His visit showcased his focus on global peripheries and the Church's need to navigate complex political and interreligious issues in today's world.

Pope Francis is arguably at his best when far from Rome.

His apostolic trips to the Middle East and the Far East are prime examples, and the exhausting September journey to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Singapore is no exception.

Promoting interreligious dialogue in Indonesia

In Indonesia, where Christianity is a minority, Pope Francis spoke about the importance of working for peace and interreligious coexistence, particularly with Islam, in the "Istiqlal Declaration" signed on September 5.

He repeated his vision of a dialogical Christianity that rejects religious extremism and fundamentalism.

He encouraged the inculturation of the faith, making clear that the post-Vatican II inculturation of liturgy, theology, and catechesis is here to stay and that there is no prospect of a re-Latinisation or a new Romanisation of global Catholicism.

Francis walks in the footsteps of St. John Paul II, updating and bringing to the antipodes the "spirit of Assisi" (the first World Day of Prayer for Peace in Assisi, Italy, on October 27, 1986, and called by the Polish pope), which is still seen by some traditionalist Catholics as a sacrilege.

Francis traveled to Asia and Oceania not to announce new policies or reshape local churches but to bring the Pope's presence closer to those Christians and their fellow citizens, allowing lived Catholicism to flourish while also teaching something to the global Church.

He has done all this in a moving display of joy, tenderness, and simplicity, which also sends a powerful message to those who identify Catholicism with an outburst of grievances against modern culture and secularisation, against the institutional Church, and against fellow Catholics on the other side of the ideological barricades.

A journey to the peripheries

This trip is the quintessential embodiment of Francis' closeness to the peripheries. It is the longest and farthest from Rome for Francis.

It is a trip that once again redefines the Catholic imagination of the world map in the third millennium: the north-south and east-west relations and where the center of the world and the Church are today in this post-European global order.

Papua New Guinea is 19,047 kilometers away from the Vatican. It is closer to New Delhi, Beijing, and Tokyo than a trip to Los Angeles and New York.

And yet, in some sense, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Singapore represent the closest places Francis could go to find an experience of the Church that he has in mind.

There are three issues that this trip keeps hidden or does not show but are at the heart of the crisis of Catholicism today.

The challenge of Catholicism in a post-European world

The first element is political.

By beginning this trip with Indonesia, it carries an echo of the new "Non-Aligned Movement".

During the Cold War, countries of the developing world abstained from allying with either of the two superpowers (the United States and the Soviet Union) and instead joined together in support of national self-determination against all forms of colonialism and imperialism.

The foundational moment was the 1955 conference in Bandung, Indonesia.

This was viewed with sympathy by some Catholics in Europe and the West, foreshadowing the shifts brought about by Vatican II and the Popes since John XXIII in repositioning the Holy See and Catholicism away from a political and ideological identification with the West.

"Francis' papacy is still longing for a third option between the United States and Russia—one that rejects both the neoliberal, American-dominated world order and the illiberal ethno-nationalism and authoritarian regimes that have taken hold in many countries."

Today, Francis' papacy is still longing for a third option between the United States and Russia — one that rejects both the neoliberal, American-dominated world order and the illiberal ethno-nationalism and authoritarian regimes that have taken hold in many countries, some still formally part of what remains of the Non-Aligned Movement.

For example, the Republic of Belarus, Putin's Russian neighbor and staunchest ally, has been a member of the Non-Aligned Movement since 1998.

The 19th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement was held this past January in Kampala, and the movement is currently chaired by Uganda, a country with one of the harshest anti-gay laws in its criminal code.

What the Non-Aligned Movement has become says something about where the Vatican is (and isn't) on today's ideological world map and the lack or scarcity of viable political interlocutors for the Holy See.

Finding Comfort in Asia-Oceania's non-aligned Catholics

The second element is ecclesial.

This September trip to Asia and Oceania brought the Pope as far as possible from the historical borders of the Roman Empire (in all its possible dispensations, from Augustus to the Holy Roman Empire until Napoleon), from Washington D.C., and from the international liberal order once dominated by the West.

But Asia and Oceania also provide an ecclesial environment that is for Francis much more comfortable than the one in Europe and the West today.

Francis' visits to these peripheries signal his preference for the non-aligned Catholics in our intra-ecclesial cold wars.

They are those who do not align with a particular agenda on issues such as the diaconate for women, the different theories of synodality, the policies to fight clericalism and the abuse crisis.

(This is despite the case of Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo, a hero of the independence movement in his native East Timor and Nobel Peace Prize winner, whom Pope Francis indirectly acknowledged on September 9).

