Immediately after the terrorist attacks, websites sponsored by major Muslim organizations in the West expressed strong condemnation and sympathy for the victims, as could be seen on http://www.icna.com (Islamic Circle of North America), http://www.mcb.org.uk (Muslim Council of Britain), http://www.islam.de (Central Council of Muslims in Germany) or http://www.uoif-online.org (Union of Islamic Organizations of France). The online condolence registry opened by http://www.islam.de filled with hundreds of names. […]

The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11 has raised delicate questions about the ties of American Islamic organizations to groups that support or condone terrorism. The Wall Street Journal (Sept. 25) reports that the attempt by President George W. Bush to trace and freeze the funding of terrorism has not only […]

Cremation, long taboo among all Jewish denominations, is becoming more common among U.S. Jews, reports Moment magazine (August). Jewish law and tradition stipulates that a body is to be honored by being buried rather than destroyed. The holocaust, with its use of gas chambers and crematoriums, is another reason for the Jewish aversion to cremation. But slowly […]

Islam is increasingly grappling with the spread of AIDS, with Muslim leaders taking similar approaches to Christians in their early attitudes to the spread of the disease, reports the Washington Post (Aug. 13). Warnings that AIDS-related sex education and condom promotion will undercut individual morality and lead to societal destruction have come from Islamic leaders in Pakistan […]

A growing number of native American sacred sites are under threat from new sprawling housing developments and industrial plants. The Los Angeles Times (Aug. 16) reports that from Florida to Ohio to Arkansas, Native American groups are fighting battles with state and federal governments to protect places, including burial sites, where ancestors worshipped. Targets of recent native […]

Jewish learning about Christian beliefs and practices “appears to be on the rise,” reports Jewish Currents (July-August). The magazine cites a recent meeting of the Catholic-Jewish Liason Committee, where making the history of relations between Catholics and Jews a “core part of the curriculum for new clergy.” The committee noted that Jewish institutions have not “made as […]

The sharp controversy over the Boy Scouts’ prohibition of homosexuals from its membership is not only dividing congregations and denominations but is also showing how scouting has gradually taken more religious overtones over the years, reports Newsweek (Aug. 7). The Boy Scouts policy prohibiting homosexuals from membership in the organization has again the ongoing divide among U.S. […]

Fraud involving investments in religious causes is on the increase, with more than $1.8 billion lost on such schemes in the last three years, reports the Los Angeles Times (Aug. 8). State security officials report that con artists in 27 states have taken advantage of at least 90,000 investors, with such deceived parties claiming that they are […]

TV sitcoms are being put to use by churches as  material for Bible studies and grist for spirituality in general, reports the New York Times Magazine (Aug. 12). In the effort to be relevant to unchurched seekers as well as the faithful, churches are increasingly borrowing from the popular culture and media. The Simpsons is the subject of […]

The “Goth” international youth culture, with its “dark aesthetics” and fascination with death and vampires, is becoming both a mission field and an emerging counterculture drawing disaffected Christians. Charisma magazine (August) features a cover story that seeks to dispel stereotypes about the Goth subculture (that they worship Satan or that most are violent and practice vampirism) […]