(RNS1-SEPT2) Muslim students in New York City public schools, like Nikhat Choudhury (center, wearing green) must decide whether to stay home for important holidays and risk falling behind on their studies. For use with RNS-RAMADAN-SCHOOLS, transmitted Sept. 2, 2010. Religion News Service photo courtesy of Nikhat Choudhury. | Download/Purchase this photo
As Ramadan ends, Muslims seek school holiday
By Nicole Neroulias
NEW YORK (RNS) For Nikhat Choudhury, the Muslim holidays of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha mean picking out new clothes, getting together with her cousins and feasting on homemade samosas and other traditional South Asian dishes.
In recent years, these joyous occasions have come with a struggle: Can she afford to stay home? New York City public schools allow absences for religious reasons, but Choudhury, 15, says it’s much harder to catch up on the work now that she’s in high school.
“I have to weigh the pros and cons of missing a test versus spending …
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Thursday’s roundup
More than 50 leading Muslim groups said it is "unethical, insensitive and inhumane" to oppose the planned Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero.
Meanwhile, the Council on American-Islamic Relations released three public service announcements highlighting American Muslims' roles in 9/11 as first responders to, and victims of, the attack. A former military interrogator in Iraq and a national security expert, together with faith leaders, said Park51, as the NYC project is known, would deprive terrorists of a recruiting tool.
More than 90 clergy have …
RNS RAMADAN WOMEN a (RNS2-AUG11) Kamelia Basir-Rodriguez of Springfield, Va., tried to fast during Ramadan last year when she was pregnant with her daughter, Safeerah, but stopped when she experienced contractions and blackouts. She is opting not to fast this year as she breastfeeds her daughter. For use with RNS-RAMADAN-WOMEN, transmitted Aug. 11, 2010. RNS photo courtesy Kamelia Basir-Rodriguez.
(RNS1-SEPT1) Tom Farley left the Catholic priesthood and his post at St. Clare's Church in Portland, Ore., just before Easter. He is engaged to be married, and will soon be moving to Bend. For use with RNS-10-MINUTES, transmitted Sept. 1, 2010. Religion News Service photo by Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian | Download/Purchase this photo
10 minutes with … Tom Farley
By Nancy Haught
PORTLAND, Ore. (RNS) Tom Farley left the Catholic priesthood because he’d fallen in love.
Farley, 57, a priest for 30 years, served his last Masses at his parish here in March.
The former priest talked recently about his years as a priest, the process that led him to give it up, and the life he’s embraced since he left.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: Why did you become a priest?
A: I was raised a Catholic, and my faith was important to …
(RNS1-AUG26) A man walks past the site of the proposed Park51 Islamic community center and mosque in lower Manhattan. A new poll finds that a majority of Americans oppose the project, in part because many consider it ``sacred ground." For use with RNS-MOSQUE-POLL, transmitted Aug. 26, 2010. RNS photo by Gregory A. Shemitz. | Download/Purchase this photo
Poll: Majority opposes mosque near Ground Zero on `sacred ground’
By Nicole Neroulias
(RNS) The outcry over the proposed Islamic community center near Ground Zero should not be lumped together with protests against planned mosques in other parts of the country, a new poll suggests.
Nearly 60 percent of Americans oppose building an Islamic center or mosque two blocks from the site of the 9/11 terror attacks, but 76 percent would support one in their own communities, according to a PRRI/RNS Religion News Poll released on Thursday (Aug. 26).
The strongest opposition to the New York project, called Park51, came from Republicans (85 percent) and white evangelicals (75 percent opposed …
See more Religion News tracking poll stories...