In the News, November 6, 2014

November 6, 2014

Today's religion and world affairs news from the United States and around the globe: ISIS, Uighurs, blasphemy in Pakistan, Israel/Palestine, the Central African Republic, Muslims in India, acid attacks in Iran, and the faith factor in the 2014 midterm elections.


AROUND THE WORLD
ISIS Wave of Might Turning Into Ripple
by Ben Hubbard
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/06/world/middleeast/isis-wave-of-might-is-turning-into-ripple.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0
Today, roughly a third of Iraq is dotted by active battlefronts, with intense fighting and occasional Islamic State victories. But analysts also say the days of easy and rapid gains for the jihadists may be coming to a close in Iraq, as the group’s momentum appears to be stalling. 

In Stark Transformation, Egyptian Rights Activist Dies Fighting for the Islamic State
by Eric Cunningham
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/in-stark-transformation-egyptian-rights-activist-dies-fighting-for-the-islamic-state/2014/11/05/d03d0339-203e-42f0-9e87-95cff45cd1cb_story.html
The inability of Arab governments to “address social ills and give their citizens a sense of national identity” in the wake of the Arab uprisings has turned many like Darawi to the embrace of the Islamic State, said Kamal Habib, co-founder of the Egyptian militant group Islamic Jihad. 

Qatar Pares Support for Islamists but Careful to Preserve Ties
Reuters
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2014/11/05/qatar-pares-support-for-islamists-but-careful-to-preserve-ties/
Qatar has joined the American-led coalition to fight Islamic State, yet the emirate is a haven for anti-Western groups and foreign diplomats have reported seeing cars with Islamic State logos in an affluent bay district. 

China’s Uighur Unrest is Opportunity for Afghans
by Matthew Rosenberg
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/06/world/asia/chinas-uighur-unrest-is-opportunity-for-afghans.html?ref=todayspaper
A major factor in China’s stepped-up involvement with Afghanistan is a growing alarm in Beijing over Islamist militancy among Uighurs, a Muslim ethnic group from northwestern China, analysts say. 

‘No Mercy’ for Killers of Couple in Pakistan
by Waqar Gillani
New York Times op-ed
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/06/world/asia/no-mercy-for-killers-of-couple-in-pakistan.html?ref=todayspaper
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday ordered the authorities to “show no mercy” in bringing to justice those involved in the murder of a Christian couple, who were tortured and then incinerated in a brick kiln after being accused of blasphemy, officials said. 

For Israel, Two-State Is No Solution
by Naftali Bennett
New York Times op-ed
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/06/opinion/naftali-bennett-for-israel-two-state-is-no-solution.html?ref=opinion
The rise of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, and other extreme elements in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, make the risks just as clear. Israel cannot afford to gamble with its security. There are no second chances in the volatile Middle East. 

Has the World Forgotten the Central Africa Republic?
by Jake Flanagin
New York Times op-ed
http://op-talk.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/05/has-the-world-forgotten-the-central-african-republic/?ref=opinion
A “forgotten crisis.” That’s how the Council on Foreign Relations defines the state of affairs in the Central African Republic — a landlocked stretch of scrubland and dry forest wedged between Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

Why These Hindus Celebrate the Muslim Festival of Moharram
by Ishaan Tharoor
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/11/05/why-these-hindus-celebrate-the-muslim-festival-of-moharram/
A report in the Times of India follows these Hussaini Brahmins, also known as Mohyals, a community of Hindus in North India who adhere to certain Muslim traditions and rituals. According to Mohyal lore, a number of famous ancestors fought on Husain's side at Karbala and died in the battle. The community now bears the legacy of that mythic lineage. They embrace an eclectic range of Hindu and Muslim practices. 

Acid Attacks in Iran Sharpen Row Over Islamic Dress and Vigilantism
Reuters
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2014/11/05/acid-attacks-in-iran-sharpen-row-over-islamic-dress-and-vigilantism/
It is a question all Iranians are asking: who is stalking the streets of Isfahan, throwing acid into women’s faces? The attacks – there have been at least four in the busy city in central Iran in recent weeks – appear aimed at terrorizing women who dare to test the boundaries of the Islamic dress code. 

DOMESTIC
LISTEN: The Faith Factor in the 2014 Midterms
by Paul Brandeis Raushenbush
Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/06/listen-what-was-the-faith_n_6110414.html?utm_hp_ref=religion
What a difference two years can make. In 2012, President Obama won every faith group in America aside from White Christians. The looks to be true for 2014, and yet White Evangelical voters appeared to have tipped the scale towards the GOP in important Senate and Governor races across the country. 
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