 | Mormon Church 'satisfied' with Boy Scouts possibly lifting gay youth ban Apr 26th 2013, 12:20 By Dan Merica, CNN
Follow @DanMericaCNN Washington (CNN) – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said it was "satisfied" with the Boy Scouts of America's move to consider no longer denying membership to youth on the basis of sexual orientation. In a statement Thursday, the Mormon church called the issue "complex and challenging" and said it believed the Boy Scouts were making "a thoughtful, good-faith effort" to address the issue. "We are grateful to BSA for their careful consideration of these issues," the statement said. "We appreciate the positive things contained in this current proposal that will help build and strengthen the moral character and leadership skills of youth as we work together in the future." The Boy Scouts of America said last week it would consider a proposal that would no longer deny membership to youth on the basis of sexual orientation but would maintain its ban on openly gay adult leaders. The organization's executive committee made the proposal. "If approved, the resolution would mean that 'no youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone.' The BSA will maintain the current membership policy for all adults," Boy Scouts public relations director Deron Smith said. The Boy Scouts proposal was anticipated after the group had punted on the issue in February. At the time, the Mormon church heralded the postponement, saying the organization had "acted wisely in delaying a vote on this policy issue until the implications can be more carefully evaluated." The Mormon Church has long been a supporter of the Boy Scouts, both in numbers and words. In 2011, Mormons represented 15% of the 2.7 million registered Boy Scouts, the single biggest group. The church teaches that sex should be reserved only for a married man and woman, and congregants in violation of the church's teaching on sexual relationships can be excommunicated. Since gay people cannot be married in the church, any sex would be premarital and therefore sinful. Under these beliefs, members of the lesbian, gay and transgender community could be practicing Mormons as long as they are celibate. Though the church's doctrine condemning homosexuality has not changed in the last few years, and it remains opposed to same-sex marriage, some observers say the church is subtly but unmistakably growing friendlier toward the LGBT community, including voicing support for some gay rights. Some activists pointed to the less public role in same-sex marriage ballot initiatives in 2012, a marked departure from earlier fights – such as California's Proposition 8 in which the church vocally supported the move to have same-sex marriage banned. A statement in support of allowing gay children to join the Boy Scouts would be another step in that softening. "The current BSA proposal constructively addresses a number of important issues that have been part of the ongoing dialogue including consistent standards for all BSA partners, recognition that Scouting exists to serve and benefit youth rather than Scout leaders, a single standard of moral purity for youth in the program, and a renewed emphasis for Scouts to honor their duty to God," this week's Mormon statement continued. The Boy Scouts' proposal is expected to be presented to voting members at the organization's May meeting in Dallas. If the policy is approved, it will take effect January 1. – CNN's Katia Hetter contributed to this report.   | | Minaret destroyed at 12th-century Syrian mosque on World Heritage list Apr 25th 2013, 21:26 By Michael Martinez and Hamdi Alkhshali , CNN (CNN) – Both sides in Syria's civil war were in rare agreement Wednesday: The minaret at a 12th-century mosque in Aleppo has been obliterated. Unclear, however, was who destroyed the tower at the Great Umayyad Mosque, which has witnessed the march of nine centuries. It was just last month that a United Nations official expressed concern about the two-year war possibly damaging the mosque, a World Heritage site. An opposition group blamed the government. "Regime forces have committed today a new crime against human and cultural heritage by targeting the minaret of the mosque and completely destroying it," the Local Coordination Committees said. The group released a photograph of the mosque without its signature minaret, apparently reduced to rubble. The Syrian Coalition also blamed President Bashar al-Assad's regime.   | | Survey: Young Christians want marijuana legalized Apr 25th 2013, 16:21 By Dan Merica, CNN
