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Need to know: Friday, February 17, 2017
Suicide attack on Pakistani shrine kills 72, claimed by Islamic State
The southern province of Sindh where the shrine is located has always been a poor but religiously tolerant region, and the attack struck at the heart of the local Sufi community.
Thou shalt not speak alternative facts: religion and lying
Lying "kills." But all three Abrahamic faiths have exceptions to preserve peace or avoid evil.
Ikea under fire for male-only catalog in Israel
The catalog depicts Orthodox men with side curls and boys wearing yarmulkes in a domestic setting intended to appeal to the ultra-Orthodox community’s increasingly stringent modesty norms.
Washington court rules against florist in gay wedding case
The state’s Supreme Court ruled that floral arrangements do not constitute protected free speech, and that providing flowers to a same-sex wedding would not serve as an endorsement of same-sex marriage.
A Jewish reporter got to ask Trump a question. It didn’t go well
As Jake Turx shook his head with an incredulous look on his face, President Trump accused him of having lied that his question would be straight and simple.
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Latest news from RNS
Constitutionality of leaked executive order on religious freedom called into question
WASHINGTON (RNS) Rabbi David Saperstein told a congressional subcommittee that leaked language of a proposed presidential executive order on religious liberty could cause 'constitutional problems.'
Muslim students join lawsuits against Trump
LOS ANGELES (RNS) For Hadil Mansoor Al-Mowafak, a 20-year-old international affairs student at Stanford University, the president’s executive order meant that if she went to see her husband in Yemen, she risked not being able to return.
Christian aid group lays off staff in wake of Trump’s executive order on refugees
World Relief is one of nine private agencies contracted with the U.S. government to resettle refugees.
More views from RNS
Reading Trump’s mind on anti-Semitism
So what if he didn't answer the question?
Sacred sites violated
What if the Sioux Nation decided to build a pipeline through Arlington Cemetery?
Americans warm slightly toward Mormons, other religions
Americans are feeling more positive about religious groups than in the past, including Mormons. But other groups, including atheists, Hindus, and Muslims, are climbing more quickly in public opinion, says a new Pew study.
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Bonus tracks
- Exhibit explores Israeli artists’ complex relationship with Jesus
- American Girl introduces boy doll, local minister enraged
- Chinese students in San Diego oppose a Dalai Lama graduation speech
- Forecasting the future and explaining Silicon Valley’s new religions
- Eat, pray, Lent: Here’s what Americans actually abstain from