|
Books > Religion & Spirituality > General > Religious intolerance, persecution & conflict > General
The belief that a supreme power guides and embraces humanity has
existed since primeval times. How that power is seen has been one
of the greatest divisions between peoples and nations. Whether
called God or by any other name, how that power is perceived is the
theme that makes this work memorable.
Two American families in the not-so-distant future decide to flee
their homeland in the wake of new laws that limited their religious
freedoms. It seemed that this religious intolerance as well as the
moral decay of their society had made them apprehensive about the
future of their families and their country and, so, the adventure
started. It led them and a number of others who joined them on a
dangerous journey filled with challenges and danger to a new land
far from their native shores. It is an adventure that you will not
soon forget. This book is in the apocalyptic spirit of Tim LaHaye
and Jerry Jenkin's "Left Behind" series with the edginess of
William P. Young's "The Shack.
This report was compiled by the U.S. Department of State for 2012.
The study found that the government increased its targeting and
surveillance of members of faith groups it deemed a "threat,"
including members of the country's Sunni majority. This occurred
concurrently with the escalation of the civil conflict that
resulted in the regime killing 35,000 civilians between the start
of the uprising in 2011 and year's end. Such targeting included
killing, detention, and harassment. There were credible reports
that the regime targeted citizens based on religious affiliation in
mixed neighborhoods in Homs and rural Aleppo. The government
outlawed groups it claimed were "Muslim extremist groups," as well
as Jehovah's Witnesses. It continued to monitor the activities of
all religious groups and to discourage proselytizing, which it
deemed a threat to relations among and within different faiths.
This report was compiled by the U.S. Department of State for 2012.
The study found that the government increased its targeting and
surveillance of members of faith groups it deemed a "threat,"
including members of the country's Sunni majority. This occurred
concurrently with the escalation of the civil conflict that
resulted in the regime killing 35,000 civilians between the start
of the uprising in 2011 and year's end. Such targeting included
killing, detention, and harassment. There were credible reports
that the regime targeted citizens based on religious affiliation in
mixed neighborhoods in Homs and rural Aleppo. The government
outlawed groups it claimed were "Muslim extremist groups," as well
as Jehovah's Witnesses. It continued to monitor the activities of
all religious groups and to discourage proselytizing, which it
deemed a threat to relations among and within different faiths.
Large Print Edition 18pt]
Rutilio Grande, SJ, was the first Jesuit to be assassinated in El
Salvador. He was killed on March 12, 1977, for having done the
works that Jesus commands with regard to one's neighbor as a priest
in the Roman Catholic Church. This volume of his writings and
homilies illustrates how he applied the social and ecclesial
teachings of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) in his ministry
with the poor and marginalized of El Salvador. His use of the
social sciences to understand the problems in his context, his
prophetic denunciation of power and wealth, and his ministry to
empower laypeople to lead their faith communities all speak to the
Holy Spirit working through the courage of a true servant leader.
Professor Roberts examines the relationship between antisemitism
and the practices of citizenship in a colonial context. She focuses
on the experience of Algerian Jews and their evolving identity as
citizens as they competed with the other populations in the colony,
including newly naturalised non-French settlers and Algerian
Muslims, for control over the scarce resources of the colonial
state. The author argues that this resulted in antisemitic violence
and hotly contested debates over the nature of French identity and
rights of citizenship. Tracing the ambiguities and tensions that
Algerian Jews faced, the book shows that antisemitism was not
coherent or stable but changed in response to influences within
Algeria, and from metropolitan France, Europe and the Middle East.
Written for a wide audience, this title contributes to several
fields including Jewish history, colonial and empire studies,
antisemitism within municipal politics, and citizenship, and adds
to current debates on transnationalism and globalization.
A prominent rabbi and imam, each raised in orthodoxy, overcome the
temptations of bigotry and work to bridge the chasm between Muslims
and Jews
Rabbi Marc Schneier, the eighteenth generation of a distinguished
rabbinical dynasty, grew up deeply suspicious of Muslims, believing
them all to be anti-Semitic. Imam Shamsi Ali, who grew up in a
small Indonesian village and studied in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia,
believed that all Jews wanted to destroy Muslims. Coming from
positions of mutual mistrust, it seems unthinkable that these
orthodox religious leaders would ever see eye to eye. Yet in the
aftermath of 9/11, amid increasing acrimony between Jews and
Muslims, the two men overcame their prejudices and bonded over a
shared belief in the importance of opening up a dialogue and
finding mutual respect. In doing so, they became not only friends
but also defenders of each other's religion, denouncing the twin
threats of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia and promoting interfaith
cooperation.
In "Sons of Abraham," Rabbi Schneier and Imam Ali tell the story
of how they became friends and offer a candid look at the
contentious theological and political issues that frequently divide
Jews and Muslims, clarifying erroneous ideas that extremists in
each religion use to justify harmful behavior. Rabbi Schneier
dispels misconceptions about chosenness in Judaism, while Imam Ali
explains the truth behind concepts like jihad and Shari'a. And on
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the two speak forthrightly on the
importance of having a civil discussion and the urgency of reaching
a peaceful solution.
As Rabbi Schneier and Imam Ali show, by reaching a fuller
understanding of one another's faith traditions, Jews and Muslims
can realize that they are actually more united than divided in
their core beliefs. Both traditions promote kindness, service, and
responsibility for the less fortunate--and both religions call on
their members to extend compassion to those outside the faith. In
this sorely needed book, Rabbi Schneier and Imam Ali challenge Jews
and Muslims to step out of their comfort zones, find common ground
in their shared Abrahamic traditions, and stand together and fight
for a better world for all.
Secularism, Theology and Islam offers a uniquely theological
analysis of the historic Danish cartoon crisis of 2005-2006, in
which the publication of twelve images of the Prophet Muhammad in
the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten ignited violent global
protests. The crisis represents a politically, culturally, and
religiously important event of the early 21st century, and Jennifer
Veninga explores the important question of why the cartoons were
published in Denmark when they were and why this matters to the
larger global community. The book outlines three main
interpretations of the affair as they were framed by international
news media: as an issue exclusively about freedom of speech, as
related to a 'clash of civilizations', or exclusively as a matter
of international politics. Whilst these are important to note, the
author argues that the crisis was far more complex than any of
these interpretations suggest, and argues that an alternative
methodology can be found in philosopher Charles Taylor's concept of
the 'social imaginary', which refers to the shared norms,
expectations, images and narratives of a community or nation that
inform many of its shared practices. Describing the Danish social
imaginary as a paradox of Christianity and secularism, Veninga
explains why the new presence of Islam has been perceived as such a
threat to Danish identity. The author also maintains that despite
tendencies toward exclusion, the Danish imaginary also supports a
move toward authentic religious pluralism. Understanding the Danish
cartoon crisis is important for any community struggling with new
religious diversity, especially those with largely secular
identities. Furthermore, the method used to examine the crisis
provides a theological analytical framework applicable to a wide
variety of contemporary social and political movements and issues.
|
|