The Washington Post had a religion-related story the other day that just left me numb with shock.
Trying to probe the senseless
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Snoozing through a free-speech conflict
Woe unto the reporter who attempts to write about Islamic charities and the potential ties various groups might have to terrorism in the Islamic world. In a neglected story that could have some legs in the near future, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported a week ago that Cambridge University Press wants to destroy all unsold copies of the book Alms for Jihad: Charity and Terrorism in the Islamic World (2006), after a libel claim was filed in England by a Saudi banker. The key word in this situation is “England.” It’s easier to sue people for libel in England than in the United States. Much easier.
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'There is no Islam ... without a Khilafah'
Consumers of mainstream news hear, from time to time, the term “Arab street” used to describe the mindset of those opposed to so-called Western values and, in particular, the policies of the United States, England and other nations involved in conflicts in the Middle East.
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Saddam the martyr
John F. Burns of The New York Times has a compelling story to tell about Saddam Hussein’s burial place. The article includes religious elements that one would expect in a story dealing with life and death — the fact that Saddam’s buried head faces Mecca, personal prayer beads, the words “God is Great” in his handwriting — but little is said of Saddam’s religious faith or lack thereof, which is a significant hole in the story.
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Where is the ghost in this Sudan story?
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Missing a global story
The kidnapping of 21 South Korean aid workers by the Taliban in Afghanistan is one of the most neglected international stories by the American media. There are several reasons for this. Primary among them is that Afghanistan plays second fiddle to the conflict in Iraq and that there just are not that many American reporters in Afghanistan. But this story still matters in America.
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Assume the official position
While visiting the blog of Episcopal priest Joseph Howard I came across a link to a new journalism and religion site. Funded by the Carnegie-Knight Initiative, the site has blogs, links to a Second Life community, and other features. Here’s how it’s described:
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Here some stand
“Stories like this annoy me,” a Lutheran pastor wrote when he notified us of the following Chicago Sun-Times piece. Written by veteran religion reporter Susan Hogan/Albach, it’s about how the Metropolitan Chicago bishop-elect of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America views his denomination’s celibacy requirement for gay and lesbian clergy. The Lutheran clergy and GetReligion reader is a pastor in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, which does not ordain gay clergy. Though both Lutheran groups are large (and I’m a member of the LCMS), only the larger ELCA is mentioned in the story.
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Another story in the Iraqi whirlwind
From time to time, we receive emails from people concerned about a lack of mainstream media coverage of the persecution of the ancient churches inside Iraq, an already tragic situation that is getting worse as Iraq begins to fly apart into competing Islamic states, or tribes, or whatever. This is, of course, part of a wider story in the region — as I learned during my recent visit to Istanbul.
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