Cultural Affairs
Religion Archive
MAPPING THE GLOBAL MUSLIM POPULATION.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. October 8, 2009.
Full Text [PDF format, 62 pages]
A comprehensive demographic study of more than 200 countries finds that there are 1.57 billion Muslims of all ages living in the world today, representing 23% of an estimated 2009 world population of 6.8 billion.
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SAME-GENDER MARRIAGE & RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.
Interfaith Alliance. C. Welton Gaddy. August 2009.
Full Text [PDF format, 33 pages]
In the paper, the author calls for a new national discussion on marriage based on the premise that “law, not scripture, is the foundation of government regulations related to marriage in our nation.” The paper expresses support for same-gender marriage, seeking to shift the perspective on LGBT equality from problem to solution. To do so, the author advocates for moving from scriptural argument to religious freedom agreement, and to address the issue of equality as informed by the U.S. Constitution.
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A PORTRAIT OF MORMONS IN THE U.S.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Allison Pond. July 24, 2009.
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In Utah, July 24 is Pioneer Day, a state holiday commemorating the day in 1847 when the first Mormon settlers, led by Brigham Young, entered the Salt Lake Valley. Today, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other Mormon groups make up 58% of Utah's population and 1.7% of the total U.S. adult population, according to the report.
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THE CHALLENGES TO RELIGIOUS LIBERTY IN INDONESIA.
Heritage Foundation. Richard G. Kraince. June 1, 2009.
Full Text [PDF format, 14 pages]
The widespread growth of faith-based social movements over the past two decades has convinced many observers of the significance of religious activism as a driving force behind social change in many parts of the globe. According to the study, it applies to Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation and, since 1999, its third-largest democracy. Indonesian Islamic activists have recently received considerable attention from development organizations for encouraging participation in public policymaking, promoting government accountability, and otherwise contributing to democratic reform.
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SHIFTING BOUNDARIES: THE ESTABLISHMENT CLAUSE AND GOVERNMENT FUNDING OF RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS AND OTHER FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. May 2009.
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The report explores the complex, fluid relationship between government and religion. Among the issues examined are religion in public schools, displays of religious symbols on public property, conflicts concerning the free exercise of religion, and government funding of faith-based organizations.
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Rice, Andrew. MISSION FROM AFRICA.
(New York Times Magazine, April 12, 2009, pp. 30-37; 54; 57-58)
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Looks at what Rice refers to as the “Africanization” of Christianity, using the Redeemed Christian Church of God as a case study.
FAITH IN GLOBAL WARMING: RELIGIOUS GROUPS’ VIEWS ON EARTH WARMING EVIDENCE.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. April 16, 2009.
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The survey examines views on global warming among major religious traditions in the U.S. The unaffiliated, 58%, are the most likely among the religious groups studied to say there is solid evidence the earth is warming because of human activity. White evangelical Protestants are the most likely to say there is no solid evidence the earth is warming, 31%, and the least likely to believe that humans have contributed to heating up the planet (34%).
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Curry, Andrew THE WORLD’S FIRST TEMPLE? (Smithsonian, vol. 39, no. 8, November 2008, pp. 54-60)
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On a hilltop in southeastern Turkey, near the border with Syria, a team of German archaeologists are excavating a place estimated to date to 9,000 B.C. that they think may be humanity’s first site of worship. Their findings may re-write the conventional wisdom about the evolution of human society. Gobekli Tepe is a man-made earthen mound, in which archaeologists have discovered a series of massive carved and embellished stones. They were arranged by their builders in a ritualistic way, and then buried. The size and mass of the construction could have only been achieved by a well-organized workforce, yet its age means that it was built before the domestication of animals and the emergence of agriculture. Anthropology has long held that farming and the organization of labor it demanded led to the building of temples and development of complex social structures. The Gobekli Tepe dig is leading many to suggest that it may have been the other way around -- that the effort required to build the monoliths was the basis for the development of agriculture and complex societies.
HEARING ON RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM IN PAKISTAN, MARCH 2009, U.S. COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.
Council on Foreign Relations. March 17, 2009.
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Chair Felice Gaer's opening comments describe the subject of the hearing: "the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom will examine the threat that religious extremism poses to security, human rights, and religious freedom in Pakistan… The Commission has been concerned about a rising threat of religious extremism that promotes violence in Pakistan and South Asia, one of the world’s most troubled regions.”
AMERICAN RELIGIOUS IDENTIFICATION SURVEY 2008.
Program on Public Values, Trinity College. Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar. Web posted March 9, 2009.
Full Text [PDF format, 26 pages]
The Catholic population of the United States has shifted away from the Northeast and towards the Southwest, while secularity continues to grow in strength in all regions of the country, according to the study. “The decline of Catholicism in the Northeast is nothing short of stunning,” said the author, Barry Kosmin. “Thanks to immigration and natural increase among Latinos, California now has a higher proportion of Catholics than New England.” Northern New England has now taken over from the Pacific Northwest as the least religious section of the country, with Vermont, at 34 percent “Nones,” leading all other states by a full 9 points. The ‘Nones’ are the only group to have grown in every state of the Union.”
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A RELIGIOUS PORTRAIT OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. January 30, 2009.
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While the U.S. is generally considered a highly religious nation, African-Americans are markedly more religious on a variety of measures than the U.S. population as a whole, including level of affiliation with a religion, attendance at religious services, frequency of prayer and religion’s importance in life. Compared with other racial and ethnic groups, African-Americans are among the most likely to report a formal religious affiliation, with fully 87% of African-Americans describing themselves as belonging to one religious group or another, according to the report.
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FAITH ON THE HILL: THE RELIGIOUS AFFILIATIONS OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. December 19, 2008.
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Members of Congress are often accused of being out of touch with average citizens, but an examination of the religious affiliations of U.S. senators and representatives shows that, on one very basic level, Congress looks much like the rest of the country. Although a majority of the members of the new, 111th Congress, which will be sworn in on Jan. 6, are Protestants, Congress, like the nation as a whole, is much more religiously diverse than it was 50 years ago. Religious Landscape Survey of over 35,000 American adults finds that some smaller religious groups, notably Catholics, Jews and Mormons, are better represented in Congress than they are in the population as a whole. However, certain other smaller religious groups, including Buddhists, Muslims and Hindus, still are somewhat underrepresented in Congress relative to their share of the U.S. population.
