Today's religion and world affairs news from the United States and around the globe: Nobel Peace Prize, Islam and extremism, Hong Kong, Yemen, Pakistan, and ISIS.
AROUND THE WORLD
Nobel Peace Prize for Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi
by Alan Cowell and Declan Walsh
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/11/world/europe/kailash-satyarthi-and-malala-yousafzai-are-awarded-nobel-peace-prize.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=LedeSum&module=a-lede-package-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
Reaching across gulfs of age, gender, faith, nationality and even international celebrity, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2014 peace prize on Friday to Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan and Kailash Satyarthi of India, joining a teenage Pakistani known around the world with an Indian veteran of campaigns to end child labor and free children from trafficking.
Don’t Give the Pope the Peace Prize
by Elias Groll
Foreign Policy op-ed
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/10/09/don_t_give_the_pope_the_peace_prize
If the Norwegian Nobel Committee wants to honor another world leader beloved by the media for his aspirations as a peacemaker but who has so far failed to prove his credentials as one, then tomorrow Pope Francis will find himself the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Do Muslims Need to Defend Their Faith Against Extremists?
New York Times, Room for Debate
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/10/09/do-muslims-need-to-defend-their-faith-against-extremists?ref=opinion
The rise of the Islamic State in the Middle East and the spread of extremism among disaffected Muslim youths around the world have led even some liberal people to condemn Islam itself as violent and intolerant. As militants seem to be hijacking the name of Islam, how should Muslims respond to the threat of extremism?
Let’s Be Honest, Islam Has a Problem Right Now
by Fareed Zakaria
Washington Post op-ed
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/fareed-zakaria-islam-has-a-problem-right-now-but-heres-why-bill-maher-is-wrong/2014/10/09/b6302a14-4fe6-11e4-aa5e-7153e466a02d_story.html
When television host Bill Maher declares on his weekly show that “the Muslim world . . . has too much in common with ISIS ” and guest Sam Harris says that Islam is “the mother lode of bad ideas,” I understand why people are upset. Maher and Harris, an author, made crude simplifications and exaggerations. And yet, they were also talking about something real.
A Surprising Tie That Binds Hong Kong’s Protest Leaders: Faith
by Frank Langfitt
NPR
http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2014/10/09/354859430/a-surprising-tie-that-binds-hong-kongs-protesters-faith
Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Hong Kong in the past two weeks, demanding democracy and grabbing global attention. Many threads have run through the protests, including one that might seem surprising: faith. Many of the leaders are Christian, and some cite faith as an inspiration.
Fear of Sunni Extremists Grow After Fatal Blast in Yemen’s Capital
by Shuaib Almosawa and Kareem Fahim
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/10/world/middleeast/yemen-sana-attack-houthi-sunni.html?ref=todayspaper
A suicide bomber attacked a crowd of protesters here in the capital on Thursday, killing at least 47 people and adding to fear that Sunni extremists were mobilizing new attacks against a Shiite rebel group that took control of Sana last month.
Iran Should Keep Its Hands Out of Yemen’s Politics
National editorial
http://www.thenational.ae/opinion/iran-should-keep-its-hands-out-of-yemens-politics
Both the Houthis and Hizbollah enjoy the support of Iran, which is using Yemen as a platform to subvert and create a threat to Saudi Arabia, its main regional rival. To further its ambitions in the region in this manner, Iran has targeted unstable states such as Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen, where it seeks to create a new order.
Insurgents in Pakistan Stepping Up Iran Strikes
by Thomas Erdbrink
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/10/world/asia/pakistan-sunni-insurgents-step-up-attacks-in-iran.html?ref=todayspaper
Sunni insurgents in Pakistan increased attacks on Iranian border posts in the southeast of the country this week, employing methods similar to those used by Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq.
How Islamic State Is Recruiting Western Teen Girls
by Mia Bloom
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/10/09/how-the-islamic-state-is-recruiting-western-teen-girls/
There is a need to balance the security of the United States (preventing the return of dangerous foreign fighters) with allowing young people who made a mistake a way back home and back to their families.
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