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Monitoring Trends in Religion - From February 1990 to January 2016

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Islamic State drawing on Balkans’ instability and homegrown extremism

October 1, 2015 by Jean-François Mayer

The instability of the Balkan countries, the growth of Salafi Islam and their proximity to Western Europe has made this region an important target in the strategy of the Islamic State, according to the Terrorism Monitor (Oct. 2), a newsletter published by the Jamestown Foundation. During the past two years, over 1,000 foreign fighters from […]

Filed Under: Archive

Militant Buddhism gains political clout in Myanmar

October 1, 2015 by Richard Cimino

Anti-Muslim Buddhists are entering the political mainstream of Myanmar (Burma), according to a report in Reuters (Sept. 1). The Buddhist group the Committee for the Protection of Race and Religion, headed by 77-year-old Buddhist abbot Ashin Tilawkar Biwonsa (Ma Ba Tha), passed four bills by Parliament and signed them into law. Critics say the new […]

Filed Under: Archive

Syrian Orthodox Christians caught between government and rebellion support secular regime

October 1, 2015 by Richard Cimino

Across denominations, Orthodox Christians in Syria tend to be supportive of the Assad regime, since it is seen as protective of non-Muslim minorities, writes Christoph Leonhardt in the journal Ostkirchliche Studien (63/2). More than loyalty to the regime itself, the rejection of opposition groups makes these churches supportive of the status quo, he adds. The […]

Filed Under: Archive

Samaritans continue to struggle for survival

October 1, 2015 by Jean-François Mayer

A tiny remnant of an old community, Samaritans are now reduced to some 780 souls, as they find their greatest challenge in finding ways to marry while keeping their religion, writes Ahmad Melhem in Al Monitor (Sept. 20). Of those 780 Samaritans, 380 live in Gerizim (in the northern West Bank), near the mount that […]

Filed Under: Archive

China and the Vatican keep the dialogue going

October 1, 2015 by Jean-François Mayer

While the negotiations are shrouded in secrecy, Pope Francis recently confirmed that contacts and discussions between the People’s Republic of China and the Holy See continue—and Beijing didn’t deny it, reports Eglise d’Asie news service (Sept. 29). The statement by the pope took place on the flight bringing him back from Philadelphia to Rome. He […]

Filed Under: Archive

Hindu nationalist projects target conversions to Christianity

September 1, 2015 by Jean-François Mayer

While a recent article claims that nearly 4 million Indians converted to Christianity over the past 20 years, Hindu nationalist activists have made pronouncements that they want a purely Hindu country by 2020. Currently, more than 80 percent of 1.27 billion Indians are Hindu. Hardline Hindu groups feel encouraged by the accession to power of […]

Filed Under: Archive, International

‘Shiite Crescent’: Arab Spring and Iranian interests

September 1, 2015 by Jean-François Mayer

The Arab Spring has added an entirely new dimension to the discussion of Shia geopolitics, writes Cenap Çakmak (Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Turkey) in The Review of Faith and International Affairs (summer). Due to lack of national identity and sentiments in the Middle East, when a more democratic order is established, Shiites will be prone to […]

Filed Under: Archive

‘Prophetic Medicine’ flourishing in Muslim societies

September 1, 2015 by Richard Cimino

The use of religious healing methods among Muslims is spreading due to limited health options but also high levels of trust in Islamic healers and their faith-based practices. In a report in Global Plus (July 31), a blog published by the Association of Religion Data Bases (ARDA), Algerian journalist Larbi Megari writes that shops selling […]

Filed Under: Archive

Israel-Palestine conflicts challenge ecumenical relations

September 1, 2015 by Jean-François Mayer

Facing unending cycles of violence, Christians in Israel and Palestine find themselves on both sides, which raises questions about their possible role in the conflict and its resolution as well as about relations between them, writes Israeli Jesuit David Neuhaus in the journal Proche-Orient Chrétien (1/2/2015). Being a minority and facing potential decline through emigration, […]

Filed Under: Archive

Women serve as ‘willing victims’ in Korean exorcism

September 1, 2015 by Richard Cimino

Recent cases of “Korean exorcism” in the U.S. and other countries suggest that women in Korean-American churches are more likely to be the “willing victims” of such deliverance practices, in some ways paralleling their involvement in similar shamanic practices in Korea, writes Kyung Hong in the International Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Society (Vol. […]

Filed Under: Archive, Domestic

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