September 4, 2009 – The Wall Street Journal
China Responds to Fresh Protests in Urumqi
SHANGHAI
— Authorities stepped up already heavy security in Urumqi — the
northwestern Chinese city torn by deadly ethnic riots in July — after
thousands of protesters took to the streets Thursday criticizing the
government for failing to protect people after a recent spate of
attacks by assailants wielding syringes.

September 4, 2009 – The Orlando Sentinel
Fathima Rifqa Bary: Judge keeps girl in Florida, seals investigative findings
For
an hour and a half Thursday, lawyers argued about how to handle the
legal battle that has sprung up around Fathima Rifqa Bary, the tiny
17-year-old who ran away from her Muslim home in Ohio to the shelter of
Christian evangelists in Orlando.

September 3, 2009 – The Economist
Trying to pep up the opposition
IN
THE autumn of 1978 the beleaguered shah postponed the autumnal return
of Iran’s politically disgruntled students to their universities by
several months.

September 3, 2009 – The Wall Street Journal
Making God more accessible
The
television commercials were disturbing: Traditional-looking churches
barring or physically ejecting racial and ethnic minorities, gay
couples—and people with disabilities.

September 3, 2009 – The Buffalo News
Outside faith, a rising tide of 'nones'
A few years ago, Tyler Manley would have considered himself a Presbyterian.

September 3, 2009 – The Daily Star
Women must wait longer for equality in Lebanon
Lebanese
women face a long wait for equal rights as delays to Cabinet formation
enter their third month, according to a spokeswoman from Human Rights
Watch Wednesday.

September 3, 2009 – The Boston Globe
O’Malley defends role at Kennedy rites
Cardinal
Sean P. O’Malley last night issued a forceful defense of his decision
to participate in the funeral of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, an
appearance that has drawn sharp criticism from some conservative
Catholics because of Kennedy’s ardent support for abortion rights.

September 2, 2009 – Deseret Morning News
Supreme Court considers legality of couple's marriage
Neldon
and Ina Johnson shared their lives for more than 35 years. They were
sealed in an LDS temple, had children and celebrated an anniversary
each year. They had shared insurance policies and joint tax filings.

September 2, 2009 – The Associated Press
Old laws banning religious clothing for teachers remain in 3 states; Oregon's gets scrutiny
A
law backed by the Ku Klux Klan nearly a century ago to keep Catholics
out of public schools is still on the books in Oregon, one of the last
states in the nation to prohibit teachers from wearing religious
clothing in classrooms.

September 2, 2009 – National Post
Students must learn about other religions: judge
Christian
parents who objected to their children being taught about other
religions in a mandatory new Quebec school course have suffered a
serious setback with a ruling this week that the teachings do not
infringe their religious freedoms.

September 2, 2009 – The New York Times
Religious-secular divide, tugging at Israel’s heart
On
Saturday, as on every Saturday in recent weeks, hundreds of
ultra-Orthodox Jews gathered before dusk on the terraces above the
Carta parking lot just outside the Old City walls.

September 2, 2009 – The New York Times
A justice slows his hiring, and some wonder about his future
A
Supreme Court clerkship is a glittering prize and the ultimate
credential in American law, one coveted by the top graduates of the
best law schools. Until recently, though, only connoisseurs of ambition
and status followed the justices’ hiring process closely.

September 2, 2009 – Reuters
That's a stretch: states seek to regulate yogis
U.S. yogis are being asked to regulate more than their breathing — and they are fighting back.

September 2, 2009 – USA Today
Update of popular 'NIV' Bible due in 2011
The
scholars and publishers behind the world's leading English language
evangelical Bible announced Tuesday that they would publish a updated
translation in 2011.

September 2, 2009 – Los Angeles Times
Californians' support for death penalty waning
A
majority of Californians still favor the death penalty, but their
support has waned from 79% to 66% over the last two decades as fears of
executing the wrongly convicted escalate, a researcher reported Tuesday.

September 2, 2009 – The Independent
Fragment from world's oldest Bible found hidden in Egyptian monastery
A
British-based academic has uncovered a fragment of the world's oldest
Bible hiding underneath the binding of an 18th-century book.

September 2, 2009 – Associated Press
Dutch prosecutors to charge Arab group with hate speech for Holocaust cartoon
Dutch
prosecutors said Wednesday they will charge an Arab cultural group
under hate speech laws for publishing a cartoon that suggests the death
of 6 million Jews during World War II is a fabrication.

September 1, 2009 – The Associated Press
Obama hosts dinner, praises American Muslims' contributions in celebration of Ramadan
President
Barack Obama on Tuesday praised American Muslims for enriching the
nation's culture at a dinner to celebrate the Islamic holy month of
Ramadan.

September 1, 2009 – The New York Times
Purge of Iranian universities is feared

As
Iran’s universities prepare to start classes this month, there is
growing concern within the academic community that the government will
purge political and social science departments of professors and
curriculums deemed “un-Islamic,” according to academics and political
analysts inside and outside Iran.