Today's religion and world affairs news from the United States and around the world: religious freedom around the world and in the Middle East, France, and Canada; a possible third intifada, and Muslim unity in the United States.
BERKLEY CENTER IN THE NEWS
Could Christianity be Facing Extinction in the Middle East
by Earle Cornelius
Lancaster Online
http://lancasteronline.com/features/faith_values/could-christianity-be-facing-extinction-in-the-middle-east/article_b6ad2fb0-7375-11e5-9fab-6bf833c078e7.html
Thomas Farr, director of the Religious Freedom Project at the Berkeley Center, discusses the tragedy and fate of Christian minorities in the Middle East in the face of aggressive and often deadly discrimination. Farr was one of 100 religious leaders, scholars and human rights activists who have called upon President Barack Obama to declare the killing and displacement of religious minorities in the Middle East by the Islamic State as genocide.
AROUND THE WORLD
Religious Freedom Retreats in Many Countries, but Not All
Economist
http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2015/10/america-and-religious-liberty
Last week, the State Department issued the latest encyclopedic survey of religious freedom. The report documents terrible and in many cases worsening violations of basic freedoms in dozens of countries, and acknowledges that cruel governments are no longer the sole or even the most pressing problem. Amidst all this gloom, the report found positive signs in a few places, including "encouraging improvements" in the status of Egypt's large Christian population under the present regime.
Canadian Politics, Unveiled
by Adam Rasmi
Foreign Affairs
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/canada/2015-10-15/canadian-politics-unveiled
The niqab, a traditional head covering worn by by some Muslim women, where it should be worn and whether or not it should be allowed at all, has become a central issue in the upcoming Canadian elections. A niqab ban might affect only a tiny number of Canadians, but the debate has been unsettling for the many who view Canada as a tolerant and multicultural society.
French Secularism and School Lunch
New York Times editorial
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/19/opinion/french-secularism-and-school-lunch.html?ref=world
France is in the grips of yet another crisis involving the country’s particular version of secularism, known as laïcité. But this time, it’s a food fight. In March, Gilles Platret, the mayor of Chalon-sur-Saône, said the town’s public schools could no longer offer a pork-free option at lunch. The ban took effect after the town’s municipal council endorsed it last month.
The Paranoid, Supremacist Roots of the Stabbing Intifada
by Jeffrey Goldberg
Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/10/the-roots-of-the-palestinian-uprising-against-israel/410944/
Knife attacks on Jews in Jerusalem and elsewhere are not based on Palestinian frustration over settlements, but on something deeper. The current “stabbing Intifada” now taking place in Israel—a quasi-uprising in which young Palestinians have been trying, and occasionally succeeding, to kill Jews with knives—is prompted in good part by the same set of manipulated emotions that sparked the anti-Jewish riots of the 1920s: a deeply felt desire on the part of Palestinians to “protect” the Temple Mount from Jews.
One Man’s Escape from the Islamic State-ruled city of Mosul
by Loveday Morries
Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/one-mans-escape-from-the-islamic-state-ruled-city-of-mosul/2015/10/17/4185e128-6786-11e5-bdb6-6861f4521205_story.html
For civilians leaving the Islamic State-ruled city of Mosul, the ending can be deadly. Residents say the northern Iraqi city has become a prison since the militants seized it in June 2014 and imposed brutal control. The Iraqi capital, Baghdad, once a drive of about six hours down the highway, may as well be a foreign country. One man’s story of escape sheds light on just how hard it has become to get out.
How the Catholic Church Made a Social Media Splash During the Pope’s U.S. Visit
by Nathanlie Tadena
Wall Street Journal
http://www.wsj.com/article_email/how-the-catholic-church-made-a-social-media-splash-during-the-popes-u-s-visit-1444753097-lMyQjAxMTE1NDEyNzkxOTc2Wj
In order to engage American’s on the Pope six-day tour of the United States, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, hired Golin, a public relations agency. USCCB’s social media push, buoyed by Golin’s planning and expertise, helped paint the Catholic Church in a modern light, thanks in part to pop culture references sprinkled throughout the campaign.
DOMESTIC
With Song and Celebration, Mosque Chips Away at Sunni-Shiite Divide
by Hana Baba
NPR
http://www.npr.org/2015/10/18/447155494/with-song-and-celebration-mosque-chips-away-at-sunni-shiite-divide
The Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California is trying, with notable success, to be a model of harmony between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims by hosting numerous community events such as banquets, open mic nights as well as painting and ceramic classes.
