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To tell the truth

07 Jun 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

"We are all children of God," Saint Paul reminds us this Sunday in the reading from the Letter to the Romans. In interviews previewing the speech he will make Thursday in Cairo to the Arab world, President Barack Obama suggested he will encourage Muslims, Christians, and Jews to work together to find common solutions to the problems in the Middle East. "I think the most important thing I want to tell young people is that, regardless of your faith, those who build as opposed to those who destroy I think leave a lasting legacy, not only for themselves but also for their nations," Obama said in an interview with Canal Plus, a French television station. In an interview with the New York Times, the president said another key part of his message would be to "stop saying one thing behind closed doors and saying something else publicly." The president said he hoped to persuade the Arab people and ultimately their leaders to work with the United States."There are a lot of Arab countries more concerned about Iran developing a nuclear weapon than the 'threat' from Israel, but won't admit it," Obama said. There are a lot of Israelis "who recognize that their current path is unsustainable, and they need to make some tough choices on settlements to achieve a two-state solution--that is in their long-term interest--but not enough folks are willing to recognize that publicly."There are also a lot of Palestinians, he said, who "recognize that the constant incitement and negative rhetoric with respect to Israel" has not delivered a single "benefit to their people and had they taken a more constructive approach and sought the moral high ground" they would be much better off today--but they won't say it aloud. "We have a joke around the White House," the president said. "We're just going to keep on telling the truth until it stops working--and nowhere is truth-telling more important than the Middle East." Source: An article by Reuters and a blog posting by Jeff Zeleny for the New York Times

Truth barack obama israel palestinians middle east arabs iran
Election elation for U.S.-backed party in Lebanon

14 Jun 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Before sharing the cup with his disciples in the gospel this Sunday, Jesus gave thanks. Policy-makers in Washington gave thanks Monday upon learning of the unexpected victory of an American-backed alliance in Lebanese parliamentary elections. The hotly contested election was billed as a showdown between Tehran and Washington for influence in the Middle East. The pro-western alliance, known as the March 14 coalition, won a majority of 71 seats in the 128-member parliament, compared with 57 for the Hezbollah-led coalition, according to official results the government announced Monday. Though the Hezbollah-led challengers lost, Hezbollah itself--a Shiite political, social, and military organization that the United States and Israel officially regard as a terrorist group--will continue to be one of Lebanon's most powerful political forces in a nation that remains deeply divided. Negotiations over the formation of a government were expected to take weeks. Around Lebanon the interest in the contest was so high that during the voting on Sunday people waited up to four hours at polls, many times in the hot sun and in packed hallways. Hezbollah said on Wednesday it was ready to open a new page with its U.S.-backed rivals but would wait to see what they offer before deciding on joining any coalition government. "We will also behave in a highly positive manner and cooperate with the other side," Hezbollah deputy secretary-general Sheikh Naim Kassem told Reuters in an interview. "We will wait for what the other side offers. If it decides on a program, a vision, and a method that is different from the past and that opens new horizons, they will find us by their side," Kassem said. "But if issues remain as before at a state of tension and monopoly [of power], then we will take a stand." Source: Articles by Nadim Ladki for Reuters and Michael Slackman for the New York Times

iran elections lebanon hezbollah march 14 coalition sheikh naim kassem
Iranians elect to protest

21 Jun 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In this Sunday’s first reading the Lord addresses Job out of a storm. In response to a storm of protest, Iran’s supreme leader reversed course this week and ordered an investigation into allegations of election fraud in last Friday’s presidential election. Earlier having called the reelection of Mahmud Ahmadinejad a “divine assessment,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Monday directed a high-level clerical panel to look into the charges of fraud. The move was not enough to placate supporters of opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, who have daily taken to the streets of Tehran to protest. Tuesday the country’s most senior Islamic cleric, an opponent of Khamenei, threw his weight behind charges that Ahmadinejad’s reelection was rigged. “No one in their right mind can believe” the official results from Friday’s contest, Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri said of the landslide victory claimed by Ahmadinejad. Montazeri accused the regime of handling Mousavi’s charges of fraud and the massive protests of his backers “in the worst way possible.” In an effort to quash media coverage, the Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance issued a ban on foreign news reporting of rallies in Tehran, revoked the credentials of those with temporary visas, and ordered them to leave the country as soon as possible. Cell phone service was cut in the city. To counter these restrictions a U.S. State Department official Monday emailed the social-networking site Twitter with an unusual request: Delay scheduled maintenance of its global network, which would have cut off service while Iranians were using Twitter to swap information and inform the outside world about the mushrooming protests around Tehran. The State Department said its request did not amount to meddling in Iranian affairs because the department did not contact Twitter until three days after the vote was held and well after the protests had begun. Source: Articles by Warren P. Strobel and Jonathan S. Landay for McClatchy Newspapers, Mark Landler and Brian Stelter for the New York Times, and Hashem Kalantari and Fredrik Dahl for Reuters

