Sara Weissman writes for Religion News Service.
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Muslim Leaders Call on All Nations to Address Climate Change
Image via RNS/REUTERS/Parwiz
Supporters of the Islamic Declaration on Climate Change included the grand muftis (highest authorities in religious law) of Uganda and Lebanon and government representatives from Turkey and Morocco. The conference itself, the International Islamic Climate Change Symposium, was co-sponsored by Islamic Relief Worldwide, the Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and GreenFaith.
The declaration comes at a moment ripe for climate change discussion, in the wake of President Obama’s announcement of a Clean Power Plan on Aug. 3. The plan requires states to reduce carbon emissions from coal power plants starting in 2017. It’s also a timely precursor to the upcoming United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Paris this December.
The declaration cites climate change research, followed by a detailed call to action. Among other things, it puts pressure on those attending the United Nations Conference on Climate Change to set clear goals, calls on wealthy and oil-producing nations to be leaders in curbing greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and asks that all nations commit to 100 percent renewable energy or a zero emissions strategy.
Christian Leaders Call on Candidates to Address Climate Change, Inequality
Photo via Calin Tatu / Shutterstock.com
A coalition of Christian leaders issued a statement Aug. 4 calling on presidential candidates to address climate change and economic inequality, in preparation for the first presidential debate in Cleveland on Aug. 6.
More than 70 evangelical, Protestant, and Catholic leaders signed the statement, organized by the group Faith in Public Life, which advocates for the representation of faith communities in politics. Signers include Dan Misleh, executive director of the Catholic Climate Covenant; Jim Winkler, president of the National Council of Churches; and the Rev. Richard Cizik, president of the New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good.
Evangelicals and Muslims Together Denounce Franklin Graham’s Anti-Muslim Remarks
Azhar Azeez, president of the Islamic Society of North America, speaks at a joint evangelical Christian and Muslim event. Image via RNS.
An evangelical pastor from Texas joined American Muslim leaders July 23 in denouncing recent anti-Muslim comments by evangelist Franklin Graham as they announced upcoming efforts to build bridges between their religious communities.
In response to the killing of five service members in Chattanooga, Tenn., last week, Graham — son of evangelical leader Billy Graham — wrote on Facebook that the U.S. should bar Muslims from immigrating.
"I was so sad when I read the Facebook posting of Franklin Graham," Bob Roberts, Jr., pastor of NorthWood Church in Keller, Texas, said Thursday at a gathering on Capitol Hill.
"This is not ‘evangelical’ and even less evangelistic. I don’t want American Muslims to think we fear them or that they are our enemies."
5 Faith Facts About Amy Winehouse's Jewish Roots
RNS-WINEHOUSE-FAITH, originally transmitted on July 21, 2015
Amy Winehouse’s dramatic eye makeup and iconic beehive weren’t the singer’s only fashion statements. Winehouse, who died four years ago July 23, is back in the spotlight with the July 3 release of the documentary Amy. In it, she is frequently seen wearing a thick, gold Star of David pendant around her neck.
Director Asif Kapadia’s new film captures the British sensation’s short, explosive career before she died of alcohol poisoning at age 27. But what about her Jewish religious heritage? In the film, Nick Gatfield — the Island Records executive who signed Winehouse at age 18 — describes her as “a classic North London Jewish girl.” But was she?
Here are five facts about the six-time Grammy Award winner’s Jewish upbringing.