Could Christianity be Facing Extinction in the Middle East
by Earle Cornelius
Lancaster Online
http://lancasteronline.com/features/faith_values/could-christianity-be-facing-extinction-in-the-middle-east/article_b6ad2fb0-7375-11e5-9fab-6bf833c078e7.html
Thomas Farr, director of the Religious Freedom Project at the Berkeley Center, discusses the tragedy and fate of Christian minorities in the Middle East in the face of aggressive and often deadly discrimination. Farr was one of 100 religious leaders, scholars and human rights activists who have called upon President Barack Obama to declare the killing and displacement of religious minorities in the Middle East by the Islamic State as genocide.
AROUND THE WORLD
Religious Freedom Retreats in Many Countries, but Not All
Economist
http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2015/10/america-and-religious-liberty
Last week, the State Department issued the latest encyclopedic survey of religious freedom. The report documents terrible and in many cases worsening violations of basic freedoms in dozens of countries, and acknowledges that cruel governments are no longer the sole or even the most pressing problem. Amidst all this gloom, the report found positive signs in a few places, including "encouraging improvements" in the status of Egypt's large Christian population under the present regime.
Canadian Politics, Unveiled
by Adam Rasmi
Foreign Affairs
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/canada/2015-10-15/canadian-politics-unveiled
The niqab, a traditional head covering worn by by some Muslim women, where it should be worn and whether or not it should be allowed at all, has become a central issue in the upcoming Canadian elections. A niqab ban might affect only a tiny number of Canadians, but the debate has been unsettling for the many who view Canada as a tolerant and multicultural society.
French Secularism and School Lunch
New York Times editorial
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/19/opinion/french-secularism-and-school-lunch.html?ref=world
France is in the grips of yet another crisis involving the country’s particular version of secularism, known as laïcité. But this time, it’s a food fight. In March, Gilles Platret, the mayor of Chalon-sur-Saône, said the town’s public schools could no longer offer a pork-free option at lunch. The ban took effect after the town’s municipal council endorsed it last month.
The Paranoid, Supremacist Roots of the Stabbing Intifada
by Jeffrey Goldberg
Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/10/the-roots-of-the-palestinian-uprising-against-israel/410944/
Knife attacks on Jews in Jerusalem and elsewhere are not based on Palestinian frustration over settlements, but on something deeper. The current “stabbing Intifada” now taking place in Israel—a quasi-uprising in which young Palestinians have been trying, and occasionally succeeding, to kill Jews with knives—is prompted in good part by the same set of manipulated emotions that sparked the anti-Jewish riots of the 1920s: a deeply felt desire on the part of Palestinians to “protect” the Temple Mount from Jews.
One Man’s Escape from the Islamic State-ruled city of Mosul
by Loveday Morries
Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/one-mans-escape-from-the-islamic-state-ruled-city-of-mosul/2015/10/17/4185e128-6786-11e5-bdb6-6861f4521205_story.html
For civilians leaving the Islamic State-ruled city of Mosul, the ending can be deadly. Residents say the northern Iraqi city has become a prison since the militants seized it in June 2014 and imposed brutal control. The Iraqi capital, Baghdad, once a drive of about six hours down the highway, may as well be a foreign country. One man’s story of escape sheds light on just how hard it has become to get out.
How the Catholic Church Made a Social Media Splash During the Pope’s U.S. Visit
by Nathanlie Tadena
Wall Street Journal
http://www.wsj.com/article_email/how-the-catholic-church-made-a-social-media-splash-during-the-popes-u-s-visit-1444753097-lMyQjAxMTE1NDEyNzkxOTc2Wj
In order to engage American’s on the Pope six-day tour of the United States, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, hired Golin, a public relations agency. USCCB’s social media push, buoyed by Golin’s planning and expertise, helped paint the Catholic Church in a modern light, thanks in part to pop culture references sprinkled throughout the campaign.
DOMESTIC
With Song and Celebration, Mosque Chips Away at Sunni-Shiite Divide
by Hana Baba
NPR
http://www.npr.org/2015/10/18/447155494/with-song-and-celebration-mosque-chips-away-at-sunni-shiite-divide
The Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California is trying, with notable success, to be a model of harmony between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims by hosting numerous community events such as banquets, open mic nights as well as painting and ceramic classes.
Opens in a new window