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MIRACLES, DIVINE HEALINGS, AND ANGELS: BELIEFS AMONG U.S. ADULTS 45+ WITH HISPANIC OVERSAMPLE.
American Association of Retired Persons. Gretchen Anderson. Web posted November 27, 2008.
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The American Association of Retired Persons’ July 2008 telephone survey included a Hispanic over sample. Key findings include: Four in five survey respondents (80%) say they believe that miracles occur today as in ancient times, while 67% say they believe that illnesses and injuries can be divinely healed. Respondents age 45-54 were more likely to believe in miracles (85%) than age 55 and older (77%). Unsurprisingly, God (84%) and Jesus (75%) were the two figures respondents rated highest in bestowing miracles. A strong majority of Hispanics report believing in miracles (86%), spirits and angels (86%), and divine healings (82%), significantly more than white non-Hispanics.
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Schmidle, Nicholas FAITH & ECSTASY (Smithsonian, Vol. 39, no. 9, December 2008, pp. 36-47)
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Most Western media coverage of Islam in recent years has focused on fundamentalists, their strict beliefs, and their link to terrorism. But less attention has been paid to Sufism, which represents the mystical side of Islam -– a personal experience with Allah, instead of the doctrinal approach of fundamentalists like the Taliban. Sufis say that attempting to define Sufism is like defining love, but the author writes that its practitioners consider Islam a religious experience, and not a social, or political one. “Sufis represent the strongest indigenous force against Islamic fundamentalism,” Schmidle writes. While the West has attempted to counter fundamentalism with public diplomacy, interfaith dialogues and other efforts, the author writes that it has failed to recognize the counterterrorist power that lies in Sufism. A tradition started by a group of 13th-century mystics, including Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, Sufism has many devotees today in the provinces of Sindh and Punjab, the home of the family of the assassinated prime minister, Benazir Bhutto. One Sufi interviewed by the author believes that the “spirit of Qalandar resided in Bhutto, and lives on in her son.”
MUSLIMS IN AMERICA.
Contexts and American Sociological Association. Jen’nan Ghazal Read. Web posted November 12, 2008.
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Seven years after the terrorist attacks on U.S. soil catapulted Muslims into the American spotlight, concerns and fears over their presence and assimilation remain at an all-time high. Recent national polls find that four in 10 Americans have an unfavorable view of Islam, five in 10 believe Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence, and six in 10 believe Islam is very different from their own religion. All this despite the fact that seven in 10 admit they know very little about Islam. According to the author, many Americans are convinced Muslim Americans pose some kind of threat to American society.
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REPORT ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 2008.
U.S. Department of State. Web posted on September 23, 2008.
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The annual report highlights both the admirable protections and the unjust violations of religious freedom. The focus is on government policies and actions, but societal attitudes and abuses are highlighted. There are still too many governments that do not allow for the full enjoyment of the most basic human right. North Korea remains among the world’s most egregious violators of religious freedom. The cult of personality surrounding the ruling family remains an important ideological underpinning of the regime, at times resembling tenets of a state religion.
UNFAVORABLE VIEWS OF JEWS AND MUSLIMS ON THE INCREASE IN EUROPE.
Pew Global Attitudes Project. Web posted September 17, 2008.
Full Text [PDF format, 73 pages]
The project examines views toward religious groups – specifically, Jews, Muslims, and Christians. It also explores religiosity across the 24 countries included in the survey.
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MUSLIMS IN EUROPE: A SHORT INTRODUCTION.
Center on the United States and Europe, Brookings Institute. Justin Vaisse. September 2008.
Full Text [PDF format, 6 pages]
The paper briefly presents the basic facts and issues concerning Muslims in Europe, from a political and sociological perspective, and to offer elements of comparison with the U.S. There is a slight emphasis on France, due to the fact that France is home to the largest Muslim population in Europe.
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Fitzgerald, Frances THE NEW EVANGELICALS (New Yorker, vol. 84, no. 19, June 30, 2008, pp. 28-35)
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There is a new movement among evangelicals that is friendly to science, environmental protection (including fighting global warming), caring for the poor, immigration reform and humane treatment of detainees, and it is “posing the first major challenge to the religious right in a quarter of a century,” writes journalist and author Frances Fitzgerald. Evangelical leaders such as Joel Hunter and Rick Warren are setting a national agenda very different from that of the fundamentalist right that had so much influence in the 2004 presidential election. The new evangelicals are theologically conservative and remain opposed to sex outside of heterosexual marriage and abortion, but “they lack the cultural attitudes descended from the fundamentalist resistance to modernist thought, such as a distrust of science, a rejection of institutional solutions to poverty.” Hunter and others have been criticized, but polls show that half of all evangelicals have substantial differences with the religious right. “The younger generation, that’s what’s driving this thing,” Hunter says. Pew polls find that while evangelicals aged 18-30 care more about abortion than their elders, they are less bothered by gay marriage, more concerned about health care and the poor, and more likely to champion environmental causes. The Democrats may pick up more evangelical votes in 2008, “but for reasons that could be circumstantial,” says Fitzgerald. Polls during the primaries “showed that evangelicals were more concerned with jobs and the economy than with gay rights and abortion.”
MORE AMERICANS QUESTION RELIGION’S ROLE IN POLITICS.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. August 21, 2008.
Full Text [pdf format, 63 pages]
Some Americans are having a change of heart about mixing religion and politics. The survey finds a narrow majority of the public saying that churches and other houses of worship should keep out of political matters and not express their views on day-to-day social and political matters. For a decade, majorities of Americans had voiced support for religious institutions speaking out on such issues. As a result, conservatives’ views on this issue are much more in line with the views of moderates and liberals than was previously the case.
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U.S. RELIGIOUS LANDSCAPE SURVEY 2008.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. June 2008.
Full Text [pdf format, 276 pages]
The survey finds that most Americans have a non-dogmatic approach to faith. A majority of those who are affiliated with a religion do not believe their religion is the only way to salvation. Almost the same number believes that there is more than one true way to interpret the teachings of their religion. This openness to a range of religious viewpoints is in line with the great diversity of religious affiliation, belief and practice that exists in the United States. It also shows that more than half of Americans rank the importance of religion very highly in their lives, attend religious services regularly, and pray daily.
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DIFFERENTIATING CHURCH AND STATE (WITHOUTH LOSING THE CHURCH).
Villanova University Legal Working Paper Series. Patrick McKinley Brennan. Web posted May 6, 2008.