Follow @DanMericaCNN Washington (CNN) – Half of young Christians have bucked the opinion of their older brethren and said they favor legalizing marijuana for recreational use, according to a recent poll. Thirty-two percent of Christian's aged 18-29 said they "strongly favor" legalization, while 18% said they "favor" the move, according to a Public Religion Research Institute survey released Thursday. Among Christian's 65 and older, only 9% said they strongly favor legalization and 47% say they strongly oppose it. Though the younger generations favor legalization, all Christians still lean toward keeping the drug illegal. While 39% of Christians say they favor or strongly favor legalization, 54% say they support keeping the drug illegal, according to the poll. According to the poll, 45% of young Christians have "tried marijuana," compared to 13% of Christian seniors who say they have. "Nearly two-thirds (65%) of Americans who report they have ever tried marijuana support legalizing marijuana," the report says. "While an identical number (65%) of Americans who report that they have not tried marijuana oppose its legalization." "Marijuana legalization connects to a broader generational story that we are seeing in religious culture," said Robert P. Jones, CEO of the polling firm. "The younger, religious Americans are taking a lot of their cues from their generational cohorts. To be sure, they are colored by their religious affiliation." Jones continued: "The generational sea change on this issue is also shifting the ground inside churches." Marijuana, while a longtime political question, was thrust to the forefront of debate in 2012, when two states – Washington and Colorado – legalized use of the drug for recreational use. That same year, Oregon voted to keep marijuana illegal. In Washington, legalization was a way to raise tax revenue. The Washington referendum called for a 25% tax rate imposed on the product three times: when the grower sells it to the processor, when the processor sells it to the retailer, and when the retailer sells it to the customer. Marijuana use, according to the poll, is not seen as a sin by a majority of Americans. Seventy percent of Americans said that recreational use of marijuana is not a sin, compared to 23% who said they believe using the drug is sinning. While most religious groups follow this trend, according to the poll, white evangelical Protestants are the most divided group, with 40% indicating using marijuana is a sin and 48% saying it is not. These results have led poll organizers to believe marijuana use will continue to gain more acceptance in the coming years. "Much like same sex marriage, what we are seeing here is generational replacement," Jones said. "As more young Christians come to adulthood, they bring with them different experience and views." After electoral victories in November, the good news for those in favor of marijuana legalization keeps on coming. In early April, the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press released a poll that found 52% of Americans favored legalization, compared to 45% who favored keeping marijuana illegal. This was the first time in the history of the Pew poll that legalization has been in the majority. The PRRI poll results are based on telephone conversations with a random sample of 1,000 adults. The conversations took place between April 17 and April 21.   | | Catholic ads in NY: Jesus was 'the original hipster' Apr 24th 2013, 23:17 By Pallavi Reddy, CNN
Follow @pallavireports (CNN) – Ads around Brooklyn bring a new meaning to Joan Osborne's lyrics, "What if God was one of us?" In a new ad campaign launched by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn this month, people in the borough and neighboring Queens have a new way to view Jesus: "The Original Hipster." The ads feature the bottom half of a man - meant to be Jesus - wearing robes with a pair of dirty red Converse sneakers peeking out from the bottom. Follow the CNN Belief Blog on Twitter In a news release, the diocese refers to Seth Meyers' joke on "Saturday Night Live" that Converse sneakers are why more Catholics are returning to the church, and says the marketing campaign is "showing a cooler and more welcoming side of the Catholic Church."  Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood, near Queens, is considered to be the "unofficial East Coast birthplace of hipsterism," as a 2012 article in Forbes put it.
Monsignor Kieran Harrington said he understood the importance of relating to the people of the area. "Jesus appears (in these ads) like people of the L train," he said. "What is a hipster anyway? Someone who stands against the (mainstream) culture. Jesus stood against the culture." CNN Belief: The Curious Case of the Christian Hipster Ten months ago, the conversation started about creating such a campaign to let people know there are a variety of different faces who attend the church. Harrington says these particular ads were a collaboration with the ad and PR agency Ruckus. Now they are found in places where the church doesn't usually advertise, including bus stands, restaurants and gyms. The ads have generated online buzz in Salon, the Gothamist and other sites, and traffic on the diocese's website has gone up 400%, Harrington said. As for what kind of ads to expect from the diocese next, the monsignor said: "It's for you to find out." CNN's Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories   | | Opinion: The appeal of Islamic radicalism Apr 24th 2013, 13:32  Editor's note: Ken Ballen, a former federal prosecutor, is president and founder of Terror Free Tomorrow, a nonprofit organization that investigates the causes of extremism. He is the author of "Terrorists in Love: True Life Stories of Islamic Radicals."
