Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Russian Orthodox Church Sets Out To Be 'First Among Equals'

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:28:04 +0000

Recent remarks by senior Russian clergy reinforce a sense that Kirill, the new patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, intends to intensify his church's politically fraught mission at home and in Russia's "near abroad" -- with the apparent full blessing of the Kremlin.

Doubts Over Implementation Of Shari'a Law In Pakistani Region

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:09:54 +0000

Islamists and officials from Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP) have reached an agreement to impose Shari'a law in the Swat Valley and the surrounding Malakand region, in a bid to ease an uprising by militants.

Metropolitan Kirill Elected New Patriarch Of Russian Orthodox Church

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:07:31 +0000

Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad has been overwhelmingly elected patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, succeeding Aleksy II, who died last month.

Russian Orthodox Church Set To Elect New Patriarch

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:39:08 +0000

Hundreds of electors representing the Russian Orthodox Church's 165 million adherents gathered in Moscow to pick that resurgent institution's new leader. There was plenty of jockeying ahead of the gathering, and no one is ruling out the emergence of a surprise pick.

Portrait Of A Guantanamo Bay 'Terrorist' Suspect

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:34:26 +0000

Nearly two years ago, the Pentagon cleared Oybek Jabbarov to leave Guantanamo Bay. Yet the 30-year-old father of two from Namangan Province, who suffers from serious health problems, is still languishing in U.S. captivity in Cuba.

Faith And Reason In The 'Year Of Astronomy'

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 10:21:50 +0000

The Year of Astronomy, kicked off by the United Nations in Paris on January 15-16, is dedicated to the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first discoveries in 1609, which led to his imprisonment by the Vatican for heresy. It provides a good occasion to note the historic links between religion and science, faith and reason.

Shi'a, Sunnis See Common Cause Over Gaza

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:30:03 +0000

Shi'ite Muslims turned out to mark one of their holiest days amid signs that the political divide has narrowed between Islam's main branches. Events in Gaza and Shi'a-led Iran could be at the heart of the change.

Some Christians Under Siege In ‘Season Of Hope’

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 08:55:23 +0000

On the snowy outskirts of Moscow, beneath a tent awning flapping in the freezing wind, Pastor Bakur Azaryan is preparing for Christmas service at Emmanuel Pentecostal Church. He's got all the essentials: Bibles, hymnals -- and electricity generators to power portable heaters to warm his flock of 700 faithful.

Islam's Challenges To 'Universal Human Rights'

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:31:55 +0000

The case of a 26-year-old Austrian woman of Pakistani heritage dramatically illustrates Islam's challenge to the principles enshrined in the world's most translated document, including the freedom of thought, conscience, and worship -- and the right to change one's religion.

Kremlin Looms Large In Choosing Aleksy's Successor

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 20:12:59 +0000

Two candidates are tipped to succeed Aleksy II, suggesting a choice between a supporter of the Kremlin coalition and a man who might seek to command the state.

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Aleksy II Dies

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 09:01:57 +0000

Patriarch Aleksy II, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has died in Moscow at the age of 79. An outspoken figure who strongly backed issues that matched the Kremlin’s foreign policy -- from opposition to NATO’s bombing of Serbia to the U.S. invasion of Iraq -- the patriarch in recent years had forged closer to ties to the Roman Catholic Church under German Pope Benedict XVI.

Kazakh Lawmakers Pass Controversial Religion Bill, Surprising OSCE

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:09:16 +0000

The swift action by the Kazakh lower house seemed to surprise the OSCE, which Astana is due to chair despite criticism of its record on human rights and democracy.

Taliban's Spiritual Fathers Denounce Terror. Could Taliban Be Next?

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:07:21 +0000

Indian Muslim leaders recently endorsed a religious decree by the Deobandi movement, the Taliban’s spiritual fathers, denouncing terrorism as un-Islamic. Now, the Deobandi political leader has told RFE/RL that he will convene Muslim clerics across South Asia to endorse the fatwa. Is this a turning point for the Taliban?

Saudi King Promotes 'Theological Diplomacy' At UN Forum

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:33:08 +0000

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is calling on world leaders to pursue interfaith dialogue and tolerance as the only way to overcome terrorism and strife among religions. Abdullah made his comments at an ongoing UN forum that has brought together leaders from some 70 countries. The effort, criticized by some, is part of a surge in Saudi diplomacy that extends from the Middle East to Afghanistan.

Muslims, Catholics Discuss Faith, Reason At Historic Vatican Forum

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 12:49:43 +0000

Roman Catholic and Muslim clerics begin a historic chapter in their relations today as the first Catholic-Muslim forum opens at the Vatican. RFE/RL correspondent Jeffrey Donovan examines the agenda of the two-day gathering, which Pope Benedict XVI is expected to address. Along with Catholic officials, representatives of Islam's eight schools of thought and jurisprudence will engage in a broad dialogue on issues including religious violence, human rights, and ways of interpreting sacred texts.

Mystery Surrounds Jesuit Priests' Killing In Moscow

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:54:45 +0000

The murder in Moscow of two Catholic priests raises unsettling questions amid tensions between the Vatican and the Russian Orthodox Church. Russian police suggest the priests were together when killed but their Jesuit order says that's impossible -- they died two days apart.

Are Theological Tensions Distancing Taliban From Al-Qaeda?

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 12:13:15 +0000

The Taliban and Al-Qaeda have enjoyed a long alliance in Afghanistan. Their relationship, based on a seemingly shared brand of severe and militant Islam, even survived the U.S.-led toppling of the Taliban in 2001, which came after leader Mullah Omar famously refused to turn over to the Americans his Al-Qaeda ally, Osama bin Laden.

Political Controversy Marks Anniversary Of Minsk Ghetto's Destruction

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:05:55 +0000

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has provoked accusations of anti-Semitism in the past. But as Minsk commemorates the destruction of its Jewish ghetto during World War II, the president has changed his tune.

Vatican Bishops' Synod Tackles Western 'Godless' Secularism

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 14:42:25 +0000

For nearly three weeks, Roman Catholic bishops as well as Anglican and Orthodox leaders have gathered at the Vatican to debate new ways of bringing the Bible to life to people around the world. Their efforts seek to strike a balance between "literal" and "interpretive" reading of Christianity’s holy book, and are part of the pope's mission to try to "re-evangelize" a sea of nonbelievers in the Western world.

Czech Spying Accusations Against Russia Spark Political Storm

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:00:40 +0000

Recent Czech intelligence reports have sounded the alarm over intensified intelligence activity by Russian and other foreign agencies focused on planned U.S. missile-defense radar to be built near Prague and on strategic assets set to be privatized by the Czech government.

Former Uzbek Spy Accuses Government Of Massacres, Seeks Asylum

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 11:07:45 +0000

After months in hiding, a former intelligence officer tells RFE/RL that President Islam Karimov personally ordered massacres. Ikrom Yakubov fled his strategic Central Asian homeland earlier this year, fearing for his life, and has now arrived in Britain to claim political asylum.