twitter ministry of culture and islamic guidance ali khamenei hossein ali montazeri tehran mir hossein mousavi fraud mahmud ahmadinejad election iran state department
A voice for political freedom in Iran

28 Jun 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

"God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living," the Sunday reading from the Book of Wisdom tells us. Graphic video images of Neda Agha-Soltan, a young Iranian woman dying in the streets of Tehran after being shot during a protest march, have become a symbol of resistance in Iran's political crisis. The woman's first name means "the voice" or "the call," and she is being hailed as a martyr and a voice for political freedom. The images entered wide circulation Saturday when two different videos appeared on YouTube and Facebook. The amateur footage provided a powerful example of citizens' ability to document events inside Iran despite government restrictions on foreign media and Internet and phone lines. The graphic imagery could have an important impact on public opinion in Iran, where the idea of martyrdom resonates deeply among a populace steeped in the stories and imagery of Shiite Islam, which exalts martyrdom in the cause of justice. Thousands of people inside and outside Iran have written online tributes to the woman, many condemning the government and praising her as a martyr. Some posted photos of a gently smiling woman they said was Neda, some calling her "Iran's Joan of Arc." During a press conference Wednesday, President Barack Obama said he had seen the video images, which he called "heartbreaking." He praised "the courage and dignity" of the demonstrators, especially the women who have been marching. "While this loss is raw and extraordinarily painful," he said, "we also know this: Those who stand up for justice are always on the right side of history." Source: Articles by Michael Weissenstein and Anna Johnson for the Associated Press, Helene Cooper and David E. Sanger for the New York Times, and Robin Wright for TIME

martyrdom barack obama youtube iran elections tehran facebook neda agha-soltan shia
Iran running roughshod over democracy?

09 Aug 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The Letter to the Ephesians this Sunday counsels that all bitterness and anger "must be removed from you." That has not happened in Iran, where anger in the streets and bitterness in the halls of the Iranian parliament testify to ongoing resistance to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, sworn in for a second term this week. In his inauguration speech Ahmadinejad hailed what he called an "epic election" but didn't mention the turmoil that has followed for the past two months. "The victor is all the people, the revolutionary values, and the Islamic establishment," he said. Reformists did not show up at the inauguration ceremony. Instead, they were busy on social networking sites just as they have been throughout the election crisis. They posted messages ranging from defiance to offering an action plan. One message on Twitter read: "Lots of empty seats in the Majlis (parliament) today. Well done to those who kept away. Now we need leadership committed to regime change." Experts predict that if the power struggle in the country continues, chances are high some leading opposition figures will be blamed for the unrest and be arrested as a result. Meanwhile, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs backtracked Wednesday from comments he made Tuesday in which he called Ahmadinejad "the elected leader" of Iran, comments that had raised protests from reformers. Wednesday Gibbs said he wanted to "correct a little bit of what I said yesterday. I denoted that Mr. Ahmadinejad was the elected leader of Iran. I would say it's not for me to pass judgment on. He's been inaugurated, that's a fact. Whether any election was fair, obviously the Iranian people still have questions about that and we'll let them decide that." Source: Articles by Octavia Nasr for CNN and Foon Ray for boston.com

robert gibbs iran election mahmud ahmadinejad majlis
Iran no longer balks at talks