Full Text [pdf format, 35 pages]
There is an ongoing debate about whether the U.S. Constitution includes a principle of “church autonomy.” Catholic doctrine and political theology, by contrast, clearly articulated a principle of “libertas ecclesiae,” liberty of the church. This article explores the meaning and origin of the doctrine of the libertas ecclesiae and the proper relationship among churches, civil society, and government.
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AN OUTCOME EVALUATION OF THE SPIRITUALITY FOR KIDS PROGRAM.
Rand Corporation. May 2008.
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The report presents results from a multi site, quantitative evaluation of the international Spirituality for Kids (SFK), a nonreligious, after-school program. The SFK program focuses on spiritual development, with emphasis on outcomes related to resilience rather than academics. The authors found that the program had beneficial effects on adaptive skills, behavioral problems, and school problems. In addition, the program positively affected school-related outcomes, even though it is not an academic intervention. A major strength of the program appears to be its careful attention to uniformity of program delivery, the standardized curriculum, the use of experienced teachers, and formal teacher-training program.
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ESTIMATING THE IMPACT OF THE HAJJ: RELIGION AND TOLERANCE IN ISLAM'S GLOBAL GATHERING.
Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University. David Clingsmith et al. April 2008.
Full Text [pdf format, 46 pages]
The paper estimates the impact on pilgrims after their Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. Even though the outsiders often fear that the pilgrimage may create antipathy toward non-Muslims, the pilgrims experience a feeling of unity with their fellow Muslims. The paper finds that the Hajj observance increases global Islamic practices such as prayer and fasting while decreasing localized practices such as the use of amulets and dowry. At the same time, it also increases belief in equality and harmony among ethnic groups and Islamic sects and leads to more favorable attitudes toward women.
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SCHOOL PRAYER, MOMENT OF SILENCE, OTHER POLICIES CONCERNING RELIGION.
Education Commission of the States. Michael Colasanti. Web posted April 7, 2008.
Full Text [pdf format, 10 pages]
Religion in public schools is generally is analyzed through the lens of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The government is prohibited from establishing a religion or favoring specific religious expression, and controversies are typically analyzed by the courts using what is known as the “Lemon test”, established in the Supreme Court case of Lemon vs. Kurtzman, 403 U.S. 602. This document examines, state by state, current legislation and practices with regard to public prayer in American schools.
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PRIVATE FAITH, BIG GOVERNMENT: UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF MARGINALIZING RELIGION.
Heritage Foundation; Heritage Backgrounder #2123. Ryan Messmore. April 15, 2008.
Full Text [pdf, 5 pages]
Traditionally, religious congregations in America have served as important social institutions for providing for those who are in need but an increasing division between “public” and “private” spheres of life has relegated religion to a reduced social role. Together, these trends narrow the focus of religion and open the door for government to present itself as the primary authority for meeting material and social needs. A more comprehensive, robust conception of religion is important for safeguarding the constitutional freedom of people not just to believe or profess doctrines, but to “exercise” faith in public. Such understanding is also important for legally protecting religious communities that can provide a sense of mutual responsibility and community belonging — key factors in meeting people’s needs and preventing unhealthy dependence upon the government.
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Mead, Walter Russell BORN AGAIN (Atlantic Monthly, March 2008, pp. 21//24)
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The evangelical Christian movement in the U.S. is showing signs of maturing, notes Mead. It is gaining more social and political influence, but as it broadens, it is becoming more pluralistic and less strident, and “less likely to be held hostage by a single issue or a single party”. The megachurches that are flourishing in the Midwest and Sun Belt are reaching audiences that are better educated, more urban and sophisticated than the rural Southern fundamentalists of an earlier era. Mead notes that the true story of the evangelical movement today is its “shift from insurgent to insider, with all of the moderating effects that transition implies.”
U.S. RELIGIOUS LANDSCAPE SURVEY.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. February 26, 2008.
Full Text [pdf format, 143 pages]
An extensive new survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life details the religious affiliation of the American public and explores the shifts taking place in the U.S. religious landscape. Based on interviews with more than 35,000 Americans age 18 and older, the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey finds that religious affiliation in the U.S. is both very diverse and extremely fluid.
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RELIGION IN WORLD AFFAIRS: IT'S ROLE IN CONFLICT AND PEACE.
U.S. Institute of Peace, Special Report 201. David Smock. Web posted February 11, 2008.
Full Text [pdf format, 8 pages]
In recent decades, religion has assumed unusual prominence in international affairs. Some scholars assert that any “global drift toward secularism,” actual or perceived, has been halted and possibly reversed. Religion can be a source of international conflict and for the resolution of international conflict. This study examines the importance of religion and the possibilities that interfaith dialogue might offer for conflict resolution.
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ISLAM AND THE WEST: ANNUAL REPORT ON THE STATE OF DIALOGUE.
World Economic Forum. Web posted January 21, 2008
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The World Economic Forum and Georgetown University together have produced this report, “a systematic and thorough look at how Muslim and Western societies perceive and relate to each other…”
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Fuller, Graham E. A WORLD WITHOUT ISLAM (Foreign Policy, no. 164, January-February 2008, pp. 46-53)
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To many, Islam seems to lie behind a broad range of international disorders. But a world without Islam would leave the world exactly where it is today, says Fuller, former vice chairman of the National Intelligence Council at the CIA and currently adjunct professor of history at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. Terrorism, for example, in the name of Islam or any other religion is hardly unique, Fuller says. Religion is the best banner for oppressed peoples seeking to glorify their cause and has been used frequently across the centuries. Rather than being the source of confrontation, religion is the vehicle used by radical groups to articulate grievances. Even without Islam, the face of the Middle East is complex and conflicted, Fuller says; struggles over power, territory, influence and trade existed long before Islam arrived. “At rock bottom,” he writes, “conflict between East and West remains all about the grand historical and geopolitical issues of human history: ethnicity, nationalism, ambition, greed, resources, local leaders, turf, financial gain, power, interventions and hatred of outsiders, invaders, and imperialists. Faced with timeless issues like these, how could the power of religion not be invoked?”
THE LAW OF CHURCH AND STATE: U.S. SUPREME COURT DECISIONS SINCE 2002.
Cynthia M. Brougher. Congressional Research Service (CRS), Library of Congress. October 30, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 17 pages]
“The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides that ‘Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. . .’” However, recent political developments have raised questions of church-state relations. This report reviews Supreme Court’s cases since 2002 that have dealt with the church-state relations. The report also examines the positions of the individual justices.
