EIN Presswire: Religion Live Feed Press Releases

Interfaith Alliance praises decision to overturn California’s ban on same sex marriage

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:10:00 +0000

Washington, D.C. – Interfaith Alliance praised the decision of the 9^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declaring California’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. Interfaith Alliance President Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy issued the following statement in response to the ruling:

Today’s decision by the 9^th Circuit declaring that California’s ban on same-sex marriage violates the U.S. Constitution is good for marriage, it is good for religion and it is good for the people of California. How the government defines marriage must be rooted in the Constitution – as is this decision. Doing so in no way inhibits the right of a church or other house of worship to base its definition on religious doctrine.

To the religious institutions that would attempt to redefine the inherent concept of religious freedom by arguing that today’s ruling somehow diminishes religious freedom, Interfaith Alliance holds that in fact, the ruling makes very clear that legalizing same sex marriage has no impact whatsoever on religious freedom. A church that opposes same sex marriage is under no more legal pressure to perform such unions now than it was before the ruling. In fact, no religion would ever be required to condone same-gender marriage, and no member of the clergy would ever be required to perform a wedding ceremony not in accordance with his or her religious beliefs. While I hope that those who oppose same sex marriage will eventually change their position, they are under no legal requirement to do so, but neither should they stand in the way of those of us who embrace marriage equality.

While we are sure that supporters of Proposition 8 will appeal the ruling, we hope today’s decision will be upheld, enshrining marriage equality for same-sex couples in the State of California – and paving the way for the rest of the country to follow its lead.

Rev. Gaddy is the author of Same-Gender Marriage and Religious Freedom: A Call to Quiet Conversations and Public Debates,in which he argues that discussions of same-gender marriage should be based on the Constitution rather than scripture.

FRC Action to Host Live Webcast on Health Care Mandate and How It Violates the Separation of Church and State

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:28:19 +0000

FRC Action to Host Live Webcast on Health Care Mandate and How It Violates the Separation of Church and State

PR Newswire

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Thursday at 8 p.m. Eastern, Family Research Council Action (FRC Action) will host a live video webcast entitled "Healthcare Mandate: Violating the Separation of Church and State." The webcast will focus on the Obama administration's mandate that, beginning next year, will force any organization – including religious institutions – that offers health insurance to employees to cover contraception, sterilizations and abortifacients, regardless of conscientious objections.

FRC Action President Tony Perkins will be joined by some of those impacted by the mandate as well as Members of Congress and policy experts who will discuss what must be done to stop it. The live webcast event will be held at FRC headquarters in Washington, D.C. It will begin at 8 p.m. EST.

Of the event Perkins said:

"This is an anti-religious, anti-conscience and anti-life mandate that must be reversed. President Obama's mandate takes away the right of Americans to live out their faith according to their religious beliefs.

"FRC Action is honored to partner with dozens of Evangelical and Catholic groups, who see this oppressive mandate for what it is: naked aggression against America's first and most fundamental freedom.

"As the White House well knows, most of these charities would rather close their doors than meet these requirements. However, we are now witnessing an unprecedented ecumenical movement to put a stop to this administration's drive to push Christians out of the public square," concluded Perkins.

WHAT: Webcast: "Healthcare Mandate: Violating the Separation of Church and State"

WHEN: 8:00 p.m. EST, Thursday, February 9

WHERE: Watch Online at http://www.frcaction.org/mandate

Credentialed media are invited to attend the webcast in person but must first register with FRC Action's press office by calling (866) 372-6397.

SOURCE FRC Action

CAIR Asks DOJ to Probe Oregon FBI's 'Coercion' of Muslim Citizens

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:15:23 +0000

CAIR Asks DOJ to Probe Oregon FBI's 'Coercion' of Muslim Citizens

PR Newswire

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization is calling on the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Division to investigate acts of "coercion and intimidation" allegedly used by the FBI's Portland Field Office to pressure Muslim citizens into giving up their constitutional rights if they wish to return to the United States from overseas.

CAIR: Probe Sought After 2 Barred from Returning to US (AP)
http://tinyurl.com/7qdugxg

Yesterday, the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) sent a letter to division head Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez about the case of Mustafa Elogbi, an American citizen who was recently detained by British authorities at the behest of the FBI and prevented from returning to the United States following humanitarian work in Libya. It is the third such case involving agents from the FBI's Portland Field Office reported to CAIR in the past six months.

In his letter to Perez, CAIR Staff Attorney Gadeir Abbas wrote in part:

"I am concerned that the FBI Field Office in Portland has worked through foreign intermediaries to unlawfully detain American citizens and to place unlawful conditions on the right of citizens to return to the United States ...

"In this case, British customs officials have been enlisted to do what the FBI would not be allowed to do in the United States -- to detain Mr. Elogbi without due process and to intimidate him into giving up his constitutional right to silence.

"The pattern of unconstitutional activity emanating from the FBI's Field Office in Portland warrants the scrutiny of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division."

Last week, CAIR called on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to intervene in the case of an American citizen of Libyan origin who was barred from returning to the United States and interrogated by the FBI about his religious beliefs, including his belief in "Shariah" (Islamic principles).

SEE: American Aid Worker in Libya: US Bars My Return (MSNBC)
http://tinyurl.com/7rnd95o

Last September, CAIR reported that an Oregon Muslim who had to travel by ship to Europe because he is on the U.S. government's "no-fly" list was detained in the United Kingdom when he disembarked in Southampton.

