The younger generation of American Muslims, feel alienation from their mosques even as they feel a strong connection to Islamic teachings and the Muslim community, according to the San Jose Mercury News (Nov. 15). The newspaper reports that Muslims in their 20s and 30s “are at the forefront of an emerging conversation about American Muslim identity. Many […]

The Christian solidarity movement calling for religious freedom for persecuted fellow believers around the world has suffered a setback since Sept. 11 and will likely have to change its strategy, reports Washington Monthly magazine (November). The movement had the ear of the Bush administration as it pressed for sanctions against Sudan and other Islamic countries repressing religious […]

Dissent and conflict appear to be growing in the ranks of the Jehovah’s Witnesses after it was revealed that the Watchtower organization was a registered member of the United Nations — a body long condemned by the religion. In The Tablet (Nov. 3), a British Catholic magazine, Stephen Bates writes that when he reported that the Jehovah’s […]

A militant Islamic movement active in Pakistan and in other parts of the world shows the divided state of Muslims close to the scene of battle, even as they close rank during the U.S. attacks on Afghanistan. Formerly associated with the Programme for Strategic and International Security Studies in Geneva, and currently Director of the […]

At a conference on the “European dynamics of evangelicalism”, which took place on Oct. 11-13, at the University of Lausanne (Switzerland), French scholar Sébastien Fath indicated that there is a rapid rise of Pentecostalism in France. While there were only a few thousands Pentecostals in France 50 years ago, there are now about 200,000 of […]

The dialogue and cooperation between Hindus and Neopagans that have taken place in the past few years may run into more snags than proponents of either tradition might expect. In Hinduism Today (September/October), Koenraad Elst writes that the common concerns for polytheism and indigenous spirituality among both Western Neopagans and Hindus has been viewed by leaders of […]

Decentralization of church leadership appeared to be a dead issue under the conservative papacy of John Paul II, but there are signs that high church officials, including the pope, are open to more local control in the church. The New York Times (Oct. 21) reports that a number of bishops, particularly those from the West and Australia […]

Christian and even Jewish and Islamic schools are seeing a growing number of students from other faiths enrolling, reports the Wall Street Journal (Oct. 12). “As parents worry more about moral guidance for their children, Catholic, Jewish and other faith-based schools are seeing a wave of interest from students of other religions. At Episcopal academies, enrollment by […]

“While some general-interest publishers are trying to promote attack-related titles carefully to avoid appearing to be baldly mercenary or opportunistic, religion publishers, while also concerned with taste and sensitivity, are less shy,” reports Publisher Weekly’s Religion Bookline (Oct. 9), a newsletter on religion and publishing. Since concern with spiritual and emotional needs is at the center of […]

The topic of Muslim extremism, once downplayed by American Muslims for fear of  encouraging prejudice against Islam, is receiving new attention in the U.S. Islamic community in the wake of Sept. 11, reports the San Jose Mercury News (Oct. 23). “Slowly, and for the first time,” American Muslims are “talking publicly about issues previously confined to the mosque […]