The New York Times ran a great article today about Walking the Walk, a high school program that brings together students of different faiths to help them learn about each other.

Check out the article about Walking the Walk here.

Stay tuned to ReligionTranscends for coverage of Guru Nanak’s birthday (a Sikh celebration).

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On July 5, two British tourists met at a champagne-filled brunch in Dubai. Hours later, they were arrested for having sex on a Dubai beach.

Their charges?

Sex outside of marriage, public indecency, and drunkenness. Why? Because it’s Dubai.

Though Dubai welcomes tourists from all over the world, the country itself is ruled by Islamic law (sharia). Dubai authorities worried that prosecuting the tourists would dissuade new tourists from visiting the country, for fear of further arrests. But today, the Britons were pronounced guilty and charged the equivalent of $350 US. They must also serve a three-month prison sentence, after which they will be deported from Dubai.

What is sharia?

Sharia (Islamic law) is derived from the sacred texts of Islam, including the Qur’an and the Sunnah (which details the actions and sayings of Muhammad). Like western courts, sharia still allows for trials, and you’re still innocent until proven guilty. But the laws themselves may be different at times:

“The only crimes that have predetermined penalties under Islamic law are the rejection or desertion of Islam, fornication, theft, adultery and homosexuality.”

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Views about Jews and Muslims are unfavorable in Europe, according to a recent survey from the Pew Research Center’s Pew Global Attitudes Project.

 The results showed that:

-46% of the Spanish rate Jews unfavorably, and 52% viewed Muslims unfavorably.

-34% of Russians rate Jews unfavorably.

-36% of Poles rate Jews unfavorably, and 46% rate Muslims unfavorably.

-25% of Germans rate Jews unfavorably, and 50% rate Muslims unfavorably.

-20% of French rate Jews unfavorably, and 38% rate Muslims unfavorably.

-9% of the British rate Jews unfavorably (Great Britain had the least anti-Semitic views), and 25% view Muslims unfavorably.

Researchers thus concluded there is some kind of relationship between anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim attitudes.

What about Christians?

Anti-Christian views are on the rise in Spain, but otherwise sentiments remain the same with little negativity toward Christians.

The survey also displays differences in religiosity among age groups as well as feelings toward terrorist activities. See the full survey results on the Pew Forum site. 

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This. Is. Fascinating.

In this video, a Christian church in Indonesia is providing meals for Muslims observing Ramadan. 

Watch and decide: Real bridge building? Thoughtful? Corny? Wrong? Unnecessary? 

Learn more about Ramadan in this post on Religion Transcends.

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Today is the anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Take a moment to read a blog post by a Muslim who claims his religion was hijacked on September 11. Here’s an excerpt:

Do not worry, ladies and gentlemen, a billion Muslim pacifist sisters and brothers continue to challenge those who hijacked Islam and we will spend our lives serenely hijacking it back; by any peaceful means necessary.

Even though some Americans may mistakenly think that Muslims only know recipes for Molotov cocktails; here are some other societal contributions of Muslims to modern civilization:

For example, it was Muslims who invented algebra.

Most people would also probably be surprised to learn that it was a Muslim who designed the Sears Tower in my sweet home of Chicago.

Even more surprising is the fact that 4 out of 57 Muslim nations on earth have already elected female heads-of-state; something that we as Americans have been unable to do thus far in history.

Additionally, the greatest American boxer ever, Muhammad Ali; and the funniest dude in America, Dave Chappelle, are both Muslims.

Most importantly, 3 out of the last 5 Nobel Peace Prize winners have been Muslims; one for fighting poverty in Bangladesh, one for disarming nuclear weapons and Shrin Ebadi, the Iranian Muslim human rights lawyer valiantly fighting for the rights of women worldwide.

But more important than Nobel Peace Prizes, Muslim culture has brought crunchy falafel, henna tattoos and yummy hummus to our American shores.

But all because of one terrorist cave-dweller, 1400 years of Pan-Islamic cultural and societal progress goes down the drain.

Thanks a lot, Osama…

Read the full article on CNN.com.

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BBC News Online offers a great look at life in Jerusalem through the eyes of three men who live there – three men who belong to three different religions. 

Their stories point to the religious and cultural tensions that arise in a city that is home to Jews, Christians, Muslims, and their respective holy sites. This look at the city is especially interesting now, as Jews and Muslims gear up for Rosh Hashanah (September 29) and Ramadan (September 1).

Learn more about some of the sacred sites in Jerusalem here.

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Ramadan begins on September 1 (September 2 for those in North America).

As Muslims around the world gear up for the annual observance, they are making some tough decisions before the fasting begins.