CAIR: U.S. Muslim on No-Fly List Detained in U.K.
http://tinyurl.com/85bo9c7

Following recent revelations that law enforcement and military personnel received biased training about Islam and Muslims, CAIR called for a "top to bottom" reform of that training.

CAIR: DOJ Analyst Claims Muslims Threaten 'Our Values'
http://tinyurl.com/83chvbq

Last year, CAIR filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice and the FBI seeking a court order to allow a Virginia Muslim teenager detained in Kuwait and placed on a U.S. government no-fly list to return to the United States.

CAIR: Va. Muslim on No-Fly List Returning to U.S.
http://tinyurl.com/6egwl7e

CAIR Complaint for Injunctive and Declaratory Relief
http://www.cair.com/Portals/0/pdf/noflysuit.pdf

CAIR has assisted a number of other American Muslim citizens who have been stranded overseas by government actions.

CAIR: Embassy Returns Passport to U.S. Muslim Stuck in Kuwait
http://tinyurl.com/3n7djcu

CAIR Video: FBI Prevents Va. Muslim from Returning to U.S.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x55MeqP3UYo

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

Become a Fan of CAIR on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/CAIRNational
Subscribe to CAIR's E-Mail List
http://tinyurl.com/cairsubscribe
Subscribe to CAIR's Twitter Feed
http://twitter.com/cairnational
Subscribe to CAIR's YouTube Channel
http://www.youtube.com/cairtv

CONTACT: CAIR Staff Attorney Gadeir Abbas, 720-251-0425, E-Mail: gabbas@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, 202-341-4171, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com

SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations

The Super Bowl Gospel Celebration Once Again Hosted the Super Bowl Championship Team

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:00:00 +0000

The Super Bowl Gospel Celebration Once Again Hosted the Super Bowl Championship Team

NYC Giants attended the all-star event hosted by Rev. Run, featuring Fantasia, the NFL Players Choir, top gospel artists and many more

PR Newswire

INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2008, when the New York Giants played in Super Bowl XLII against the New England Patriots, many players, along with team officials, attended the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration (SBGC) and won the Big Game two days later. Five years later in 2012, during their fifth appearance in the Super Bowl, the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration hosted many members of the New York Giants organization; including Jerry Reese (General Manager), Charles Way (Director of Player Development), Isaiah Stanback (Wide Receiver), Selvish Capers (Offensive Tackle), William Beatty (Offensive Tackle), and David Tyree (Wide Receiver, Retired), known for his so called "helmet catch" in the 2008 game. And, the Giants won, again. The evening of faith-inspired music and moving performances is perhaps an added source of inspiration to the team once they take the field to compete for the championship.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101104/CL94711LOGO )

The Giants joined thousands of fans at the 13th annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration on Friday, February 3, at a sold-out Clowes Memorial Hall of Butler University. The NFL sanctioned event was hosted by Rev. Run, patriarch of the hit MTV series "Runs House," with gospel icon CeCe Winans who returned as co-host. Team Chaplains Ken Johnson (Colts), Don Davis (Patriots) and George McGovern (Giants) opened the event with a prayer that set the energy for the evening. Guests enjoyed glorious performances by gospel legends Donnie McClurkin and Hezekiah Walker; this year's "Players Choice" artist, Wess Morgan; four-time GMA Female Artist of the Year Natalie Grant; and Verizon's How Sweet the Sound 2011 Overall Winning Choir, Salvation and Deliverance Church Choir. The audience was treated to a special performance by Fantasia and her mother, Diane Barrino, who delivered an emotional rendition of "He's Done Enough" that brought the crowd to its feet and tears to their eyes. Fantasia also sang "Total Praise."

In addition to the all-star line-up, the NFL Players Choir, which celebrated its five-year anniversary, closed out the show with a powerful performance of "It's Time" directed by Grammy Award-winner Myron Butler. The Choir has become one of the most anticipated performances during Super Bowl weekend, as they also performed at the Taste of the NFL. Acclaimed players also shared moving testimonies and introduced artists. This year's gridiron talent included Brian Dawkins (Broncos), Matt Forte (Bears), Leonard Weaver (Eagles), Bryan Scott (Bills), Tommie Harris (Chargers), Tim Brown (Raiders Retired), Dextor Clinkscale (Dallas Retired) and many more. The audience also enjoyed faith inspired video vignettes by several current and former NFL players including Ray Lewis and Ray Rice (Ravens); Hines Ward and LaMarr Woodley (Steelers); Derrick Brooks (retired Buccaneers); and former NFL Coach Tony Dungy to name a few.

Since its inception, SBGC has drawn crowds in the thousands and has demonstrated growth each year, selling out venues in major Super Bowl markets. The event also serves as a fundraiser, donating a portion of its proceeds and tickets to local charities. This year's charitable partner was Gary Brackett's IMPACT Foundation.

The 13th annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration was sponsored by American Family Insurance, the nation's third-largest mutual property/casualty insurance company; Verizon Wireless, the official wireless service of the NFL; FelCor Lodging Trust; Herff Jones; Comcast; and IPL.

Produced by Central City Productions, Inc., the event was taped before a live audience and is airing as a one-hour program on more than 180 network affiliates nationwide between February 4 and March 4, 2012.

For additional information on the 13th annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration, TV listings and event footage, visit www.superbowlgospel.com.

CONTACT:

Sandra Tarver
+1-404-654-3112
sandrat@superbowlgospel.com

SOURCE Super Bowl Gospel Celebration

AJC's Rabbi Rosen Urges UN Members to Block Extremism by Boosting Responsible Religious Voices

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:11:51 +0000

February 7, 2012 – New York – AJC’s Rabbi David Rosen urged the UN General Assembly today to protect the quest for Arab-Israeli peace from extremists' assaults by giving more power to "religiously responsible voices."

