Interfaith Insensitivity

July 2008

Aussie Court Strikes Down Law Banning Pope Protests

newser | Reuters | Jul 15, 08 3:25 AM CDT

An Australian court has struck down a law aimed at curbing protests during Pope Benedict XVI's visit Down Under, reports Reuters. The law, ruled unconstitutional, had banned protesters from "annoying" those attending papal events. People handing out condoms or wearing anti-Pope t-shirts faced possible $5,000 fines. More »
'Radical' Muslim Woman Can't be French Citizen

newser | Guardian (UK) | Jul 12, 08 12:00 PM CDT

France has rejected a Muslim woman’s application for citizenship because her “radical practice of her religion” doesn’t fit French values, especially in terms of gender equality, the Guardian reports. Faiza M., who wears a burqa, speaks French and lives in Paris with a French national husband and three children born in the country, but was denied citizenship by France’s top administrators after officials called her “insufficiently assimilated.” More »
Devil, US May Care About Satanist's Custody Fight

newser | Chicago Tribune | Jul 10, 08 10:41 AM CDT

An Indiana man says he is a loving father who just wants to share his faith with his kids—but his Christian ex-wife would prefer their daughters spent Sunday morning in church instead of with their Satanist dad. The custody case raises thorny church and state issues, the Chicago Tribune reports. More »

June 2008

The (Middle) Name Is Hussein

newser | New York Times | Jun 29, 08 4:55 PM CDT

A growing group of Barack Obama fans are adopting his middle name, even as conservative pundits use it to label him a Muslim or terrorist, the New York Times reports. The trend of using "Hussein" has picked up speed since February and exists mostly online, in blogs and on Facebook. "I am sick of Republicans" using Obama's middle name like "some sort of cuss word," blogged Jeff "Hussein" Strabone. More »
Religious Tensions Follow India Bombings

newser | Washington Post | Jun 28, 08 4:28 PM CDT

A sign on a mosque door in India warns outsiders—that is, members of conservative Muslim sects—to keep out. “These are dangerous times,” one mosque member told the Washington Post . “We cannot trust anybody.” Such is the climate in India, where moderate Muslims feel besieged by conservatives, and fear groups such as the so-called “Indian Mujahidin,” which have killed dozens in recent bombings. More »
Americans See Many Stairways to Heaven: Poll

newser | Dallas Morning News | Jun 23, 08 3:44 PM CDT

Reaching the afterlife is possible through more than one religion, 70% of Americans believe, according to a new poll. Surveying 36,000 people, the study confirms that while 92% of Americans believe in God, the country is growing more secular, the Dallas Morning News reports. Seven in 10 also agreed that there were multiple correct interpretations of their faiths. More »
France Shocked by Beating of Jewish Teen

newser | Associated Press | Jun 22, 08 8:18 AM CDT

A Paris teenager was beaten into a coma yesterday in what Jewish groups are calling an anti-Semitic attack, the AP reports. In one account, about 15 people beat the 17-year-old, who was wearing a skullcap in eastern Paris. Authorities have detained five people for questioning, and President Nicolas Sarkozy has called for "total determination to fighting all forms of racism and anti-Semitism." More »
Deepak Chopra: 'Catch God With His Pants Down'

newser | Newsweek | Jun 18, 08 2:24 PM CDT

Real-life new-age guru Deepak Chopra is a big fan of Mike Myers' movie, The Love Guru, and writes that laughing at God is exactly what we need right about now. "More comedies should cross the line between vulgar lampoon and reckless disrespect. Let's catch God with his pants down—or more especially those who peddle faith in God so self-righteously," Chopra writes. More »

May 2008

Apology for Shooting Koran Doesn't Close Case

newser | Los Angeles Times | May 19, 08 5:15 PM CDT

The US military's swift disciplining of an Army sniper who used a Koran for target practice reflects growing awareness of the need to forge bonds with the Sunni Arabs, whose cooperation is crucial to peace in Iraq, the LA Times reports. But apologies and discipline aren't enough for an influential political party that today called for "the severest of punishments," CNN reports. More »
Gallup Asks What Muslims Really Think

newser | Christian Science Monitor | May 17, 08 7:19 PM CDT

What do the world’s Muslims really think? In an astonishing 6-year study, Gallup interviewed 1 billion of them to find out. The vast majority support democracy, political freedoms, and women’s rights, the Christian Science Monitor reports: Most said they admire the West for its technology, hard work, and respect for human rights. More »