"Francis' visits to these peripheries signal his preference for the non-aligned Catholics in our intra-ecclesial cold wars — those who do not align with a particular agenda on issues."

Catholics in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Singapore differ from the images of Catholicism in mainstream media in the West. But they are Francis' people, more than the activists for Church reform, feminist theologians, or, for that matter, most academic theologians.

And yet, the issues that are not visible in this trip will continue to be central issues for Catholicism in the Western world and, in the not-so-distant future, also in these Churches of the peripheries.

Interreligious dialogue in the context of global tensions

The third element is interreligious, and it has to do with Islam and Judaism.

The Istiqlal Mosque in Indonesia sits across from Jakarta's cathedral, linked by a "tunnel of friendship" as a symbol of religious fraternity. Francis visited the tunnel before the meeting, offering blessings and signing a section of it.

On that September 5, it was hard not to think about other tunnels that tragically connect and divide today, like the tunnels of Gaza, where Israeli hostages, taken on October 7, 2023, were held and murdered by Hamas.

"Forging a new relationship with Islam requires confronting the intentionally unaddressed issues of the pre-Francis era, from the Vatican II declaration Nostra Aetate onwards: political and religious Zionism, the land and state of Israel."

As delicate as the relations between Christians and Muslims are in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, the immediate challenge today lies in dealing with Islam and Judaism in the Middle East.

Francis' pontificate is trying to do for the relationship between the Church and Islam what St. John Paul II did for the relationship with Judaism.

The challenge is that forging a new relationship with Islam requires confronting the intentionally unaddressed issues of the pre-Francis era, from the Vatican II declaration Nostra Aetate onwards: political and religious Zionism, the land and state of Israel.

The interfaith dialogue led by the Vatican has become incredibly more difficult since Hamas' terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023, and Israel's indiscriminate war against Gaza.

Interreligious dialogue is key to the credibility of Catholics and Christians in many parts of the world where they are a small minority.

The situation in Israel and the Middle East threatens not only world peace but also the survival of minority Churches, which often do not appear on social media, in Catholic pundits' columns, and the agendas of "cultural Christians" in European and Western politics.

This will likely be a major part of the agenda for the next conclave that elects Francis' successor. Whenever it happens, it will take place in the Vatican, 19,047 kilometers away from Papua New Guinea.

• First published in La Croix
• Massimo Faggioli is an Italian academic, Church historian, professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University, columnist for La Croix International, and contributing writer to Commonweal.

The request includes broadcasts on the anniversary of the Christchurch mosque attacks and during two major Islamic festivals, Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr.

The decision comes after Mayor Tory Whanau introduced a proposal earlier this year to review noise limits for both music venues and religious broadcasts.

As part of the review, the Wellington City Council is exploring whether mosques and other religious buildings should be allowed to use loudspeakers for public calls-to-prayer.

Community concerns addressed

Some community members voiced concerns regarding how often and how loud these broadcasts would be, with one anti-Council leaflet urging Wellingtonians to "take back your city!"

However, documents from the Council clarify that the call-to-prayer would last only about one-and-a-half to two minutes and would not be a neighbourhood-wide broadcast.

Instead, the sound would be contained to the mosque forecourt using a sound system for the benefit of those attending.

"We can commemorate the events that happened on that day and mosques won't have a noise restriction, much like church bells" Mayor Whanau said when addressing concerns on Newstalk ZB.

Proposal goes to Council for approval

Councillors discussed the proposal at Thursday's Environment and Infrastructure Committee meeting.

Under the current plan, the call-to-prayer broadcasts would not require resource consent as long as the sound is kept to two minutes or less.

However, any future request to broadcast the call on a regular basis would need Council approval.

"Should the intent change in the future and mosques seek to broadcast call-to-prayer on a more frequent and regular basis, resource consent would be required" Council documents confirm.

Mayor Whanau also noted that broadcasting the call-to-prayer multiple times a day would "probably not" be reasonable, reassuring concerned residents that daily broadcasts are not on the agenda under current rules.

The Council will make a final decision after Thursday's meeting but, for now, the proposal aims to allow limited, respectful broadcasts during significant Islamic events.

Source

NZ Herald

This is a setback for transgender people who had hoped Pope Francis might be setting the stage for a more welcoming approach from the Catholic Church.

World Religions

Around the world, major religions have diverse approaches to gender identity, and the inclusion or exclusion of transgender people.

Some examples:

Christianity

The Catholic Church's disapproving stance toward gender transition is shared by some other denominations.

For example, the Southern Baptist Convention - the largest Protestant denomination in the United States - adopted a resolution in 2014 stating that "God's design was the creation of two distinct and complementary sexes, male and female."

