c. 2006 Religion News Service
Veiled Woman to Deliver Britain’s `Alternative’ Christmas Message
LONDON (RNS) A major British television network has selected a Muslim woman who will dress in the full-face niqab veil to deliver its annual “alternative” Christmas Day message opposite Queen Elizabeth II.
The woman, identified by London’s Daily Mail newspaper as part-time Islamic studies teacher Khadija Ravat, will appear on Channel 4 TV with a six-minute message that is expected to include a defense of the right of Muslim women to cover their faces in public, if they wish.
Channel 4 is one of five mainstream television networks in Britain, alongside BBC1-TV, BBC2-TV, ITV and Channel 5 TV.
Ravat’s broadcast is scheduled to be aired at the same time as the traditional telecast on BBC1 and ITV of the annual Christmas Day message to the country and around the globe by the queen, who as Britain’s monarch is titular head of the Church of England.
Channel 4’s alternative Christmas messages have grown as an offbeat, often irreverent tradition of their own over the past 13 years and have previously been delivered by celebrities such as the Rev. Jesse Jackson, French actress and animal lover Brigitte Bardot and The Simpsons television comedy cartoon characters.
The broadcaster told journalists that it was fitting that its “alternative Christmas message should be given by a Muslim woman in a year when issues of religious and racial identity and freedom of expression have dominated the news agenda.”
_ Al Webb
Congress Passes Law Allowing Bankrupt to Tithe
WASHINGTON (RNS) Congress has approved a bill that allows people who have filed for bankruptcy to continue to tithe and to make charitable contributions.
Earlier this year, a New York court ruled that debtors above the median income must pay off their debts before giving to charity or tithing.
The Religious Liberty and Charitable Donation Clarification Act of 2006, passed on Dec. 6, responds to that ruling by tweaking bankruptcy rules passed by Congress last year. It ensures “that all individuals in bankruptcy, no matter their income, would be able to continue giving to charity and their church,” according to a statement from the office of one of the bill’s sponsors, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.
It is unclear whether President Bush will sign the bill. A White House spokesperson did not return requests for comment.
“Congress has a long history of protecting our religious freedom to tithe,” said another bill sponsor, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. “That was our intent when we enacted bankruptcy reform last year, and this bill clarifies the law so that those who tithe can continue to live their faith while in bankruptcy.”
More than 2 million Americans filed for bankruptcy protection in 2005 and hundreds of thousands are expected to do the same by the end of 2006, according to the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys.
Debtors and religious groups had feared that the New York ruling might lead credit-card companies to demand similar rulings in other states.
Nationwide enforcement would have had an adverse affect on religious bodies that expect members to donate 10 percent of their income to their church, synagogue, mosque or temple.
_ Daniel Burke
`Muhammad Cartoons’ Editor Says West Must Not Bow to Religious Pressure
WASHINGTON (RNS) The Danish editor who published controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, sparking violent protests in the Muslim world, said trying to appease religious groups risks endangering Western liberal values.
Flemming Rose, culture editor of Denmark’s Jyllands-Posten newspaper, said Dec. 6 that the cartoons _ one of which showed Muhammad with a bomb in his turban _ were a necessary salvo in Europe’s “clash of cultures.”
“I have been accused of being intolerant to religion,” Rose said at a conference hosted by Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs. “But it is not my newspaper that has been intolerant. It is those who have tried to intimidate it into silence.”
The cartoons, published in September 2005, eventually led to violent protests when they were shown in the Muslim world in early 2006. The Guardian newspaper in London recently tallied 139 deaths due to cartoon-related riots.
Aiman Mayzek, a leading German Muslim who took part in the discussion at Georgetown, said Western media should balance rights and responsibilities.
“The Western world has to think about its freedom of religion and the freedom of the press,” Mayzek said. “Muslims should join in this discussion, but respect for our holy ones cannot be discussed only to the debit of Muslims. That would be too much for us.”
“How could I not see that cartoon as an attack on all Muslims?” Mayzek said about the caricature of Muhammad with a bomb in his turban.
Rose protested that the cartoons were a response to recent events in Europe in which artists and public officials were intimidated by “Islamists.” There was a story about censorship to be told, according to Rose.
“We decided to go with (the cartoons) in an unusual, and I would say creative, way in accordance with the classic journalistic principle: don’t tell it, show it,” Rose said.
_ Daniel Burke
German Church May Go to Court to Keep Stores Closed on Sundays
BERLIN (RNS) Germany’s Protestant church is thinking about heading to court if that’s what it takes to keep Sunday a day of rest.
Germany’s longstanding _ and legally mandated _ tradition of keeping shops closed on Sundays is under attack like never before.
Instituted partly to uphold cultural heritage and partly to guarantee a day off for workers, many businesses argue the rule is holding them back in today’s modern economy. The policy has already eroded on many fronts; some larger cities allow stores to stay open on special Sundays, such as during the Christmas shopping season.
