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July 19th, 2010
11:01 PM ET
Secular Syria's veil ban
By Stephen Prothero, Special to CNN On Sunday, Syria’s minister of higher education, Ghiath Barakat, issued a ruling outlawing the niqab — a full veil that like the burqa shows only a woman’s eyes — for both teachers and students at Syrian universities, according to news reports. Why? Syria’s population is, according to Boston University's World Religion Database, 93 percent Muslim. What does its government have against public displays of Islam? A lot more than you might think.
July 19th, 2010
04:44 PM ET
My take: Ground Zero mosque good for America and New York
By Stephen Prothero, Special to CNN I love New York, and I love the idea of a mosque at Ground Zero. What began as a local question concerning the construction of an Islamic community center and mosque a few blocks from Ground Zero has morphed over the last few weeks into a statewide, national and international question — a hot potato in New York’s gubernatorial race, fodder for culture warriors on American talk shows, and a concern to moderate Muslims worldwide.
July 19th, 2010
12:51 PM ET
'Megachurch, meet microchurch'The Denver Post has a story up today about the growth of house churches or "simple churches," where worshippers gather in homes, cafes or other cozy locations. Here's a nugget from the article.
You can read the full article here. What do you think? Are house churches growing in your area?
July 19th, 2010
11:00 AM ET
Has the Religious Right lost its children? Evangelical writer Donald Miller, author of 'Blue Like Jazz.' I was talking one day to the Rev. Jim Wallis, an evangelical leader, when he made a startling claim: The Religious Right has lost its children.
July 19th, 2010
09:24 AM ET
Islamaphobia and the Muslim center at Ground Zero
Editor's note: John L. Esposito is professor of Religion and International Affairs and director of Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal center for Muslim-Christian understanding at Georgetown University at Georgetown University. His most recent book is "The Future of Islam" The proposal by the Cordoba Initiative to build an Islamic center near Ground Zero has drawn major media attention and engendered fierce debate. Right-wing political commentators, politicians, hard-line Christian ministers, bloggers and some families of 9/11 victims have charged that it is insensitive to 9/11 families, dishonors memories of the victims and will be a "monument to terrorism." But here are the facts: The center is not at Ground Zero but two blocks away, and the Cordoba Initiative seeks to build a center, not a mosque. The center is not designed as a local mosque for a Muslim community but rather to serve the wider community. |
  About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Editor's Note: Stephen Prothero, a Boston University religion scholar and author of "God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World," is a regular CNN Belief Blog contributor.
By John L. Esposito, Special to CNN