It asserts that gender identity "is determined by biological sex, not by one's self-perception"

However, numerous mainline Protestant denominations welcome trans people as members and as clergy.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America elected an openly transgender man as a bishop in 2021.

Islam

In Islam, there isn't a single central religious authority and policies can vary in different regions.

Abbas Shouman, secretary-general of Al-Azhar's Council of Senior Scholars in Cairo, said that "for us, … sex conversion is completely rejected.

"It is God who has determined the … sex of the fetus and intervening to change that is a change of God's creation, which is completely rejected," Shouman added.

In Iran, the Shiite theocracy's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a religious decree, or fatwa, decades ago, opening the way for official support for gender transition surgery.

Hinduism

In Hindu society in South Asia, while traditional roles were and are still prescribed for men and women, people of non-binary gender expression have been recognised for millennia and played important roles in holy texts.

Third gender people have been revered throughout South Asian history with many rising to significant positions of power under Hindu and Muslim rulers.

One survey in 2014 estimated that around 3 million third gender people live in India alone.

Sanskrit, the ancient language of Hindu scriptures, has the vocabulary to describe three genders - masculine, feminine and gender-neutral.

The most common group of third gender people in India are known as the "hijras." While some choose to undergo gender reassignment surgery, others are born intersex. Most consider themselves neither male or female.

Some Hindus believe third gender people have special powers and the ability to bless or curse, which has led to stereotyping causing the community to be feared and marginalised.

Many live in poverty without proper access to healthcare, housing and employment.

In 2014, India, Nepal and Bangladesh, which is a Muslim-majority country, officially recognised third gender people as citizens deserving of equal rights.

The Supreme Court of India stated that "it is the right of every human being to choose their gender," and that recognition of the group "is not a social or medical issue, but a human rights issue."

Buddhism

Buddhism has traditionally adhered to binary gender roles, particularly in its monastic traditions where men and women are segregated and assigned specific roles.

These beliefs remain strong in the Theravada tradition, as seen in the attempt of the Thai Sangha Council, the governing Buddhist body in Thailand, to ban ordinations of transgender people.

More recently, the Theravada tradition has somewhat eased restrictions against gender nonconforming people by ordaining them in their sex recorded at birth.

However, the Mahayana, and Vajrayana schools of Buddhism have allowed more exceptions while the Jodo Shinshu sect has been even more inclusive in ordaining transgender monks both in Japan and North America.

In Tibetan Buddhism, Tashi Choedup, an openly queer monk, was ordained after their teacher refrained from asking about their gender identity as prescribed by Buddhist doctrine.

Many Buddhist denominations, particularly in the West, are intentionally inclusive of transgender people in their sanghas or gatherings.

Judaism

Reform Judaism is accepting of transgender people and allows for the ordination of trans rabbis.

According to David J. Meyer, who served for many years as a rabbi in Marblehead, Massachusetts, Jewish traditional wisdom allowed possibilities of gender identity and expression that differed from those typically associated with the sex assigned at birth.

"Our mystical texts, the Kabbalah, address the notion of transitioning from one gender to another," he wrote on a Reform-affiliated website.

It's different, for the most part, in Orthodox Judaism.

"Most transgender people will find Orthodox communities extremely difficult to navigate," says the Human Rights Campaign, a major U.S. LGBTQ-rights advocacy group.

"Transgender people are further constrained by Orthodox Judaism's emphasis on binary gender and strict separation between men and women," the HRC says.

"For example, a transgender person who has not medically transitioned poses a challenge for a rabbi who must decide whether that person will sit with men or women during worship."

Rabbi Avi Shafran, spokesman for the Orthodox Jewish organization Agudath Israel of America, wrote a blog post last year after appearing on an Israeli television panel to discuss transgender-related issues.

"There can be no denying that there are people who are deeply conflicted about their gender identities.

"They deserve to be safe from harm and, facing challenges the rest of us don't, deserve empathy and compassion," Shafran wrote.

"But the Torah and its extension, halacha, or Jewish religious law, are unequivocal about the fact that being born in a male body requires living the life of a man, and being born female entails living as a woman."

"In Judaism, each gender has its particular life-role to play," he added.

"The bodies God gave us are indications of what we are and what we are not, and of how He wants us to live our lives."

• First published in Religion News Service
• David Crary is an author at Religion News Service. Mariam Fam and Deepa Bharath are reporters with The Associated Press' global religion team.

Whanau was on air at the time talking to The Platform's Sean Plunkett.

