Gaza's Few Christians Are Fleeing

'We will stop her from setting foot here,' warns Jakarta FPI

(NEWSER) - Conservative Muslims' latest holy war is being waged against Lady Gaga and her Indonesia tour. The extremist Islamic Defenders’ Front (FPI) accuses Gaga of promoting devil worship, and has vowed to mobilize 30,000 protesters to intercept her at the Jakarta airport so she can't perform next month at the the Bung Karno soccer stadium. "We will stop her from setting foot on our land. She had better not dare spread her satanic faith in this country," group chairman Salim Alatas told the New Zealand Herald . "Her style is vulgar, her sexual and indecent clothes will destroy our children's sense of morality. She's very dangerous." More»

Annual cleaning ignites tensions

(NEWSER) - Not a very nice birthday present for Jesus: Dozens of rival monks brawled at his birthplace today, as the feuding clergy members were performing an annual cleaning of the holy spot. The Church of the Nativity, built over the site where Jesus is believed to have been born in Bethlehem, was being cleaned ahead of next month’s Orthodox Christmas celebrations when the broom brouhaha broke out. Western Christians had already celebrated Christmas in the church. More»

Two churches burned in poor Cairo neighborhood

(NEWSER) - More trouble for the post-Mubarak government: Nasty clashes broke out last night between Muslims and Christians in a poor Cairo neighborhood, leaving 10 people dead and 186 injured, reports the BBC . Two Christian churches were set afire in the melee. Egypt's prime minister called off a trip to the Gulf and called an emergency Cabinet meeting, notes AP . More»

Hamas blasts 'killing of an Arab holy warrior'

(NEWSER) - Reaction to Osama bin Laden's death is pouring in from around the world—and not everybody's cheering, Reuters reports:

• Hamas: “We condemn the assassination and the killing of an Arab holy warrior,” said Ismail Haniyeh, the group’s leader in the Gaza Strip. “We regard this as a continuation of the American policy based on oppression and the shedding of Muslim and Arab blood.”

But Israel may not deal with Hamas

(AP) - Palestinians have reached initial agreement on reuniting their rival governments in the West Bank and Gaza, a step that would remove a main obstacle in the way of peace efforts with Israel. Fatah and Hamas officials said the plan, brokered by Egypt, calls for the formation of a single caretaker government in the coming days. The government would administer day-to-day business until new presidential and legislative elections are held in exactly one year. More»