By Ken Ballen, Special to CNN (CNN) - There are many unanswered questions about the motivations of the alleged Boston Marathon bombers, Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. But it is becoming increasingly clear that they were inspired by faith in a radical Islamist ideology. Dzhokhar has told investigators that, among other things, he and his brother wanted to defend Islam, while Tamerlan's social media accounts are replete with clips by extremist clerics. As the investigation continues to unravel the seeming paradox of how two apparently normal young men could commit acts of violence, classmates, neighbors and relatives of those who knew them have expressed surprise and disbelief. I have interviewed over the past seven years more than a hundred radical extremists, including numerous al Qaeda and Taliban members, and it appears the Tsarnaev brothers fit the profile of many young men who turn to radicalism. Young men—and they are almost always between the ages of 16 and 30—who convert to the radical Islamist cause come from a variety of socioeconomic and family circumstances. Before their conversion (and even often after), to all outward appearances they resemble their peers and seem like any other young men. What changes them?   | | My Take: I'm Muslim, and I hate terrorism Apr 24th 2013, 13:27  Editor's note: Dean Obeidallah, a former attorney, is a political comedian and frequent commentator on various TV networks including CNN. He is the co-director of the upcoming documentary "The Muslims Are Coming!" and co-host of a new CNN podcast "The Big Three" that looks at the top three stories of the week. Follow him on Twitter @deanofcomedy.
By Dean Obeidallah, Special to CNN (CNN) – I'm an American-Muslim and I despise Islamic terrorists. In fact, despise is not even a strong enough word to convey my true feelings about those who kill innocent people in the name of Islam. I hate them with every fiber of my being. I'm not going to tell you, "Islam is a religion of peace." Nor will I tell you that Islam is a religion of violence. What I will say is that Islam is a religion that, like Christianity and Judaism, is intended to bring you closer to God. And sadly we have seen people use the name of each of these Abrahamic faiths to wage and justify violence. The unique problem for Muslims is that our faith is being increasingly defined by the actions of a tiny group of morally bankrupt terrorists. Just to be clear: The people who commit violence in the name of Islam are not Muslims, they are murderers. Their true religion is hatred and inhumanity. The only people terrorists speak for are themselves and the others involved in their despicable plot. They do not represent me, my family or any other Muslim I know. And believe me, I know a lot of Muslims.   | | Muslims in North Caucasus concerned about 'extremism' Apr 23rd 2013, 13:47 By Dan Merica, CNN
Follow @DanMericaCNN Washington (CNN) – A majority of Muslims (57%) in Russia's North Caucasus – including Chechnya, Dagestan and five other Russian jurisdictions – are either "very concerned" or "somewhat concerned" about religious extremist groups in their country, according to a Pew Research Center survey. That number is higher than Russia as a whole, where more than four-in-10 Muslims in the country express the same level of concern. This region of the world, particularly Chechnya and Dagestan, has been in the news recently because the suspects in last week's Boston Marathon bombing – Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the younger brother who is still alive, and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the older brother who died in a shootout last week – had familial ties to the region. The two brothers were born in Kyrgyzstan, where 62% of Muslims told Pew they were very or somewhat concerned about extremism in the central Asian country. Monday night, Dzhokhar told investigators that his older brother, Tamerlan, was the mastermind behind the Boston Marathon bombing that killed three and injured more than 260 people. Tamerlan appears to have become increasingly religious in the years leading up to the bombing, and interviews with family in Russia indicate that the older brother was radicalized while in America. While there is so far no evidence that the brothers were associated to international jihadist groups, in August 2012, soon after returning from a long visit to Russia, Tamerlan created a YouTube channel with links to a number of videos including sermons or interviews with radical preachers. Though extremist groups from Chechnya have carried out terrorist acts since the early 2000s, most of those attacks have been focused on Russia. An example: the Beslan school hostage crises in September 2004, where more than 300 people were killed. Though experts say the Caucasus are quieter now, Thomas de Waal, an expert on the region, says there is a constant a low-level Islamist insurgency there. The Pew data released Tuesday is part of a larger report on the state of Islam conducted from October 2011 to February 2012, with research collected before the Boston bombings. The survey also found that Muslims in Russia's North Caucasus – the dominant religion in the region – are more concerned about Islamic extremist groups than Christian groups. Thirty-six percent of Muslims said they were primarily worried about Islamic extremists, while only 2% indicated they were worried about Christian groups. Russia, as a whole, is primarily Christian, with 73% of its population identifying with the faith, according to Pew's 2012 Global Religious Landscape report. About 10% of the country's population is Muslim – most of which live in the Russian Caucasus. Likewise, in the brothers' birthplace of Kyrgyzstan, 32% of Muslims were concerned about Islamic extremist groups, while 5% were concerned with Christian extremism. According to Pew's numbers on world religions, Muslims make up 88% of the country's population, while 11% of Kyrgyz people are Christian. In light of the bombing, Muslim leaders in Boston and around the United States condemned the attacks. "I don't care who or what these criminals claim to be, but I can never recognize these criminals as part of my city or my faith community," said Yusufi Vali, executive director for the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center, the largest mosque in the Boston area. Imam Talal Eid, the imam at the Boston Islamic Institute, told CNN that he would refuse to give Tamerlan last rites. "A person who is devoted does not kill innocent people," Eid said. – CNN's Eric Marrapodi and Jake Tapper contributed to this report.   | | Opinion: Don't scapegoat a faith for bombings Apr 22nd 2013, 00:36  Editor's note: Farhana Khera is the president and executive director of Muslim Advocates, a national legal advocacy organization dedicated to promoting freedom, justice and equality for all, regardless of faith.
