Eight years ago, Wael fled to Turkey amid the threat of bombings and airstrikes unleashed during the Syrian civil war. Now, nearly two months since a 7.8 magnitude earthquake decimated parts of Turkey and Syria, Wael said he and other Syrian refugees are coping with an event that’s arguably more traumatic than the war they escaped from in the first place.“We’re all waiting for the next catastrophe or the next disaster. Maybe a volcano or some new disease,” Wael, who asked to go by his first name for security purposes, told Religion News Service in a call from Gaziantep, Turkey. “Most or all...…Eight years ago, Wael fled to Turkey amid the threat of bombings and airstrikes unleashed during the Syrian civil war. Now, nearly two months since a 7.8 magnitude earthquake decimated parts of Turkey and Syria, Wael said he and other Syrian refugees are coping with an event that’s arguably more traumatic than the war they escaped from in the first place.“We’re all waiting for the next catastrophe or the next disaster. Maybe a volcano or some new disease,” Wael, who asked to go by his first name for security purposes, told Religion News Service in a call from Gaziantep, Turkey. “Most or all...WW…

Instead of fully enjoying celebrations for Eid al-Fitr, the festival that marks the end of Ramadan, Aisha Majdoub has often found herself preoccupied, wondering what her classmates were doing or thinking about missed schoolwork as she tried to commemorate the holiday with family.“ If you miss math for one day, it’s pretty tough to get back on track,” said Majdoub, 15, a sophomore at Galileo Academy of Science and Technology, a public high school in San Francisco.Her parents have also felt guilty, she said, “like (they) were depriving me of a day of education.” During Eid al-Fitr, which...…Instead of fully enjoying celebrations for Eid al-Fitr, the festival that marks the end of Ramadan, Aisha Majdoub has often found herself preoccupied, wondering what her classmates were doing or thinking about missed schoolwork as she tried to commemorate the holiday with family.“ If you miss math for one day, it’s pretty tough to get back on track,” said Majdoub, 15, a sophomore at Galileo Academy of Science and Technology, a public high school in San Francisco.Her parents have also felt guilty, she said, “like (they) were depriving me of a day of education.” During Eid al-Fitr, which...WW…

Most PopularYou've read 0 of 5 of today’s most popular posts.Everything RNS© Copyright 2020, Religion News Service. All rights reserved. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our and , and . The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Religion News Service.This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are...…Most PopularYou've read 0 of 5 of today’s most popular posts.Everything RNS© Copyright 2020, Religion News Service. All rights reserved. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our and , and . The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Religion News Service.This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are...WW…

(RNS) — As Americans, we have been entrusted with two sacred duties that arise from our Constitution: the duty to protect our faith from overreach by the government and the duty to protect our fellow Americans from overreach by the church.For too long, people of faith have looked the other way while our leaders codify discrimination against LGBTQ Americans in the name of “religious liberty.” In the past months, that effort has been accelerated, with vile and inhumane laws in states across the country to restrict the freedoms of LGBTQ people.More than a dozen states  to extend religious...…(RNS) — As Americans, we have been entrusted with two sacred duties that arise from our Constitution: the duty to protect our faith from overreach by the government and the duty to protect our fellow Americans from overreach by the church.For too long, people of faith have looked the other way while our leaders codify discrimination against LGBTQ Americans in the name of “religious liberty.” In the past months, that effort has been accelerated, with vile and inhumane laws in states across the country to restrict the freedoms of LGBTQ people.More than a dozen states  to extend religious...WW…

The movement has been effective because ‘faith leaders are trusted more than political parties,’ said one activist in the region. On Jan. 26, when 56-year-old Buddhist engineer-innovator Sonam Wangchuk started his hunger strike in the remote Himalayan desert of Ladakh, Muslims and Buddhists — communities divided for more than six decades — rallied around him. Wangchuk was on a five-day symbolic fast to draw the attention of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party government to the demands of the people of Ladakh. Currently governed by India, the union territory of Ladakh in the larger...…The movement has been effective because ‘faith leaders are trusted more than political parties,’ said one activist in the region. On Jan. 26, when 56-year-old Buddhist engineer-innovator Sonam Wangchuk started his hunger strike in the remote Himalayan desert of Ladakh, Muslims and Buddhists — communities divided for more than six decades — rallied around him. Wangchuk was on a five-day symbolic fast to draw the attention of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party government to the demands of the people of Ladakh. Currently governed by India, the union territory of Ladakh in the larger...WW…

