The Associated press reports that former President Jimmy Carter has secured the release of Aijalon Mahli Gomes:
Ghosts in the North Korea rescue
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A model Park 51 discussion
Earlier this week I wrote something for the Washington Post/Newsweek “On Faith” section about media missteps in coverage of the mosque proposed to be built near ground zero. One of the points I made was that the media make the opposing sides in this debate seem farther apart than they are:
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Rational discussions about Cordoba's history
More than a few readers have asked us to take another look at a topic we broached last week — the history of Cordoba, Spain. Historic Cordoba has been in the news because the proposed Islamic center near ground zero is part of what’s called the Cordoba Initiative. The center was going to be called Cordoba and its backers said it was in honor of a golden age of interfaith relations. Others were aghast at the name because Muslims conquered Cordoba’s Christians. The mosque’s backers are now calling it Park 51.
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Missing voices in the stem cell debates
Reuters has a story about a U.S. district court ruling that may interest GetReligion readers. The lede explains what’s going on best:
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Ghosts in a breast milk fatwa
There were two stories out of Saudi Arabia last week that begged for more detail. The first told of a judge who asked hospitals if they could sever a man’s spinal cord in order to paralyze him as punishment for injuries he inflicted during a fight. In many cases the stories didn’t highlight the judicial principle that motivated the judge’s request — a strict adherence to “an eye for an eye” judicial code. Or even if they mentioned the principle, they didn’t include a healthy discussion of the theology underlying it or the various interpretations of it.
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All the single ladies
I frequently mention how much I appreciate interesting stories about day-to-day religious life. A few weeks ago we looked at that great New York Times piece about how different religious adherents live out their faith in their residential choices.
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Who fact checks the fact checkers?
Part of me is hoping we get a good sex scandal next week so we can move off of all-Park51-coverage all the time. On the other hand, now is not a bad time to be on the Godbeat, eh? We have all the excitement right now. There are great opportunities for all sorts of angles. Paul Vitello at the New York Times simply asked a bunch of different New York City Muslims how they feel about the controversy. The result was very well-executed and really fascinating. It’s not heavy on religion so much as accommodation and compromise, but I actually think that’s a better way to handle those very important issues.
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Did bloggers cause Cordoba mosque controversy?
The two-thirds of Americans who oppose the Cordoba House might argue that theirs is a fairly understandable reaction against an ill-advised project. Some, such as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, say that their opposition is part of a concerted effort that needs to be investigated.
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Drop the preconceptions already (UPDATED)
Of all the ridiculous things written about the controversy over the proposed mosque near Ground Zero, one has stood out for me. A couple of weeks ago Salon‘s Justin Elliott asked Why did no one object to the “Pentagon mosque“? He said that “right-wingers have been strangely silent” about Muslims praying in the Pentagon and having their own Muslim chaplain.
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