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Why Bill Maher Gets a “C” in My Introduction to Religion Class…

By S. Brent Rodriguez Plate

…pages I’ll confine myself to Religulous.) This is the kind of thing a fair number of my students, raised in the Protestant-dominated United States (even Catholics and Jews have assimilated this definition), come to university thinking about religion; the two key components of which are “belief” and “God.” Religion is some cryptic interior, individual thing that exists in one’s own head, and is only understood in relation to a God. I don’t blame my…

Why ISIS War Would Make Paris Attacks a Success

By Mark Juergensmeyer

…and the French public who could easily be whipped up into enthusiasm for a military attack on ISIS—which is precisely what ISIS wants. This is why the response to ISIS is such a critical matter. A knee-jerk Islamophobic response that accuses Islam of violence will help ISIS by alienating Muslims and reinforcing the notion that the Islamic world is under siege and needs to be defended. Similarly, policies that will restrict Syrian refugees—themselv…

Egyptian President Al-Sisi is a Dictator, Not a Reformer of Islam

By Mohamad Elmasry

…revolution” is about political domination, not religious reform. The 2013 military coup was not a confrontation against extremism: it was an attempt by Egypt’s “deep state” to reverse the nation’s democratic gains and to once again assume complete control over its political economic system. It’s important to note that Egypt’s military coup was carried out against the Muslim Brotherhood, a moderate Islamist group that had dominated Egypt’s first-e…

On The Kerry Apartheid Comment and the Cycle of Chutzpah

By Sarah Posner

…system of control and expropriation of land that is founded on the use of military force. Arbitrary violence is of the essence of military rule, which cannot rely on democratic legitimacy. As enforcers of Israel’s regime in the Occupied Territories, we know of “mock arrests,” random humiliating punishments; use of civilians as human shields; numerous checkpoints and barriers between and inside Palestinian villages and cities; “mappings;” curfews;…

Excommunicated For ‘Grave Scandal’ of Ordaining Women

By Roy Bourgeois

…and imprisoned. During my fifth year I was among the many arrested by the military and I was forced to leave the country. I then turned my attention to El Salvador where, on March 24, 1980, Archbishop Oscar Romero was assassinated because of his defense of the poor. Months later, four U.S. churchwomen working with the poor were raped and killed by the Salvadoran military. Two of the women, Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford, were friends…

When Religion is a Refuge for Scoundrels: ‘Ryan Budget’ Edition

By Daniel C. Maguire

…further deregulate the dogs of greed. And as for the military, ah yes, the military, Ryan said they did not ask enough, though they have never been known for modesty in their requests. With the military budget around $2 million per minute, there is no need to further feed that black hole in the economy—but feed it Ryan would. Kill-power is prized more highly than Head Start and Medicare. Enter the Real Catholic Social Teaching When the real Cathol…

Gaza Reading [UPDATED]

By Sarah Posner

…2012 More political reading: Matt Duss at The American Prospect on why the military attack on Gaza was a gamble for Israel, and one that won’t solve the problem it purports to address. Daniel Levy at Open Zion with a very detailed look at the role of Israel’s electoral politics and regional geopolitics. He concludes: “every time Israel prioritises military solutions over political solutions, views the Palestinians through the framework of occupati…

Tutu’s Daughter Marries Woman & Loses Anglican Priest License; Romanian Anti-Marriage Activists Get 3 Million Signatures; Australian State Apologizes For Harmful Sodomy Laws; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…nths period. Homosexuals and transsexuals are not required to serve in the military. Prior to the ratification of the new regulation, both categories were exempt from military draft under a section of the law which classified homosexuality and transsexuality as a mental disorder. However, after the ratification of the new regulations, although homosexuality and transsexuality are still categorized as mental disorders, a specific section of the law…

When I Have Fears The Middle East May Cease To Be

By Haroon Moghul

…ary into a responsible process of democratization. Who else can summon the numbers adequate to force the military’s hand? And the Islamists, too, might read these lessons in their own way: They can participate in politics, but not really. Or only under strict limits, which others will decide for them. That didn’t work in Algeria, and tens of thousands died in a war that the deep state exploited for its purposes. It only worked in Turkey until the…

World Congress of Families Draws Anti-LGBT Activists to Budapest; More in Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…akarta’s Christian governor, imprisoned on blasphemy charges. South Korea: Military sentences against gay captain An Army captain faces dishonorable discharge after a military court sentenced him to a suspended prison term for having sex with a fellow male soldier. From Kim Tong-Hyung’s Associated Press report: In conservative South Korea, gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people are harshly stigmatized and struggle to be politically visibl…