and don’t want Shariah, or Islamic law. Researcher Judy Macfarlane of the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, surveyed 212 Muslim Americans, finding that only three wanted parallel Shariah tribunals for Muslims, and all said “no” when asked whether Ameri- can courts should apply Shariah to non-Muslims.
Prayer cards suspended After causing a bit of turbulence with some passengers, Alaska Airlines will no longer serve prayer cards with in-flight meals, the company announced in January. The cards, which take a line or two from the Psalms, have been the airline’s trade- mark for 30 years, uplifting some flyers but annoying others. Few cus- tomers actually received cards since 2006 when the airline stopped serv- ing meals in coach.
Pope questions economy
The world economy needs “new rules” to overcome the current finan- cial crisis and to ensure that “all can lead a dignified life,” Pope Bene- dict XVI told Vatican diplomats in January. He called the effects of the financial crisis “grave and disturb- ing,” and said many people, espe- cially the young, feel “disoriented and frustrated in their aspirations for a serene future.” Benedict also high- lighted violations of religious free- dom and persecutions against Chris- tians, including recent attacks against churches in Nigeria. He noted some “encouraging signs” on religious freedom, including a European court ruling that allows crucifixes to remain in Italian schoolrooms.
Displaced in South Sudan The Lutheran World Federation is providing emergency aid for thou- sands displaced by interethnic fighting in Jonglei, a South Sudan
state. Since December, ethnic vio- lence and cattle raids in Jonglei, as well as cross-border attacks in the Southern Kordofan and Upper Nile states, caused widespread displace- ment, at least 130 killings, dozens of abductions of women and chil- dren, and some 300 house burnings. LWF Department for World Ser- vice focuses its work in Jonglei on peace-building, water, sanitation, education and food security. To help, send checks to ELCA International Disaster Response, 39330 Treasury Center, Chicago, IL 60694-9300; or give by credit card at 800-638-3522 or
www.elca.org/giving.
Gay clergy approved
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Saxony (Germany) ruled Jan. 21 to allow gay pastors to cohabit with
their legal same-sex partners. Ger- many legalized same-sex partner- ships in 2001, but the church didn’t allow clergy partners to live together. Jochen Bohl, the church’s bishop, said he hoped members would endorse the decision and accept gay and lesbian people “as sisters and brothers in faith.” In a statement, church leaders also “reaffirmed the continuing relevance of the biblical arrangement of marriage and family as a model of coexistence between a man and woman.”
Gender segregation At presstime, Israel’s citizens were debating whether the country should allow segregation by gender in pub- lic settings. Ultra-Orthodox Jewish believers hope to enforce the sepa-
12
TOM HINTGEN/FERGUS FALLS DAILY JOURNAL
Where’s my goat? Found! An Angora goat took the place of honor Jan. 29 during worship at First Lutheran
Church, Fergus Falls, Minn. When neighboring Bethlehem Lutheran held a Christmas Eve service using live animals, Curley got away. The community went on “goat watch,” with the Fergus Falls Daily Journal and the local radio sta- tion reporting on Curley sightings. The goat was on the lam for 25 days, finally wandering on to the Tony and Andrea Loomer farm. Jim and Karen Aakre of rural Underwood offered a $300 reward for Curley. The Loomers’ children, Kyra and Koryna, donated the reward to God’s Global Barnyard of the ELCA Hunger Appeal (
www.elca.org/hunger), where it will buy six goats for families in Africa.
March 2012 11
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