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Religious Tension Mounts In Vietnam

September 30, 2009

Author: Nguyen Giang

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/ukfs_news/hi/newsid_8270000/newsid_8278300/8278336.stm

Four years ago the Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, a monk who popularised Buddhism in the West, was invited by the Vietnamese government to return home after 39 years in exile.

The move was seen as a sign that the authorities were becoming more tolerant of religion, a very sensitive issue in the...

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Row Over House Used for Prayers

September 30, 2009

Author: Staff Writer

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_west/8281163.stm

A Bangladeshi community is expected to win a fight to continue using a terraced house in Swansea for prayers.

The Hafod Muslim Welfare Association has gathered at Odo Street for 20 years but does not have planning permission.

A Swansea council committee said it should be granted after receiving a petition from 211 people...

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Memories Of Attacks Shadow Mumbai's New Jewish Center

September 30, 2009

Author: Emily Wax

Source: The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/29/AR2009092903586.html

This is Mumbai's new Chabad House, a Jewish center that keeps its whereabouts private after attacks here in November that left more than 170 people dead, including a rabbi and his wife. The center's address is given out only to Jews looking for a place to observe Friday night Sabbaths,...

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World Religions Plead for Action At Climate Talks

September 30, 2009

Author: Denis D. Gray

Source: The Charleston Gazette

Wire Service: AP

http://wvgazette.com/ap/ApInternational/200909300055

Adherents of the world's major religions urged political leaders, businessmen and individuals Wednesday to renounce short-term gains and greed, telling a U.N. climate conference in Bangkok that reversing global warming is a moral duty.

Meanwhile, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization...

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Prominent Iranians Call for Religious Liberty

September 30, 2009

Author: Staff Writer

Source: Baha'i World News Service

http://news.bahai.org/story/731

A best-selling author and an Oscar-nominated actress are among those who have called for religious freedom in Iran, including an end to the persecution of Baha'is in that country.

Some 1,400 people heard Azar Nafisi, author of "Reading Lolita in Tehran," and Shohreh Aghdashloo, Academy Award-nominated actress for "House of Sand and Fog," speak at a public gathering this month...

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Despite Court Victory, Egypt's Bahais Face Challenges

September 30, 2009

Author: Aya Batrawy

Source: VOA News

http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-09-30-voa35.cfm

Earlier this year, residents of a small town in Egypt burned down four homes that belonged to followers of the Bahai faith. Last month, demonstrations greeted plans to relocate them. Despite gains made by Bahais in a recent court ruling to grant them rights on government identification cards, this small community of Egyptian Bahais is in a greater battle for...

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Hillel Garden to Encourage Interfaith Dialogue

September 30, 2009

Author: Dana Cetrone

Source: The Diamondback

http://www.diamondbackonline.com/news/hillel-garden-to-encourage-interfaith-dialogue-1.587775

While President Barack Obama conducts talks over a beer, Jesse Yurow, the Student Government Association’s agricultural legislator, is trying to start interfaith dialogue over a garden.

Yurow, a senior environmental science and policy major, began a garden...

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MPAC-NYC Holds Interfaith Eid Celebration

September 30, 2009

Author: Zeba Iqbal

Source: Muslim Public Affairs Council

http://www.mpac.org/article.php?id=918

Last week, MPAC-NYC held an interfaith dinner to celebrate Eid at Ravagh in Manhattan. Attended by more than 60 people, the event was a unique opportunity for religious leaders and community activists to share opportunities for local interfaith activities.

New friendships were established and existing friendships deepened among the diverse group as MPAC-NYC...

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Supreme Court to Weigh Fate Of Mojave Cross

September 29, 2009

Author: Adelle Banks

Source: Religion News Service

http://www.religionnews.com/index.php?/rnstext/supreme_court_to_consider_fate_of_mojave_cross/

Does an offended observer who drives by a cross-shaped war memorial in the middle of the desert have a right to call for its removal?

And can that 7-foot cross stand without violating the constitution’s prohibition of government establishment of...

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Columbia Celebrates Pagan Pride Day

September 29, 2009

Author: Ryan Curtis

Source: The Maneater Student Newspaper

http://www.themaneater.com/stories/2009/9/29/columbia-celebrates-pagan-pride-day/

Chanting in a spirit circle as part of their opening ceremony, attendants of the Mid-Missouri Pagan Pride Day summoned the directions, the god and the goddess Sunday.

Outdoor rituals like this are typical of Paganism, a religion based on respect for the earth. These rituals...

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