Blasphemy Laws Hurt No Matter Who They Target

By Saadia Faruqi

Source: Tikkun Daily

 

The term blasphemy law is an immediate turn-off for most people, implying intolerance for freedom of speech and religion, mostly in an Islamic context. Not surprisingly, in recent times, Muslim countries have become notorious for their blasphemy laws, punishing everyone who has a different view of religion than their own. We hear almost on a daily basis of Christians and other minority groups within Muslims being punished under blasphemy laws in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt and even moderate Indonesia for the slightest of assumed offences.

Freedom versus Free Exercise of Religion

By Ramona Siddoway
 

“We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.” Article of Faith #11, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On May 16^th, Dallin H. Oaks, an Apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a former professor at the University of Chicago Law School and former justice of the Utah Supreme Court, was awarded the prestigious Canterbury Medal for lifetime service in promoting the cause of religious freedom.

Free Speech on Social Media: Anything Goes

By Saadia Faruqi

Source: Tikkun Daily

 

 

In continuation of my series on First Amendment rights as they impact religious minority groups, I address current controversy over social media posts maligning religious groups. My previous post in this series entitled Does Freedom of Speech Allow Stereotyping discussed a greeting card that stereotyped Muslims as terrorists in an unusually offensive and glaringly inaccurate way. This week I have chosen another unfortunate event, a Facebook post that ignited debate over the possible classification of certain types of content as threats instead of free speech. Tennessee County Commissioner Barry West posted a picture on his Facebook page showing a cowboy aiming a shotgun at the camera with the caption “How to Wink at a Muslim”.

Religion as a Bridge of Cooperation

By Nancy Agafitei

In January of 2013, the Barbara Bush Branch Library received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association entitled Bridging Cultures: Muslim Journeys. Termed a “bookshelf” grant, it provides a collection of 25 books, 3 DVDs, and other special resources chosen with a view to familiarizing the American public with Islam and the cultural heritage of Islamic civilizations around the world.

Dispelling Mormon Myths Part 2

By Ramona Siddoway

 

Last month I wrote about some common myths about the Mormon church. I continue the discussion this month with Myth #3: Mormons have more than one wife. The practice of having more than one wife – polygamy – is strictly prohibited and not endorsed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today.

 

Interfaith Communities Respond To Disasters Together

By Esmeralda Valague, MA 

June is the beginning of the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season but this year, we have already had several disasters including the one in Moore, Oklahoma on May 20 to remind us of how fragile our safety and security can be in an ever-changing world. Though every disaster is traumatic and causes a lot of pain and suffering, disasters also tend to bring out the best in humanity – particularly in drawing together diverse groups toward the common cause of relief and recovery. Go to any disaster scene yourself and ask people what their religion is and you will find that people are doing what needs doing and not caring about the differences.

I Became a Mother on Mother's Day

By Rabbi Laura Sheinkopf
 

I became a mother on a stormy Mother’s Day in the year 2000.  My labor may have been induced by an infection and accompanying fever.  And what a labor it was! The sun rose and set. Nurses came and went. By the time my son was born, I barely knew my name, let alone the day. But it was Mother’s Day, and everyone made quite a fuss about that. In my post-partum haze, I thought it was strange, if sweet, to focus on this seemingly superfluous detail. Nothing could have made me any happier or more relieved than I already was. In the hours just after my son was born, my thoughts centered on physical wellbeing, not the larger meaning of the moment.

Does Religious Freedom Allow Stereotyping?

By Saadia Faruqi

Source: Tikkun Daily 

These days, anything and everything can be uttered under the guise of free speech. We can hurt the religious sensitivities of others, call people names, stomp our foot on someone considered the son of God by billions. It’s all protected in the name of free speech. Don’t get me wrong, as an American Muslim I am indescribably thankful for the freedoms I receive in this great nation of ours. Without the First Amendment, I’d be unable to practice my religion freely, take time off for Friday prayers, invite friends over to my local mosque or even write posts such as this one in a Jewish publication. No doubt about it, freedom of speech is probably the greatest liberty and blessing we all enjoy here in the United States. But sometimes I think we misunderstand this freedom altogether. 

American Muslims are Moderate and Peaceful - Who Knew?

By Saadia Faruqi

Source: Tikkun Daily

 

The Pew Research Center this week revealed another extensive and newsworthy piece of research: The World’s Muslims: Religion, Politics and Society. The results of the survey, which consisted of more than 38,000 interviews of Muslims in Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia in approximately 80 languages, reveals many things on many topics. Some revelations are interesting, others curious, and a few even downright alarming. As an American Muslim, though, I was mostly interested in the appendices, which discuss the attitudes of U.S. Muslims and compared them to similar themes among Muslims of other countries. Here’s my take:

My Boston Takeaway

Rev. Nell Green

Source: ABP News Blog

 

These posts are truly difficult to write; partly because if you want to be real then you have to confess some things and partly because events such as occurred last week are not easy to process. I am not sure you ever finish processing them. I try to imagine what it must have been like to be in that crowd enjoying a national event with family and friends only to have it literally ripped apart by explosives. 

Dispelling Mormon Myths Part 1

By Ramona Siddoway

 

A couple of months ago an Women’s Interfaith Discussion Group met to discuss common misconceptions people have about other religions. Besides walking away with much more respect for other religions and the amazing women in that group, I think we all agreed that for the most part we don’t know squat about anybody else’s religion. Not really. We tend to lump everyone into large stereotypical groups with not much more than media, hearsay, and Hollywood to back any of our claims.