By Farhana Khera, Special to CNN (CNN) – Like so many Americans across the country, I was shocked when I heard of the attacks at the Boston Marathon. A part of me immediately traveled back to when I was cheering runners myself as a student at Wellesley College, the midpoint for the marathon, a time when such dangers as bombings never crossed our minds. Boston is an indelible part in the personal history and identity of those who have lived or attended school in the city. That someone had detonated bombs at an event that symbolized unity in a place known for its rich diversity and as a birthplace of our nation's freedom was heartbreaking.   | | Imam: I wouldn't give Boston suspect last rites Apr 21st 2013, 19:30 By Moni Basu and Eric Marrapodi, CNN
Follow @MbasuCNNFollow @EricCNNBelief (CNN) – Tamerlan Tsarnaev died early Friday, and according to the rules of Islam, he should have been buried by now. But his severely wounded body is still being held to determine a cause of death. "We are waiting for more information," said Terrel Harris, spokesman for the Boston Medical Examiner's Office. He wasn't sure when a cause of death would be released. Tsarnaev, 26, had so many penetrating wounds when he arrived at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center early Friday that doctors could not tell which ones had killed him. He'd engaged in a ferocious battle with police in which more than 200 rounds of gunfire was exchanged. He and his brother Dzhokhar, 19, also allegedly hurled improvised explosive devices and handmade grenades at officers. Haroon Firdausi, a licensed funeral director in Chicago, said he usually encourages authorities not to delay when there is a need for an autopsy. Usually, Muslims are buried the same day as their death. Follow the CNN Belief Blog on Twitter There are questions about when, where and how Tamerlan Tsarnaev will be buried. And there's a bigger question: whether any Muslim entity will be willing to deliver last rites. Many Muslim community leaders have sought to distance themselves from the Tsarnaevs in light of reports that Tamerlan Tsarnaev might have been influenced by radical Islam. Fearing retaliation, Muslim leaders have strongly condemned the bombings and made it clear that Islam does not condone violence. At least one Boston cleric said he would refuse to perform funeral rites for a man accused of committing so much violence. The Quran, said Imam Talal Eid, says that anyone who has killed another human being is going to hell. Eid, who is imam at the Boston Islamic Institute, said he had never met the Tsarnaev brothers but questioned media accounts that Tamerlan Tsarnaev had become a devout Muslim. "A person who is devoted does not kill innocent people," Eid said. Yusufi Vali, executive director of the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center, the largest mosque in the Boston area, also rejected the Tsarnaev brothers. "I don't care who or what these criminals claim to be, but I can never recognize these criminals as part of my city or my faith community," he said. "All of us Bostonians want these criminals to be brought to justice immediately. I am infuriated at the criminals of these bombings for trying to rip our city apart. We will remain united and not let them change who we are as Bostonians." CNN's Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories The Tsarnaev brothers occasionally attended prayer services at the Islamic Society of Boston Cambridge Masjid, a small mosque near their apartment in Cambridge, Massachusetts. "In their visits, they never exhibited any violent sentiments or behavior," said a statement from the masjid. "Otherwise they would have been immediately reported to the FBI. After we learned of their identities, we encouraged anyone who knew them in our congregation to immediately report to law enforcement, which has taken place."   | |