"The Platform has received quite a bit of feedback regarding the district plan vote Thursday on the broadcast of the Call to Prayer" Plunkett said to Whanau.

Plunket understood the council discussion to broadcast the Call to Prayer was originally in the name of Whanau, however it was switched to Councillor Rebecca Matthews.

When Plunket sought confirmation on where the idea came from, Whanau told him to talk to her office.

Pressed, Whanau said "Jesus Christ Sean, umm, I'll come back to you."

Civil harmony

On Wednesday, Wellington Councillor Nicola Young also discussed broadcasting the call to prayer with Heather du Plessis-Allan on NewtalkZB Drive.

In a respectful conversation, Young said she feels allowing calls to prayer would make Wellington the laughingstock of New Zealand - and would be offensive to most people.

"Because New Zealand is a secular country ... I think we're the third-most atheist country in the world" she says.

"Why would we start having prayers being broadcast?

"A lot of people would find it incredibly offensive" she told du Plessis-Allan.

When asked about the Capital's church bells, Young said "They play once, on a Sunday, which is rather different from five or six times a day, every day.

"Allowing mosques to broadcast their call one day a week and churches to ring their bells once a week would be ridiculous" she said.

"We have to stop this."

She refers to the Education Act 1877 which speaks of harmony and keeping religion private.

People are outraged, she says.

Sort out the water leaks and fix the sewers

Feedback suggests the Council should focus on infrastructure rather than "distractions" like this.

Young calls the Mosque's "Call to Prayer" request a distraction for the Wellington City Council saying such issues aren't what they need to consider.

The City Council should stick to its municipal role, things like dealing urgently with water and sewage infrastructure Young suggested.

Local Mosques reportedly asked the council to change noise control regulations so they can play calls to prayer over outdoor speakers as is done in Muslim countries.

Investigation underway

The Wellington City Council voted to use ratepayers' money and instructed the council officials to investigate how calls to prayer could be made.

It wants to know if changes to noise rules would need to be made to enable the request.

A council spokesperson says any rule changes would be subject to public consultation.

• NewtalkZB
• The Platform

"Islam teaches that God does not share His divine attributes with anyone", the letters continue, among several passages quoted from the Quran, Islam's holy book.

The letters began arriving last week, and police were immediately contacted, Multicultural New Zealand national office head of operations Gurtej Singh said.

Multicultural New Zealand organised a meeting yesterday Read more

Municipal officials in Cologne say after consulting representatives of the city's 35 mosques, a two-year pilot project would be implemented. The project will then be re-evaluated and may be extended.

A few municipal rules have been developed to accompany the new provisions.

• Muezzins may call the faithful to Friday prayers, the holiest day of the week for Muslims, between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m.
• The call to prayer must not exceed five minutes.
• All mosques will have to first request authorization from the city and then comply with sound level regulations.
• Mosques must inform the inhabitants of the neighbourhood beforehand.
• Each community must designate a person to respond to possible complaints.

Henriette Reker, Cologne's mayor, says the project is a "sign of the mutual acceptance of religions".

"We take into account the legitimate religious interests of the many Muslims in our cosmopolitan city," said Reker who was attacked in 2015 by a knife-wielding, right-wing extremist.

"When we hear the call of the muezzin in addition to the bells of the churches in our city, it shows that diversity is valued and practiced in a real way in Cologne," she says.

Cologne's Catholic cathedral claims to house the bones of the Three Kings who attended Christ's Nativity. It is considered the tallest cathedral in the world. Cologne - a former bastion of Christianity, is also the seat of Germany's largest Catholic diocese.

Cologne is also home to 120,000 mainly Turkish Muslims, who make up 12 percent of the city's population.

They are welcoming the decision to allow the call to prayer.

"This measure demonstrates the establishment of Muslims who have been living in Germany for generations," says the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs.

Bülent Ucar, director of the Institute of Islamic Theology at Osnabrück University, believes allowing the call to prayer is "overdue".

He's urging Muslim leaders not to use loudspeakers "so as not to disturb the neighbourhood too much".

Not everyone is on side with making the call to prayer public, however.

An ethnic Turkish CDU party MP says she "does not need the call to prayer to exercise her right to religion".

A colleague from the Social Democratic Party sees it as a way for the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs to impose its views on opponents of the Turkish regime.

A Muslim psychologist says the experiment is a "naive, symbolic act" that "does not strengthen acceptance of Muslims, but leads to more divisions in society.

"In a secular society, it should not be a question of the presence of religion in the public sphere, but of freedom of belief," he says.

Strong opposition to the call to prayer is coming from Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

It claims the call to prayer "is an expression of a political demand for power, submission and Islamisation".

