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March 31st, 2011
01:53 PM ET
Muslim beauty contestant says she faces threatsA British woman hoping to become the first Muslim to represent her country in the Miss Universe pageant has gotten "indirect" threats against her life, she told CNN on Thursday. Shanna Bukhari said she'd received "a lot of support from all communities," but that she got "some hate mail from all communities as well."
March 31st, 2011
01:37 PM ET
Nun robbed in Ohio churchCops say the elderly Sister was robbed by a man who asked for some water. And to make matters worse she was dressed at the time, in the traditional black and white outfit. Read the full story at WOIO.com
March 31st, 2011
11:09 AM ET
2 more retired Philadelphia priests placed on leave in abuse probeTwo more priests have been placed on administrative leave by the Philadelphia Archdiocese as part of an ongoing investigation into the sexual abuse of children by clergy. Cardinal Justin Rigali, the archbishop of Philadelphia, announced that the two unnamed priests, who are currently retired, have been placed on administrative leave, effective immediately, pending a more thorough independent investigation. That investigation is being conducted by Gina Maisto Smith, a former child abuse prosecutor in Philadelphia, and a team of experts. "These steps are interim measures and are not in any way final determinations or judgments," Rigali said in a written statement. Earlier this month, 21 other priests were also placed on administrative leave following a review of sexual abuse allegations in the Catholic Church in Philadelphia. Read the full story here about the Philadelphia priests put on leave.  Members of the Lexington Muslim community pray at the Masjid Bilal Ibn Rabah mosque.
March 31st, 2011
01:00 AM ET
Kentucky's Libyan community prays for homelandEditor’s Note: CNN’s Soledad O’Brien chronicles the dramatic fight over the construction of a mosque in the heart of the Bible belt. Watch “Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door,” airing at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET April 2 on CNN. By John Sepulvado, CNN Lexington, Kentucky (CNN) – The parking lot in suburban Lexington begins filling up around 1 p.m. Men park their compact cars and file in through one side of a ranch-house-style building. Women leave their large SUVs and head through another door. As they remove their shoes, the men talk about the conflicts in North Africa and the Middle East – especially in Libya. Several young boys crawl on the red carpet, while the women, wearing brightly colored headscarves, read quietly to their daughters in the back of the room.  Lee Stanley, right, and his son, Shane, left, with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson on the set of their 2006 film, "Gridiron Gang."
March 31st, 2011
01:00 AM ET
Filmmaker: I found God in HollywoodBy Steve Almasy, CNN (CNN) - It’s not impossible to be a Christian in Hollywood, Lee Stanley will tell you. What it does take is guts - the same guts it takes to be a Christian anywhere, he says. Stanley wasn’t a believer when he moved from New England to California in the 1960s. He was in love with a fantasy – not the idea of making it big on the big screen, but being around the water all the time. The aspiring baseball player had realized he wasn’t going to make it to the major leagues, so he turned to another passion - diving. He had no idea the trek West would lead him on the road to becoming a filmmaker who tells stories of redemption and faith.  Daisy Khan, pictured in August 2010, is the wife of Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, replaced in January as Park51's spiritual leader.
March 30th, 2011
02:11 PM ET
Interfaith center at embattled NYC mosque?By Allan Chernoff, CNN Senior Correspondent New York (CNN) - The wife of the former imam for a controversial Islamic cultural center says she and her husband are considering creating an interfaith cultural center in that facility, a surprising announcement in light of the recent rift between the center's owners and the activist couple. Daisy Khan discussed the idea at a More Magazine luncheon Tuesday, saying the interfaith center could be housed at the Park51 site - controversial because of its proximity to ground zero, where the twin towers of the World Trade Center fell in the terrorist attacks of 9/11 - or at another location. 
March 30th, 2011
12:22 PM ET
Survey: Recession's effects fading for some churchesBy Dan Gilgoff, CNN.com Religion Editor (CNN) - The worst of the recession may be over for some of America’s churches, a survey released Wednesday on religions donations indicated. According to the survey, called State of the Plate, 43% of churches saw a rise in contributions in 2010, compared to 36% that saw an increase the year before. Meanwhile, 39% of churches saw their giving dip last year, down from 47% that reported declines in 2009. The survey, which is not scientific, garnered responses in February and March from 1,507 churches, most of them U.S.-based. The survey included responses from 86 churches from other countries, primarily Canada. “Giving increases have begun to provide a glimmer of hope for many churches,” the survey reported.  Darbesh Khan and his wife, Aklima Begum, had no choice but to watch their youngest daughter being whipped until she dropped.
March 30th, 2011
10:46 AM ET
Only 14, Bangladeshi girl charged with adultery was lashed to deathHena Akhter's last words to her mother proclaimed her innocence. But it was too late to save the 14-year-old girl. Her fellow villagers in Bangladesh's Shariatpur district had already passed harsh judgment on her. Guilty, they said, of having an affair with a married man. The imam from the local mosque ordered the fatwa, or religious ruling, and the punishment: 101 lashes delivered swiftly, deliberately in public. Hena dropped after 70. Bloodied and bruised, she was taken to hospital, where she died a week later. Amazingly, an initial autopsy report cited no injuries and deemed her death a suicide. Hena's family insisted her body be exhumed. They wanted the world to know what really happened to their daughter. Read the full story The mystery of who stole the cross and set it afire has deeply disturbed the small coastal town of Arroyo Grande.
March 30th, 2011
10:37 AM ET
California town calls in FBI to help investigate cross-burningFirst, an 11-foot wooden cross was stolen from Saint John's Lutheran Church in Arroyo Grande, California. Then, weeks later, the cross was discovered set aflame in the middle of the night outside the bedroom window of a 19-year-old woman of mixed race. Now authorities are investigating the case as a theft, arson and hate crime, police said Tuesday. The burning cross was erected in a neighbor's large front yard adjacent to the house rented by the woman and her mother. Read the full story
March 29th, 2011
03:50 PM ET
Senate hearing looks at anti-Muslim bigotryEditor's note: CNN's Soledad O'Brien chronicles the dramatic fight over the construction of a mosque in the heart of the Bible Belt in "Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door," Video airing at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 2. When Sen. Richard Durbin called a hearing on anti-Muslim bigotry, his office insisted it was not a response to a controversial House hearing that recently examined the threat of home-grown terrorism. "Terrorism is not the subject of today's hearing," Durbin, D-Illinois, said in his opening remarks. But two Senate Republicans said they couldn't discuss the Muslim-American community without looking at its potential for radicalization. Earlier this month, Rep. Peter King, R-New York, prompted a flurry of controversy and media attention by tackling "the radicalization of American Muslims" in a separate hearing. Read the full story |
  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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