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Editor's note:
The terrorist attack launched by Hamas militants from Gaza has seemingly only worsened the plight of the Palestinians who live there, more than 3,400 of whom have died and some 700,000 more uprooted from their homes. It has also pointed up the way Westerners are normally shielded from the desperation of daily life in Gaza, Palestinians Americans told RNS's Kathryn Post in a story this week. That ignorance, for which they blame the media and the U.S. government's focus on Israel's security, dehumanizes the people in Gaza and makes way for the Islamophobic incidents that the war has prompted around the country and the globe. “Disinformation and inaccurate media coverage is deadly for Palestinians, and in the context of America, for Muslim-Americans,” said Laila El-Haddad, a Palestinian American activist and policy analyst.
Religion News
Women’s voices being heard at Vatican’s big meeting on church’s future, nun says
A prominent Irish nun says women’s voices are being heard at Pope Francis’ synod on the future of the Catholic Church; she says delegates are also acknowledging the hurt caused by the church’s position on homosexuality. By Nicole Winfield/The Associated Press
A congressman’s ‘Dharma Caucus’ stirs suspicion for Hindu and Sikh organizations
The joint statement echoes a growing trend among some Hindu Americans who are concerned with the American political courtship of members of the Bharatiya Janata Party of India — a political party they say has contributed to a rise in oppression of religious minorities. By Richa Karmarkar/Religion News Service
Thousands of families in Punjab — who have migrated for the Big Canadian Dream for decades — have found themselves left in the lurch by the transnational crisis. By Yashraj Sharma/Religion News Service
Italian lawmakers approve 10 million euros for long-delayed Holocaust Museum in Rome
Italian lawmakers voted unanimously to back a long-delayed project to build a Holocaust Museum in Rome, underlining the urgency of the undertaking following the killing of Israeli civilians by Hamas fighters in what have been deemed the deadliest attacks on Jews since the Holocaust. By Colleen Barry/The Associated Press
Unification Church slams Japan’s dissolution request as a threat to religious freedom
The Japanese branch of the Unification Church on Monday criticized the Japanese government’s request for a court order to dissolve the group, saying it’s based on groundless accusations and is a serious threat to religious freedom and human rights of its followers. By Mari Yamaguchi/The Associated Press
Commentary and Analysis
Politicians have used their assumptions about Gazans to support their policies. But the people in Gaza experience these policies far differently, writes a scholar of Islamism. By Nathan French for The Conversation
Efforts are being made to develop the capacity of Native tribes to manage bison and bison habitats. An Indigenous scholar explains their sacred significance. By Rosalyn R. LaPier for The Conversation
Over the past decades, many Chicana artists have used Guadalupe to emphasize issues of justice around immigration. By Judith Huacuja for The Conversation
How is the conflict in the Middle East being presented? By Omar Suleiman/Religion News Service
Palestinians inspect the rubble of the destroyed Yassin Mosque after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike at Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, Oct. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)
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