I published a post a few minutes ago asking the question if the Muslim leaders who had condemned the genocide in Iraq were coming from just one side of the Sunni/Shia hostilities My colleague, Hind Makki, of the Patheos Muslim Channel, answered me with a “no.” She also supplied details as to why I was wrong in my thinking, I updated my original post with her reply. But this is important enough that I want to also do it in... Read more
I published a post yesterday listing various denunciations of ISIS barbarity from Muslim political leaders. As I was assembling that list, I noticed that the denouncers were Shia. Based on what I’ve read, I believe that ISIS is Sunni. I don’t have much knowledge of Shia vs Sunni, but I think, from what I’ve read, that this is a blood feud that is largely tribal and historic. After I published that post, I could almost hear the massive sigh from... Read more
Several Public Catholic readers pointed me to this petition on behalf of victims of ISIS barbarism in Iraq. The petition, which bears the signatures of prominent American academicians of many faith traditions, can be found here. I’ve signed the petition. Here from IraqRescue.org is the verbiage of the petition, and the primary authors/signatories: A Plea on Behalf of Victims of ISIS/ISIL Barbarism in Iraq The so-called Islamic State of Iraq (ISIS/ISIL) is conducting a campaign of genocide against Christians, Yazidis,... Read more
I confess. I haven’t been all that interested in the obsessive coverage of Robin Williams’ death. My feelings about Mr Williams before his death were generally positive but mostly disinterested. I enjoyed his movies and wished him well. I knew, as soon as I heard that he had died, that we would be in for another of these 24/7 whatevers that the media does when someone famous dies. Sure enough, I flipped briefly to the news last night, and... Read more
On August 8, the Oriental Bishops called on Islamic leaders to issue Fatwas against the genocide committed against Christians and Yazidis in Iraq by the group that calls itself the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. So far as I know, there has been no Fatwa against genocide. I found one Fatwa issued against ISIS by Ayatollah Ali Sistani, who is said to be Iraq’s most influential religious leader. Ayatollah Sistani called for a Fatwa urging Iraqis to fight against... Read more
Public Catholic reader Ken brought this to my attention. The Vatican has released a statement condemning the crimes against humanity that are occurring in the Middle East. The statement lists what it calls “unspeakable criminal acts … which bring shame on humanity,” including beheading, crucifying, abduction of women and girls as spoils of war, the barbaric practice of infibulation and forced conversions. From the Vatican Website: The whole world has witnessed with incredulity what is now called the “Restoration... Read more
I just bought a bumper sticker like the one in the photo above. Next month, I’m getting a t-shirt to go with it. The symbol on the left is a letter in the Arabic alphabet. It is pronounced “noon.” It is a slur against Christians in that part of the world, meaning Nazarene. ISIS has used this symbol to mark the homes of Christians, as well as the bodies of the Christians they have murdered. They intend it... Read more
So … we’ve got an organization whose sole purpose is to drive religious expression from the public sphere by the use of threats of legal action and harassment. This organization files a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service and demands that the IRS join them in their harassment of religious people by “monitoring” churches for possible violations of IRS rules. In this instance, what they were suing about was the so-called “Johnson Amendment” to the IRS code. The Johnson... Read more
Oklahoma’s Governor Mary Fallin condemned black mass that is scheduled for Oklahoma City next month. From the Governor’s website: Press Release Monday, August 11, 2014 Gov. Fallin Condemns Black Mass Scheduled for Oklahoma OKLAHOMA CITY – Governor Mary Fallin today condemned a scheduled performance of a satanic black mass next month in Oklahoma City. “This ‘Black Mass’ is a disgusting mockery of the Catholic faith, and it should be equally repellent to Catholics and non-Catholics alike,” said Fallin. “It may... Read more
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