"If we don't want religion to be 'part of the problem,' the answer cannot be to ignore it, as political leaders seeking a solution to the conflict have often done in the past," said Rosen, AJC's International Director of Interreligious Affairs. Rosen was one of the internationally recognized religious leaders addressing World Interfaith Harmony Week at the UN.

"On the contrary, such an approach encourages extremist elements to take center stage and just weakens the most responsible religious voices. If one does not want religion to be 'part of the problem,' then one must empower the religiously responsible voices and ensure that 'religion is part of the solution' advancing a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect," Rosen said.

Last month, the top Muslim cleric in Jerusalem, Mufti Mohammed Hussein, created public outrage when he cited a hadith claiming that the Earth's end of days will not happen until Muslims kill Jews. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered an investigation.

As a counterbalance to religious incitement, and an example of interfaith cooperation, Rosen mentioned the peacemaking work of the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land. The agency comprises the Ministry of Waqf/Religious Affairs of the Palestinian Authority and its sharia courts, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, and the Patriarchates and Bishoprics of the Holy Land.

AJC helps facilitate the work of the council, which was established after the then-Archbishop of Canterbury and the Grand Imam of Al Azhar convened a meeting in Alexandria in 2002, "bringing religious leaders of the main three Abrahamic faiths from the Holy land together for the first time in history," Rosen said.

World Interfaith Harmony Week was proposed in September, 2010 by King Abdullah of Jordan, and was proclaimed by a UN General Assembly resolution a month later as a response to "the imperative need for dialogue among different faiths and religions to enhance mutual understanding, harmony and cooperation among people."

AJC's Rabbi Rosen Urges UN Members to Block Extremism by Boosting Responsible Religious Voices

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:30:46 +0000

AJC's Rabbi Rosen Urges UN Members to Block Extremism by Boosting Responsible Religious Voices

PR Newswire

NEW YORK, Feb. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC's Rabbi David Rosen urged the UN General Assembly today to protect the quest for Arab-Israeli peace from extremists' assaults by giving more power to "religiously responsible voices."

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100816/AJCLOGO)

"If we don't want religion to be 'part of the problem,' the answer cannot be to ignore it, as political leaders seeking a solution to the conflict have often done in the past," said Rosen, AJC's International Director of Interreligious Affairs. Rosen was one of the internationally recognized religious leaders addressing World Interfaith Harmony Week at the UN.

"On the contrary, such an approach encourages extremist elements to take center stage and just weakens the most responsible religious voices. If one does not want religion to be 'part of the problem,' then one must empower the religiously responsible voices and ensure that 'religious is part of the solution' advancing a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect," Rosen said.

Last month, the top Muslim cleric in Jerusalem, Mufti Mohammed Hussein, created public outrage when he cited a hadith claiming that the Earth's end of days will not happen until Muslims kill Jews. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered an investigation.

As a counterbalance to religious incitement, and an example of interfaith cooperation, Rosen mentioned the peacemaking work of the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land. The agency comprises the Ministry of Waqf/Religious Affairs of the Palestinian Authority and its sharia courts, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, and the Patriarchates and Bishoprics of the Holy Land.

AJC helps facilitate the work of the council, which was established after the then-Archbishop of Canterbury and the Grand Imam of Al Azhar convened a meeting in Alexandria in 2002, "bringing religious leaders of the main three Abrahamic faiths from the Holy land together for the first time in history," Rosen said.

World Interfaith Harmony Week was proposed in September, 2010 by King Abdullah of Jordan, and was proclaimed by a UN General Assembly resolution a month later as a response to "the imperative need for dialogue among different faiths and religions to enhance mutual understanding, harmony and cooperation among people."

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

AJC Calls on Presbyterian Church (USA) To Rein in Israel/Palestine Mission Network

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:10:00 +0000

February 6, 2012 – New York -- AJC called on Presbyterian Church leaders to make efforts to further rein in its highly problematic Israel/Palestine Mission Network (IPMN).

“When American church leaders allow extremists in their own community to dictate the direction of church activity on an issue as complex as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, they weaken the stature of the church in the eyes of all,” said Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC’s director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations.

Chartered in 2004, IPMN claims to support both Israelis and Palestinians, yet it has allowed its Facebook page to be a magnet and repository for anti-Israel and anti-Jewish invective since its inception. Blatant hostility to Israel and its right to exist permeates much of IPMN’s work in the Presbyterian Church, including IPMN’s publications, programs and website, as documented by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA). AJC is a member of the JCPA.

“American Jews and Presbyterians have a long history of positive action on behalf of many bedrock causes in American society,” said Marans. “But the ceding by PC(USA) to IPMN of leadership regarding the conflict in the Middle East blinds Presbyterians to the pain they cause their Jewish neighbors and denies the wider Presbyterian desire for fairness.”

AJC hopes that a review of IPMN may be the beginning of an introspective process that will lead PC(USA) to its own self-stated mission to be a true promoter of peace between Palestinians and Israelis and to end a harmful partisanship which has not advanced peace.

Fellowship of Catholic University Students Launches Free Mobile App With Faith Formation, Evangelization Tools

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:40:44 +0000

Fellowship of Catholic University Students Launches Free Mobile App With Faith Formation, Evangelization Tools

PR Newswire

DENVER, Feb. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), a fast-growing college campus outreach with a presence at nearly 60 universities in the U.S. has announced that it has launched a new mobile application, FOCUS Equip.