In the German cities that already allow the call to prayer, regulation is left to local authorities.

Source

• La Croix
• Image: DW

I suppose the church really committed to dialogue and positive engagement at the Second Vatican Council, with the famous declaration on the relationship of the church to non-Christian religions, "Nostra Aetate."

There's a paragraph in there dedicated to Islam and opening up possibilities for good, positive relationships.

Of course, that was prefigured by some important historical figures in the church, who found positive ways to engage with Islam. St. Francis of Assisi is one of the key figures here.

While churches and mosques have been built for centuries in close proximity to each other, the relationship between those who worship God inside these sacred houses of prayer has not always been as close.

Pope Francis taking the name of Francis of Assisi when he became pope was in many ways a statement of intent with regard to openness to the Muslim world.

I think that's now being seen very clearly. But you could point to several other people in the Catholic tradition who have been very open to the Muslim world; who have overcome some of the prejudices of their age and who reached out.

If you were to do a kind of whistle-stop tour between Pope Paul VI and Pope Francis, how would you characterize the popes' interactions with Muslims?

Pope St. John Paul II was a towering figure in Christian-Muslim relations.

He is known in the Muslim world as somebody who was unprecedented in his outreach to the Muslim world.

He visited many Muslim countries; said very positive things about the Muslim tradition; famously kissed the Quran.

It was an important moment, and he attracted a huge amount of criticism from the Catholic world for having done this. But he was a real pioneer of interreligious relations and especially in the worlds of Islam and Judaism. So his efforts represent a high point.

The papacy of Benedict XVI is a time of more strained relationships with the Muslim world, of course.

Coinciding with 9/11 geopolitically, it included the Regensburg lecture, which was perceived at the time as something of an attack on Islam.

It was actually much more an attack on Western secularism. But people interpreted it in an opportunistic way.

It led to a certain amount of damage.

I think there were hurt feelings in the Muslim world, Muslims wanting to understand why the pope was joining in the sort of Islamophobia so apparent in much of the Western world at that time.

That was something of a low point.

But then, of course, Pope Benedict visited the Blue Mosque in Turkey and had that extraordinary moment when he stood in a moment of prayer there.

That was thought to have saved the situation, something of a diplomatic triumph.

Francis has right from the beginning struck a very different tone.

The agenda before Pope Francis was above all focused on religious freedom; what the Vatican calls reciprocity. In other words, "We Christians allow you Muslims to come to our countries and worship freely. Why don't you do the same for us?"

Pope Francis is convinced that suasion and warmth and encounter and mutual understanding can in the long term actually change relationships.

With Francis, there is a desire to understand religious extremism in all its forms, so you get this acknowledgement, right from the beginning of his pontificate, in "Evangelii Gaudium," where he refers not just to religious fundamentalism as a phenomenon you find in other religions but also in Christianity.

And I think that's been quite a helpful thing to have pointed out because it means that the enemy if you like, is not Islam.

It's a certain kind of extreme Islam, but you don't find that Christianity is free of extremism either.

Certainly, I think the last few years— if you have been watching what's going on in the United States—would bear that out.

You see an extraordinary politicization of Christianity in the name of a certain political agenda, which is not exactly the same but it is reminiscent of the way that Islam was hijacked by radical Islamism.

And while Pope Benedict was keen to detect that as evidence of a fundamental problem in Islam, I think Francis would be saying, "Well, actually, this is a weakness present in all religions, including our own, and this is something we have to combat together." Continue reading

They're protesting about a proposed law requiring leaders of all faiths to translate their sermons into Danish and submit them to the government.

The new law, is primarily aimed at radical Islamic groups, but will affect all churches.

The country has more over 270,000 Muslims. Sermons in the mosques are generally preached in Arabic.

Denmark's government says the law - which is scheduled to be reviewed this month at the Danish Parliament - is necessary to curb the growth of Islamic extremism.

Some commentators say although the measure is aimed at getting the preaching of jihad out of mosques, Europe's political correctness means a broad, politically correct net is scooping up preachers of all religions.

Church of England Bishop Robert Innes (pictured) wrote a letter to Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen expressing his alarm over the measure.

It places an "overly restrictive" bind on freedom of expression, he wrote.

"I am sure it comes from a genuine concern about the security of the state and the monitoring of all religious minorities who might be perceived as a security risk.

"I share the ambition of the Danish government to ensure safety and security and the desire that all religious organizations in Denmark conduct their act peacefully, but to require translation of sermons into the national language goes too far.

"In a democratic society I would hope the government would strive for better cooperation with religious organizations than hastily resorting to legislation interfering with their freedoms.