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Jenkins, Philip BURNING AT THE STAKE: HOW GLOBAL WARMING WILL INCREASE RELIGIOUS STRIFE (New Republic, vol. 237, no. 11, December 10, 2007, pp. 14-15)
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“By mid-century, water shortages could force countries already suffering from generations of ethnic and religious conflict to explode,” warns Jenkins, author of GOD’S CONTINENT: CHRISTIANITY, ISLAM AND EUROPE’S RELIGIOUS CRISIS. This prediction of religious strife induced by climate change has precedent, Jenkins says. The “Little Ice Age” of the 14th century and the famines that resulted exacerbated bigotry and increased the violence against religious minorities in Europe, Jews especially. In today’s world, he writes, “The resource-driven genocide in Darfur, for example, although it involves competing Muslim communities and not Muslim-Christian warfare, is a foretaste of conflicts that could soon be sweeping the whole area, as nations implode in sectarian violence, pulling neighboring countries down with them.” According to Jenkins, the greater globalization of Christianity, while heightening some religious tensions in resource-poor countries, could also help prevent some of the worst abuses. He notes that the National Association of Evangelicals, an umbrella organization whose affiliate groups claim 30 million members, has recognized global climate change as a clear and present danger. “Combining the themes of world stewardship and protecting Christian minorities could lead to a whole new synthesis of religious and political action,” Jenkins says.
PUBLIC EXPRESSES MIXED VIEWS OF ISLAM, MORMONISM.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, Pew Research Center. September 25, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 31 pages]
In the past few years “Muslim and Mormon religions have gained increasing visibility” in the U.S. Yet most Americans say they know little about either religion, and most believe their religion is very different from Islam and Mormonism. This survey of 3,002 adults finds that 53% of the people polled “say they have a favorable opinion of Mormons, while an identical percentage views Muslim Americans favorably.” The survey also revealed notable similarities as well as major differences in how Americans view these faiths.
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MUSLIM INTEGRATION: CHALLENGING CONVENTIONAL WISDOM IN EUROPE AND THE UNITED STATES.
Steffen Angenendt, Paul M. Barrett, Jonathan Laurence, Ceri Peach, Julianne Smith, and Tim Winter. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Web posted September 20, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 84 pages]
This report shows “that despite efforts to improve the West’s collective understating [sic] of Islam and Muslim integration in American and European societies, many countries remain ill-equipped to fully incorporate these growing groups into society at large in terms of economic advancement, social mobility, and political participation. As such, the report highlights some of these shortcomings, puts forth a more accurate picture of European and U.S. Muslim communities, and presents recommendations for improving the status quo.”
This report was generated from a two-day event hosted by CSIS and from six commissioned papers by experts on immigration, demographics, and integration policy.
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INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT 2007.
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Department of State. Web posted September 14, 2007.
Full Text by Section and Country [pdf format, various pagings]
“The promotion of religious freedom is a core objective of U.S. foreign policy and is part of the U.S. Department of State's mission.” This report documents the actions of governments that repress religious expression, persecute believers, or tolerate violence against religious minorities. The report also identifies governments that provide a high level of protection to religious freedom.
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McCammack, Brian HOT DAMNED AMERICA: EVANGELICALISM AND THE CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY DEBATE (American Quarterly, vol. 59, no. 3, September 2007, pp. 645-668)
Full Text available from your nearest American Library
The author, a doctoral student at Harvard University, argues that climate change is shaping up to be the defining environmental issue of the twenty-first century, as an unlikely group, evangelical Christians that have broken rank with the faith’s politically conservative leadership, now represent one of the U.S.’ greatest hopes for instituting meaningful legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Potentially commanding an audience of more than 100 million, these evangelical environmentalists advocate immediate legislative action inspired by a biblical foundation in principles of environmental stewardship and a commitment to caring for the world’s poor, who will bear the brunt of climate change’s environmental impacts. For a faith that has found political coherence and influence in the past quarter-century on personal moral issues such as abortion and gay marriage, the result is a potential wedge within evangelicalism surrounding rhetorical, theological, and ideological battles over biblically-based responsibilities to the environment and to mankind. Ultimately, evangelicals may prove to be just as important for climate change, with their ability to mobilize millions of Americans on the issue, as climate change proves to be for evangelicals a re-examination of political and theological priorities.
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Winston, Diane H. BACK TO THE FUTURE: RELIGION, POLITICS, AND THE MEDIA (American Quarterly, vol. 59, no. 3, September 2007, pp. 969-989)
Full Text available from your nearest American Library
The author, who holds the Knight Chair in Media and Religion at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California, believes that since 2000, many American journalists have had a “come to Jesus” experience. Spurred by the rise of increasingly politicized religion and religious politics, they have rediscovered the role of religion in public life. But is this current fascination only the latest two-step in a longstanding dance? When New England’s earliest colonists began circulating news of important events, they framed their stories with a religious perspective: divine providence played a decisive role in covering and interpreting everyday occurrences. Since then, religion has continued to play an important role in the both the news media and in the news narratives that helped shape Americans’ self-understanding. The author examines the religious tropes of the “beloved community” (left) and the “promised land” (right) that continue to dominate media coverage of American politics. Focusing on the twentieth century, she explores how the mainstream media’s hostility to religious conservatism has changed, and why progressive religious politics are rarely covered.
MIXED BLESSINGS: U.S. GOVERNMENT ENGAGEMENT WITH RELIGION IN CONFLICT-PRONE SETTINGS: A REPORT OF THE POST-CONFLICT RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT.
Liora Danan and Alice Hunt. Post-Conflict Reconstruction Project, Center for Strategic and International Studies. Web posted July 20, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 92 pages]
“Global religious dynamics increasingly influence United State involvement overseas.” The Post-Conflict Reconstruction (PCR) Project has been surveying U.S. government approaches to religion and considering ways for government resources to better account for religion. The PCR Project concluded that “U.S. government’s approach to religion in conflict-prone settings has in fact improved in recent years.”
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HOW MUSLIMS COMPARE WITH OTHER RELIGIOUS AMERICANS: IN INTENSITY OF RELIGIOUS IDENTITY, NOT UNLIKE EVANGELICALS.
Robert Ruby and Greg Smith. Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, Pew Research Center. July 6, 2007.
