The militant group has threatened the lives of 11 imams and scholars in the West, in a fight carried out at mosques and Islamic conferences, and on social media.

Source: Muslim Leaders Wage Theological Battle, Stoking ISIS’ Anger

“If you were to identify Catholic prophets in the twentieth century,” says Georgetown University professor Chester Gillis, Daniel Berrigan “would be right there with Dorothy Day or Thomas Merton.” His activism, adds Gillis, is “rooted in prayer. It is done out of the commitment to the Gospel. That differentiates it from all the other secular movements” Daniel Berrigan, SJ died on April 30, 2016. He was 94 years old. More →

Source: Daniel Berrigan: 1921-2016 | May 5,...

In 1838, the Jesuit priests who ran the country’s top Catholic university needed money to keep it alive. Now comes the task of making amends.

Source: 272 Slaves Were Sold to Save Georgetown. What Does It Owe Their Descendants? - The New York Times

Easter becomes “a very thin, generic festival,” says author Rev. Fleming Rutledge, without “looking into the grave and then saying we rejoice with the risen Christ.” Only then, she says, can flowers “give us the gladness that comes with the unrepeatable quality of the resurrection.” More →

Source: Easter Flowers | March 25, 2016 | Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly | PBS

“We Little Sisters of the Poor are a group of women who made religious vows to God. Now we find ourselves in a situation where the government is requiring us to make changes in our religious health care plan to include services that really violate our deepest held religious beliefs as Little Sisters,” says Sister Loraine Marie Maguire, Mother Provincial of the Little Sisters of the Poor. But Gretchen Borchelt, vice president for reproductive rights and health at the National Women’s Law Center, says, “Women deserve insurance coverage for birth control  no matter  where they work...

For Muslim-Americans, there was a world before Sept. 11 and after. Now, the dual threats of extremism and atheism threaten them further. A group of friends in D.C. voice their frustrations, and hopes.

Source: This Is Our Islam: To Be Young, Devout And Muslim In America Today : NPR

“When it’s time for prayer we say, am I clean?” explains Imam Talib Shareef of the Masjid Muhammad Mosque in Washington, DC. The ritual ablution a Muslim performs before prayer, he says, starts with intentions: “I intend to make the ablution for preparation to stand in obedience before my Lord.” More →

Source: Wudu: Islamic Washing Before Prayer | Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly | PBS

(RNS) Indian-born Srinivasan placed his hand on a Hindu holy book when he was sworn in to the appeals court.

Source: Sri Srinivasan: The first Hindu on the Supreme Court? - Religion News Service

WorldWide Religious News is a non-profit service that has been providing the international academic and legal community (as well as various government agencies) with up to date religious news. WWRN news articles and information are researched and compiled daily, encompassing a wide array of religious topics currently highlighted in the international news media, with a particular focus on religious freedom, church and state, governmental legislation as it relates to religious groups, as well as new religious movements (NRMs).

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She also expressed empathy with the Sikh community over the recent incidents of violence against Sikhs and the reported case of vandalism at Los Angeles Gurdwara.

Source: Obama's Representative Reassures Sikhs in America | SikhNet

When the chapel at Virginia Theological Seminary went looking for a new organ to replace the one destroyed by a fire, they wanted one that could "sing."

Source: A Singing Organ at Christmastime | December 18, 2015 | Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly | PBS

We look at how music—carols, hymns, and popular songs—embody the meaning of the Christmas story and play a central role in the celebration of the season.

Source: Christmas Music Tells the Story | December 18, 2015 | Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly | PBS

The angry back-and-forth highlighted how violence at home and abroad, rather than uniting the country, is escalating the fights over gun control, immigration, foreign policy and religion.

Source: Mass Shootings Stoke Ideological Fighting in Congress