20 Sep 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In Sunday's reading from the Book of Wisdom the just one is put to the test through a trial of patience. World powers who believe Iran has been unjustly testing their patience through its refusal to talk about its nuclear program were pleased this week that the nation had agreed to sit down to negotiations next month, the first such discussions in more than a year. The United States for the first time will join the talks. European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said talks between world powers and Iran will "very likely" be held October 1 in Turkey. Turkey is seen as an ideal host, said Paul Ingram, co-executive director of the British-American Information Security Council, because not only is it a member of NATO but it has economic and energy ties to Iran. The U.S. State Department announced Monday that it would send its third-ranking diplomat, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns, to the gathering. Representatives of Britain, France, Germany, China, and Russia would also be present for the talks. U.S. officials said the six nations would present a "united front" against Iran's alleged nuclear weapons ambitions. "We have made clear to the Iranians that any talks we participate in must address the nuclear issue head on," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said. "Iran says it has a number of issues it wishes to discuss with us but what we are concerned about is discussing with them the questions surrounding their nuclear program and ambitions. We will wait to see how Iran responds in that face-to-face venue," Clinton said. While accepting the proposal for talks, Tehran insisted that it will not entertain the idea of stopping its nuclear enrichment program, which it contends is part of a civilian power program to which it is entitled under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Ingram said disputes over Iran's nuclear sovereignty should not dissuade hopes of progress between the two sides. "The fact that Iran resists direct talks over its nuclear program is to be regretted but nevertheless I think the timing is good," he said. "I think it is very positive that Iran is engaging in talks and that the West is treating seriously this desire for Iran to talk . . . ." Source: Articles by Jessica Desvarieux and David Gollust for VOANews.com, BBC NEWS, and Agence France Presse

united states william burns british-american information security council paul ingram turkey javier solana iran hillary clinton nuclear weapons nuclear non-proliferation treaty
Protesting students teach Iranian authorities a cyber-lesson

13 Dec 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The Lord turned away Israel's enemies, the reading from the Book of Zephaniah this Sunday tells us. Even though Iranian officials turned away foreign journalists, slowed Internet service to a crawl, and took other measures to suppress coverage of student protests Monday, footage of violent clashes with authorities quickly flooded the Web. Government news agencies, which initially didn't mention the protests, were forced to acknowledge them by Monday afternoon. Violence erupted at and around university campuses across Iran as demonstrators took to the streets during the regime-sanctioned Student Day, but used the occasion to press their months-long protest against the government. Students chanted "death to the dictator" and anti-regime slogans and set fire to pictures of Iran's Islamic leaders and President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, according to eyewitness accounts and videos posted on the Internet. The opposition planned what they called a "green traffic" tactic for 5 p.m. today, at the height of rush hour in Tehran. Supporters were asked to bring their cars to a standstill, making it difficult for security forces to navigate through the city. Iran's leadership, however, has been striking back across national borders. In an effort to stamp out dissent worldwide, authorities have threatened to punish relatives of Iranians living abroad who protest the regime. Part of the effort involves tracking the Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube activity of Iranians around the world and sending threatening e-mails to anyone who expresses dissent. As protests were reported online Monday, Iranian state TV was broadcasting a round-table discussion about how loyal students are to the system. Source: Articles by Farnaz Fassihi for the Wall Street Journal, Hannah Allam for McClatchy Newspapers, and BBC News

internet protests iran mahmud ahmadinejad student day students
Studying war some more

27 Dec 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The reading from the Letter to the Colossians for the Sunday, December 27 celebration of the Holy Family implores: "Let the peace of Christ control your hearts." But even in this season celebrating the Prince of Peace, war is never far from the headlines. In contrast to recent years, Afghanistan rather than Iraq has become the central focus of U.S. concern and activity. During the year casualties on all sides mounted as U.S. forces, with their Afghan and NATO allies, battled a resilient Taliban. When presented by his generals with a request for more troops, President Barack Obama engaged in a process of lengthy deliberations this fall, which were complicated by a disputed Afghan election and allegations of widespread fraud. The president chose to send 30,000 more troops as soon as possible but also pledged to start withdrawing them by July, 2011. Allies were expected to add to the total troop increase with the hope that the surge in troops will blunt the Taliban's momentum long enough to give the shaky Afghan political and military structures time to strengthen and take over the task themselves. Militant Islam in general was a topic never far from the headlines this year. The Taliban destroyed scores of schools, mostly for girls, in northwest Pakistan during the year. Hardliners in Iran resorted to fraud, censorship, and bloodshed in order to hold onto power and put down dissent after highly irregular presidential election results in July. President Obama made an unprecedented appeal to moderate Muslims in a widely lauded speech in Cairo, Egypt in June, a story that was voted the number one religion story of the year by the Religion Newswriters Association. The speech at Cairo University was broadly viewed as providing a dramatic contrast to the approach taken by the previous administration. During his talk Obama invoked the Qur'an, the Talmud, and the Bible while declaring that the United States was not at war with Islam, only with terrorism. He urged Muslims to join him in condemning extremisms of all kinds and promoting democratic values.