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Muslim Americans represent a small minority in the U.S. (less than one percent of the country’s population); but in many ways, they stand out not for their differences but for their similarities with other religious groups. This survey found that “with respect to the intensity of their religious beliefs, Muslim Americans most closely resemble white evangelicals and black Protestants. Within all three groups, large majorities . . . say religion is ‘very important’ in their own lives.” This survey also reflects that Muslim Americans have similar religious and political values of most other Americans.
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Sproles, Claudene MUSLIM SECTS AND MILITANT GROUPS (Choice, vol. 45, no. 1, September 2007, pp. 43-54)
Full Text available from your nearest American Library
The last five years have seen a proliferation of books on the many aspects of Islam. The author, a reference library at the University of Louisville, attempts to compile resources that will be helpful to readers who are unfamiliar with important differences among the many Muslim sects and radical groups. Approximately one billion people worldwide (more than one-fifth of the world’s population) practice Islam; interest in Islam has increased dramatically in the last several years, but there is still widespread confusion and misunderstanding about the exact nature of Islam and the various groups who practice it. In this essay, the author attempts to navigate the increasing amount of material published since 2001 in diverse areas of study, such as Muslim religious sects, political factions, and terrorist organizations. Part 1 provides an overview of Muslim religious sects; part 2 explores Islam and its sects from a geographic perspective, focusing on ways in which Islam is practiced regionally; and part 3 examines the various factions who claim Islam as the belief system that motivates social and political actions. All works cited in the bibliography at the end of the article are described in the text.
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Baran, Zeyno O BROTHERHOOD, WHAT ART THOU? DON’T MISTAKE ISLAMIC EXTREMISTS FOR MODERATES (Weekly Standard, Vol. 12, No. 30, April 23, 2007, pp. 15-16)
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Non-Muslim western governments are wrong to differentiate among Muslims based on whether or not they espouse violence, according to Baran, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. Instead, they should distinguish based on whether Muslim groups consider themselves Islamist. Thus a British-born Islamist should not be considered a western ally, while a devout, conservative Muslim immigrant may in fact be one. Baran thus proposes an ideological as opposed to tactical standard. While this may be a distinction with a small difference – Islamists seem to espouse violence to accomplish their goals, while non-Islamists do not – the author correctly criticizes the attempt by some U.S. intellectuals and congressmen to “engage” with the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic group that seeks “the total imposition of Islamic law on society at large.” Moreover, Baran says, such engagement is counterproductive, since Islamism is not a majority strain of Islam, but engagement treats it as though it were, thereby demoralizing non-Islamist Muslims.
SUFISM IN CENTRAL ASIA: A FORCE FOR MODERATION OR A CAUSE OF POLITICIZATION?
Martha Brill Olcott. Russian and Eurasian Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. May 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 46 pages]
“Sufism is a mystical form of Islam . . . practiced in many Arab countries, in parts of Africa, in Turkey, and especially in Central Asia.” Sufism varies from region to region, and each Sufi order has its own character, usually shaped by its founder. Followers of Sufism concentrate on spiritual purification and state that Sufism offers “a path to awakening and enlightenment . . .” Many Sufi movements develop as a “protest against corrupt rulers (who ruled in the name of Islam but did not embody its teachings) or in opposition to the legalistic formalism of worship that emphasized style over substance of faith.”
This paper provides a review of the history of Sufism in Central Asia, particularly in Uzbekistan.
[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]
MUSLIM AMERICANS: MIDDLE CLASS AND MOSTLY MAINSTREAM.
Pew Research Center. May 22, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 108 pages]
This study presents the results of a comprehensive nationwide survey of Muslim Americans. The survey found that Muslim Americans are “largely assimilated, happy with their lives, and moderate with respect to many of the issues that have divided Muslims and Westerners around the world.” The survey also found that:
- 65% of adult Muslims in the U.S. were born elsewhere;
- Muslim Americans have a positive view of U.S. society; and
- Muslims in the U.S. reject Islamic extremism by larger margins than Muslim in Western European countries.
However, younger Muslim Americans are more likely than older Muslim Americans to have stronger Muslim identity and are more likely to say that suicide bombings are justified when defending Islam.
[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]
CHANGING FAITHS: LATINOS AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF AMERICAN RELIGION.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, Pew Hispanic Center, Pew Research Center. Web posted April 25, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 87 pages]
This study, which consisted of 4,600 interviews, examined religious beliefs and behaviors and their association with political thinking among Latinos of all faiths. The study concentrated on members of the Catholic Church.
Approximately one-third of the Catholics in the U.S. are Latinos, and the study projects that this percentage will continue to rise. However, the study also shows that many Latinos are leaving the Catholic Church and are joining evangelical churches.
[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]
AA07230
Heclo, Hugh IS AMERICA A CHRISTIAN NATION? (Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 122, No. 1, Spring 2007, pp. 59-87)
Full Text available from your nearest American Library
Heclo, a professor of public affairs at George Mason University, examines political and social surveys to answer this “hot-button” topic. While most Americans hold moderate beliefs, recent research shows that religious polarization is real and important because religious rhetoric has been used by both Republican and Democratic party activists on the extreme ends of the spectrum to mobilize voters. Heclo examines the research regarding Christianity and self-identification, Christianity as a source of moral guidance, Christianity and belief in its doctrines and as influencing behavior, and Christianity and the American political ethos. The answer to the question of America as a Christian nation is both yes – demographically and in its institutions and political ethos, and no, in moral guidance or cultural behavior. The author concludes with polling data that reports a significant number of conservative Christians regard being super-patriotic and super-religious as the same thing and notes that emotional sloganeering is dominating public discourse on the matter. He urges sensible citizens to answer the question about America being a Christian nation using both religion and reason to drown out the rhetoric.
AA07165
Clausen, Christopher AMERICA’S DESIGN FOR TOLERANCE (Wilson Quarterly, vol. 31, no. 1, Winter 2007, 26-32)
Full Text (ProQuest: password required)
The Founding Fathers’ principles of religious tolerance and separation of church and state have been repeatedly put to the test in the two centuries since they were enunciated, notes the author. However, they have served the country well; even during periods of anti-Catholic or anti-Semitic sentiment, religious conflicts in multi-faith America have been mild compared with other parts of the world. These ideals are being tested anew today, notes Clausen, in the often-acrimonious public debate over prayer in public schools, same-sex marriages, abortion and stem-cell research. “The complicated attitudes of believing Americans toward other religions and the state ... often annoy their secular compatriots and bewilder foreigners,” notes Clausen; however, “even among the most devout, few of us would wish to see a state religion.” This mixture of religious piety with deference toward the opinions of others, along with the fragmented nature of religion in America, has served to moderate extremist religious elements that would be less constrained in other societies.
