Religion Today Summaries - July 29, 2011

Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff | Updated: Jul 28, 2011

Religion Today Summaries - July 29, 2011

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.
 
In today's edition:

30 Days of Prayer for the Persecuted During Ramadan
Christians Divided on Belgium's Burqa Ban
Lawyer Accuses Egyptian Military Council of Burying Church Bombing Case
Herman Cain Apologizes for Mosque Comments


30 Days of Prayer for the Persecuted During Ramadan

Open Doors USA is offering a prayer calendar to use with Christians in Muslim countries during the month-long Islamic fast called Ramadan that begins Aug. 1. Open Doors urges Christians in the West to pray, and the calendar has multiple prayer points designed to guide their prayers. “Ramadan is a time when Christians are especially isolated in some Muslim-dominated countries,” says Open Doors USA President/CEO Dr. Carl Moeller. “This is why it is so important for us to unite in prayer with persecuted Christians throughout the world. I urge you to use the Open Doors resources to pray with our brothers and sisters.”

Christians Divided on Belgium's Burqa Ban

Religion News Service reports that Belgian Christians expressed mixed reactions to the country's new "burqa ban," as Belgium joined France in criminalizing the Islamic veil. "We're against this ruling, since it violates basic human rights," said Kristine Jansone, general secretary of the Brussels-based Ecumenical Youth Council in Europe. "Although I can't speak on behalf of all our member-groups, I think it's the general consensus we should oppose a measure which will clearly impede the free practice of religion." The new law, which began implementation on July 23, imposes fines of 137.50 Euros ($197.50) and jail terms of up to a week for women caught wearing the burqa in public.

Lawyer Accuses Egyptian Military Council of Burying Church Bombing Case

According to ASSIST News Service, a lawyer for the Two Saints Church in Alexandria, Egypt has accused the military council of ignoring the church bombing case. The bombing occurred on New Year's Eve 2010 in front of the church, and claimed the lives of 25 Copts and injured over 100 others who were attending midnight mass. Joseph Malak, lead lawyer for the case, said the Coptic Church intends to file a lawsuit against the President of the Council of Ministers, the Interior Minister, and the Attorney General to compel them to re-open the investigation into the bombing. “We will demand the Attorney General to take determined action to complete the investigation into the case and to speed up detection of the perpetrators and bring them to trial,” Malak said.

Herman Cain Apologizes for Mosque Comments

According to The Christian Post, Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain apologized to Muslim leaders Wednesday for comments he made about banning mosques and Islamic places of worship. Cain had accused the mosques as being a way to sneaking Sharia law into the U.S. “While I stand by my opposition to the interference of Sharia law into the American legal system, I remain humble and contrite for any statements I have made that might have caused offense to Muslim Americans and their friends,” Cain said in a statement.

 

Religion Today Summaries - July 29, 2011