"This is a first which is why it is so important we find a way to address and encourage the Danish government to find another solution. Because my real concern is that if the Danes do it other countries may copy," he noted. "That would be a very worrying development indeed."

Innes says incremental changes in the law are causing minority groups to be treated with increasing suspicion.

Leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church have also written to the Danish government about the changes affecting religious liberty and freedom of speech, saying: "… we are risking that the Danish State neglects the recognition of non-Danish speaking congregations as being part of the ecclesiastical and cultural life of Denmark.

"It would cause great harm, should the many Danish congregations abroad face similar action from foreign states. Passing the bill would furthermore damage the reputation of Denmark in the rest of the world."

An Anglican chaplain in Denmark says she is concerned about sending translated sermons to the government.

"Any sermon depends on Biblical text and context; the scripted and unscripted; the dynamic between preacher and congregation … in a translation, how would nuance, meaning and emphasis be carried?"

Other European churches voicing concerns about the proposed law include the Lutheran World Federation, the Roman Catholic Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union, and the Conference of European Churches.

Source

• CBN
• Image: St Michael's in the Gard

How could this happen in advanced western countries and what lessons can be drawn to avoid this happening in New Zealand? It is becoming urgent that we address these questions as a nation so all New Zealanders are able to live in peace and harmony.

To be sure, the main cause for the rise in Muslim extremism overseas is the brainwashing and radicalisation of Muslims with inaccurate Islamic teachings and ideologies.

To avoid such a dangerous cataclysm, it is imperative New Zealand engages and takes action with its communities and implements a carefully planned education system balanced in enriching Muslims' view of their religion vis-à-vis social cohesion.

The Qur'an, which is the main source of Islam, is a code of conduct.

Anyone who embraces the religion is taught how to live their daily lives.

A good Muslim will care for his fellow humans and the environment.

It is well established that Islam is a religion of peace.

When this basic concept is misunderstood or conveyed erroneously to young and vulnerable minds by mullahs or Islamic teachers fanatically blinded by the narrow outlook of their lives, the breeding of extremism and radicalisation can occur.

The face of New Zealand is changing fast.

We have moved from a colonial monoculture to accepting our bicultural status, then an increasing inflow of migrants and refugees has swiftly been transforming us into a multicultural nation.

Therefore, it is now even more important the diverse group of communities that have their home here are able to live in peace and harmony with a shared and ingrained Kiwi identity.

The current Islamic education system in New Zealand is best described as a Band-Aid to genuine religious education.

No formal Islamic education is taught in schools.

Rather, children are given Islamic education in mosques and Islamic centres at weekends and on weekday evenings by teachers who do not have proper training or experience in Islamic teaching.

Without a proper Islamic education system, parents who want their children to obtain higher Islamic education usually send them to overseas countries like Saudi Arabia or Pakistan, where the children are totally immersed in the system, but at a higher risk of radicalisation from the groups that target these countries of highly concentrated belief.

Conversely, children learning Islamic education at weekends and on weekday evenings are completely separated from their normal school environment and regular curriculum. This unnecessarily creates division among children and has the potential of developing identity crises.

The best result is achieved when a proper balance is struck in imparting Islamic education alongside Kiwi cultural values to Muslim children during a normal school period. Continue reading

• Tahir Nawaz is President of the International Muslim Association of New Zealand and an adjunct research fellow in the School of Education at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.

With all due respect to French leaders, I think they could start by reviewing the implications of laïcité.

At this time, they have much to say about "Islamic terrorism". Worse, some of the language they are using is the language of warfare and of terrorism itself.

Obviously, there can be no justification for what was done in Nice. But in wanting to explain the causes of such violence they are looking no further than Islam.

In a recent BBC Hardtalk programme, Stephen Sackur interviewed French professor of sociology and political advisor, Dominique Schnapper, who explained what she called the French form of secularism, which she assured us is superior to what we find in Britain and USA.

Most of us accept the separation of Church and State, including agencies of the State, and rightly. But laïcité goes further by including "the public sphere" with the State. Consequently, religion is mainly for the private sphere.

According to the Professor, curtailing the scope of religion in the public sphere gives people freedom!!

I suggest, on the contrary, that the State and the public forum are not the same; the public forum belongs to the people, to society.

It is where minds meet to be enriched by each other; it is where proper integration takes place.

Relegating religion and cultural diversity to the private sphere prevents integration! In fact, it is a recipe for creating ghettos! I would have thought this was obvious, though she did mention that she would not expect the English to understand!

