Religion

RIGHTS-GERMANY: ‘Catholic Church Protects Paedophile Priests’

By Julio Godoy
The Catholic Church has for decades protected paedophile priests and clerics who sexually abused children from judiciary prosecution, according to German theologians, law experts, and internal church documents.

MIDEAST: Opposition Grows Against Egypt-Gaza Barrier

By Adam Morrow
Activists and opposition groups are stepping up pressure on the Egyptian government to stop constructing a barrier along the border with the Gaza Strip. Officials say the barrier will prevent cross-border smuggling, but critics say it will seal the fate of the people on the Gaza Strip.

US-CHINA: Dalai Lama Visit Adds to List of Grievances

By Eli Clifton
U.S. President Barack Obama met with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, Thursday in the White House, raising objections from China and adding to existing U.S.-China tensions over Taiwan arms sales, internet censorship and hacking, tariffs on Chinese tyres and calls for Beijing to readjust its currency.

RELIGION-TURKEY: Alevi Future Bleak Despite Equality Moves

By Daan Bauwens
A political initiative to eliminate discrimination against the Alevi, Turkey’s main religious minority, risks being stymied by the Diyanet, the country’s powerful religious body that does not recognise anything but Sunni Islam.
Cartoon courtesy of the Cordoba Initiative. Credit:

RELIGION: Young Western Muslims Fight Misperceptions

By IPS Correspondents
Islamophobia is rising in the West, and sectarian clashes have undermined unity in the Muslim world, but there is hope from "within", says a group of young Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow (MLTs) working to address these problems.

BALKANS: Arrest of Wahhabis Highlights Extremist Threat

By Vesna Peric Zimonjic
The arrest of seven Wahhabis, following a police crackdown on the remote Bosnian village of Gornja Maoca, has raised concerns over the continued presence of Islamist fundamentalists who first arrived in the country during the bloody 1992-1995 Balkans war.
A friar at worship. Credit: Paul Virgo/IPS

RELIGION: Fighting Hunger – A Matter of Faith

By IPS Correspondents
The world's major religions might disagree on theology and matters like the foods we ought to eat and the days we should rest on, but when it comes to fighting hunger, they see eye to eye.
Missionary pilot Kevin Donaldson receiving first aid after crash-landing in the Amazon river. Credit: Courtesy of La República

PERU: CIA, Military Trade Blame Over Missionary Plane Shootdown

By Ángel Páez
Nine years after the 2001 shootdown of a small airplane carrying U.S. missionaries over the Peruvian jungle, the CIA and the armed forces of this South American country are pointing fingers at each other over who was responsible for the fatal mistake, which cost the lives of two people.

MIDEAST: Gaza Energy Crisis Averted – For Now

By Mel Frykberg
Pressure exerted on the Palestinian Authority (PA) by international and regional officials has given Gazans a last minute reprieve, albeit temporary, from plunging into darkness and plummeting temperatures.

MIDEAST: Raze Illegal Buildings – Unless They Are Jewish

By IPS Correspondents
Backed by armed security men, the municipal inspectors race their jeeps through the narrow alleyways and up a hillside crowded with buildings.

MIDEAST: Corrupt Arab Regimes – Who is to Blame?

By Mel Frykberg
The Mideast continues to be plagued by autocratic Arab regimes where human rights, democracy and freedom of speech are a pipe dream for the average citizen. But who is to blame and what can be done to amend this situation?

MIDEAST: Helpless in Gaza

By IPS Correspondents
Scores of Palestinian women and their children carefully sift through the desert sands. They are looking for hard nuggets.

ARGENTINA: Torture Priest Still Celebrating Mass – Behind Bars

By Sebastián Lacunza
More than two years after he was sentenced to life in prison for crimes against humanity committed during the 1976-1983 dictatorship in Argentina, former police chaplain Christian von Wernich has not been penalised by the Catholic Church.

BALKANS: Moderate Patriarch Sets New Course for Serb Church

By Vesna Peric Zimonjic
The enthronement of a moderate as patriarch of the influential Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) has raised hopes for the planned integration of the country with the European Union (EU) and for Serbs coming to terms with the bloody Balkans wars of the 1990s.
Dr. Mahmoudi Ramahi, surgeon and secretary general of the Palestinian Legislative Council. Credit: Mel Frykberg/IPS

Q&A: ”Hamas Accepts Existence of Israel Within 1967 Borders”

By Mel Frykberg
Palestinian politics are at an impasse. The four-year term of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) ended on Jan. 25 with no new elections planned. Presidential elections, meant to be held last year, were also postponed indefinitely.

FRANCE: Burqa Ban Keeps Immigration Issue Alive

By IPS Correspondents
With the French regional elections coming up in March and a debate on national identity raging, the burqa polemic is keeping the immigration and "values" issue alive here.

IRAQ: Kurdish Leader Voices Indirect Support for Mutlak

By IPS Correspondents
The president of Iraq's Kurdistan region, Massoud Barzani, has expressed indirect support for the removal of Salih al-Mutlak and possibly other Sunni Arab politicians from a list of candidates banned from running in the March parliamentary elections.

MIDEAST: Pray the PA Way or Face Arrest

By Mel Frykberg
The Palestinian Authority (PA) is using West Bank mosques as a new battleground in its political offensive against its opponents within Hamas as well as critics from its own Fatah party.

POLITICS: Iraqi Body Softens Stance on Banned Candidates

By IPS Correspondents
A decision by Iraq's controversial Accountability and Justice Commission (AJC) Monday to remove 59 candidates from a list of over 500 candidates banned from running in the March parliamentary elections appears to be a sign that the AJC is softening its stance following widespread domestic opposition and a visit by U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden to Baghdad last week.

IRAN: Is a Ceasefire in the Making?

By Farideh Farhi
As Iran nervously awaits the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution on Feb. 11 - the day that has traditionally drawn the largest public demonstrations - a subtle change in public discourse can be detected.

MIDEAST: Civil Society Takes On Israeli Settlements

By IPS Correspondents
Salam Fayyad turned civil society activist this week. In Salfit, on the West Bank, the Palestinian prime minister threw onto a giant bonfire goods made in Israeli settlements.
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