Religion & Law

Moderate Muslims In India Worry About Growing Radicalism
Today's Washington Post reports on the concern among moderate Muslims in India about the growth of stricter forms of Islam in the country. Many of India's Muslims are Barelvi Sunni who are also followers of Sufism, a movement seen as blasphemous by more traditional Muslims...

Moderate Italian Muslims To Form New Federation
In Italy, representatives of several Muslim groups have announced plans to create a Federation of Italian Islam to promote mosques that teach moderate Islam. Voice of America reported yesterday that the move was announced by outgoing Interior Minister Giuliano Amato who said the Federation, which will be legally recognized, will bring together Muslims who pledge allegiance to the Italian constitution and Italy's Charter of Values of Citizenship and Integration.

Saudis, Germany Try New Approaches To Encourage Development of Moderate Islam
Two developments reported yesterday illustrate innovative attempts by governments around the world to press Muslims for ideological change in the direction of moderation. UPI reported that the Saudi Arabian government is beginning a program to retrain 40,000 Islamic clerics in a "culture of dialogue ? centrism and moderation...

Moderate Elected Somali President; Wants To Correct Radical Interpretation of Islam
Reuters reported yesterday that Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, a moderate, has been elected president of Somalia. The election took place in an all-night session of Somalia's parliament meeting in neighbouring Djibouti because of military control of Baidoa by the Islamic terrorist group, al Shabaab...

Editor Arrested in India for Publishing Essay "Outraging Muslims":
So reports The Independent (U.K.). The essay is apparently this broadly pro-secularist essay by Johann Hari, which has harsh words for Christianity, Hinduism, some versions of Judaism, and Islam...

Florida Attorney General Will Create Advisory Group on Muslims
In a press release issued Tuesday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations announced that Florida's attorney general, Bill McCollum, will create a Muslim community advisory group...

Baseball Players Named in Mitchell Report
Major League Baseball Players using Performance Enhancing Drugs