middleeast/for-a-packed-part-of-jerusalem-expansion-plans-ha...
Built two decades ago on land captured from Jordan by Israel in the 1967 war, Ramat Shlomo has become a prime symbol of Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians and, especially, its diplomatic confrontations with Washington and the rest of the world. On Monday, after an Israeli committee approved about 500 new apartments in Ramat Shlomo, the Obama administration condemned the measure.
The Gangs of Iraq
by Tirana Hassan
Foreign Policy http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/11/03/gangs_of_iraq_shiite_militia_islamic_state_isis_sun...
As Shiite militias reportedly prepare to launch an offensive south of the predominantly Sunni city of Tikrit, which was captured by the Islamic State in June, it seems likely that they will leave similar patterns of destruction and displacement in their wake.
Yazidis Face Genocide by ISIS After US Turns Away
by Josh Rogin
Daily Beast http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/11/03/yazidis-face-genocide-by-isis-after-u-s-turns-away....
In August, the Obama administration intervened to stop what it called a pending genocide of Yazidi minorities in Iraq. Now the U.S. is gone, but the genocide continues.
Ukraine’s Vote Proves Putin Wrong and Puts Anti-Semitic Past Behind
by John Lloyd
Reuters
http://blogs.reuters.com/john-lloyd/2014/10/31/ukraine-vote-proves-putin-wrong-and-puts-anti-semitic...
One of the themes that Russian President Vladimir Putin tried out to besmirch the Ukrainian revolt against pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovich earlier this year was that fascists and anti-Semites were behind the uprising. The protesters, he proclaimed, were revolting in both senses of the word: They had chased out an elected president (true) and their actions had allowed “anti-Semitic forces [to go] on a rampage” (not true).
Concerning the Current Wave of “Protest Demonstrations” Against His Holiness the Dalai Lama
by Robert Thurman
Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-thurman/dalai-lama-protests-_b_6096576.html?utm_hp_ref=religion
In the case of the current wave of ISC "protests" against the Dalai Lama, we have to ask ourselves—what is the real motive? What does the small group of highly motivated, well-organized, seemingly media-savvy "protesters" really want? They say they want "religious freedom," but they have always had religious freedom in India or the West, nobody has banned them worshiping as they wish.
Nuns in Sierra Leone Work on Shoestring to Deliver Quality Healthcare and Education to the Poor
by Jacqueline de Chollet
Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jacqueline-de-chollet/nuns-in-sierra-leone-work_b_6094850.html?utm_hp_...
Upon visiting hospitals and schools in Sierra Leone it was clear that the main group making a difference to public health and education are a small group of Catholic nuns who are trained nurses and educators. Without their efforts and expertise, there would be little public health in much of Africa.
Burkina Faso Army Promises Religious Chiefs to Quit Power
by Simon Gongo and Pauline Bax
Bloomberg
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-04/burkina-faso-army-promises-religious-leaders-it-will-step-d...
Burkina Faso’s military told religious leaders today that it plans to hand over power to civilians to avoid sanctions against the West African nation.
DOMESTIC
Supreme Court Weighs Status of Jerusalem for Passports
by Adam Liptak
New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/04/us/politics/justices-consider-status-of-jerusalem-for-us-passports...
The Supreme Court on Monday considered the status of Jerusalem which Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli Jr. told the justices was “the most vexing and volatile and difficult diplomatic issue that this nation has faced for decades.” The legal question for the justices was whether Congress was entitled in a 2002 law to order the State Department to “record the place of birth as Israel” in the passports of American children born in Jerusalem if their parents asked.
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