Indonesia:  Three Islamic militants (Islamists) are on death row for bombing night clubs in Bali in 2002. It was the worst terrorist attack on Indonesia, with 202 people killed and another 209 injured. The Indonesian government was hoping to execute the men by firing squad before the start of Ramadan. But yesterday, the Indonesian Attorney General announced they will not execute the men during the holy month of Ramadan, fearing backlash by Muslims.

Israel: Israel will release 200 Palestinian prisoners (of the total 9,000) during Ramadan. The release is a gesture from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Olmert is hoping such goodwill can fuel peace talks.

Malawi and Morocco: In preparation for the fast, Muslims often stockpile food for the month. But with rising food costs, residents of Malawi and Morocco are fearful of having enough to eat. Some items are simply unaffordable; other items are being hoarded by those who can easily afford them. The demand created after such hoarding only makes the items more unaffordable.

Pakistan: With the announcement of President Musharraf’s resignation on Monday, the new coalition government (the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, the same coalition that talked about impeaching Musharraf prior to his resignation) has only a month to pick a new president. But with Ramadan beginning in just over one week, and with an Islamic majority in the government, it seems likely they will have to wait until after the fasting month to make any decisions.

Learn more about the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

And watch Religion Transcends for more on this religious observance.

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Tisha B’Av begins tomorrow at sundown. Read the post that follows this post for an explanation of the observance.

And while we’re on the topic of holidays and observances, here is an interesting story:

According to Religion News Service, “A Tyson Foods Inc. plant in Shelbyville, Tenn., will recognize a Muslim holy day as one of its eight paid holidays in place of Labor Day, a decision that has left many residents angry and some proud.”

Typically, offices in the United States observe so-called national holidays (Thanksgiving, July 4th, Memorial Day, and so on). Some then give the additional option to take time off for religious observances. (Before we make it so black and white, let’s not forget the exception of Christmas, which some offices observe as a religious holiday and others consider a winter break.) This appears to be the first time an organization not affiliated with any one particular religion has opted out of a national holiday and opted for an Islamic observance.

What do you think? Is this a big deal? Would it be different if, say, the office opted out of Labor Day for Easter instead? Would it be different it, say, the office opted out of Christmas for a Muslim observance? Should the corporate world offer the option to choose which holidays you take time off to observe (be they religious, national, or otherwise)?

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Prisons run by the Ministry of Interior in Saudi Arabia are teaching Islamists they have a distorted view of Islam, according to a recent article from BBC News.

The prison offers a relaxed environment where prisoners (many who follow the ideas and beliefs of al-Qaeda) are allowed to swim, play tennis, make art, and so forth. In exchange, they take classes to learn about the ways al-Qaeda has distorted Islam to achieve its own ends.

When prisoners’ sentences are over, the government helps them pay for weddings and even furnishes them with household goods and cars. The government claims it is a great way to fight ideas with ideas and rehabilitate former offenders.

What is an Islamist?

Islamism is an extreme form of Islam where practitioners combine the Muslim religion with ideologies about their political system. One on end of the spectrum, Islamists appear to be much like other religions that claim to have returned to the core beliefs and original intent of the religion. On the other end, Islamists appear to be militant, ultra-conservative, and strict.

Examples of Islamists (from all ends of the spectrum) include the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaeda, and the Saudi Wahhabis.

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Prayers from several religions will now find a place at the Ontario legislature’s opening each day, according to Religion News Service.

Making a compromise

The municipal councils used to begin their daily meetings by reciting the Lord’s Prayer, associated with the Christian religion. But in early 2008, Secular Ontario threatened to take them to court if they continued the ritual. The organization of atheist Canadians felt such an act implied that the legislature was for Christians only.

The government of Ontario has held several debates about religion and politics over the last few months. Finally they came up with a compromise in June that would keep them out of hot water with Secular Ontario.

The compromise? Keep the Lord’s Prayer, but add in prayers from eight other religions and a moment of silence for the non-religious. Among those religions whose prayers will be incorporated are Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Baha’i, and Sikhism.

Inclusion for diversity

This change is a good example of a move toward inclusion. Inclusion is a method of showing that all religions have merit and truth in some way and/or that all deserve representation and respect. It’s the idea of religious diversity — a cornucopia of religions tha twould all be placed on the same level, in the same arena. Exclusion, obviously, is the opposite. A religion is sometimes called “exclusive” when its followers claim their religion is the only true religion or that their beliefs must be followed in order to attain the goal of religion (whether that’s eternal life, cessation of suffering, or something else).

Wondering about the Lord’s Prayer?

The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer prayed by Jesus, and it can be found in the New Testament of The Bible (Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4). In those verses, Jesus teaches his followers to pray a prayer he teaches them to pray. Many Christian churches pray that Lord’s Prayer at each worship gathering, including Catholics who sometimes call this prayer the “Our Father.”

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