Ira Rifkin
Ira Rifkin is an author at Religion News Service.
All Stories by Ira Rifkin
NEWS STORY: Muslim group concerned by `Touched by an Angel’ Sudan episode
By Ira Rifkin — January 1, 1999
c. 1999 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ A Muslim-American watchdog group says it fears Sunday’s season-opening episode of the popular CBS-TV show”Touched by an Angel”featuring a story line focusing on slavery in Sudan amounts to thinly disguised anti-Muslim propaganda and political partisanship. The one-hour show depicts a fictional senator who must choose between confronting allegations […]
HOLIDAY FEATURE: American Muslims say their acceptance grows despite ongoing problems
By Ira Rifkin — January 1, 1999
c. 1999 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ As American Muslims prepare to mark Islam’s holy month of Ramadan, what recent progress they have made in gaining increased public acceptance might well be described as a case of one step backward for every two taken forward. On Capitol Hill, for example, weekly Muslim prayer services and […]
New rabbinic group seeks to bridge rifts among Jews
By Ira Rifkin — January 1, 1999
c. 1999 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ In 1994, the Synagogue Council of America _ for 70 years North American Judaism’s only interdenominational rabbinic voice _ collapsed under the weight of internal bickering between the group’s Orthodox and non-Orthodox members. Since then, the gulf between Judaism’s traditional and more liberal elements has grown even more […]
NEWS STORY: Religious activists target international sex trade
By Ira Rifkin — January 1, 1999
c. 1999 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ In straightfoward graphic detail, the two young women told their stories of sexual slavery and degradation to a Capitol Hill audience that listened in stunned silence. One was from Nepal, the other Mexico. Both were kidnapped and sold to brothels; one in India, the other in Texas.”We were […]
NEWS ANALYSIS: Christian Coalition may be down, but don’t count it out
By Ira Rifkin — January 1, 1999
c. 1999 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Larry Miller is a true-blue supporter of the Christian Coalition who co-chairs the organization’s Polk County, Iowa, chapter. He makes no effort to hide his concern over what’s happened to the religious right’s premier political powerhouse.”I’d say the coalition has plateaued, hopefully no worse,”the 36-year-old data processing worker […]
NEWS STORY: Robertson: Clinton’s State of the Union speech ended impeachment threat
By Ira Rifkin — January 1, 1999
c. 1999 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson, a harsh critic of President Clinton who has long called for his removal from office, said Wednesday (Jan. 20) that Clinton”hit a home run”with his State of the Union address and”the matter of impeachment is over.” Speaking on his”700 Club”television program, Robertson’s comments came […]
NEWS STORY: Minority faiths under fire in Western Europe
By Ira Rifkin — January 1, 1999
c. 1999 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Religious rights advocates have expanded their efforts to protect minority faiths to what many thought an unlikely arena _ some of Western Europe’s leading democracies. The concern stems from actions in France, Belgium, Germany, Austria and elsewhere that critics say run roughshod over the legal rights of minority […]
NEWS STORY: European agency to keep tabs on `dangerous sects’ urged
By Ira Rifkin — January 1, 1999
c. 1999 Religion News Service UNDATED _ The Council of Europe’s parliamentary body has recommended creation of a central Europe clearing house to keep tabs on”dangerous sects,”a move one religious freedom advocate said could serve as a pretext in some nations for expanding ongoing campaigns against minority faiths _ many of them imports from the […]
NEWS STORY: Greek Orthodox archbishop backed in dispute with church critics
By Ira Rifkin — January 1, 1999
c. 1999 Religion News Service UNDATED _ The embattled head of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America emerged Tuesday (Jan. 12) from a showdown meeting in Istanbul called to deal with demands he be removed from office with the strong backing of the only man who can force him out. During a five-hour, closed-door meeting […]
Ramadan: A time for discipline and purification
By Ira Rifkin — January 1, 1999
c. 1999 Religion News Service UNDATED _ The Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which begins this year with the sighting of the new moon Dec. 9, is a time during which observant Muslims refrain from food, drink and sensual pleasures from dawn to dusk. The fast is one of Islam’s”Five Pillars,”or major obligations. All able-bodied […]
NEWS STORY: Healing urged as new Greek Orthodox leader is formally appointed
By Ira Rifkin — January 1, 1999
c. 1999 Religion News Service UNDATED _ The new head of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America was officially appointed Friday (Aug. 20), as both critics and backers of his ousted predecessor pledged to work to heal the bitter rifts that have divided the 1.5-million member church for almost three years. In a formal ceremony […]
NEWS ANALYSIS: Isolated incidents overshadow broad Jewish acceptance
By Ira Rifkin — January 1, 1999
c. 1999 Religion News Service UNDATED _ The rash of recent incidents is unsettling. Six Jews shot while walking home from synagogue services in suburban Chicago. Three Sacramento, Calif.-area synagogues set ablaze in a coordinated assault. A gunman opens fire at a Los Angeles Jewish community center, wounding five, including three young boys. But as […]
Traditional Passover preparation a time-consuming process
By Ira Rifkin — January 1, 1999
c. 1999 Religion News Service UNDATED _ When Beverly Macales sits down at her family’s Passover Seder, she does so with the satisfaction of knowing that virtually everything in her home _ including her clothes closets and childrens’ toy boxes _ has been thoroughly cleaned in preparation for the holiday, which ranks among her favorites.”It’s […]
NEWS ANALYSIS: Barak’s second front: The conflict between Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jews
By Ira Rifkin — January 1, 1999
c. 1999 Religion News Service UNDATED _ World leaders anticipating a thaw in the Middle East peace process are busy scrutinizing the actions of Israeli Prime Minister-elect Ehud Barak as he goes about forming a new government. But for American Jewish religious leaders, there’s a second reason for looking closely at Barak’s actions in the […]
Taking the miraculous out of Passover
By Ira Rifkin — January 1, 1999
c. 1999 Religion News Service UNDATED _ No traditional Passover Seder is complete without the singing of”Dayenu,”a table-pounding melody recounting God’s blessings bestowed upon the Jewish nation _ from freedom from slavery in Egypt to construction of the ancient Jerusalem temple. The hymn’s origins have been traced to the ninth century. Peter H. Schweitzer, a […]