InterfaithNews.Net

Annie Imbens-Fransen is a Feminist theologian. In 1986, she founded the
Foundation for Pastoral Care for Women to provide pastoral care and
counseling to sexually abused women with a religious trauma. She has
lectured and published extensively on the impact of a religious education on the lives of
women, including the books: Christianity and Incest and God in
Women’s Lives. She is the initiator and coordinator of the
URI Council for women and served as a
member of the URI Europe board and the URI Global Council.

Egyptian activist and URI Global Council member Dr. Mohamed
Mosaad critiques attempts at fighting "fundamentalism" by shutting
down discourse. Instead he proposes that fundamentalism, in particular Islamic
fundamentalism that promotes violence between religions, should be countered
by likewise returning to the holy books (the fundamentals) in true
intra-religious dialogue.

While most pundits blame Islamic fundamentalism (or Jewish, or
Christian, etc.) for violence in the name of religion, Turkish author Harun
Yahya believes it is rather radicalism that drives the
supposedly-religious to violence. To achieve a mutual peace will require
sustained efforts at educating all believers about the truths in other
religions and downplaying radical ideologies.

Christian and Muslim leaders work to dispel rumors of rampant proselytism in
Aceh province, the staunchly-Islamic Indonesian province and site of the most
widespread destruction in the wake of the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

Rev. Al Bloom of Hawai'i writes of the duty of all religious believers
to express the social, affirming implications of their religious beliefs when
engaged in social discourse, as well as the need to understand the meaning
and fact of "separation of church and state."

Interfaith minister Susanna Stefanachi Macomb writes about the growing
trend of interfaith, intercultural and interracial families in the United
States

A new survey from ReachingCommonGround.com and Harris Interactive finds that a
majority of adult Americans believe that religious differences are the biggest
obstacle in the face of achieving world peace, translating this belief into a call
for greater respect for other religions in institutional religious education. The
survey also finds that religious tolerance is strongly correlated to age. The article
also announces an essay competition for youth, with $100,000 worth of prizes. [Editorial
note: what does “take the time to learn about other religions” really mean for
these folks? Am I just jaded that I don't believe that 59% of adults actually know
anything substantial about a religion other than their own?]

Representatives from Christian faith communities around the globe launched a year-long effort to confront and overcome violence in the United States during a stirring worship service commemorating the life and ministry of the Rev. Dr Martin Luther King, Jr at the Interchurch Center in New York City on 2 January. The focus on the US in 2004 is part of the World Council of Churches' (WCC) Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV).

InterfaithNews.net does not normally publish material that represents a, shall we say, pessimistic view on or between religions. However, the following article from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life highlights some important trends in the United States that interfaith organizations would be wise to learn from.

Moderate Muslim, Jewish and Christian representatives called upon their co-religionists and the adherents of all three Abrahamic faiths to stand up to religious extremism and to educate each other, the media and government officials about how those faiths promote teachings of peaceful coexistence.