I suggest that institutions dedicated to health care, social welfare and education, though administered by the State, are also not agencies of the State: they too belong to society, to the people, and therefore should be allowed to reflect society, including its pluralism, and not have to avoid or banish religious and cultural expressions.

Perhaps they should be called "State-run" institutions, not "State institutions".

The professor points out that the French understanding of secularism is a "product" of the French revolution and its rejection of previous forms of authoritarianism (of aristocracy and Church).

True, but that makes it a form of push-back, and a product of negative experience. It needs to move beyond its origins, and become positive. But that requires dialogue at every level, which is what laicite inhibits!

She is surely justified in allowing criticism of other people's views, including religious views, and she is right to say that criticising people's views is not necessarily insulting the people who hold them. But somewhere there is a line between critique and mockery?

It seems to me mere sophistry to say that mocking what is sacred to other people is not disrespecting those people.

Pope Francis' latest encyclical letter (especially chapter 6) is spot on where he talks of the crucial role of dialogue and need for greater respect and kindness within cultures and within politics.

It is within a culture of genuine respect for others, kindness and dialogue, that we instinctively know the difference between critique and mockery, between fair comment and incitement, between free speech and hate speech…

Schnapper is genuinely concerned that some kind of aberration seems to have taken place within Islam. But might she also need to ask whether there is some kind of aberration within the French form of secularism?

• Bishop Peter Cullinane, Bishop Emeritus, Diocese of Palmerston North, New Zealand.

Imam Gamal Fouda spoke out after two beheadings and the murders of three people at a Catholic church in Nice.

The attacks are abhorrent and contradict "the tolerant teachings of Islam and all good human values," he says.

"I condemn and denounce these heinous crimes, regardless of their perpetrator's motives or goals."

Hate speech, including towards Muslims, is wrong, he says. It's important to separate Islam and Muslims from the criminal acts.

Fouda who survived the March 15, 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings, is outspoken against extremism.

In the first Friday prayer in Hagley Park after the mass killings, he said:

"The terrorist tried to tear the nation apart with evil ideology but instead we have shown that New Zealand is unbreakable."

"We are broken hearted but we are not broken."

France's President Emmanuel Macron is continuing to work on ridding France of Islamic extremism. This work is part of a project he labels "separatism".

French Muslims have reportedly felt stigmatised by terror attacks and under pressure.

Fouda is also calling on President Macron and his government, and "everyone who offends Islam and the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, or any religion," to respect Islam.

We should do this just "as we must respect all beliefs without discrimination or racism against anyone," he says.

"This is the simplest principle of mutual respect between human beings."

"I also call on everyone to stand against extremism and I invite the French government and people to take a lesson from what happened in Christchurch, New Zealand after the terrorist attack on the two mosques on March 15, 2019 where the citizens and the government all united together against violence and declared that the principle of love will win against hatred."

At the same time, the Christchurch imam is calling on Muslims, especially those living in Western countries, to "combat any tendency towards extremism."

"I reiterate that terrorism has no religion, and all Muslims are called to reject this criminal act that is not related to Islam or to the Prophet of love and mercy," he says.

"All forms of violence and terror targeting anyone aim to destabilise security and stability and are inconsistent with all religious and human values and principles."

Soure

• NZ Herald
• Image: Stuff

In the 2019 Islamicity index, released earlier this year, New Zealand is ranked first overall, followed by Sweden, Iceland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark and Ireland. The top Muslim-majority country is United Arab Emirates (UAE) at 44.

New Zealand ranks 3rd in terms of its economy, 4th for legal and governance, 5th for human and political rights, and 8th for international relations. Read more

"Arzoo Raja had been taken from outside her home on October 13 and two days later, as the family searched for her, police announced that they had received marriage papers claiming that Arzoo was 18 and that she had converted to Islam to marry her 44-year-old abductor, Ali Azhar," The Catholic Herald reports, adding, "The family were able to provide the authorities with an official birth certificate proving Arzoo was 13."

Read More

Speaking in Les Mureaux, north west of Paris where there is a large Muslim population, the president's theme was that Islamists, who have a political agenda, were the enemies of mainstream Muslims and were infiltrating numerous aspects of ordinary life.

Wahhabi and Salafist strands of Islam, originally simply spiritual, had become radicalised and many of their adherents no longer accept French laws, he stated. Read more

"We believe with certainty that Islam and Christianity have never been the origin of wars and conflicts, but rather religious faiths represent the opposite of conflicts and wars in which they are involved and exploited," he said.

The Grand Imam of al Azhar is the Egyptian Sheikh Ahmed al Tayyeb.

He made the comments about Christianity and Islam while receiving Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan during an official visit to Cairo on Monday.