April 2008

Atheist Soldier Sues Army for Harassment

newser | Topeka Capital-Journal | Apr 26, 08 3:53 PM CDT

An atheist soldier is suing the US military for harassment after commanders pressured him to find faith, the Topeka Capital-Journal reports. One officer broke into Jeremy Hall's atheist meeting in Iraq last year and said, “People like you are going against what the founding fathers, who were Christians, wanted for America!” according to Hall's sworn statement, the New York Times reports. More »
Mecca Time Plugged for World Standard

newser | BBC | Apr 21, 08 4:57 PM CDT

A group of Muslim scholars wants Mecca time to replace Greenwich Mean Time as the world's default setting, the BBC reports. As Islam’s holiest city lies in perfect longitudinal alignment to magnetic north, scientists told a Qatar conference that Mecca was the “true” center of the earth. GMT, they argue, is a relic of British imperialism, and should be abolished. More »
Pundit's Pontificating Draws Fire

newser | Newsday | Apr 21, 08 11:58 AM CDT

Not for the first time, people are calling for Bill Maher's head—in this case for taking pot shots at Pope Benedict XVI on his HBO show. "If you have a few hundred followers and you let some of them molest children, they call you a cult leader," Maher said. "If you have a billion, they call you 'pope.'" He also made a joke about the pontiff's membership in the Hitler Youth group as a child. More »
Benedict the Right Pope for Right Now: Noonan

newser | Wall Street Journal | Apr 11, 08 1:16 PM CDT

John Paul II was an incredible Pope, but Benedict might be just what the world needs today, writes Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal. Benedict, who "lacks an immediately accessible flair," succeeded a telegenic "showman" who brought joy to the faithful. "John Paul made you burst into tears," Noonan writes. "Benedict makes you think." More »
Saudi Trashes Bible in Reply to Dutch Pol's Film

newser | Der Spiegel | Apr 10, 08 12:40 PM CDT

A Saudi Arabian blogger has released his response to the anti-Islamic film Fitna, attacking the Bible in Schism much as the Dutch effort savaged the Koran, Der Spiegel reports. “Schism” places images of war alongside the Bible. “It is easy to take parts of any Holy (sic) book … and make it sound … inhuman,” the film concludes. More »
'Gay Last Supper' Sparks Rage

newser | ABC News | Apr 9, 08 11:14 AM CDT

A tiny Vienna museum with ties to the Catholic Church has became the target of worldwide outrage after displaying a homoerotic mural depicting the Last Supper, ABC News reports. The painting, by one of Austria's most cherished artists, shows naked apostles drinking and having an orgy. It has now been removed, and the row has been characterized as a Catholic version of the Mohamed cartoon uproar. More »

March 2008

Dutch Pol Posts Anti-Islam Film Online

newser | BBC | Mar 28, 08 5:30 AM CDT

A controversial anti-Islamic movie interweaving graphic images of 9/11, a beheading and protests by extremists has been posted on a maverick internet site by the leader of a far-right Dutch political party. Dutch television refused to broadcast the 17-minute movie, Fitna , which has been slammed as anti-Muslim propaganda. It ends with the message: "Stop Islamization." Fitna, which means "strife," has already been posted by users on You Tube. More »
Bravo to Harvard for Women-Only Gym Hours

newser | Washington Post | Mar 26, 08 7:44 PM CDT

Harvard was right to close a gym to men for six hours each week so Muslim women can exercise in comfort, Ruth Marcus writes in the Washington Post . Bloggers might be charging “Sharia at Harvard” and some students might be exercised about another decision to broadcast calls to prayer during Islamic Awareness Week, but the new policies are merely “reasonable accommodation.” More »
Host Blocks Anti-Koran Film's Website

newser | Associated Press | Mar 24, 08 5:43 AM CDT

Amid public outrage, a right-wing Dutch lawmaker has run into a new problem in his relentless quest to market his anti-Koran film: His US-based network provider has suspended service, AP reports. Network Solutions pulled the plug on Geert Wilders, who insists his 15-minute film will expose Islam's holy book as "fascist," saying the site may violate its terms of service. More »
Afghans Protest Cartoons, Film

newser | Reuters | Mar 22, 08 7:16 AM CDT

Thousands of Afghan protesters burned Dutch and Danish flags yesterday in a protest against a Danish cartoon and a Dutch film said to insult Islam. They called for the Dutch and Danish embassies to be closed and for their troops serving with NATO in the country to be expelled, Reuters reports. The 2005 cartoon depicting the Prophet Mohammad with a bomb in his turban was recently reprinted in Dutch newspapers after the cartoonist received death threats. More »