Breaking News Recent events carried in the media that involve religion

Breaking News

Poll Shows Muslims Under Pressure
A USA Today poll of 1,077 Americans shows strong anti-Muslim feelings, and a separate study shows that this is damaging the mental health of Muslims in the US. Thirty-nine percent of the respondents felt that Muslims should carry a special ID to prevent terrorist attacks. One-third of respondents assumed that Muslims were sympathetic to Al-Queda. Twenty-two percent said that they would not want Muslims as neighbors.
A Yale study of 611 Arab-Americans reported that the respondents had a much higher level of mental health problems than other Americans. For example, about half had symptoms of clinical depression, compared with 20% in the general population. The mental health of Arab-American Christians in the study were much more like the ordinary person than Muslim Arab-Americans.
The number of anti-Muslim assaults reported to the Council on American-Islamic Relations has grown from 1,019 in 2003 to 1,972 in 2005.
USA Today, 8-10-06

Woman Elected Head of Largest US Islamic Organization
Ingrid Mattson, a Canadian convert to Islam, has been elected the first female president of the Islamic Society of North America, an umbrella group of 300 Islamic organizations. She had served two terms as vice-president. She advocates active engagement of women in Islamic institutions, including sitting on boards of mosques and centers. She holds a doctorate in Islamic studies from the University of Chicago in Islamic studies, and is professor of Islamic studies and Christian-Muslim relations at Hartford Theological Seminary, a graduate school for religious leaders who are already ordained and working in the field.
Women have also been elected president of the Muslim Students Association and of Muslim Youth of North America, but Mattson’s election is more significant because the Society weighs in on discussions of religious law, a topic where she is an expert.
Chicago Tribune, 8-30-06

Archdiocese Gives Ultimatum to Priests Accused of Abuse
Archbishop Edward Egan of the New York Archdiocese has offered a choice to seven priests believed to be sexual abusers of children to either live under close supervision for the rest of their lives or resign the priesthood. Because the charges against them have not been proved or the criminal statute of limitations has run out, they cannot be defrocked under canon law. The supervision would involve ongoing therapy and monitoring of their movements. In the past, church programs aimed at rehabilitation of the accused, but the relapse rate was very high. This program is lifelong.
Five of the seven priests have chosen to resign, rather than submit to the program.
The New York Times, 8-31-06

Numbers of Zoroastrians Decline, May Face Extinction
The number of Zoroastrians worldwide may be as low as 150,000, according to a news report. The religion, based in India and Iran, does not accept converts or children of mixed marriages. Its emphasis on free will and education have enabled its followers to become high achievers wherever they go, but its determined tie to its ethnic roots may forecast a dim future. Founded more than 3,000 years ago, the religion is monotheistic, and may have had some influence on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

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