Religion News Selection 27 (July 10

Religion News Selection 27 (July 10 - 17)

(16 July 16)
by Greg Spearritt

Religion News Selection

July 10 - 17, 2016

A selection of religion news stories from Australia.

(Research: Greg Spearritt)

Inclusion here does not endorse the veracity or quality of any particular item – it just means
I found it worth reading and reflecting on (even if badly conceived or poorly written).

If you’re after the unexpurgated (and reasonably unbiased) version,
see Religion News Australia which appears weekly on our website.

EDUCATION

Public funding for schools associated with Church of Scientology revealed (Sydney Morning Herald)
July 13 - Schools associated with the Church of Scientology are receiving more government funding per student than hundreds of Australian public schools, new data has revealed, despite benefiting from generous private donations and hundreds of thousands of dollars in school fees.

INTERNATIONAL STORIES

Catholic Church

Pope appoints ex-Fox News correspondent as Vatican spokesman (The Guardian, Australia)
July 12 - The Vatican has named a former Fox News journalist and member of the controversial Opus Dei group as its chief spokesman, while a Spanish female reporter will serve as his deputy.

Religious Violence

This is how Islamic State punishes people who escape (news.com.au)
July 12 - BITING, torture, vicious beatings and gory executions.

Islamic State readies for fall of 'caliphate' (Sydney Morning Herald)
July 14 - Even as it launches waves of terrorist attacks around the globe, the Islamic State is quietly preparing its followers for the eventual collapse of the caliphate it proclaimed with great fanfare two years ago.

At least 84 dead as truck rams into Bastille Day crowd in terrorist assault in French Riviera city (ABC News)
July 15 - At least 84 people are dead after a truck ploughed into a crowd of late-night revellers celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, in a terrorist attack described as the "worst catastrophe" in the French Riviera's modern history.

Nice attack: There's little leaders can do about the carnage (Sydney Morning Herald)
July 15 – (Opinion: Paul McGeough ) Washington: It won't be a surprise if the so-called Islamic State claims responsibility for the attack in Nice – but on the evidence available so far, it seems to have been one man living locally and acting alone, suggestive of self-radicalisation, not an attack managed and directed by IS.

Why France has become the ‘epicentre’ of terror attacks in Europe (news.com.au)
July 15 – (Opinion: Megan Palin ) THE world has watched on in horror as the most visited country on the planet has rapidly become a hotspot for bloody terror attacks.

Nice killer Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel 'only started going to mosque this April' (WAToday.com.au)
July 17 - The terrorist behind the Bastille Day atrocity was radicalised in a matter of weeks, French officials indicated on Saturday after the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the lorry rampage and described him as a "soldier of Islam".

ISLAM

Islamic Spain in Middle Ages no paradise for Christians, Jews, women (The Australian)
July 14 – (Review) There is a widely held belief that in Spain, during the European Middle Ages, Islam, Christianity and Judaism co-existed peacefully and fruitfully under a tolerant and enlightened Islamic hegemony.

Mohammad Ali Baryalei cries, calls Syria fight 'rubbish' in intercepted audio (Sydney Morning Herald)
July 14 - Before Mohammad Ali Baryalei came to be known as the most senior Australian member of Islamic State, he sobbed during a phone call from the Middle East as he asked: "Why would you want to live this rubbish for?"

Nice attack: Could it happen here? (Sydney Morning Herald)
July 15 - Not an elaborate homemade bomb or a machine-gun rampage - the wicked gift of terrorism now is to turn the everyday instruments of modern society into tools of horror.

My year undercover with Australia's Islamic radicals (The Age, Melbourne)
July 16 – (Opinion) I wrap a checked shirt around my head and pull up the hoodie to conceal my face.

POLITICS

Hanson tells PM she ‘won’t back down’ on Islam (news.com.au)
July 16 - QUEENSLAND senator-elect Pauline Hanson has told Malcolm Turnbull she refuses to back down on her controversial Islam policies during a private phone call with the prime minister.

RELIGION & SOCIETY

Hare Krishna community celebrates 50 years as religious movement (ABC News)
July 12 - Fifty years ago, a 70-year-old monk travelled from India to the United States in the hope of starting a spiritual revolution.

From the Archive…

Religion News Australia 2016 – 27 (July 10 - 17)

Religion News Australia 2016 – 26 (June 26 – July 10)

Religion News Australia 2016 – 25 (June 19 - 26)

Religion News Australia 2016 – 24 (June 12 - 19)

Religion News Australia 2016 – 23 (June 5 - 12)

Religion News Australia 2016 – 22 (May 29 – June 5)

Religion News Australia 2016 – 21 (May 22 - 29)

Religion News Australia 2016 – 20 (May 15 - 22)

Religion News Australia 2016 – 19 (May 8 - 15)

Religion News Australia 2016 – 18 (May 1 - 8)

Religion News Australia 2016 – 17 (Apr 24 – May 1)