The most fascinating news story about the Muslim holiday eid al-fitr this year may concern Bangladesh. The AFP reported that Muslims in Dhaka were praying for free and fair elections, and the head of the emergency government, Fakhruddin Ahmed, "called for peace." The country has been under emergency rule since January 2007, and there are […]
I try not to make this blog too much about incidents of terrorism or about the violence that results from religious extremism, but it is such a tragedy to see the pictures coming out of Iraq today. We have become almost blind to the many suicide bombings there, but it is so devastating to think […]
Apparently, the world should now choose between freedom of expression or the freedom to practice religious belief without being insulted. Egypt's Foreign Minister told the General Assembly a few days ago that speech is “being used to incite hatred based on religion.” His full statement before the 63rd session of the General Assembly can be […]
There is more news about religion, politics, and the United Nations. This past Thursday, Religions for Peace launched a new partnership with UNIFEM (the UN Development Fund for Women) “to engage communities of faith around the world to lead efforts to end violence against women.” Part of this cooperation entailed signing on to the “Say […]
At the UN General Assembly's high-level debate yesterday, representatives of three countries discussed the need to encourage dialogue "and mutual respect between peoples of different faiths, beliefs, and values." The UN News Centre reported that the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Jan Peter Balkenende said that governments face a challenge "in balancing the need to […]
Nicholas D. Kristof wrote an interesting editorial recently about the "sleaziness of this presidential campaign." His point was that the political campaign was transforming Obama into a Muslim after all, but only because "religious prejudice is becoming a proxy for racial prejudice." Actually, this column by Kristof is really scary, and if it's true that […]
On September 5, this blog discussed the social debate over the construction of a sensationally beautiful mosque in Cologne. Now, there is news that conservative forces in Italy are also attempting to limit the construction of mosques. Reuters reports that "polls show Italians mistrust Muslims, and a third do not want a mosque in their […]
The White House website informs Americans about yesterday's official Iftaar dinner. President Bush attended the dinner and gave a small speech to commemorate the holy month of Ramadan. Muslim congressmen Keith Ellison and Andre Carson were noted to be in attendance, and the President specifically mentioned the role of Muslims in the United States in […]
The Obama Administration has scuttled plans for radar and ballistic missile interceptor sites in the Czezch Republic and Poland, respectively. This is a most welcome change in policy and will go ways to repairing America’s relationship with Russia. But what does it mean for the Czech Republic and Poland? It is only twenty years ago […]
Pope Benedict XVI was in France for three days last week. On Friday he arrived in Paris, where he was met by President Sarkozy and his wife. As regards the intellectual content of the Pope's visit, a New York Times Article says that he warned "the Parisian intelligentsia of the dangers of secularism." Sarkozy, according […]
The BBC, among other news providers, reported yesterday that the most senior judge in Saudi Arabia has said that it is permissible to kill the owners of satellite TV channels that broadcast immoral programs. Sheikh Salih Ibn al-Luhaydan commented on a radio program that “It is legitimate to kill those who call for corruption if […]
The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Asma Jahangir, concluded last week her trip to Turkmenistan. Although some progress has been made, there is still concern about the contents of a law from 2003 that prohibits “any activities by unregistered religious organizations.” The UN expert says that international human rights law allows […]
As I am currently based in Dushanbe, Tajikistan and working on issues of religion and politics (with the Tajikistan Dialogue Project), I couldn't resist sharing with you the following Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty articles. The first and most recent piece is titled, "Tajik Women, Young People Appear to be Embracing Islam." Farangis Najibullah […]
I came across some news from a few months ago in the International Herald Tribune (titled: Integrating Islam into the West) about the Archbishop of Canterbury and his suggestion in a lecture that Britain should adopt certain aspects of Shariah law. This controversy has been making the rounds throughout Europe and North America over the […]
Last week Cologne's city council voted in favor of a new and controversial mosque. It will be the largest in Germany when it is complete. According to an article in Spiegel Online, it will cost between 15 and 20 billion dollars, and it will be completed by 2010. The opposition to the new construction has […]