James Palmer
James Palmer is an author at Religion News Service.
All Stories by James Palmer
Pakistan’s kite ban pits Islam against popular tradition
By James Palmer — June 12, 2008
c. 2008 Religion News Service LAHORE, Pakistan _ Iqbal Aslam and four buddies meandered through the narrow alleyways. Centuries-old brick houses and apartment buildings loomed over them, shrouding the streets in a surreal dusk. Upon reaching their destination, they knocked on the white metal door of a five-story brick edifice. A man opened it, Aslam’s […]
Iraqi Christians Must Choose: Live in Fear or Flee
By James Palmer — October 4, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service BAGHDAD, Iraq _ Nabil Comanny and his family endured the dead bodies left to decompose along the road in their southern Dora neighborhood. They accepted the criminal gangs that roamed the area, searching for targets to kidnap. And neither the utility failures nor the mountains of trash in the street […]
In Iraq, Women’s Fashion Doesn’t Mix With Islamic Custom
By James Palmer — April 14, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service BAGDHAD, Iraq _ For two years, Faiza Abdal-Majeed has carried a headscarf in her purse for emergencies. For a woman in the Iraqi capital four years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, these can include passing unlawful checkpoints manned by armed militiamen, impromptu forays through neighborhoods controlled by religious zealots, […]
Preventing Shiite-Sunni Civil War Tall Task of New Iraqi Leader
By James Palmer — April 26, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service BAGHDAD, Iraq _ Jawad al-Maliki’s appointment Saturday (April 22) to head Iraq’s national assembly ended a four-month stalemate among politicians here, and opened a passage to forming a new government to tackle the country’s overwhelming troubles. Al-Maliki, 55, a member of Daawa, Iraq’s oldest Shiite political party, served on the […]
For Bodywashers of Iraq, an Endless Stream of Corpses
By James Palmer — April 19, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service BAGHDAD, Iraq _ The wooden coffins are secured on the roof racks of new minivans, battered compact cars and in the beds of pickup trucks. The vehicles line a narrow, pock-marked dirt alley that leads to a body-washing parlor, where the deceased are cleansed before burial. Inside, Mohammed Rozki carefully […]
In Volatile Iraq, Shiite Mosques and Minarets Increasingly Targeted
By James Palmer — February 24, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service BAGHDAD, Iraq _ Razaq Jawad Kadhum dodged Saddam Hussein’s security agents for more than two decades when he served as his mosque’s muezzin, the announcer who chants the daily calls for prayer to gather the faithful. Kadhum, 54, was detained three times, and his life threatened more than once under […]
Islam to Govern Iraqi Law, Women’s Rights
By James Palmer — January 11, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service BAGHDAD _ The changes have come slowly. For nearly three years, Iraqi women have inched toward greater freedom. In some cases, it has meant breaking from traditional dress. In others, there have been leaps that once would have been unthinkable: driving, taking a job outside the home, or even entering […]
NEWS FEATURE: Faith-Based Sex Education Takes Hold Across U.S.
By James Palmer — January 1, 2000
c. 2000 Religion News Service WAYLAND, Mass. _ The seventh graders weave in and out of the polished wooden pews, chasing each other, paper planes flying about. The teachers raise their voices. A sense of order and propriety is quickly restored to the sanctuary of this 200-year-old steepled New England church, and the guessing game […]
NEWS FEATURE: Faith-Based Sex Education Takes Hold Across U.S.
By James Palmer — January 1, 2000
c. 2000 Religion News Service WAYLAND, Mass. _ The seventh graders weave in and out of the polished wooden pews, chasing each other, paper planes flying about. The teachers raise their voices. A sense of order and propriety is quickly restored to the sanctuary of this 200-year-old steepled New England church, and the guessing game […]
NEWS FEATURE: RU-486’s Debut Is Likely to Alter Abortion Debate
By James Palmer — January 1, 2000
c. 2000 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ As supporters and opponents of legal abortion prepare to square off one more time to mark the Jan. 22 anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing most abortions, the Food and Drug Administration is quietly preparing to radically alter the political and medical landscape on the volatile […]
NEWS FEATURE: RU-486’s Debut Is Likely to Alter Abortion Debate
By James Palmer — January 1, 2000
c. 2000 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ As supporters and opponents of legal abortion prepare to square off one more time to mark the Jan. 22 anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing most abortions, the Food and Drug Administration is quietly preparing to radically alter the political and medical landscape on the volatile […]
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