Support our work(RNS) — Steven Newcomb, who is Shawnee and Lenape, recalls first writing to the pope in 1992 to ask him to revoke the papal bulls behind the Doctrine of Discovery.That was Pope John Paul II. Two popes ago.So when the Vatican released a statement last week saying it repudiated that doctrine — which, backed by a series of 15th-century papal bulls, justified the domination by European Christians of lands already inhabited by Indigenous peoples — Newcomb said he wasn’t terribly surprised.“I just think it’s fascinating and it’s really great because what it does is it catapults...…Support our work(RNS) — Steven Newcomb, who is Shawnee and Lenape, recalls first writing to the pope in 1992 to ask him to revoke the papal bulls behind the Doctrine of Discovery.That was Pope John Paul II. Two popes ago.So when the Vatican released a statement last week saying it repudiated that doctrine — which, backed by a series of 15th-century papal bulls, justified the domination by European Christians of lands already inhabited by Indigenous peoples — Newcomb said he wasn’t terribly surprised.“I just think it’s fascinating and it’s really great because what it does is it catapults...WW…

SUPERIOR, Ariz. (RNS) — Waya Brown, barefoot and clad in a flicker-feather headdress and red-tailed hawk cape, waved a handful of feathers toward the ground. Brown, who is Apache and Pomo, twirled in a circle as he blew a double cane whistle.His father rattled a bamboo stick and sang in the Pomo language, while his aunt pounded on a deerskin drum. His sister and cousins danced in place as they all blessed the ground and those surrounding the circle.This was the scene on Saturday (Feb. 27) at Chi’chil Biłdagoteel, known widely as Oak Flat, as the Brown family offered a prayer from the...…SUPERIOR, Ariz. (RNS) — Waya Brown, barefoot and clad in a flicker-feather headdress and red-tailed hawk cape, waved a handful of feathers toward the ground. Brown, who is Apache and Pomo, twirled in a circle as he blew a double cane whistle.His father rattled a bamboo stick and sang in the Pomo language, while his aunt pounded on a deerskin drum. His sister and cousins danced in place as they all blessed the ground and those surrounding the circle.This was the scene on Saturday (Feb. 27) at Chi’chil Biłdagoteel, known widely as Oak Flat, as the Brown family offered a prayer from the...WW…

Pope Gregory XIII, the 16th century pontiff responsible for what is today known as the Gregorian calendar, now has another, celestial claim to fame. A working group of the International Astronomical Union has named an asteroid after him, the Vatican Observatory said Tuesday.The “560974 Ugoboncompagni” — Gregory’s birth name was Ugo Boncompagni — was announced along with 72 other named asteroids in the Feb. 27 update of the union’s Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature.Also included in the new group are three Jesuits affiliated with the Vatican Observatory, bringing to more than 30 the...…Pope Gregory XIII, the 16th century pontiff responsible for what is today known as the Gregorian calendar, now has another, celestial claim to fame. A working group of the International Astronomical Union has named an asteroid after him, the Vatican Observatory said Tuesday.The “560974 Ugoboncompagni” — Gregory’s birth name was Ugo Boncompagni — was announced along with 72 other named asteroids in the Feb. 27 update of the union’s Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature.Also included in the new group are three Jesuits affiliated with the Vatican Observatory, bringing to more than 30 the...WW…

Support our work(RNS) — For the most part, religious Americans say their LGBTQ neighbors should be free of discrimination when they are at work, in public or at home.This is true even among groups that oppose same-sex marriage.One place they disagree is over whether businesses — such as cake bakers or other vendors — ever have the right to refuse service. On that issue, Americans are split along religious and party lines.Meanwhile, almost half of LGBTQ Americans are young and claim no religion. Those are among the findings of a new report on polarization and LGBTQ rights from the...…Support our work(RNS) — For the most part, religious Americans say their LGBTQ neighbors should be free of discrimination when they are at work, in public or at home.This is true even among groups that oppose same-sex marriage.One place they disagree is over whether businesses — such as cake bakers or other vendors — ever have the right to refuse service. On that issue, Americans are split along religious and party lines.Meanwhile, almost half of LGBTQ Americans are young and claim no religion. Those are among the findings of a new report on polarization and LGBTQ rights from the...WW…

Lebanon teeters on the brink, with the country’s openness its biggest asset and liability. While exact numbers are unknown, the society is evenly divided between Christians, Shia Muslims and Sunni Muslims, with the ancient Druze community adding a smaller fourth element. Such balance is unique in the Middle East and sets the nation apart from its neighbors. But internal forces and external actors threaten the future of coexistence, which may cause its disintegration.Having visited Lebanon myself on multiple occasions, the small country of 4 million is constantly in a state of crisis. The...…Lebanon teeters on the brink, with the country’s openness its biggest asset and liability. While exact numbers are unknown, the society is evenly divided between Christians, Shia Muslims and Sunni Muslims, with the ancient Druze community adding a smaller fourth element. Such balance is unique in the Middle East and sets the nation apart from its neighbors. But internal forces and external actors threaten the future of coexistence, which may cause its disintegration.Having visited Lebanon myself on multiple occasions, the small country of 4 million is constantly in a state of crisis. The...WW…