Religion News on the Web
Selected religion-related news from around the Web
September 19, 2012
- The New York Times
NYT: Some Religious leaders see a threat as Europe grows more secular
This sleepy town not far from the Czech border, in a hilly corner of Catholic Bavaria, is an unlikely place to find an active synagogue, and an even unlikelier focal point for a controversy that some see as a threat to religious tolerance in Europe and even the place of Jews in Germany.
September 10, 2012
- Newsweek
Newsweek: Putin’s God squad
“The enemies of Holy Russia are everywhere,” says Ivan Ostrakovsky, the leader of a group of Russian Orthodox vigilantes who have taken to patrolling the streets of nighttime Moscow, dressed in all-black clothing emblazoned with skulls and crosses.
August 26, 2012
- The Miami Herald
Miami Herald: Spiritual journeys
In troubled times, many people turn to their faith, which may explain why faith-based travel has been gaining momentum in recent years.
August 25, 2012
- The New York Times
NYT: Radical Islamic attacks in a moderate region unnerve the Kremlin
A string of violent attacks by Islamic militants has shattered this city’s reputation as a citadel of religious tolerance and unnerved federal officials in Moscow, who have worked for decades to prevent the spread of radical Islam out of the southern borderlands and into places like this city 500 miles east of Moscow.
August 16, 2012
- Reuters
Reuters: Russian church leader rejects criticism over state ties
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, who has called President Vladimir Putin's rule a "miracle of God", defended its close ties with the state on Friday against criticism fuelled by the trial of three members of the Pussy Riot punk band.
August 09, 2012
- The Washington Post
Wash. Post: Tensions flare in France over veil ban
Though it was almost midnight, streets were full of Muslim families taking a stroll after breaking the Ramadan fast with a late dinner. As two police officers drove by a storefront recycled as the Grand Sunna Mosque, they noticed a woman wearing flowing black robes and a full-face veil.
August 08, 2012
- New York Times
NYT: Punk band’s Moscow trial offers platform for Orthodox protesters
With the gold domes of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior glittering just across the Moscow River, members of three Russian Orthodox groups that espouse a fervent blend of nationalism and religiosity set fire on Wednesday to a poster of the feminist punk band Pussy Riot and also put a match to a poster of the pop star Madonna.
July 31, 2012
- The New York Times
NYT: Observance of Ramadan poses challenges to Muslim athletes
With nearly three million Muslims living in Britain, the observance of Ramadan here is not generally a notable occurrence. Shops are open, businessmen go to work at the regular times and, to outsiders, life seems ordinary enough, save for the absence of eating or drinking from dawn until sunset.
July 29, 2012
- USA Today
USA Today: Opinion: Olympics' religious roots
When the Summer Olympics opened in London last Friday, there was a version of a religious ritual in the Olympic oath, procession of athletes and lighting of the flame.