c. 1998 Religion News Service
Bombing of Ala. clinic decried by abortion-rights foes, supporters
(RNS) Organizations on both sides of the abortion debate are decrying the bombing Thursday (Jan. 29) of an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Ala.
The explosion at the New Woman All Women Health Care clinic, which left one dead and another seriously injured, occurred just one week after the nation marked the 25th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized most abortions.
An off-duty policeman who worked as a guard at the clinic was killed, Police Chief Mike Coppage said, according to the Associated Press.
An injured woman, a nurse, was in critical condition, said Laura Mansfield, spokeswoman for the University of Alabama Hospital.”This is the first death that we have seen from a bombing of an abortion clinic,”said Vicki Saporta, director of the National Abortion Federation. Five people have been shot to death at abortion clinics, four in 1994 and one in 1993.
In a statement, President Clinton called the Birmingham bombing”senseless violence.””This bombing was an unforgivable act that strikes at the heart of the constitutional freedoms and individual liberties all Americans hold dear,”Clinton said.
Clark Forsythe, president of Americans United for Life, called for an end to all violence at abortion clinics.”Today’s bombing is a terrible tragedy that never should have happened,”he said.”We condemn these murderous actions in no uncertain terms. … Our purpose is to protect and defend human life, not to assault it.” Kate Michelman, president of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, expressed concern that violence may be seen by some abortion opponents as an acceptable strategy.”Frustrated by their inability to sway American thought through traditional means, right-wing extremists opposed to abortion have returned to acts more commonly associated with the worst of society’s criminals,”she said.”This reign of terrorism must be stopped.” Gary Bauer, president of the Family Research Council, urged all abortion foes to condemn the violent act.”It is vitally important that all pro-life people speak out clearly and unmistakably to denounce such lawless violence,”he said.”These actions do violence not only to their intended targets, but also to the pro-life cause.” Phil Baum, executive director of the American Jewish Congress, urged conservative Christians who oppose abortions to speak out against the violence.”`Right to life,’ they must say, does not mean the right to impose death,”he said.
Cardinal Bernard Law, chairman of the Committee for Pro-Life Activities of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, said he was saddened by the explosion.”If initial reports are true, and this destruction was intentional, we condemn, in the strongest possible terms, such murderous violence,”he said.
Hillary Rodham Clinton praises Muslim values
(RNS) First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton Thursday (Jan. 29) equated Muslim values with American values during a White House reception held to mark the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Speaking to some 90 American Muslims gathered in the Old Executive Office Building on the White House grounds, Clinton said such Islamic values as commitment to family and spiritual growth are”not only your values, they are American values, they are universal values.” She also urged Muslims not to be discouraged by prejudice directed against them.”When anyone’s dignity is compromised the dignity of all of us is compromised,”she said.
Thursday’s gathering marked the second time the White House has hosted a reception for Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim feast day marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan is the month during which Allah (God) is believed to have begun to reveal the Koran _ the Muslim scripture _ to the Prophet Muhammad in seventh-century Arabia.
During Ramadan, observant Muslims fast during daylight hours as a rite of spiritual purification.
In 1996, the White House hosted a similar Eid al-Fitr event also attended by the first lady.
President Clinton did not attend Thursday’s reception, but did take note of Ramadan’s end in a videotaped statement. The president said that”in a world where many Muslims suffer the terrible consequences of war, poverty and unrest, we must renew our efforts to resolve conflicts and remove the cause of strife.” He mentioned Algeria and Afghanistan, two nations wracked by violent civil war. He also noted the aspirations of Palestinians, most of whom are Muslim,”to live as a free people”and the suffering of”the people of Iraq.” The president also took the opportunity to reach out again to Muslim Iran, saying the differences between the U.S. and Iranian governments”are not insurmountable”and urging”more exchanges between our peoples.” Salam Al-Marayati, director of the Los Angeles-based Muslim Public Affairs Council, said the president’s comments reflected”exactly what’s on the minds of many American Muslims … The president, speaking to us in specifics and not just generalities, represents a leap to another level for us.”
Texas’ highest criminal court rejects murderer’s request
(RNS) Texas’ highest criminal court rejected a request to spare the life of pickax killer Karla Faye Tucker, who is scheduled to be executed Tuesday (Feb. 3).
Tucker had argued that the state’s clemency process is unconstitutional, but the Court of Criminal Appeals turned aside her argument, the Associated Press reported.
Tucker, 38, also has asked the Board of Pardons and Paroles to alter her sentence to life in prison. The board can forward a recommendation to Texas Gov. George W. Bush or deny her request.
Tucker, who is scheduled to die by lethal injection, was convicted and sentenced to death in 1984 for her role in two brutal killings in Houston in 1983. Texas has not executed a woman since 1863.
Christian leaders ranging from mainline Protestant officials to Catholic bishops to religious broadcaster Pat Robertson have issued pleas to halt the scheduled execution.
The Rev. Joan Brown Campbell, general secretary of the National Council of Churches, joined other church leaders Monday in urging Bush to spare Tucker’s life.