But a recent reform of Germany’s federal system devolved the power to decide store hours to individual German states. Berlin, Brandenburg and Saxony quickly jumped at the opportunity, allowing stores to operate on up to 12 Sundays a year.
That might be a step too far for Wolfgang Huber, head of Council of Evangelical Churches of Germany (EKD) and the bishop of Berlin’s Lutheran churches.
“I think it’s urgent that we check to see if we’re still protecting Sundays and holidays as days of rest and reflection, as mandated by the Constitution,” according to the Berliner Zeitung (Berlin Newspaper).
Huber has not decided what, if anything, to do. But he could theoretically bring the question of store hours to Germany’s highest court for a ruling on whether the Sunday openings violate constitutional protections.
_ Niels Sorrells
Woman Sues Over Treatment Program’s Religious Content
(RNS) A Missouri woman is suing a judge who ordered her to either complete Narcotics Anonymous’ 12-step program or serve time in jail, arguing that the sentence entails government-forced religious activity.
Meetings at Narcotics Anonymous _ an offshoot of Alcoholics Anonymous _ have a religious theme and require participants to pray, claims Mindy Gayle Offutt. Offut attended a Narcotics Anonymous meeting in December after pleading guilty in an Arkansas state court to possession of a controlled substance.
The Arkansas judge had sentenced Offutt to a 30-day suspended jail sentence and ordered her to attend 12 Narcotics Anonymous meetings. The suspension of the sentence would be revoked if she failed to attend.
“An individual should be allowed to decide whether or not to accept a particular religion, or whether to accept any religion at all,” argued Doug Norwood, Offutt’s attorney in the lawsuit.
Offut argues that ordering her to participate in a religious program violates the First Amendment, which prohibit government-endorsed religion.
Narcotics Anonymous’s 12-step program is “a spiritual program, not a religious program” said Bob S., a spokesperson for the group. The second step of the program entails acknowledging that there is “a Power greater than ourselves” that can “restore us to sanity.”
“You can choose a higher power of your own understanding; there’s no leaning toward any sect, denomination or religion,” said Bob S., who, in keeping with the group’s practice, asked that his last name be withheld.
But U.S. courts are divided on that distinction. In 1996, a New York state appeals court ruled that A.A.’s practices and doctrines are “unequivocally religious” and prison inmates cannot be forced to attend meetings.
_ Daniel Burke
Deutsche Bank Set to Offer Investments That Fit Islamic Law
BERLIN (RNS) Germany’s leading bank plans to reach out to the Muslim world with special funds designed to comply with Sharia law.
Observant Muslims have long been barred from traditional investing because of religious laws that prevent them from putting money in accounts that bear interest. Additionally, they cannot invest in companies that sell weapons, pornography, alcohol or pork, or businesses that offer gambling.
“Because of the limited offerings for them, many Muslims had to hide their money under the bed or only invest in products with weak performance,” said a Deutsche Bank spokesman in the Berliner Zeitung (Berlin Newspaper) on Thursday (Dec. 7).
The move puts Deutsche Bank, with profits of $3.2 billion in 2004 and branches in most major countries, on track with other London investment houses that have also tried to tap into the Muslim market.
DWS, a Deutsche Bank subsidiary, will operate the new program. With the help of Islamic scholars, the company has put together five funds comprised of 7,000 different stocks. Investors must put in at least $1,000. Special deals with longer term investments will be available for German Muslims.
Thanks to its global presence, the bank will be able to eventually offer the funds almost anywhere. International offerings will begin in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, thanks to a partnership with Noor Islamic Funds, before spreading to the rest of the Middle East, Asia and Europe, according to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Frankfurt General Newspaper).
_ Niels Sorrells
Vatican Upholds Excommunication of Call to Action Members
(RNS) A Vatican official has upheld the wholesale excommunication of hundreds of lay Catholics affiliated with dissident and reform groups by a Nebraska bishop 10 years ago.
Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Neb., issued the excommunication order in 1996. It was confirmed in a Nov. 24 letter to Bruskewitz from Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, head of the Vatican’s office in charge of bishops.
Bruskewitz decreed that membership in the Catholic reform movement Call to Action and 10 other groups was “always perilous to the Catholic faith.”
Several members of Call to Action had appealed the excommunication, which led to Re’s letter.
Re wrote that “the Holy See considers that Your Excellency’s ruling in the case of `Call to Action Nebraska’ was properly taken within your competence as Pastor of that diocese.”
Bruskewitz, one of the most conservative U.S. bishops, publicized the letter Friday (Dec. 8).
“The judgment of the Holy See is that the activities of `Call to Action’ in the course of these years are in contrast with the Catholic Faith due to views and positions held which are unacceptable from a doctrinal and disciplinary standpoint,” Re wrote.
Founded in 1978, Call to Action has 53 U.S. chapters and approximately 25,000 members, according to Nicole Sotelo, a spokesperson for the group. The group advocates comprehensive changes in the church, including the ordination of women and the removal of celibacy requirements for priests.
The other groups excommunicated by Bruskewitz include Planned Parenthood, Catholics for a Free Choice, several Masonic groups and the Hemlock Society, which supports assisted suicide.