The Grand Imam said the two religions teach that all human beings be recognized as "brothers in humanity".

He explained his Sunni academic institution is committed to exposing manipulations that use content from the Islamic faith to build ideologies of oppression.

Mnatsakanyan highlighted, "A Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together," that Pope Francis and the Grand Imam signed last year on 4 February in Abu Dhabi.

That document has been hailed as an "unprecedented institutional event" in the history of Christian-Muslim relations.

In their meeting, The Grand Imam and Mnatsakanyan hinted at the possibility of enhancing collaboration and cultural exchanges between Armenian academic institutions and the most authoritative theological-cultural center of Sunni Islam.

The meeting highlighted their mutual concerns about religious fundamentalism in different parts of the world, discrimination on religious grounds and the exploitation of religion for political purposes.

Source

• La Croix
• Image:Asbarez.com

Following the 2019 Christchurch attacks, three to five people a day were converting at a Wellington mosque, according to the International Muslim Association of New Zealand.

Among Maori, there is a particular interest in the religion, with the Qur'an translated into Te Reo Maori in 2008 and Maori Muslims organising halal hangi and ‘Matariki at the Mosque' events.

Plans have even been made to build a mosque-marae hybrid in Christchurch that brings together Islam and Te Ao Maori.

So what is the particular appeal for Maori? And what do these developments mean for Islam, the Muslim community and Aotearoa New Zealand?

Conversion in different parts of the world is attributed to a search for spiritual fulfilment, racism, colonialism, secularisation and disillusionment with Western values and Christianity.

For Maori, there appear to be similar reasons.

But my research so far also highlights striking cultural similarities between Muslims and Maori, in terms of respect for the elderly, family values, storytelling, the resemblance between a mosque and a marae, and between tikanga and Islamic law.

Initial conversations with Maori converts also show conversion has improved their wellbeing and sense of empowerment, and some Maori have converted to Islam from gangs and in prisons to find peace and solace.

As a Muslim scholar from Turkey, these developments are important for me to understand. But they are just as important for all New Zealanders, given Islam's increasing local and global importance, the current global social and political climate that stigmatises Muslims, and the lack of ethnographic studies on Muslims in this country.

Apart from media stories and a very few narrow studies, conversion to Islam in Aotearoa New Zealand remains an overlooked topic - especially with regard to Maori. Continue reading

In the past, the series creators have been similarly disrespectful of the Virgin Mary and the pope. Neither episodes were pulled.

HBO Max agreed to exclude the five animated sitcom episodes referencing Muhammad when it first acquired the series from its previous owner, Verizon.

The same five episodes were previously pulled from television syndication and South Park‘s previous streaming home at Hulu.

The decision to remove the episodes responds to safety concerns, as South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker have faced threats for depicting Muhammad, which is banned in the Islamic religion and has led to violence in the past.

After initially being shown uncensored in the episode "Super Best Friends", Muhammad was censored from subsequent episodes via a black bar. Then Parker and Stone found a way to work around this, placing him inside a bear mascot outfit.

David Hookstead, who is the editor-in-chief of the Daily Caller, points out HBO's uneven response to South Park's religious mockery.

"If the creators of "South Park" are willing to mock Islam like they do everything else, then they should be allowed to air the episodes," he says.

"The show has non-stop jokes about Jewish people and an entire episode mocking Mormons. How was that okay to stream but mocking Islam is banned?"

"It makes no sense that Cartman can say whatever he wants about Jewish people and dress as Hitler and that's totally fine, but if you mock Islam, then HBO won't air the episodes.

We're in a bad place in 2020 when comedy is getting censored."

Source

• Daily caller
• CoS
• Image: Hollywood reporter

  Set featured image

Rehema Kyomuhendo, 24, was talking on the phone one night to a Catholic friend of her dad, Sheikh Hussein Byaruhanga Husain, when he woke up and attacked her, she told Morning Star News.

She claimed he began "beating me up with blows, slaps and kicks", while a source close to Rehema told the publication he then reportedly lit fuel from a jerrican and burned her.

Rehema was taken to hospital having suffered serious burns on her leg, stomach, rib area, near her neck and on part of her back, the source said. Read more

Williams converted to Islam in 2009 while playing rugby for French club Toulon.

It came after a "wild" period early in his career where he found himself in the headlines for the wrong reasons and eventually walked out on his contract with NRL club Canterbury Bulldogs Read more

Vision NZ - which had to change its name after its original suggestion, the Coalition Party, was rejected by election authorities - has made the promise in an inflammatory announcement railing against multiculturalism. Read more