Building on the launch of its new website initiative, www.FOCUSEquip.org, the FOCUS Equip mobile app is a one-of-a-kind Catholic application that gives users access to Catholic resources that can be used for evangelization, personal formation, Bible study leadership, and discipleship.

"The goal of FOCUS Equip is to provide dynamic resources for college students, FOCUS student leaders and missionaries so they can continue to thrive in the faith and reach out to friends and family with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ and His Church," said Kevin Cotter, director of FOCUS Equip. "This mobile application takes this goal to the next level by meeting students where they are and providing the resources right on their mobile device. While our resources are targeted to students on FOCUS campuses, they can also be helpful to all Catholics for use in their parish, with their families, or wherever they might need it."

The FOCUS Equip mobile application includes:

Electronic Bible studies
How-to articles on practical evangelization, discipleship, and leading a Bible study
Video and audio talks that can be used for evangelization or personal formation

The FOCUS Equip mobile application can be downloaded for free on iPhone, iPad, and Android platforms. Search "focusequip" in a mobile application store to find the app. www.FOCUSEquip.org and the FOCUS Equip mobile app will be continually updated. FOCUS Equip can be found on Twitter at http://twitter.com/focusequip or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/FOCUSequip.

About FOCUS

FOCUS is a national outreach that invites college students into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church, inspiring and equipping them for a lifetime of Christ-centered evangelization, discipleship and friendships in which they lead others to do the same. www.focus.org.

SOURCE FOCUS

AJC Praises New U.S. Sanctions on Iran Central Bank

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:13:06 +0000

February 6, 2012 – New York – AJC praised President Obama for imposing intensified sanctions on Iran’s Central Bank. The president’s action further tightens the rules barring transactions with the bank that were put in place in legislation enacted in December.

“Iran’s defiance invites the strongest possible sanctions from an international community determined to prevent that country from obtaining nuclear-weapons capacity,” said AJC Executive Director David Harris. “U.S. leadership in ratcheting up sanctions targeting the banking and energy sectors, which are Iran’s Achilles heel, is essential.”

In an executive order, President Obama said that “additional sanctions are warranted, particularly in light of the deceptive practices of the Central Bank of Iran and other Iranian banks to conceal transactions of sanctioned parties."

The new U.S. sanctions come in the wake of an IAEA mission to Iran, which was prohibited from gaining access to key nuclear sites and scientists.

“Closing all loopholes in Iran’s financial activities will be a strong message to the regime that the time for game-playing is over, and it must fulfill its Nonproliferation Treaty obligations now,” said Harris.

Michael Coren to Address AFDI Jessica Mokdad Human Rights Conference in Dearborn, Michigan at Hyatt Regency

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:00:07 +0000

Michael Coren to Address AFDI Jessica Mokdad Human Rights Conference in Dearborn, Michigan at Hyatt Regency

PR Newswire

NEW YORK, Feb. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Popular television host and bestselling author Michael Coren has been added to the speakers list of the first-ever human rights conference dedicated to exposing the plight of women under Islamic law in Dearborn, Michigan on the anniversary of the honor murder of Jessica Mokdad: the Jessica Mokdad Human Rights Conference. Hosted by the prominent human rights organization American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), its Stop Islamization of America (SIOA) program and the Virginia Anti-Shariah Task Force (VAST), the conference will be held in the Hyatt Regency in Dearborn on April 29.

Michael Coren hosts The Arena with Michael Coren on Canada's Sun News TV every week night at 7 p.m. ET, repeated at midnight ET. The best of the week's shows is also repeated 7 p.m. ET Saturday and Sunday. Coren's last TV show won numerous awards, both in Canada and the U.S. The Arena features some of the most exciting, original, and provocative guests from all over the world, with interviews in studio, and in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East.

Michael Coren is also a weekly columnist, published every Saturday, with the Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg Sun and The London Free Press and in more than a dozen other daily and weekly newspapers across Canada. He is also a columnist for Women's Post, The Catholic Register, The Landowner and The Interim. He is the best-selling author of thirteen books, including biographies of GK Chesterton, HG Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis. He has contributed to the Dictionary of National Biography and several other anthologies. He is published in many countries and in more than a dozen languages. He has received several honorary doctorates and awards for his writing and broadcasting. In 2005, he won The Ed Murrow Award for Radio Broadcasting, in 2006 The RTNDA Radio Broadcasting Award, in 2007 the Communicator Award in Hollywood and in 2008 the Omni Award for his television show.

The Jessica Mokdad Human Rights Conference will be held at the Hyatt Hotel in Dearborn. After bowing to Islamic supremacist pressure and canceling a speech by Pamela Geller that had been scheduled for a Hyatt in Nashville, Tennessee, the Hyatt reversed its stance, recovered its understanding of the American principle of free speech, apologized and offered AFDI space in a Hyatt for a future Conference to make it up to the human rights organization. Geller chose the Hyatt in Dearborn to stand in solidarity there with girls who are in danger of being victimized like Jessica Mokdad.

Along with Michael Coren, the confirmed list of speakers includes ex-Muslim human rights activist Nonie Darwish; Sudanese ex-slave and freedom fighter Simon Deng; and James Lafferty of the Virginia Anti-Shariah Taskforce (VAST), co-host of the Conference. Also speaking will be David Wood of Acts 17 Apologetics, a Christian group that is suing the city of Dearborn for covering up Islamic honor killings performed in the area – that cover-up, and the resulting suit, will also be a focus of the Jessica Mokdad Human Rights Conference. View a video about the conference here.