Members of Call to Action in Lincoln will again appeal the excommunication, this time to the Apostolic Signatura, the Vatican’s supreme court, according to Sotelo.
Sotelo said Call to Action has not yet been allowed to present its case before the Vatican.
It is unclear what effect the excommunication will have. Individuals were not named in Bruskewitz’s order. Catholics who are excommunicated are not allowed to take part in public worship or receive the sacraments.
Sotelo said members of Call to Action attended Mass on Sunday and received Holy Communion with no problems.
“Our members plan to continue to participate in the church. We don’t see this as stopping our faith as Catholics, nor do we see this as stopping our work for justice in the church,” Sotelo said.
_ Daniel Burke
Military Watchdog Group Seeks Investigation of Religious Video
WASHINGTON (RNS) A group monitoring religious freedom in the military asked a Department of Defense inspector general Monday (Dec. 11) to investigate the presence of top military brass in a Christian ministry’s promotional video.
“Service men and women shown in uniform, and civilian DOD personnel, at the Pentagon enthusiastically promoting a private, sectarian religious organization appears to violate a number of Department of Defense directives,” wrotes Ezra W. Reese, lawyer for the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.
In the video, shown Monday to reporters at the National Press Club, Air Force Maj. Gen. Jack Catton spoke of the influence of the Arlington, Va.-based Christian Embassy on himself and other officers.
“I think it’s a huge impact because you have many men and women who are seeking God’s counsel and wisdom as we advise the chairman and the secretary of defense,” said Catton. “Hallelujah.”
Mikey Weinstein, president and founder of the Albuquerque, N.M.-based foundation calling for the investigation, said the promotion of a particular religious point of view while in uniform at the workplace is not appropriate.
“It’s an outrage,” said Weinstein of the video.
Maj. Stewart Upton, a Pentagon spokesman, said the inspector general’s office has received the request but “it would be inappropriate to speculate as to what actions will be taken at this point.”
He added that the military doesn’t endorse any one religion.
“The Department of Defense provides opportunities for military service members to practice their faith,” he said.
Robert Varney, executive director of the Christian Embassy, said his ministry received permission from the Pentagon to film the video clips.
“We think that the context of the video is self-explanatory, that the opinions are definitely personal,” he said.
Varney said his organization, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ, was placing a disclaimer on its Web site, where the video appeared, to clarify that the opinions on it do not represent the U.S. government.
_ Adelle M. Banks
Vatican Rebukes Iran Holocaust Conference
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Vatican on Tuesday (Dec. 12) condemned a conference in Iran of Holocaust deniers, calling the mass extermination of millions of Jews a “great tragedy.”
“The Holocaust was a great tragedy before which we cannot remain indifferent,” the Holy See said in a statement, adding: “The memory of those horrible events must remain as a warning for people’s consciences, to eliminate conflicts, respect the rights of all peoples, exhort for peace, truth and justice.”
The two-day conference, called by Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, began in the Iranian capital of Tehran on Monday. In the wake of the Danish cartoon controversy, Iran organized a cartoon contest lampooning the Holocaust. Ahmadinejad has also called for Israel to be “wiped off” the map.
The meeting included academics, white supremacists and Neo-Nazis from around the world to “debate” whether Nazi Germany conducted a genocide of European Jewry during World War II.
Americans attending the conference included the former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. White House Press Secretary Tony Snow on Monday called the Holocaust “one of the great horrors in human history.”
_ Stacy Meichtry
Church of Sweden to Allow Gay Union Ceremonies
BORAS, Sweden (RNS) The (Lutheran) Church of Sweden will offer blessings for same-sex couples in Sweden starting in January, but church leaders said gay marriages will not be allowed.
Under the policy, blessings will be available for couples who have entered a legal civil union; at least one member of the couple must be a church member. Church spokesman Thomas Ekelund said the ceremonies will not contain vows because the church does not officiate at civil union ceremonies.
“This is a joyous and important decision. People who want to live in a committed loving relationship can now be blessed publicly in the church,” said Archbishop Anders Wejryd of Uppsala, head of the Swedish church, in a press release.
Soren Andersson, chairman for a local gay rights organization, hailed the decision.
“This is a freedom for those who are affected. The church has now said that homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals are welcomed. This is very important,” he said.
While some priests had already agreed to bless gay unions, the church had not given its official approval for gay and lesbian union ceremonies.
Swedish laws allow gays couples the same rights as heterosexual married couples, but gay unions are still called partnerships. A government-named committee is investigating whether Sweden’s marriage law must be made gender neutral.
_ Simon Reeves
Quote of the Week: Author and radio personality Garrison Keillor
(RNS) “There are people who feel `excluded’ by Christian symbolism and are offended by the manger and the angels and the Child, but there have always been humorless, legalistic people. Complaint is an American art form, and in our time it has been raised to an operatic level. To which one can only say: Get a life.”
_ Author and radio personality Garrison Keillor
KRE/JL END RNS
