Interfaith

Many Songs, One Symphony: Interfaith Harmony Day Celebrates Diversity

January 23, 2009

Author: Bettina Lehovec

Source: The Morning News

http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2009/01/23/religion/012409interfaith.txt

The Islamic call to prayer echoed through the parish hall of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Fayetteville.

People attending the first Interfaith Harmony Day on Jan. 17 stopped to listen. Several closed their eyes, absorbing the sense of sacredness they heard.

"It's somebody praying to...

Read more about Many Songs, One Symphony: Interfaith Harmony Day Celebrates Diversity

Religious Leaders Praise Obama Directives On Torture, Guantanamo

January 23, 2009

Author: Adelle M. Banks

Source: Religion News Service

http://pewforum.org/news/display.php?NewsID=17394

Religious leaders from the U.S. Catholic bishops to evangelical human rights advocates have applauded President Obama's executive order that essentially ends torture of detainees held by the U.S. government.

On Thursday (Jan. 22), his second full day in office, the president signed an executive order on "ensuring lawful interrogations" to "...

Read more about Religious Leaders Praise Obama Directives On Torture, Guantanamo

An Interfaith Commitment for Peace

January 23, 2009

Author: Staff Writer

Source: Richmond Times Dispatch

http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/local/article/an_interfaith_commitment_for_peace/186973/

We, members and leaders of the Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities in the Greater Richmond area - all having deep and symbolic ties to the land and peoples of the Middle East - are anguished by the events unfolding in Israel and Gaza. Recognizing the...

Read more about An Interfaith Commitment for Peace

Nigeria: Nirec Moves to Stop Religious Crisis In Country

January 23, 2009

Author: Ayegba Israel Ebije

Source: AllAfrica.com

http://allafrica.com/stories/200901230406.html

The Nigeria Inter Religious Council (NIREC) has concluded plans to train 250 youths on how to overcome the issue of reli-gious crisis in Nigeria that has led to the loss of so many lives in Nigeria.

The national coordinator, Pro-fessor Ishaq Oloyede, disclosed this in Minna yesterday in an address he delivered at the first Nigerian youths summit on...

Read more about Nigeria: Nirec Moves to Stop Religious Crisis In Country

The Role Of Religion Under Obama

January 22, 2009

Author: Gail Russell Chaddock

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0122/p01s02-usgn.html

After decades of ceding God to the GOP, at least in the public square, Democrats – with President Obama in the lead – are speaking with a fuller religious voice. The watchword? Inclusiveness.

It's a voice that signals openness at a time when diversity in American religious life is rising.

"We know...

Read more about The Role Of Religion Under Obama

In Prayer, Warren Calls for Tolerance

January 21, 2009

Author: Suzanne Sataline

Source: The Wall Street Journal

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123249891036400529.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

The Rev. Rick Warren, by invoking the name of Jesus as he's known in several faiths, heralded the historic presidency Tuesday of an African-American man elected by Americans of multiple races, ethnicities and cultures.

Mr. Warren, one of the country's most prominent evangelical ministers...

Read more about In Prayer, Warren Calls for Tolerance

Open Letter to Obama In New York Times Calls for Even-Handed Mideast Policy

January 21, 2009

Author: Staff Writer

Source: Muslim Public Affairs Council

http://www.mpac.org/article.php?id=775

Today, the Muslim Public Affairs Council joined more than a dozen advocacy groups across the nation in calling on President Barack Obama to adopt an even-handed policy that ensures sustainable peace in the Middle East. The groups' open letter to President Obama was published as a full-page advertisement in the New York Times inauguration edition.

The...

Read more about Open Letter to Obama In New York Times Calls for Even-Handed Mideast Policy

Silent Protesters Show Support for Peace In Gaza

January 21, 2009

Author: Chris LaFortune

Source: OakPark-Leaves.com

http://www.pioneerlocal.com/oakpark/news/1388638,op-protest-012009-s1.article

Disappointed by the country's handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a group of about 65 people stood in silent protest in Oak Park Monday (Jan. 19).

Their backgrounds were varied, with representatives from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Jewish Voice for Peace and the...

Read more about Silent Protesters Show Support for Peace In Gaza

For President Obama, a Somber, Inclusive Inaugural Prayer Service

January 21, 2009

Author: Amanda Ruggeri

Source: US News

http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/obama/2009/01/21/for-president-obama-a-somber-inclusive-inaugural-prayer-service.html

President Barack Obama began his first full day on the job at the National Cathedral's inaugural prayer service. But although the service is part of a presidential tradition that dates back to George Washington, it had the...

Read more about For President Obama, a Somber, Inclusive Inaugural Prayer Service

Becoming a More Complex "We"

January 21, 2009

Author: Diana L. Eck

Source: Tikkun

http://files.tikkun.org/current/article.php/Eck

Mr. President, you are the first-ever American president fully aware of the great diversity of America’s faiths. We are a nation of Christians and Jews—and Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, and Buddhists. You understand this and rightly see that this diversity is a source of our strength. Yet, this reality is a great challenge—especially for those who still...

Read more about Becoming a More Complex "We"

Kite Flying On Makar Sankaranti Marks Hindu Muslim Unity

January 20, 2009

Author: Staff Writer

Source: One India

http://living.oneindia.in/insync/pulse/2009/makar-sankaranti-gujarat-kites-uttarayan-130109.html

With Makar Sankaranti in the corner and country to celebrate it in different ways, the Hindu festival is one of the biggest and popularly celebrated in Gujarat. Uttarayan is the phase when sun travels towards the north on the celestial sphere. The starting of Uttarayan is...

Read more about Kite Flying On Makar Sankaranti Marks Hindu Muslim Unity

Interfaith Event Links King's Dream Of Equality to Today's Events

January 20, 2009

Author: Staff Writer

Source: SCTimes.com

http://www.sctimes.com/article/20090120/NEWS01/101190055/1009

An interfaith celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day focused on King's dream of equality but also on today's inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.

Speakers included the Rev. Randy Johnson, president of the Great River Interfaith Partnership, the Rev. Majid Abel, Lahore Interfaith Peace Council, and the Rev. Willie...

Read more about Interfaith Event Links King's Dream Of Equality to Today's Events

"Dick Cheney: Demonized Or Demonic?," a Commentary by Diana L. Eck

January 20, 2009

Author: Diana L. Eck

Source: Politico

http://www.politico.com/arena/perm/Diana_Eck_BF022A9C-D543-4407-B0DA-DA3E3103BB82.html

As a latecomer to this discussion, here is a word about Rick Warren's address to the annual meeting of the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Long Beach on Saturday, December 20. When MPAC announced that Warren would speak at its annual conference, I found it even more astonishing than Obama's...

Read more about "Dick Cheney: Demonized Or Demonic?," a Commentary by Diana L. Eck

Tensions In the Mideast Reverberate In France

January 20, 2009

Author: Katrin Bennhold

Source: The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/21/world/europe/21france.html?emc=tnt&tntemail0=y

On a giant flat-screen television, the Chabchoubs, a family of Tunisian immigrants, watched as veiled mothers wailed over the bodies of children and fathers cried silently. The piles of rubble, the squirming toddler covered in raw burns — all of this was coming straight from Gaza to...

Read more about Tensions In the Mideast Reverberate In France

Pages