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 1st Lt. Ana Monteiro swings with an Afghan girl at Ariana School in Kabul, Afghanistan.
April 4th, 2011
03:27 PM ET
Headscarves for female soldiers in Afghanistan defendedBy Larry Shaughnessy, CNN Pentagon Producer The top American military officer defended the Department of Defense policy of encouraging female troops to wear headscarves while on duty in Afghanistan, despite criticism the practice makes "second-class warriors." "Those female service members ... do so as a personal choice," Adm. Mike Mullen wrote to Rep. James Langevin, D-Rhode Island, last week. "They feel this gesture helps them in accomplishing their mission by serving as a sign of courtesy and respect toward the locals." For years, some American military women have worn headscarves, similar to traditional Afghan hijabs, when interacting with local civilians. The policy has stirred up a new debate about whether female U.S. troops can or should wear headscarves while on duty in Afghanistan.
April 4th, 2011
10:47 AM ET
The Take: Zakaria on the Quran burningCNN's Fareed Zakaria discusses the Quran burning by an extremist Florida pastor and the violent reprisals in Afghanistan. 
April 4th, 2011
10:31 AM ET
Tax credits for religious school scholarships ruled constitutionalBy Bill Mears, CNN Supreme Court Producer WASHINGTON (CNN) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday tossed out a lawsuit challenging Arizona's tax breaks for voluntary donations benefiting private school scholarships, many of them Christian-based. The 13-year-old program provides dollar-for-dollar income tax credits for money given to "school tuition organizations," or STOs. The 5-4 ruling split along conservative-liberal lines. Writing for the majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy said taxpayers challenging the program lacked "standing" to continue the suit. "If an establishment of religion is alleged to cause real injury to particular individuals, the federal courts may adjudicate the matter," Kennedy wrote. "The fact that (those challenging the program) are state taxpayers does not give them standing to challenge the subsidies that (the program) provides to religious STOs." The case involved a politically charged trifecta - taxes, religion and education.
April 4th, 2011
10:22 AM ET
Petraeus condemns Quran burning as protests rage onCheck out CNN.com's Afghanistan Crossroads blog for the latest developments, and our Belief Blog timeline of Terry Jones. Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) - Top U.S. officials in Afghanistan on Sunday condemned the burning of a Quran in the United States that sparked three days of protests in which more than 20 people died. Burning the Muslim holy book "was hateful, it was intolerant and it was extremely disrespectful and again, we condemn it in the strongest manner possible," said Gen. David Petraeus, who heads the U.S.-led international forces in Afghanistan. U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry said in a statement that Americans respect the Quran "and all religious texts and deplore any action that shows disrespect to any religious faith." "At the same time, I want to emphasize, as have many Afghan leaders, that to attack and kill innocent people in response to the deplorable act of one individual is outrageous, and an affront to human decency and dignity," Eikenbery's statement said. Read the full story here about Gen Petraeus' comments on the Quran burning. |
  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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