Author: Staff Writer

Source: The Fresno Bee

Wire Service: AP

http://www.fresnobee.com/state/story/1802761.html

Islamic-rights activists are criticizing the mayor of Lancaster for promoting Christianity during his State of the City speech this week, specifically his comment that he is "growing a Christian community."

The Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said Friday that Mayor R....

Author: Kate Linthicum

Source: Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-immigrant-nebraska28-2010jan28,0,6078807.story?page=1

Hawa Farah was living in Minneapolis three years ago making $8 an hour at a bakery when her fiance, Hussein Hussein, got a call about good jobs that paid better.

So the couple, like many Somali immigrants who follow work around the...

Author: Do Je-hae

Source: The Korea Times

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/01/113_59889.html

The case of a drunken group of policemen beating up a monk is testing the relations between the Lee Myung-bak administration and the Buddhist circles.

The assault took place on the night of Jan. 19 at Yonghwa Temple in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province. Jigwan, the chief monk of the temple, claimed that he went out when he...

Author: Matthew Davies

Source: Episcopal News Service

http://www.episcopal-life.org/81827_118914_ENG_HTM.htm

Enhancing understanding and respect between Muslims and Christians is the goal of an innovative interfaith art exhibition and supporting events being held Jan. 28 - Feb. 3 at St. John the Baptist Anglican/Episcopal Church in the suburban Maadi district of Cairo, Egypt.

The CARAVAN Festival of the Arts exhibition...

Author: Lilian Budianto

Source: The Jakarta Post

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/01/28/ri-us-religious-groups-team-tackle-poverty.html

Participants at an interfaith forum in Jakarta have pledged to work closely to end poverty and enhance education while trying to help people cope with climate change.

The joint declaration came at the conclusion of the three-day forum Wednesday, attended by...

Author: Staff Writer

Source: eNews Park Forest

Author: Mary Beth Lane

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/01/27/poster-with-10-commandments-puts-judge-back-in-spotlight.html?sid=101

A second constitutional challenge to an Ohio judge's display of the Ten Commandments in his courtroom is making its way through the court system.

At issue is whether a...

Author: Staff Writer

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8482267.stm

Several severed pigs' heads have been found in mosque compounds in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.

The national police chief, Musa Hassan, linked the discoveries to recent attacks on various houses of worship.

Pigs are considered unclean by Muslims and their presence in the mosque compound will be taken as an insult.

In recent weeks,...

Author: Staff Writer

Source: Baha'i World News Service

http://news.bahai.org/story/751

Concern is growing over the lack of information about the status of 10 Baha'is who were arrested earlier this month in Iran.

In addition to worry about their safety, there are fears that charges against these 10 will be used to create false evidence in court against the seven Baha'i leaders who have been held since 2008 and whose trial is set to resume on 7 February.

"...

Author: Staff Writer

Source: RTTNews

http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1189421&SMap=1

The Election Commission of Bangladesh has begun the process to ban religion-based political parties in that South Asian country by issuing a directive to three Islamic parties to amend their charters found to be in conflict with the country's Constitution.

It wrote to the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh Khelataf Andolan...

Author: mynews.in

Source: mynews.in

http://www.mynews.in/News/Obama's_man_of_faith_hails_Hindu_Americans_N36313.html

Joshua DuBois, executive director of the White HouseOffice of Faith-Based and Neighbourhood Partnerships and Special Assistant to President Barack Obama, has lauded Hindu Americans for promoting inter-faith dialogue and cooperation through service in the United States.

In an...

Author: Icess Fernandez

Source: Shreveport Times

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20100125/NEWS06/1250320/Shreveport-hears-about-world-religions

In an effort to educate her students about the religions of the world, Betty McCollum rounded them up in a van and drove from Magnolia, Ark., to Shreveport.

McCollum, an instructor at Southern Arkansas University, brought 17 students to the...

Author: Yolande Knell

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8478397.stm

Worshippers arriving for mass at St Mary's Church in central Cairo say they were shocked but not surprised by a deadly attack against Coptic Christians in southern Egypt earlier this month.

"Copts have been suffering for a long time," comments Magda accompanying her teenage son to the service.

"There have been a lot of tensions between Christians...

Author: Nataliya Vasilyeva

Source: Yahoo News

Wire Service: AP

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100125/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_religious_freedoms

Religious freedoms are being rapidly curtailed throughout Russia as the Orthodox Church seeks to boost its dominance, human rights activists warned Monday.

In its annual report on...

Author: Staff Writer

Source: The Hindu

Wire Service: AP

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/international/article94649.ece

A Muslim mob torched unlicensed churches and priest’s home in western Indonesia last week and security forces have deployed to ensure order, a government spokesman said on Monday.

No one was hurt when hundreds of villagers burned down two Protestant churches on Friday in Sibuhuan...