Hosting the Conference and also speaking are AFDI/SIOA executive director Pamela Geller, publisher of the acclaimed AtlasShrugs.com blog, executive director of AFDI and SIOA, and author of Stop the Islamization of America: A Practical Guide to the Resistance (WND Books); and AFDI/SIOA associate director Robert Spencer, the bestselling author and director of Jihad Watch.

Jessica Mokdad was a 20-year-old Muslim woman in Warren, Michigan, who was brutally murdered in May 2011. Fox News Detroit reported: "Authorities say a Minnesota man killed his 20-year-old stepdaughter in Michigan because she left home and wasn't following Islam." Jessica's stepfather, a devout Muslim, tracked his stepdaughter over four states to murder her for bringing dishonor on her family.

Geller said in a statement: "Despite pressure from the media and members of Jessica's family who want to cover up the honor killing aspect of her murder, we are not going to change the name of the conference. Unlike those closest to her, we are going to honor Jessica's memory and stand up against the brutal practice that took her life." Several Mokdad family members have alleged that Jessica's murder was not an honor killing, despite the overwhelming evidence that it was. However, multiple news reports on the murder were quite clear that her stepfather killed Jessica because she "wasn't following Islam" (report from TwinCities.com) and was "not adhering to Muslim customs" (Star Tribune).

Arab American News reported that the last recorded dispute between Jessica Mokdad and her stepfather was over the wearing of the hijab (head scarf), which he originally forced her to wear (just as in the honor murder of Canadian teen Aqsa Parvez). Jessica didn't want to wear it, thereby bringing shame on him and the family. Her stepfather, Rahim Alfetlawi, who murdered her, was pathologically controlling, after the pattern of honor killers. At one point she called her father and told him: "Dad, I can't live here anymore, he's too strict, I can't even go to the store to buy a pop if I want."

Macomb County Assistant Prosecutor Bill Contaldo said: "He thought she was becoming too Westernized. I think this was a very nice young lady wanting to experiment with Western culture without control and without abuse." The Detroit Free Press reported: "Mokdad's mother told police that Alfetlawi felt so shamed by her daughter's Western ways, he killed her in an honor killing," Warren Police Sgt. Stephen Mills said. Alfetlawi was so concerned about her behavior that he even forced her to go to a mosque and marry her boyfriend.

The Daily Mail reported this from London: "Devout Muslim stalks his step-daughter over four states 'before killing her for being too Western." The Daily Tribune reported: Stepfather charged with murder in Warren, upset victim didn't adhere to Muslim customs.

And Alexis Wiley of Fox Detroit reported, "He forced her to wear a traditional head scarf instead of allowing her to make that decision on her own, and when she stopped wearing a scarf, friends say he became furious."

Geller said in a statement: "We've named the Conference after her as part of our ongoing campaign to raise awareness and bring a stop to the phenomenon of Islamic honor killing. These girls have rights, too, they're human beings, and yet they're completely forgotten in our politically correct culture, in which speech that is offensive to Islam is increasingly forbidden. We're standing for the human rights of girls like Jessica Mokdad."

AFDI/SIOA is one of America's foremost organizations defending human rights, religious liberty, and the freedom of speech against Islamic supremacist intimidation and attempts to bring elements of Sharia to the United States.

Join the SIOA Facebook group here.

For more information, contact Pamela Geller at writeatlas@aol.com.

SOURCE American Freedom Defense Initiative

Dr. R. Scott Colglazier, Author, Minister and Progressive Spiritual Voice, Celebrates Release of Latest Book

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:07:39 +0000

Dr. R. Scott Colglazier, Author, Minister and Progressive Spiritual Voice, Celebrates Release of Latest Book

PR Newswire

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Author and progressive spiritual leader, Dr. R. Scott Colglazier, is pleased to announce the release of his latest book, A Dictionary of Faith for Open-Hearted, Open-Minded People, an insightful and inspiring look at the Christian vocabulary through the eyes of a 21st-century person of faith.

"This book may well infuriate Christian fundamentalists and baffle evangelical Christians," stated Dr. Colglazier, who serves as Senior Minister to the historic First Congregational Church of Los Angeles (FCCLA). "I am convinced that religious language must be transformed if it is to be relevant in our world today. A person may well decide not to be religious, and I can respect that. But he or she should at least know that there is an alternative; a contemporary, progressive and open-minded way of using the language of faith."

Recently appointed as the first Christian clergyperson to serve on the board of the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust – the oldest such museum in the United States, Dr. Colglazier has long been influential in the area of interfaith dialogue. Throughout his career, he has always been an outspoken advocate for human and civil rights, and has dedicated much of his efforts to creating a greater understanding between people of all faiths and walks-of-life. While serving as Senior Minster at University Christian Church in Fort Worth, Texas, he was instrumental in brokering a peaceful agreement for that school system during a highly-charged period of racial protest. He was also honored to offer a Christian response to a major speech given by Nobel Prize recipient, Elie Wiesel, as part of the Gates of Chai Lecture Series held at Texas Christian University.

Dr. Colglazier earned his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, and has served some of the great churches in America, including University Christian Church, the Riverside Church in New York City, and now First Congregational Church of Los Angeles. Throughout his career he has served on a variety of nonprofit Boards, including Brite Divinity School, Texas Christian University, and Planned Parenthood, to name a few. A national pulpit voice with a positive message, he has been featured on, among others, The Today Show and CBS's The Early Show. Other books include Touchstones: Spiritual Awakenings in Everyday Life, A Larger Hope, and his best-selling Christmas book, A Winter Name for God. His is also the founder of a popular spirituality blog titled Take a Breath, and can be heard from the pulpit of FCCLA most every Sunday.

