Religion News Australia
September 18 – 25, 2022
Religion news stories from Australia
(Research: Greg Spearritt)
INTERNATIONAL STORIES
Islam
Iran’s president breaks off interview after CNN reporter refuses to wear headscarf (Brisbane Times)
Sept 24 – Christiane Amanpour was all set to interview Iran’s president in New York on Wednesday when Iranian officials stepped in with a last-minute condition: The CNN host would have to wear a head covering, in deference to Iranian custom and an Islamic religious ritual.
Religious Violence
How the death of Iranian Mahsa Amini caused thousands of women to defy hijab laws (ABC News)
Sept 23 – Iran is facing international criticism over the death of a young Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, who died while she was held by the country’s morality police.
Also: Iran’s Raisi warns against ‘acts of chaos’ while protests over woman’s death rage (Sydney Morning Herald)
Sept 23 – Dubai: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Thursday that “acts of chaos” are not acceptable, in a warning to protesters who have taken to the streets across the country to vent their fury over the death of a woman in the custody of the morality police.
Also: Pro-government marchers call for Iranian protesters to be executed (Sydney Morning Herald)
Sept 24 – Dubai: State-organised rallies took place in several Iranian cities to counter nationwide anti-government unrest triggered by the death of a woman in police custody, with marchers calling for the execution of “rioters”.
CIA unveils model of Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri’s safe house used to brief US President (ABC News)
Sept 25 – The CIA has revealed a model of Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri’s safe house used to brief US President Joe Biden before the CIA killed the terrorist chief in a drone strike in Afghanistan.
ISLAM
Rallies held in Melbourne, Canberra in support of Iranian protesters (ABC News)
Sept 25 – Hundreds of Melburnians have gathered in solidarity with protesters in Iran, who have taken to the streets across the country, furious over the death of a woman while she was in the custody of Iran’s morality police.
POLITICS
Ousted Liberal Party MP Cathrine Burnett-Wake condemns extremists in politics (ABC News)
Sept 21 – A Victorian Liberal Party politician who was ousted at pre-selection by a candidate linked to a Pentecostal church has lashed out at extremism in politics in her final speech as a parliamentarian.
‘Divisive’ debate sees Mildura council reconsider Christian prayer in meetings (ABC News)
Sept 23 – The start of every Mildura Rural City Council meeting begins with a brief prayer to God asking for guidance and prosperity in the region.
RELIGION & SOCIETY
Dad of dead girl who religious group prayed over refuses to look at evidence (Brisbane Times)
Sept 20 – The father of eight-year-old Elizabeth Rose Struhs, who a religious group allegedly prayed over instead of getting medical help, has refused to view the evidence put against him in the murder case.
Also: Extent of police investigation into death of 8yo Toowoomba girl Elizabeth Struhs revealed in court (ABC News)
Sept 20 – The extent of an “unprecedented” police operation into the death of an eight-year-old girl in Toowoomba has been revealed in a Queensland court.
