Authorities for French-language Catholic education in Belgium have applied for state permission to give lessons on Islam in their schools where a large number of pupils – sometimes the majority – are Muslims. Catholic schools have been legally barred from doing this for the past 10 years, with one exception for a school in Liege Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Muslim’
A feminist reading of the Koran
Tuesday, October 30th, 2012
It’s hard to imagine any scenario in which shooting a 14-year-old child is justified. And yet, the Taliban attempts just this by insisting its attack on Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai (pictured) is ordained by Islam. Yousafzai first attracted the group’s ire for her insistence on the right of girls to be educated. At the age Read more
Selling Catholic Church property to those of other Faiths
Friday, October 5th, 2012
I have previously written about the Catholic Church’s need to be realistic about its property needs — in terms of schools, churches and presbyteries. If a property is no longer needed or the revenue generated from its sale would be a better use of the asset, assuming it’s not going to be disproportionately detrimental to Read more
Silence over torture in Bahrain
Friday, September 21st, 2012
Believe it or not but a funny thing happened at the 16th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Tehran last month. When the new Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi, denounced the “oppressive” Syrian government, it didn’t go down so well with the pro-Assad Iranians. So, local journalists decided deliberately to mistranslate “Syria”, in Farsi, as “Bahrain”, prompting Read more
Coptic Christians and Vatican strongly condemn anti-Muslim film
Tuesday, September 18th, 2012
The Coptic Christian Archdiocese of America has distanced itself from an anti-Muslim film “The Innocence of Muslims,” that has sparked protests in more than 24 countries. “We reject any allegation that the Coptic Orthodox community has contributed to the production of this film,” the Coptic Orthodox Archdiocese said in a statement Friday, denouncing the Copts who reportedly Read more
- Innocence of Muslims shot on Hollywod-built set
- Google rejects White House request to pull anti-islam clip
- Innocence of Muslims (Comment in the Pakistan Observer)
- Free speech in the real world (LA Times)
- Pope's message of peace marred by deadly Lebanon demonstration
- Many Christians among those protesting insulting anti-Muslim film
Lebanese Muslim leaders welcome Pope Benedict’s visit
Friday, September 14th, 2012
On the eve of his visit to Lebanaon, many Shiite and Sunni clerics are putting out the welcome mat to Pope Benedict. The clerics are hoping Benedict’s visit will strengthen coexistence and help allay Christian fears over their fate in a region in tumult. Noting that Muslims and Christians alike have concerns about the rapid Read more
Media coverage of Dowse man-ban questioned by Muslims
Friday, September 14th, 2012
The Dowse Gallery in Lower Hutt, New Zealand , has banned men from viewing an exhibition containing footage of Muslim women at home without their veils. The Dowse man-ban has created widespread media discussion. One commentator has remarked that anyone glancing at the paper on the news-stand would have been forgiven for thinking this was Read more
Plan for Catholic church makes waves in Bahrain
Thursday, September 6th, 2012The building of the largest Roman Catholic church in the Gulf was supposed to be a chance for the tiny island kingdom of Bahrain to showcase its traditions of religious tolerance in a conservative Muslim region where churches largely operate under heavy limitations. Instead, the planned church — intended to be the main center for Read more
Mohammed is top name for baby boys in Britain
Tuesday, August 21st, 2012
Mohammed was the most popular name for baby boys born in England and Wales in 2011 — well ahead of Harry, the next most chosen name. A government statement said Harry was the most popular boy’s name, but it was outranked by totalling the five most common different spellings of the Muslim prophet. Harry, the Read more
Why Muslims hold the key to the Holy Sepulchre
Friday, August 3rd, 2012Every morning and night, in a ritual dating back hundreds of years, two Muslim families control the opening and closing of the place in Jerusalem where Jesus rose from the dead. The Joudeh and Nuseibeh families, one generation after another, got the job of holding the keys and opening the door to Christianity’s most sacred Read more