Topic: Religious Freedom and Discrimination
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Thomas Jefferson: 16 quotes on his birthday
Here are 16 quotes to mark the birthday of American founding father Thomas Jefferson.
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Battle for women's votes: 6 flash points
The uproar over the Obama campaign’s 'Life of Julia' Web infographic – which made #Julia big on Twitter – highlights just how fiercely both parties are fighting for the women’s vote. The economy is by far the most important issue in November for both sexes. But there are other areas with special significance to women. Here are the main flash points.
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6 famous dissidents in China
The surprising escape of a blind legal activist from house arrest is buoying China's embattled dissident community, even as the government cracks down on those who helped him.
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US Supreme Court: Big 21st century rulings
The past 12 years have seen significant US high court decisions with wide-ranging effects on personal freedoms and national politics. Another key ruling is expected this summer on President Obama's health-care reform law. Here are some recent top rulings, all decided by 5-to-4 votes.
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Catholicism in Latin America: 5 key facts
Pope Benedict XVI began his second trip to Latin America on March 23, with stops in Mexico and Cuba. Here is a brief history of the Catholic church in the Americas.
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Opinion: France's burqa ban: Has Europe forgotten the gas chambers?
As we've seen with France's burqa ban that went into effect this week, global religious tolerance – especially in Europe – is under threat. Growing Islamophobia threatens to undermine hard-fought freedom and tolerance in post-WW II Europe and around the world.
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Feds' request: Let us take on jail that bans all books except the Bible
The Justice Department, in its appeal to a federal judge in South Carolina asking to intervene in an ACLU lawsuit against a county sheriff, says the policy discriminates against non-Christians.
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France's burqa ban: 5 ways Europe is targeting Islam
France issued its first ticket to a woman wearing an Islamic veil on Monday, the day a national ban on face coverings in public took effect. The new law is among a number of legal and political moves across Europe targeting Islam amid a growing debate over multiculturalism. Here are five recent actions taken regarding Islam in the public sphere.
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Five famous jailed dissidents in China: Ai Weiwei to Liu Xiaobo
Chinese authorities have cracked down on dissent in hopes of preventing a popular uprising in China like those that have erupted in the Middle East. Sweeping arrests of prominent dissidents have been part of the campaign and have earned the Chinese government widespread internal and international criticism. Who are some of these activists being put behind bars?
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Jerusalem, Jerusalem: How the Ancient City Ignited Our Modern World
Why is one of the world’s holiest cities the flashpoint for so much violence?
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Opinion: Muslim Americans: What would Jesus (or George Washington) do?
Muslims, in the minds of many Christians, have become America's great spiritual enemy. But attitudes can change. Americans once regularly burned the effigy of the pope.
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Copt-Muslim clash in Cairo renews question: Who are the Copts?
Egypt's revolution put the issue of how to protect its beleaguered Coptic Christian population on the back burner. But a fatal clash Tuesday between Muslims and Copts in Cairo has turned attention once again to religious tensions, which gained the spotlight after the bombing of a Coptic church in Alexandria on New Year's Eve. In an overwhelmingly Muslim country, where does this religious minority fit in. And who are the Copts?
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Blasphemy law kills a Pakistan minister
The state in Pakistan has yet to execute someone for blasphemy. But that hasn't prevented killings related to this archaic law, such as the murder of a Christian cabinet minister for his effort to reform the law.
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How to draft a constitution
Egypt’s military has suspended the country’s Constitution and tasked experts with overhauling its fundamental law. Other countries in the region may also soon be in line for such a make-over – redesigning government institutions, enshrining individual liberties, entrenching guarantees of democratic accountability. But not all constitutions are created equal. Here are a list of six big issues to consider when creating a Constitution from scratch:
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Supreme Court refuses appeal about Ten Commandments displays
The Supreme Court had struck down earlier Ten Commandments displays at the same Kentucky courthouses in 2005. The displays were altered, but a federal judge issued a permanent injunction against them.
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The Monitor's View: Coptic church bombing in Egypt: Mubarak must prosecute
Minority Christians -- called Copts -- rightly complain that no one goes to jail for religious attacks on them. Egypt and other countries must reverse this practice of impunity for perpetrators.
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Who are Egypt's Copts, and the Middle East's other Christian populations?
Recent attacks against Christians in Egypt and Iraq have drawn attention to the Middle East's Christian populations, which are dwindling as Christians flee violence, political strife, and persecution. Christians made up more than 20 percent of the region's population in the early 20th century, but today, they make up less than 10 percent. Here is a look at the status of Christians in seven key countries, from Egypt to Iran.
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Opinion: How to fight jihad in America
Islamic radicalization in America's own backyard is a problem. But our domestic counterterrorism strategies end up alienating or underutilizing our best asset – the Muslim community. Partnerships with moderate Muslims, education, research, and dialogue will build trust and counter extremism.
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Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 11/23
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Europe on alert: fall 2010 terror plots
Al Qaeda-linked terror threats in Europe this fall put intelligence and security forces, as well as the public, on edge. Most recently, Germany ramped up its security in anticipation of a possible attack. Below, an overview of those threats and incidents:
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In Pictures: Christians in Iraq
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The Monitor's View: Obama trip to 'Muslim' Indonesia: Why stereotypes don't work
The Obama trip to Indonesia had the potential to go beyond praise for that country as a model of Islamic moderation. Indonesia is much more diverse than the label 'Muslim' implies.
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Obama arrives in Indonesia to fanfare, but Mount Merapi ash will cut visit short
President Obama's visit to Indonesia, the world’s fourth-largest democracy and the country with more Muslims than any other, is expected to cover a broader range of issues than his trip to India.
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First Amendment flap: Was Christine O'Donnell touting 'tea party' view?
First Amendment and church-state separation were debated Tuesday between Delaware Senate hopefuls Christine O'Donnell and Chris Coons. Her stance is akin to that of some tea party activists.
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Free speech: Some First Amendment landmarks
The First Amendment right to free speech is the most widely understood US constitutional provision.
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Catholic Church backs Muslim struggle to build Milan's first mosque
While New York frets over the construction of an Islamic cultural center and mosque near ground zero, Milan is pushing back against construction of its first mosque. Local Muslims have found an unlikely ally in the Catholic Church.
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Letters to the Editor – Weekly Issue of September 20, 2010
Readers write in about Islam, the West, and religious freedom.
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Mosque furor, Quran burning: Anti-Islamic fervor mobilizes US Muslims
Even before the outrage over a planned Quran burning, American Muslim groups have been mounting an offensive against a rise in anti-Islamic sentiment, taking to the airwaves to provide a more peaceful view of Islam.
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11 countries speaking out against Koran burning in Florida
More than 10 countries have now condemned a Florida pastor's plan to burn the Koran in commemoration of the 9/11 terrorist attacks of nine years ago. As noted in the Monitor article Why the planned Koran burning causes outrage and alarm, "Muslims see it as the uninterrupted, unchangeable, and eternal word of God. Burning the Koran is akin to directly burning the word of God." Here is what leaders are saying worldwide.
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Burning Koran a 'recruitment bonanza' for Al Qaeda, Obama says
The president appealed to a Florida pastor not to go through with burning Korans on Saturday, saying the act would be 'completely contrary to our values as Americans.'
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