AA07169
van Biema, David THE CASE FOR TEACHING THE BIBLE (Time, April 2, 2007, pp. 40-46)
Full Text
The subtitle: “Should the Holy Book be on the public school menu? Yes. It’s the bedrock of Western culture. And it’s constitutional – as long as we teach but don’t preach it” summarizes the topics of the article, which recounts the growing interest in school districts throughout the United States in adding the bible to school curricula. Uneasy support comes from those interested in ensuring more people know this important document that provides so much historical, literary, philosophical, cultural and ethical elements to Western society, as well as from those who want people exposed to the document for religious reasons. The article also discusses the concerns of opponents, who cite the separation of church and state, and fear that bible teaching will be either too religious or not religious enough (or religious but in the “wrong” ways). The article presents classroom lesson examples.
ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS, MADRASAS: BACKGROUND.
Christopher M. Blanchard. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress. Updated January 23, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 6 pages]
“Since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the Islamic religious schools known as madrasas (or madrassahs) in the Middle East, Central, and Southeast Asia have been of increasing interest to U.S. policy makers. Some allege ties between madrasas and terrorist organizations, such as Al Qaeda, and assert that these religious schools promote Islamic extremism and militancy. Others maintain that most madrasas have been blamed unfairly for fostering anti-Americanism and for producing terrorists. This report provides an overview of madrasas, their role in the Muslim world, and issues related to their alleged links to terrorism.”
This report will be updated periodically.
THE ISLAMIC TRADITIONS OF WAHHABISM AND SALAFIYYA.
Christopher M. Blanchard. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress. Updated January 17, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 6 pages]
Discussions of Islamic puritanical movements known as Wahhabism and Salafiyya have called attention to these religions which some believe promote hatred and violence specifically targeting the U.S. and its allies. “This report provides a background on Wahhabism and its relationship to active terrorist groups; it also summarizes recent charges against Wahhabism and responses, including the findings of the final report of the 9/11 Commission and relevant legislation in the 110th Congress.”
This report will be updated as needed.
SPIRIT AND POWER: TEN-COUNTRY SURVEY OF PENTECOSTALS.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. October 5, 2006.
Executive Summary [html format, 9 printed pages]
Full report [pdf format, 233 pages]
At least a quarter of the world's 2 billion Christians are thought to be “renewalists,” an umbrella term referring to pentecostals and charismatics as a group. To outsiders, little is known about their religious, political and civic views. To address this knowledge gap, the Pew Forum conducted surveys in the United States, Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, India, the Philippines and South Korea.
The surveys found that renewalists:
- Are prevalent. In every nation surveyed except India, at least 10 percent of the population can be described as renewalist.
- Are intense in their beliefs. In eight of the ten countries surveyed, majorities of pentecostals say they share their faith with non-believers at least once a week. Charismatics tend to be somewhat less evangelistic than pentecostals.
- Support political engagement. In nine of the ten countries, at least half of pentecostals and charismatics say that religious groups should express their views on day-to-day social and political questions. In the U.S., nearly eight-in-ten pentecostals (79 percent) say that religious groups should do so, compared with 61% of the public as a whole.
[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]
AA06453
Jost, Kenneth UNDERSTANDING ISLAM: IS ISLAM COMPATIBLE WITH WESTERN VALUES? (CQ Researcher, vol. 16, no. 39, November 3, 2006, pp. 913-936)
Full Text available from your nearest IRC
This in-depth survey of Islam in contemporary society addresses the apparent contradictions between a religion that teaches "piety, virtue and tolerance" and the view that Islam encourages violence more than other religions. While mainstream Muslims assert that Islam is wrongly blamed for the violence and intolerance of a few, critics contend that moderate Muslims have not done enough to oppose terrorism and that Islam is incompatible with Western values. At the same time that radical Islamist ideas are attracting a growing number of young Muslims overseas, some Muslims are advocating a more progressive form of Islam. Using charts, graphs, and other sidebars, the article also provides background information on the history of the faith, Islamist movements, and the "war on terror." In addition, it includes discussions of Muslim identities and religious clashes and misunderstandings between Islam and the West, as well as a chronology, a bibliography, and a list of organizations to contact for more information.
INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT FOR 2006.
United States Department of State (DOS). Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. Web-posted September 15, 2006.
Table of Contents [sections in html format, various pagings.]
The Department of State submits the International Religious Freedom report to Congress annually, in compliance with Section 102(b) of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998. This eighth annual report includes individual country chapters on the status of religious freedom worldwide. Its 197 country and area reports survey the governmental and societal treatment of all known religious groups, and discuss U.S. Government efforts to promote religious freedom in each country.
Each country report comments on the following aspects of religious freedom:
- Religious demography, which provides data on religious affiliations found within the country.
- Status of religious freedom, with reference to the legal/policy framework, restrictions on religious freedom, and forced religious conversion.
- Societal abuses and discrimination.
- U.S. government policy.
Under the International Religious Freedom Act, the Secretary of State may designate "Countries of Particular Concern" (CPCs) for particularly severe violations of religious freedom. In November 2005, the Secretary re-designated Burma, China, North Korea, Iran, Sudan, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam as CPCs.
AA06336
Mead, Walter Russell GOD'S COUNTRY? (Foreign Affairs, vol. 85, no. 5, September/October 2006, pp. 24-43)
View article on publisher's website
The author, the Henry Kissinger Senior Fellow for U. S. Foreign Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, explains why evangelical Christians are in the ascendancy now in the United States and reasons for this cyclical shift. He divides Protestantism, still the largest U. S. religion, into three main streams -- liberals, fundamentalists and evangelicals -- and describes the philosophies of the adherents of each group. He explains how the United States is a religiously pluralistic society and how U. S. religious politics is a coalition sport, i.e. that any single religious group must be able to cooperate with other groups, religious or not, to affect foreign policy; evangelicals, he suggests, have been able to do so. He sees little to fear, and much to applaud, in their ascendancy.