A Dictionary of Faith is available through Amazon.com, or by calling 213-355-5231.

For more information, or for a press copy of A Dictionary of Faith, please contact Curtis Rhodes, Director of Communications of First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, 213-355-5235 or crhodes@fccla.org.

SOURCE First Congregational Church of Los Angeles

50 Jewish Leaders Commit to Reduce Energy Use, Advocate For Energy Security

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

50 Jewish Leaders Commit to Reduce Energy Use, Advocate For Energy Security

PR Newswire

Leaders across the political and religious spectrum celebrate Tu B'Shvat by setting goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 14% by 2014

NEW YORK, Feb. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) today announced that a diverse group of community leaders has joined its Jewish Energy Covenant Campaign by signing the "Jewish Environment and Energy Imperative" declaration. Rabbis from the Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist, Reform and Renewal movements and other communal leaders set the goal of significantly lowering greenhouse-gas emissions, advocating for energy independence and security, and reducing the Jewish community's energy consumption 14% by 2014. The official signing ceremony at Manhattan's 14th Street Y preceded Tu B'Shvat, the Jewish new year for trees.

The declaration states: "The need to transform the world's energy economy while addressing global climate change is not only a religious and moral imperative, it is a strategy for security and survival." The full declaration is at: http://www.coejl.org/jecc/declaration/.

"Each of us – as Jews, people of faith and Americans – has a personal responsibility to work toward lowering greenhouse-gas emissions and decreasing our dependence on fossil fuels," said Rabbi Steve Gutow, COEJL co-chair, and president and CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. "This responsibility starts in our hearts and from there we must care for our homes, places of worship and institutional buildings."

COEJL Director Sybil Sanchez said, "The Jewish Energy Covenant Campaign commits our leadership to take concrete action on climate change and energy security. Reducing our energy use by 14% by 2014 is our first step toward the national goal of an 83% reduction of 2005 greenhouse gas levels by 2050."

The year 2014 is the next 'sabbatical' or seventh year in the Jewish calendar, a traditional time to refrain from impacting the earth.

"Greening and sustainability are areas where the Jewish community has both an opportunity and an obligation to take a leadership role in the neighborhoods where Jewish institutions thrive," said Stephen Hazan Arnoff, 14th Street Y executive director.

Since participating in the Jewish Greening Fellowship program, the Y has reduced energy usage with new systems and equipment, and adopted sustainable practices to reduce and reuse materials, especially in the Y's theater, where the ceremony took place.

Among the 50 signers of the declaration are: Robert Barkin, president, Jewish Reconstructionist Federation; Rabbi Yosef Blau, chair of Rabbinic Advisory Board, Canfei Nesharim; Rabbi Steve Gutow, president and CEO, Jewish Council for Public Affairs; Nancy Kaufman, CEO, National Council of Jewish Women; Karen Rubinstein, executive director, American Zionist Movement; Sybil Sanchez, director, Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life; Rabbi David Saperstein, director and counsel, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism; Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, executive vice president, The Rabbinical Assembly; Rabbi Arthur Waskow, executive director, the Shalom Center; Rabbi Steven Weil, executive vice president, Orthodox Union; and, Rabbi Steven Wernick, executive vice president and CEO, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

Vicki Stearn, 301-656-1054
Vicki.Stearn@thinkoutloudmedia.com
Sarah Levinson, 973-202-7816
slevinson@coejl.org

SOURCE The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL)

4th R Foundation: Looking for That one Step Solution to Most of the Problems of the World?

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:12:48 +0000

Looking for real solutions for removing poverty, crime, divorce, depression, drug addictions and the current economic mess etc.? Make the masses wise by introducing our very own created subject that teaches wisdom.

NEW YORK, NY, February 06, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Eighty % of the world's brains have defective wiring. The brain's physical structure is defective and the mind's comprehension has bugs in it. This causes emotionally challenged behavior that results in all these individual and group problems.

Main stream education has finally woken up to the essential need for emotional intelligence education but has still not realized the actual nature of human intelligence. Experts consider emotional intelligence and regular intelligence as two independent entities which enhance each other. Actually the relationship between emotional intelligence and regular intelligence is much more compoundly integrated. It is like human intelligence is water where intelligence and emotional intelligence is oxygen and hydrogen. Intelligence and emotional intelligence compound together to make the new entity of human intelligence. Each is essential for creating human intelligence. Each is incomplete without the other. Each is unstable without the other. Each is weak without the other. Each is emotionally challenged without the other. Each super matures the other.

Wisdom, which is emotional intelligence at the super mature stage is not the crowning glory of human intelligence. Man has assumed wisdom as the bonus of human intelligence. It is actually an essential ingredient of human intelligence. Thus wisdom education is an essential part of regular education. Wisdom education is not just for becoming masters and gurus. It is for each and every human being, as it is an essential ingredient of a super mature life; which every single person is entitled to.

No wonder our education system is such a big disaster; we focus on teaching intelligence while we more or less neglect and ignore emotional intelligence education. We consider emotional intelligence education as the responsibility of the parent. Well, we have to wake up to the fact that emotional intelligence education is an integral part of regular education. Regular education is not only incomplete; it is a mess without emotional intelligence. Indeed looking around and one can see our education system is a big failure. After all when we impart imperfect and incomplete education we develop imperfect minds and brains that have a rippling destructive effect on all life. We ignorantly create miseducated citizens on a mass scale. No wonder for the majority of humanity life is a big emotional struggle.