barack obama afghanistan war afghanistan iran taliban islamism
No new nukes, announces Obama

11 Apr 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In the Sunday reading from the Book of Revelation, “a voice as loud as a trumpet” says to John, “I hold the keys to death and the netherworld.” Expressing grave concern over the potential for nuclear proliferation and “nuclear terrorism,” President Barack Obama Tuesday announced a fundamental shift in the nation’s nuclear strategy. Arguing that the spread of atomic weapons to rogue states or terrorists represents a worse threat than the nuclear Armageddon feared during the Cold War, Obama said his administration would narrow the circumstances in which the U.S. might launch a nuclear strike, forgo the development of new nuclear warheads, and seek even deeper reductions in U.S. and Russian arsenals. "The greatest threat to U.S. and global security is no longer a nuclear exchange between nations, but nuclear terrorism by violent extremists and nuclear proliferation to an increasing number of states," Obama said. The announcement set the stage for his trip to Prague Thursday to sign a new arms reduction agreement with Russia to cut stockpiles of long-range nuclear warheads by a third, as well as for a "nuclear summit" of 40 world leaders Obama will host next Monday in Washington. Those gathered will discuss improving safeguards against terrorists acquiring nuclear bombs. From the start of his term in office Obama has put halting the spread of atomic arms near the top of his defense priorities. But during his first year he failed to achieve a significant breakthrough on arguably the two biggest threats: Iran and North Korea. "Given al-Qaeda's continued quest for nuclear weapons, Iran's ongoing nuclear efforts, and North Korea's proliferation, this focus is appropriate and, indeed, an essential change from previous" policy, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday. While the new policy rules out new nuclear weapons or testing, it calls for setting aside billions of dollars to "modernize" existing U.S. weaponry. The new strategy, though a major shift, isn't as far-reaching as liberals had hoped nor as radical as conservatives had feared, said analysts. It contains initiatives sought by both sides, including those of Republican senators whose votes Obama will need in order for the new arms reduction treaty with Russia to be ratified. Articles by Dan De Luce for Agence France Presse, Jonathan S. Landay and Margaret Talev for McClatchy Newspapers, and Robert Burns and Anne Flaherty for Associated Press

barack obama al qaeda nuclear weapons north korea iran nuclear strategy robert gates
Sharia law not OK in Oklahoma

07 Nov 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The seven brothers and their mother who suffer horrific deaths in this week’s first reading declare that it is for God’s laws that we are dying. The question of the role of religious codes of law in U.S. law was addressed in one of the more unusual ballot measures decided Tuesday, when Oklahoma voters approved blocking judges from considering Islamic or international law in making a ruling. The proposition’s sponsor, Republican Rex Duncan, told reporters that the proposition is a "preemptive strike" against judges he worries could be “legislating from the bench or using international law or Sharia law.” Opponents of the measure pointed out that the First Amendment bars Congress from make any law respecting the establishment of religion. The proposition also faced criticism from Muslim leaders who have said they intend to challenge it in court. In an example of Sharia law in action, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, escaped execution Wednesday, but her death is likely imminent, say observers. Ashtiani, whose case has captivated the world, will probably die by hanging instead of stoning, human rights advocates suggest. "The general feeling is that if we do not manage to get Sakineh released, the regime is probably going to execute her by hanging," said Maria Rohaly of the International Committee Against Stoning. A 43-year-old mother of two, Ashtiani was convicted of adultery in May 2006 after her husband was killed. She was sentenced to death by stoning in accordance with Iran’s Sharia law. She was later charged with taking part in her husband’s murder, a crime Islamic law deems punishable by hanging. Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Monoucher Mottaki said Wednesday that the country’s legal authorities had not yet reached a verdict and that reports of Ashtiani’s execution that trickled out "did not correspond to reality." Rohaly credits the execution’s delay to public pressure by politicians, human rights groups, and international media. Source: Articles by Khristina Narizhnaya for the New York Daily News and Andy Barr for Politico.com

iran international committee against stoning maria rohaly monoucher mottaki stoning sakineh mohammadi ashtiani judges shariah international law rex duncan oklahoma islamic law execution

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