AA06240
Shah, Timothy Samuel; Toft, Monica Duffy WHY GOD IS WINNING (Foreign Policy, vol. 155, July/August 2006, pp. 38-43)
View article on ProQuest (password required)
The authors write that modernization and the spread of democracy around the world are enhancing the reach of religious political movements. Religious groups that emerge from democratic processes, such as Hamas in the Palestinian Authority, tend to be more organized, more popular and more legitimate than perhaps religious leaders a few decades ago but not necessarily less violent. In the U.S. 2004 presidential election, religion was a stronger predictor of vote choice than gender, age or class. Although extreme religious ideology is a leading motivation for most transnational terrorist attacks, religion has also mobilized scores of people to oppose authoritarian regimes, inaugurate democratic transitions, support human rights and relieve human suffering. As a framework for predicting the course of global politics, secularism is unsound.
AA06142
Spalding, Elizabeth Edwards TRUE BELIEVERS (Wilson Quarterly, Vol. 30, No. 2, Spring 2006, pp. 40-48)
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The author, professor of government at Claremont McKenna College, notes that President Bush has suffused religion into politics in his presidency, alarming intellectuals and prompting the media to question proper role of religious faith in politics. Spalding analyzes how presidents Woodrow Wilson and Harry S. Truman sought guidance from their respective faiths; she notes that history has forgotten the role of their faith in politics, whereas "many have been all too quick to dismiss Bush's understanding of world politics as merely a religious worldview." Perhaps, in the future, Spalding writes, President Bush's faith-based politics would be seen as a part of American political tradition.
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE UNITED STATES COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. May 2006
Download the document [pdf format, 260 pages]
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to monitor violations of the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief abroad. Countries highlighted in its 2006 report include Iraq, China and Sudan.
THE DIVERSITY OF MUSLIMS IN THE UNITED STATES: VIEWS AS AMERICANS.
Qamar-ul Huda. United States Institute of Peace (USIP). February 2006.
Download the document [pdf format, 20 pages]
The author, the Senior Program Officer in the USIP Religion and Peacemaking Program, analyzes ways that Muslims in the United States understand their roles as Americans in combating terrorism, and their unique contributions toward conflict prevention and peacemaking.
He suggests that the assimilation and integration of American Muslims has effectively enabled the flourishing of dozens of national and regional organizations working in areas of civil rights, human rights, interfaith dialogue, education, charity, public diplomacy, political activism, and other religious and secular activities. Overall, despite the post 9/11 scrutiny of the Muslim community, American Muslim groups have devised sophisticated grassroots campaigns on counter-terrorism and anti-extremist ideology.
This report is part of a larger book project on American Muslim identity formation and Islamic approaches toward mediation and peace building.
AA06069
Pappu, Sridhar THE PREACHER (Atlantic Monthly, vol. 297, no. 2, March 2006, pp. 92-103)
Full Text available from your nearest IRC
Characterized as "a man of God, a promoter of upward mobility, an international evangelist, a husband and father, a simple preacher, [and] a sophisticated businessman," Bishop T.D. Jakes is depicted in this profile as a man who "epitomizes and stands at the front of a new generation of black leadership." Born to working-class parents in West Virginia, Jakes, a Pentecostal minister, is head of a 30,000-member nondenominational church. He has also built a lucrative multimedia empire, lectures on economic empowerment and self-healing to hundreds of thousands of people annually, and has spearheaded a growing international outreach program in Europe, Australia, and especially in Africa, where his church has invested over $1 million in development projects.
AA05411
Sullivan, Winnifred Fallers CHURCH AND OVERSTATED (Legal Affairs, vol. 5, no. 1, January/February 2006, pp. 66-68)
View article on publisher's website
The author, in his review of Noah Feldman's book DIVIDED BY GOD: AMERICA'S CHURCH-STATE PROBLEM -- AND WHAT WE SHOULD DO ABOUT IT, argues that Americans overwhelmingly regard religion as a matter of individual choice and that one cannot exaggerate the effect that individualism has on religious life in the United States. After all, he notes, individual Americans are equal before the law, whether they are religious or not. Feldman asserts that Americans are deeply divided over religion and that the country is split between the "legal separatists," who want religion out of public life, and the "values evangelicals," who want religion to be a central part of it. Feldman calls for both sides to compromise, noting that the Supreme Court has gone too far in taking religion out of schools and the values evangelicals should agree to the banning of public funding of religious institutions and activities. For example, according to Feldman, the legal separatists should acknowledge that the Constitution permits religion to play a role in civic life. The author says Feldman does not make his case strongly enough to support these views, although he notes Feldman is correct in stating that religious diversity, rooted in individual conscience, is the foundation of America's religious freedom.
AA05409
Ackerman, Spencer RELIGIOUS PROTECTION: WHY AMERICAN MUSLIMS HAVEN'T TURNED TO TERRORISM (The New Republic, Vol. 233, No. 4743, December 12, 2005, pp. 18-21, 28-30)
Full Text available from your nearest IRC
Counterterrorism experts note that relatively few American Muslims are involved in the global jihadist movements. Ackerman contrasts the patterns of Muslim immigrants in the U.S. and Europe to understand why American Muslims have not become involved in Islamic extremism. Muslim migration to Europe is country-specific and linked to the colonial era -- most Muslims in England are from South Asia; French and Spanish Muslims are overwhelmingly North African; and German Muslims are predominantly Turkish. European Muslims are "ghettoized" and have high levels of unemployment, few professional prospects and lack access to higher education, and are socially isolated. Not surprisingly, most of them identify themselves as Muslim, rather than with their European country of residence. American Muslims, on the other hand, are a diverse group, live in mixed neighborhoods, have high levels of homeownership and college education. Ackerman argues that the fact that Muslims in the U.S. are more integrated into American society may explain why American Muslims have shunned radical Islam, even as suspicions of Muslims in the U.S. increased after Sept. 11.
AA05376
Presser, Stephen B. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS MISH-MOSH: THE SUPREME COURT FINESSES THE DECALOGUE (The American Spectator, vol. 38, no. 8, October 2005, pp. 12-17)
View article on ProQuest (password required)
Presser examines the "arbitrariness" with which the modern Supreme Court interprets the role of religion in American society. While the First Amendment prohibits Congress from respecting the establishment of religion, Presser asks why the Court allows states to begin their sessions with a prayer but prohibits high schools from beginning a game with the same prayer. Army chaplains -- federally funded -- are another glaring contradiction. The Court now uses the Fourteenth Amendment (prohibiting Congress from making laws that abridge the rights of citizens) as the way to broaden the reach of the First Amendment -- the "incorporation doctrine." Those who challenge the doctrine (such as Alabama Justice Roy Moore) are subject to "academic and political vitriol" while a "mish-mosh" was created by the Court itself -- ordering the Commandments removed from Kentucky courtrooms but allowing tablets to stand before the Texas General Assembly. Ultimately, Presser presents a case for returning to a stricter interpretation of the constitution and a return to "justices committed to leaving the making of law to the legislative branches...rather than a shifting five-person coalition on the court." This, he says, was the original idea.