It is about time that our education leaders realized the essential realities of human nature and human intelligence. Our education system is powered by ignorance of the true nature of human intelligence. Wisdom is not the privilege of the few enlightened masters; it is an essential requisite of each and every life. We at the 4th R Foundation have developed an innovative wisdom education system. Now it is up to our leaders to keep things the way they are; which are getting worse or they can make America attain dizzying new heights of health, wealth and pure happiness.

Also please Google:

http://www.einnews.com/pr-news/662136-the-difference-between-wisdom-a

http://education.einnews.com/pr-news/660003-wisdom?v=XDNwLpUxtm/vBQNp36m8WBnNhamk

4th R foundation

The Third Eye; Everyone Has It, Including You - Sajid Khan

Please also partner the birth of Wisdom Day: Please Google, 'wisdom day, NY NY'.

*Wisdom Day, 2nd October, 2011, Metropolitan Pavilion, New York, United States, 4th R Foundation Is Inviting One And All To Partner The Birth Of Wisdom Day On 2nd Of October (Gandhi's Birthday) In Order To Wake... [read more]l

Please check out our YouTube videos here:

"Message to President Obama..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=objrnqUnIBs&feature=channel_video_title

"If you are thinking of a divorce"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPfR7u9VyjM&feature=channel_video_title

"Who am I"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erEEZ3CebVY&feature=channel_video_title

"Practical application of quantification of the Mind"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmzwj-W8Mww&feature=channel_video_title

"A Message for Bill Gates"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLc4jzuPS98&feature=channel_video_title

Please Forward This Press Release to Your Senator, Congressman, Education Secretary and All Those Connected With Education. Pleas Spread the Word That it is now up to our Leaders to fix the Mess in Education and in all Life.

the 4th R Foundation which is a non-profit education research foundation that researches informal/emotional intelligence education, human nature, brain, mind, conscientiousness, self, wisdom, life coaching, adult reeducation, shyness, self image, emotional brain baggage etc.

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USCCB: White House Misrepresents its Own Contraceptive Mandate

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 20:02:21 +0000

USCCB: White House Misrepresents its Own Contraceptive Mandate

PR Newswire

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued the following response to the February 2 post on the White House blog.

Full text follows:

The Obama administration, to justify its widely criticized mandate for contraception and sterilization coverage in private health plans, has posted a set of false and misleading claims on the White House blog ("Health Reform, Preventive Services, and Religious Institutions," February 1). In what follows, each White House claim is quoted with a response.

Claim: "Churches are exempt from the new rules: Churches and other houses of worship will be exempt from the requirement to offer insurance that covers contraception."

Response: This is not entirely true. To be eligible, even churches and houses of worship must show the government that they hire and serve primarily people of their own faith and have the inculcation of religious values as their purpose. Some churches may have service to the broader community as a major focus, for example, by providing direct service to the poor regardless of faith. Such churches would be denied an exemption precisely because their service to the common good is so great. More importantly, the vast array of other religious organizations – schools, hospitals, universities, charitable institutions – will clearly not be exempt.

Claim: "No individual health care provider will be forced to prescribe contraception: The President and this Administration have previously and continue to express strong support for existing conscience protections. For example, no Catholic doctor is forced to write a prescription for contraception."

Response: It is true that these rules directly apply to employers and insurers, not providers, but this is beside the point: The Administration is forcing individuals and institutions, including religious employers, to sponsor and subsidize what they consider immoral. Less directly, the classification of these drugs and procedures as basic "preventive services" will increase pressures on doctors, nurses and pharmacists to provide them in order to participate in private health plans – and no current federal conscience law prevents that from happening. Finally, because the mandate includes abortifacient drugs, it violates one of the "existing conscience protections" (the Weldon amendment) for which the Administration expresses "strong support."

Claim: "No individual will be forced to buy or use contraception: This rule only applies to what insurance companies cover. Under this policy, women who want contraception will have access to it through their insurance without paying a co-pay or deductible. But no one will be forced to buy or use contraception."

Response: The statement that no one will be forced to buy it is false. Women who want contraception will be able to obtain it without co-pay or deductible precisely because women who do not want contraception will be forced to help pay for it through their premiums. This mandate passes costs from those who want the service, to those who object to it.

Claim: "Drugs that cause abortion are not covered by this policy: Drugs like RU486 are not covered by this policy, and nothing about this policy changes the President's firm commitment to maintaining strict limitations on Federal funding for abortions. No Federal tax dollars are used for elective abortions."

Response: False. The policy already requires coverage of Ulipristal (HRP 2000 or "Ella"), a drug that is a close analogue to RU-486 (mifepristone) and has the same effects.[i] RU-486 itself is also being tested for possible use as an "emergency contraceptive" – and if the FDA approves it for that purpose, it will automatically be mandated as well.

Claim: "Over half of Americans already live in the 28 States that require insurance companies cover contraception: Several of these States like North Carolina, New York, and California have identical religious employer exemptions. Some States like Colorado, Georgia and Wisconsin have no exemption at all."