Athiests Find a Sunday Morning Connection with Other Non-Believers

By Kimberly Winston

Source: Religion News Service

 

HOUSTON (RNS): Sunday mornings at Houston Oasis  may have the look and feel of a church, but there’s no cross, Bible, hymnal or stained glass depictions of Jesus. There’s also nary a trace of doctrine, dogma or theology. But the 80 or so attendees at this new weekly gathering for nonbelievers come for many of the same reasons that others pack churches in this heavily Christian corner of the Bible Belt — a sense of community and an uplifting message that will help them tackle the challenges of the coming week, and, maybe, the rest of their lives.

Boston Attack a Test Case for Interfaith Relationship Building

By Saadia Faruqi

Source: Tikkun Daily

 

The nation is still reeling from shock after Monday’s attack on the Boston Marathon. Gun violence notwithstanding, this is perhaps the first real terrorist attack on US soil after 9/11. Understandably emotions have been running high; no surprise then, that as the events unfolded many people, including the media, jumped on the “Blame the Muslims” bandwagon. The New York Post famously inflated casualty numbers and reported that a Saudi man was apprehended as a suspect by the police. Social media was inundated by predictions of guilt and accusations of violent jihad, at the same time as the Muslim community mobilized to condemn the attacks.

 

Muslim Women Don't Need To Be Rescued

By Saadia Faruqi
Source: Tikkun Daily

It seems that controversy over the hijab – the Islamic tradition of covering a woman’s hair and body – will not die down anytime soon. Governments such as France and Germany seem to be dead set against it, while theocracies such as Saudi Arabia go the other extreme by forcing women to cover. But ask the average Muslim woman, and she will probably wonder what the fuss is all about. Since when is dress a political statement, even a weapon? FEMEN – a feminist Ukrainian protest group – seems to think it is, and is up in arms over the hijab, declaring April 4 as International Topless Jihad Day. What FEMEN activists perhaps did not expect was that Muslim women who wear the hijab are a tad possessive about their right to wear it, and don’t take lightly to a declaration of jihad (Arabic for struggle) against it. 
 

What Pope Francis Might Mean for Muslim-Christian Relations

By Saadia Faruqi
Source: Tikkun Daily

The news out of the Vatican seems to be getting more and more fascinating every day. An avid researcher of all religions - and especially interested in all things Catholic because of my educational ties with convents - I have been following the abdication of Pope Benedict and the election of Pope Francis, and all that's happened in between these two major events, with great interest. When Benedict resigned, I felt a moment or two of incredulity, because it's practically unheard of. Then I followed the whole voting process, including the betting, with bated breath. And I haven't been disappointed, for Pope Francis is proving to be an absolute gem in so many ways. As I said, fascinating news... even though I'm a Muslim.

Being Easter People in the Interfaith Environment

By Rev. Nell Green
Source: ABP News Blog

I sometimes preach a sermon entitled “The Four Little Candles.” The author of the original story is unknown. In it I tell the story of four little candles that were burning softly and quietly.  Listening closely you can hear them speak. The first little candle is peace. Lamenting that the world no longer wants to try and keep the peace the candle becomes tired and slowly goes out. The second little candle, faith, cries for a world that finds faith superfluous and unnecessary. A gentle breeze comes along and blows out the little flame of faith. Love, the third little candle angrily huffs that people don’t even know how to love the ones that love them, much less someone else. Suddenly, the candle ceases to burn.

Music - The Composition of Faith

By Ramona Siddoway

“Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life,” said German novelist Berthold Auerbach (1812-1882). In the early years of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Emma Smith, the wife of Joseph Smith, was asked to compile a book of hymns for the new church. What I love about this story is that while some new hymns were written more than half were selected from hymns already being used by other churches. I love the fact that, for at least some other Christian churches, we are still singing many of the very same hymns. While some of our doctrine may differ we share a deep connection with the music of faith and I feel a deeper sense of connection with other religions.

Temple Beth Torah To Receive Community of Respect Award

 

For the fifth consecutive year, Temple Beth Torah (TBT) is receiving an award on March 22 designating the Humble synagogue as a “Community of Respect.” This is an award given annually by the Anti-Defamation League to organizations that strive to share learning in respectful ways. Several activities qualified TBT for this honor. Among the highlights of interfaith activities was the participation by several of temple members in the Kingwood community’s interfaith March of Remembrance, in which second generation Holocaust survivors and temple members Hy Penn and Simon Wellner were keynote speakers.

“Mom, Who Killed Jesus?”

by Rabbi Laura Sheinkopf

 

Among the top ten things you do not want to hear coming out of your Jewish child’s mouth is, "Mom, who killed Jesus?"  I will always remember the moment I heard those words.  They came from my then five-year old son as he was sitting at the kitchen table in our home in Austin, TX.  It was the week of Passover, which coincides with Easter, and because we do not eat pasta or bread or anything with a grain that has risen, he was eating the staple of the Passover diet: a hard-boiled egg. It was actually the millionth hard-boiled egg of the day, and as I stood there at the sink, my back to him, peeling potatoes I was worrying about his cholesterol level and asking myself if that was something you should be concerned about in a five year.  And then, out of the blue I heard from behind me, "Mom, who killed Jesus?"

Spiritual Wellness on Campus Undervalued, In Need of Respect

By Trent Navran, Dandan Liu, Lara Wik
Source: The Rice Thresher

 

Two weeks ago, we traveled to the University of Chicago for Coming Together 6, an interfaith student leadership conference. The weekend featured lectures, dialogues and interfaith activities presented to a group of passionate students and community leaders from different faith traditions. Interacting with these individuals gave us a new perspective on the gamut of spiritual programming present on American campuses, such as chaplains, offices of religious life, interfaith chapels and interfaith councils.