EXPLORING RELIGIOUS CONFLICT.
Gregory F. Treverton, Heather S. Gregg, Daniel Gibran, Charles W. Yost. The RAND Corporation. Web-posted September 2005.
Download the document [pdf format, 84 pages]
This report emanated from workshops hosted by the RAND National Security Research Division, which brought together intelligence analysts and experts on religion. The report's primary goal was to provide background and a frame of reference for assessing religious motivations in international politics.
The authors note that the rise of religious movements in the late 20th century with a proclivity toward violence and terrorism has significantly changed the landscape of international politics.
Another goal was to discover what causes religiously rooted violence and how states have sought to take advantage of, or contain, religious violence - with an emphasis on radical Islam. The report also sought to identify new religious movements that might pose foreign policy challenges to the United States, if not real security threats.
Note: Contains copyrighted material.
7TH ANNUAL REPORT ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.
U.S. Department of State. November, 2005
Table of Contents [html format]
"The 2005 report covers 197 countries and territories. In some countries, we find that governments have modified laws and policies, improved enforcement or taken other concrete steps to increase and demonstrate respect for religious freedom. In far too many countries, however, governments still fail to safeguard religious freedom. Across the globe, people are still persecuted or killed for practicing their religion or even for just being believers. This year, we have re-designated eight 'Countries of Particular Concern' — Burma, China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Eritrea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Vietnam. These are countries where governments have engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom over the past year. We are committed to seeking improvements in each of these countries, improvements like those we have actually seen in Vietnam, which have been further advanced by agreement on religious freedom that our governments signed just this last May.".
AA05273
Davis, Don C. FAITH FOR THE FUTURE: UPDATING RELIGIOUS PARAGIDMS FOR THE INFOTECH AGE (Futurist, vol. 39, no. 5, September-October 2005, pp. 51-54)
View article on ProQuest (password required)
Science and technology have allowed us to discover many mysteries about why things are as they are in our world, in contrast to ancient peoples who explain the inexplicable with tales of conflict and struggle amongst their gods. The author, a United Methodist minister, argues that the our ancestors' image of God is no longer appropriate. "It is hard to believe in a God with humanlike characteristics and headquarters somewhere in heaven, from which he runs this incredible micro and macro phenomenon of existence." Davis suggests "paradigm shifts" in our thinking of God, to become a way of talking about the phenomenon of existence, and the ongoing dynamic of creation. Revising the notion of God, he writes, allows humanity to use science, technology and religion "to direct the future toward fulfilling our potential for a noble humanity."
EXPLORING RELIGIOUS CONFLICT
Gregory F. Treverton, Heather S. Gregg, Daniel Gibran and Charles Yost. RAND Corp. 2005
Table of Contents [html format]
Summary [pdf format, 9 pages]
Full report [pdf format, 84 pages]
Reports the results of a workshop that looked at religious motivations in international politics, and the causes of religious violence. Some states have attempted to take advantage of religious violence while others have tried to contain it.
Note: contains copyrighted material.
AA05166
Sullivan, Andrew CRISIS OF FAITH: HOW FUNDAMENTALISM IS SPLITTING THE GOP (New Republic, vol. 232, no. 4711-4712, May 2-9, 2005, pp. 16-23)
Full Text available from your nearest IRC
The author argues that two rival schools of thought within the conservative movement, which he describes as the "conservatism of faith" and the conservatism of doubt," that have traditionally co-existed but "are becoming less and less compatible as the conservative ascendancy matures." The conservatism of faith, characterized by President George W. Bush, has co-opted many of the trappings of liberalism, brooks no hesitation and seeks to remake government and society in its image. To Sullivan, the conservatism of doubt is characterized by former President George H.W. Bush, which views that putting government power behind one moral opinion tramples on the rights of citizens who dissent. He argues that it is essential that religious faith "be filtered through the skeptical and moderate strands of conservative thought." He notes that it is ironic that the U.S. is fighting a conservatism of faith abroad, in the form of Islamist terrorism, while a similar atmosphere is dominant in Washington.
[2005] ANNUAL REPORT OF THE UNITED STATES COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). May 2, 2005.
Download the document [pdf format, 192 pages]
This annual report is prepared for the President, Secretary of State, and Congress in compliance with section 202(a)(2) of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998, 22 U.S.C. 6401 et seq., P.L. 105-292, as amended by P.L. 106-55 and P.L. 107-228. The report cited here covers the period May 2004 through April 2005.
One of the Commission's chief responsibilities under IRFA is to draw attention to those countries whose governments have engaged in or tolerated systematic and egregious violations of religious freedom and recommend that they be designated as Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs). In compliance with IRFA, the Commission has assessed the facts and circumstances, including those in the State Department's 2004 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom, regarding violations of religious freedom around the world. As a result of this review process, and in furtherance of the Commission's statutory responsibility, the Commission wrote to the Secretary of State in April 2005 recommending that she designate as CPCs the following 11 countries: Burma, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), Eritrea, Iran, Pakistan, People's Republic of China, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. In addition, the Commission has placed the following countries on its Watch List: Bangladesh, Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia and Nigeria. The report contains country reports on each of the above-named countries, as well as additional chapters on Laos, Georgia and the Russian Federation.
THE ISLAMIC TRADITIONS OF WAHHABISM AND SALAFIYYA. [RS21695]
Christopher M. Blanchard.
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service. Updated February 10, 2005.
Download the document [pdf format, 6 pages]
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and subsequent investigations of these attacks have called attention to rigorous Islamic movements known as Wahhabism and Salafiyya. The Al Qaeda terrorist network and its leader, Osama bin Laden, have advocated a message of violence that some suggest is an extremist interpretation of this line of strict Islam. Other observers have accused Saudi Arabia, the center of Wahhabism, of having disseminated a religion that promotes hatred and violence, targeting the United States and its allies. Saudi officials strenuously deny these allegations. This report provides a background on Wahhabi Islam and its association to militant fundamentalist groups; it also summarizes recent charges against Wahhabism and responses, including the findings of the final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States ("The 9/11 Commission") and bills relevant to this issue in the 109th Congress.