Moeed Abdul Salam didn’t descend into radical Islam for lack of other options. He grew up in a well-off Texas household, attended a pricey boarding school and graduated from one of the state’s most respected universities. But the most unlikely thing about his recruitment was his family: Two generations had spent years promoting interfaith harmony and combatting Muslim stereotypes in their hometown and even on national television. Salam rejected his relatives’ moderate faith and comfortable life, choosing instead a path... Read more

Moeed Abdul Salam didn’t descend into radical Islam for lack of other options. He grew up in a well-off Texas household, attended a pricey boarding school and graduated from one of the state’s most respected universities. But the most unlikely thing about his recruitment was his family: Two generations had spent years promoting interfaith harmony and combating Muslim stereotypes in their hometown and even on national television. Salam rejected his relatives’ moderate faith and comfortable life, choosing instead a path... Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — State and local law enforcement officials convened at the White House on Wednesday for a daylong discussion about how police can maintain the trust of their communities while identifying and preventing violent extremism and homegrown terrorism. The Obama administration considers such efforts critical to national security. Violent extremism has erupted across the U.S. in the past few years, motivated by ideologies, whether a violent interpretation of Islam or white supremacist beliefs. Ideologies in and of themselves are... Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — State and local law enforcement officials convened at the White House on Wednesday for a daylong discussion about how police can maintain the trust of their communities while identifying and preventing violent extremism and homegrown terrorism — an effort the administration considers critical to national security. It’s a delicate balance, as the violent extremism that has erupted across the U.S. in the past few years has been motivated by an ideology, whether a violent interpretation of Islam... Read more

ASHKELON, Israel (AP) — Israel is closing the books on a rare millennia-old Jewish tradition. Nearly three decades after Israel began airlifting Ethiopia’s ancient Jewish community out of the Horn of Africa, Israel’s rabbis are now working to phase out the community’s white-turbaned clergy, the kessoch, whose unusual religious practices are at odds with the rabbinate’s Orthodox Judaism. The effort has added to the sense of discrimination felt by Israel’s 120,000 Ethiopian citizens. These sentiments boiled over this month after... Read more

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Texas Gov. Rick Perry is taking a pause from partisan campaigning in South Carolina to pray for President Barack Obama’s safety and wisdom. Perry spoke Tuesday night at a large prayer gathering called “The Response” in Greenville, S.C. He made no direct mention of the GOP presidential contest or of Saturday’s primary during his 10 minutes on stage. Perry led a prayer in which he asked God to grant safety to “our president” and his family.... Read more

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Police: Christmas Day church bombing suspect in Nigeria escapes in shootout following arrest. Read more

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Four years ago, Florida crushed Mitt Romney’s presidential ambitions. This time, the GOP front-runner is working to ensure the state seals his nomination — regardless of what happens in South Carolina’s primary on Saturday. The Romney political machine has been grinding here for months. The former Massachusetts governor has been aggressively courting absentee voters, blanketing the state’s television airwaves and wooing local evangelical leaders. “Romney has been here and established longer than any other presidential candidate... Read more

BAGHDAD (AP) — The leader of Iraq’s main Sunni-backed bloc says the war-ravaged country needs new leaders to prevent it from disintegrating along sectarian lines. Ayad Allawi told reporters Wednesday that Iraq needs a new prime minister or new elections to prevent the country from falling apart just weeks after the U.S. military withdrawal. He accused Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of targeting Sunni officials and triggering a political crisis. The crisis erupted last month after al-Maliki’s government issued an... Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a North Carolina county commission over the mostly Christian prayers offered at the beginning of its public meetings. The justices on Tuesday left in place a federal appeals court ruling that held that the predominantly Christian prayers at the start of Forsyth County commission meetings violated the First Amendment’s prohibition on government endorsement of a particular religion. The commission said its doors have long been open to religious leaders... Read more