RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Alarmed by bloody unrest in Syria, the Hamas militant group has pulled out many of its lower-level cadres from its Damascus headquarters and made contingency plans to move its leadership to locations across the Middle East, senior Hamas members have told The Associated Press. The Hamas members say the group remains appreciative of Syrian leader Bashar Assad and there is no immediate intention to abandon their base in Damascus. But they confirmed that dozens of... Read more

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Some young spouses of soldiers at one of the Army’s largest posts have spent much of their marriages alone during long deployments. Now, a growing collection of independent prayer groups are helping them through it with an emphasis on faith and fellowship. These groups aren’t sponsored by any single church or the military. Spouses meet weekly in small, informal groups of eight to 12 people at their homes to study the Bible’s teachings and how to... Read more

ASHLAND, Ore. (AP) — Low rates of vaccinations in Ashland prompts study request ASHLAND, Ore. (AP) — Southern Oregon University and Jackson County health officials are hoping to get money for a study of Ashland’s low rate of child vaccinations, due largely to religious exemptions. In 2010, 25 percent of Ashland students didn’t get all their vaccines, more than double the percentage in 2001. Of the 3,117 students enrolled in public and private schools, 777 claimed the religious exemption —... Read more

CAIRO (AP) — An ultraconservative Egyptian Islamist group says sending Christmas greetings to Christians is “against our beliefs.” Nadar Bakar, spokesman of the hard-line Al-Nour party, told The Associated Press Wednesday that Muslims should only give greetings to Christians on “personal occasions,” not religious ones. Al-Nour represents the ultraconservative Salafi movement, which wants to strictly impose Islamic law in Egypt. Al-Nour has won a surprisingly strong 20 percent of the vote so far in Egypt’s staggered parliamentary elections. The remarks... Read more

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — The annual cleaning of one of Christianity’s holiest churches deteriorated into a brawl between rival clergy Wednesday, as dozens of monks feuding over sacred space at the Church of the Nativity battled each other with brooms until police intervened. The ancient church, built over the traditional site of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, is shared by three Christian denominations — Roman Catholics, Armenians and Greek Orthodox. Wednesday’s fight erupted between Greek and Armenian clergy, with both... Read more

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — A brawl has erupted between rival clergymen participating in an annual cleaning ritual at the church built at Jesus’ traditional birthplace. Armenian Orthodox and Greek Orthodox clergymen screamed at each other and beat each other with broomsticks during Wednesday’s cleanup inside the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem. They were tidying up the church ahead of Orthodox Christmas celebrations in early January. The two denominations each control sections of the... Read more

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Attackers threw homemade explosives inside an Islamic school in a predominantly Christian city where some 50 children had gathered for an Arabic class, wounding six pupils and a teacher, authorities said Wednesday. The rare attack in Nigeria’s oil-rich southern delta comes just days after radical Islamist militants launched a series of explosions across the country on Christmas, leaving at least 39 dead and dozens wounded. Analysts say it is too early to speak of retaliation following... Read more

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian court decided Wednesday not to ban a religious text central to the global Hare Krishna movement, rejecting claims that the text is “extremist” and ending a case that has angered Hindus around the world. Prosecutors in the Siberian city of Tomsk had argued that the Russian translation of “Bhagavad Gita As It Is” promotes “social discord” and hatred toward nonbelievers, causing an outcry in India, where many considered the proposed ban a violation of the... Read more

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian court is to decide Wednesday whether a religious text central to the global Hare Krishna movement is “extremist’ and should be banned, in a case that has angered Hindus around the world and highlights the continuing challenges for minority religions in Russia. Prosecutors in the Siberian city of Tomsk have argued that the Russian translation of “Bhagavad Gita As It Is” promotes “social discord” and hatred toward nonbelievers. The text is a combination of the... Read more

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Several hundred monks, nuns and other protesters have gathered outside a central court building in Athens to protest the arrest of an abbot accused of playing a key role in an alleged land scandal. The protesters — dressed in black and holding candles — gathered Tuesday as abbot Efraim was driven into the building after making the 600-kilometer (370-mile) journey to Athens from the 1,000-year-old Vatopedi Monastery on Orthodox monastic sanctuary Mount Athos. A prosecutor ordered... Read more