On Thursday, Bishop William S. Skylstad, chairman of the U.S. Catholic Conference’s Domestic Policy Committee, encouraged Bush to heed the wishes of Pope John Paul II by granting Tucker clemency.”Capital punishment diminishes all of us and contributes towards a brutal cycle of violence which is all too prevalent in our society,”Skylstad said.
Tucker has been interviewed on Robertson’s”The 700 Club”TV show.
In an interview that aired Tuesday (Jan. 27), Tucker told co-host Terry Meeuwsen that she was not afraid to die.”I know where I’m going,”she said.”I know that Jesus has already gone to prepare a place for me. I know that if I have to go February 3rd, that he’s going to come and he’s going to escort me personally.” CBN has announced that Tucker has requested that”The 700 Club”broadcast her last interview from her Texas cell. The interview will be aired Feb. 3, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. EST.
Former National Religious Broadcasters exec in hall of fame
(RNS) Ben Armstrong, the former National Religious Broadcasters executive director, will be inducted into NRB’s Hall of Fame when the organization holds its annual four-day convention, which begins Saturday (Jan. 31).
Armstrong, a former pastor who headed NRB from 1966 to 1989, will be honored during the closing banquet of the meeting.”Dr. Armstrong epitomized NRB,”said the group’s current president, E. Brandt Gustavson.”He was mightily used in (NRB’s) growth from the small organization of 1966 to the larger, stronger association of 1989. … He worked tirelessly to advance the association.” Armstrong said he was pleased to be inducted.”After 23 years as NRB executive director, I know what this singular honor means,”he said.
More than 2,500 people have pre-registered for the convention, which will be held in Washington through Tuesday (Feb. 3). Members of the association, founded in 1944, include radio and TV stations, program producers and others involved in religious broadcasting.
Among other awards announced by the organization are:
Radio Station of the Year: KIXL-AM in Austin, Texas.
Television Station of the Year: WAZT-TV in Woodstock, Va.
Radio Program Producer of the Year:”Proclaim!”produced by the Moody Broadcasting Network in Chicago.
Television Program Producer of the Year:”Coral Ridge Hour,”produced by Coral Ridge Ministries in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Talk Show of the Year:”Midday Connection,”produced by Moody and hosted by Wayne Shepherd and Andrea Fabry.
William Ward Ayer Distinguished Service Award for outstanding service in broadcasting: Rev. C. Donald Cole, radio pastor of Moody Bible Institute.
Board of Directors’ Award, presented to a distinguished Christian: Martha Williamson, executive producer of CBS'”Touched by an Angel.” Chairman’s Award: Recording artist Michael Card.
Gypsies in Germay ask Holocaust victim compensation
(RNS) Germany’s Gypsies are asking the government to award monthly compensation payments to some 200 gypsies who survived the Holocaust but have not yet been able to qualify for restitution.
Peter Berneiser of Germany’s Gypsy council met with Fridrich Bohl, the government’s chief of staff, and told him it would be unfair not to compensate the Gypsies, the AP reported.
He said the Gypsies had failed to qualify for the compensation fund because some were imprisoned in places other than concentration camps or were not German citizens during World War II.
But Berneiser said that in light of the German government’s recent agreement to set up a big pension fund for Eastern European Jews, it was only fair to help the Gypsies.
Earlier this month, Germany said it would pay $110 million over five years to provide pensions of about $128 a month to Jewish Holocaust survivors in Eastern Europe.
Like Jews, Gypsies were also rounded up, interned and killed by the Nazis. An estimated 200,00 to 500,000 Gypsies died during the Holocaust.
John Tesh, Naomi Judd to co-host Dove Awards
(RNS) Celebrity musicians John Tesh and Naomi Judd will co-host the 29th Annual Dove Awards.
The awards show of the Gospel Music Association, will be held on April 23 in Nashville Arena. Produced by Nashville-based High Five Entertainment, it will air live at 7 p.m. CDT on The Nashville Network.”We’re thrilled that two nationally known artists like John and Naomi will be hosting this year’s Dove Awards,”said Frank Breeden, GMA president.”As two individuals who attribute their successes in life _ both on and off stage _ to their beliefs in God, we feel they’ll introduce our awards show to a new group of viewers.” The GMA, which is based in Nashville, represents more than 5,500 members, including vocalists, musicians, producers, songwriters and record company executives.
Quote of the Day: Bishop J. Delano Ellis II
(RNS) In a letter of support to President Bill Clinton, Bishop J. Delano Ellis II, presiding bishop of the United Pentecostal Churches of Christ, assured Clinton of his group’s prayers:”Satan specializes in destruction. He uses innuendoes, half-truths, and creates a circumstance, when picked up by our enemies, which appears to be fact and truth indeed. It matters not to the enemy of your soul that you have begun your serious walk with the Lord, and by your lifestyle and devotion to Christ you’ve brought well being and major improvement to every quarter of our nation.”
END RNS
