- Religion News
- Woman arrested for wearing hijab sues US city: A Muslim woman who was arrested after she refused to remove her headscarf in a west Georgia courthouse filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the city of Douglasville and the officers who arrested her, contending they violated her constitutional rights.
- French court quashes fine given to Muslim woman for wearing a veil while driving, ruling that the niqab ‘does not present a danger.’ However, a public ban on face-covering veils comes into force in France next year. Note: the woman’s husband has been charged with welfare fraud.
- Hindus and Sikhs have become bedrock of middle Britain: Study: Hindus and Sikhs from long- established Indian families are 1.6 times and 1.8 times respectively more likely to be in Middle Britain than the typical white family.
- NPR pundit axed over Muslim remark has 2-book deal : The commentator fired by National Public Radio in October for his remarks about Muslims has a deal to write two books. Crown Publishers announced Tuesday the first book by Juan Williams will “focus on free speech and the growing difficulty in America of speaking out on sensitive topics.”
- Unique esoteric book collection broken up after financial dispute: The Dutch state has removed its share of the esoteric book collection known as the Bibliotheca Filosofica Hermetica from Amsterdam and transferred it to the national library in The Hague for safe keeping. Businessman Joost Ritman, who owns the rest of the collection, is embroiled in a dispute with Friesland bank and the library has been closed to scholars since early November.
- Muslim employees of D.C. hotel say they were barred from floors where Israelis stayed: Muslim employees of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington said they felt discriminated against after being barred over the weekend from floors where an Israeli delegation was staying, a Muslim advocacy group said. [What your should know about CAIR, the advocacy group mentioned]
- Christian hotel owners who barred gay couple may close business: Peter and Hazelmary Bull would find it impossible to operate Chymorvah hotel if found guilty of discrimination, says barrister
- Hate Groups
- Stockholm bomber ‘was radicalised by his wife’: Taimur Abdulwahab al-Abdaly, may have been radicalised by his wife, according to the woman’s grandmother. [Islam and terrorism]
- Iran mosque bombing kills at least 38: Dozens of Shia worshippers reported dead after attack in Chahbahar city during mourning period of Ashura
- Racist vandals target 24 Muslim graves in Leeds cemetery: A third attack on muslim graves in a Leeds cemetery in nine months is being treated as “mindless racial vandalism” by police.
- Analysis, Commentary, Opinion
- Iraq’s war on Christians: Oil and geopolitics prevent the United States and Western European countries from speaking out against what amounts to genocide against Christians in the Middle East.
- Stockholm Bomber Not Reported To Police By Luton Islamic Centre
- So I’m religious. That doesn’t make me stupid
- Are the Ten Commandments still relevant?
- Way Beyond Atheism: God Does Not (Not) Exist : Why Richard Dawkins is a fundamentalist, and why most atheists reject far too little
- Also Noted
- Alcoholics Anonymous as a spiritual experience: Only the first of the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous mentions alcohol. The other 11 talk about redemption, restoring moral character, and devotion to God (or other higher power). From that perspective, it makes sense that a new study finds that Alcoholics Anonymous increases spirituality.
- ‘The pull of love’ — or why music can be a quasi-spiritual practice: Regularly playing an instrument takes you out of yourself and is deeply connected with love. It is a spiritual exercise for agnostics
- Theologian Roger Nicole dies in Fla. at 95
- Prince Charles Reflects On ‘Sacred Geometry’: Prince Charles’ asserts that order can be restored in the world through a rediscovery of “classical knowledge” in his new book, Harmony: A New Way of Looking at Our World. In this exclusive excerpt, the British heir marvels at his favorite building, the Chartres Cathedral, and the seemingly perfect order of its architecture.
- More Protestant churches feel economic pain But… Despite recession, megachurches still in the money
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