Response: This misleads by ignoring important facts, and some of it is simply false. All the state mandates, even those without religious exemptions, may be avoided by self-insuring prescription drug coverage, by dropping that particular coverage altogether, or by taking refuge in a federal law that pre-empts any state mandates (ERISA). None of these havens is available under the federal mandate. It is also false to claim that North Carolina has an identical exemption. It is broader: It does not require a religious organization to serve primarily people of its own faith, or to fulfill the federal rule's narrow tax code criterion. Moreover, the North Carolina law, unlike the federal mandate, completely excludes abortifacient drugs like Ella and RU-486 as well as "emergency contraceptives" like Preven.

Claim: "Contraception is used by most women: According to a study by the Guttmacher Institute, most women, including 98 percent of Catholic women, have used contraception."

Response: This is irrelevant, and it is presented in a misleading way. If a survey found that 98% of people had lied, cheated on their taxes, or had sex outside of marriage, would the government claim it can force everyone to do so? But this claim also mangles the data to create a false impression. The study actually says this is true of 98% of "sexually experienced" women. The more relevant statistic is that the drugs and devices subject to this mandate (sterilization, hormonal prescription contraceptives and IUDs) are used by 69% of those women who are "sexually active" and "do not want to become pregnant." Surely that is a minority of the general public, yet every man and woman who needs health insurance will have to pay for this coverage. The drugs that the mandate's supporters say will be most advanced by the new rule, because they have the highest co-pays and deductibles now, are powerful but risky injectable and implantable hormonal contraceptives, now used by perhaps 5% of women. The mandate is intended to change women's reproductive behavior, not only reflect it.

Claim: "Contraception coverage reduces costs: While the monthly cost of contraception for women ranges from $30 to $50, insurers and experts agree that savings more than offset the cost. The National Business Group on Health estimated that it would cost employers 15 to 17 percent more not to provide contraceptive coverage than to provide such coverage, after accounting for both the direct medical costs of potentially unintended and unhealthy pregnancy and indirect costs such as employee absence and reduced productivity."

Response: The government is violating our religious freedom to save money? If the claim is true it is hard to say there is a need for a mandate: Secular insurers and employers who don't object will want to purchase the coverage to save money, and those who object can leave it alone. But this claim also seems to rest on some assumptions: That prescription contraceptives are the only way to avoid "unintended and unhealthy pregnancy," for example, or that increasing access to contraceptives necessarily produces significant reductions in unintended pregnancies. The latter assumption has been cast into doubt by numerous studies (see http://old.usccb.org/prolife/issues/contraception/contraception-fact-sheet-3-17-11.pdf).

Claim: "The Obama Administration is committed to both respecting religious beliefs and increasing access to important preventive services. And as we move forward, our strong partnerships with religious organizations will continue."

Response: False. There is no "balance" in the final HHS rule—one side has prevailed entirely, as the mandate and exemption remain entirely unchanged from August 2011, despite many thousands of comments filed since then indicating intense opposition. Indeed, the White House Press Secretary declared on January 31, "I don't believe there are any constitutional rights issues here," so little was placed on that side of the scale. The Administration's stance on religious liberty has also been shown in other ways. Recently it argued before the Supreme Court that religious organizations have no greater right under the First amendment to hire or fire their own ministers than secular organizations have over their leaders – a claim that was unanimously rejected by the Supreme Court as "extreme" and "untenable." The Administration recently denied a human trafficking grant to a Catholic service provider with high objective scores, and gave part of that grant instead to a provider with not just lower, but failing, objective scores, all because the Catholic provider refused in conscience to compromise the same moral and religious beliefs at issue here. Such action violates not only federal conscience laws, but President Obama's executive order assuring "faith-based" organizations that they will be able to serve the public in federal programs without compromising their faith.

[i] See A. Tarantal, et al., 54 Contraception 107-115 (1996), at 114 ("studies with mifepristone and HRP 2000 have shown both antiprogestins to have roughly comparable activity in terminating pregnancy when administered during the early stages of gestation"); G. Bernagiano & H. von Hertzen, 375 The Lancet 527-28 (Feb. 13, 2010), at 527 ("Ulipristal has similar biological effects to mifepristone, the antiprogestin used in medical abortion").

SOURCE U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

Statement by Austin Ruse, President of C-FAM, on the Susan G. Komen Foundation

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:24:01 +0000

Statement by Austin Ruse, President of C-FAM, on the Susan G. Komen Foundation

PR Newswire

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following statement is submitted by Austin Ruse:

"Today the Susan G. Komen Foundation made an announcement that appears that they have reversed themselves on funding of Planned Parenthood. While I do not believe they have reversed themselves, it may turn out to be the case. We do not know.

"What happened this week was nothing short of a thuggish shakedown campaign by Planned Parenthood against the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

"Planned Parenthood acted as if Komen Foundation had to give them money or they would be destroyed. They were aided and abetted in this hostage taking by the mainstream media.

"At this point, pro-lifers should cease their support of the Susan G. Komen Foundation. We should wait and see what happens. We know there are five more Komen grants to Planned Parenthood in the pipeline. If any more come up, we will know we have lost and Planned Parenthood has won.

"I do not regret the work I did over the past days on this issue, neither should any pro-lifer. I only regret we could not have done more to make Komen strong and able to fight off the thuggish abortion giant, Planned Parenthood.

"What the week has shown is that Planned Parenthood, an organization that is under investigation by the US Congress, will stop at nothing to maintain their stranglehold on organizations like the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

"We should continue to pray for Nancy Brinker and all of her colleagues at the Susan G. Komen Foundation."

Austin Ruse is president of C-FAM, a New York and Washington DC-based research institute working exclusively on International social policy.

Contact: Austin Ruse, President, Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM), 202-393-7002

SOURCE Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM)