NEWS: Recognizing Difference is Good

In American society we have (understandably) a multitude of opinions about God. This goes without saying. But how we deal with difference has consequences. The result of multiculturalism and pluralism has, according to professor of religion Stephen Prothero, collapsed all of these ideas about God and religious belief into one manageable whole. In an attempt … Continue reading →

NEWS: Muslim Treatment of Minorities Condemned at Parliament of the World’s Religions

“How Islam treats minorities is excessive, no question’’, the former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister said in Melbourne on Saturday. Anwar Ibrahim, who is now an opposition leader, told the participants at Parliament of the World’s Religions that Muslims cannot talk about religious discrimination in the West as long as they are willing to turn a … Continue reading →

Virtual Conference Report: Day Three (21 Oct, 2009)

by paulabowles Today’s papers have focused once more on the key motifs of the conference, that of breaking down borders and indisciplinarity. Nancy Naples (University of Connecticut) uses her paper: ‘Borderlands Studies and Border Theory: Linking Activism and Scholarship for Social Justice’ to highlight just some of the difficulties faced when ‘negotiate[ing] different disciplinary frames, … Continue reading →

Religion Compass July Issue – now available

The July issue of Religion Compass is now available here! This month, we’ve published our largest issue to date: 18 high-quality articles surveying the most recent literature in the field of religious studies! We are also delighted to announce the publication of our first video article: Changing Status in India’s Marginal Music Communities Zoe Sherinian … Continue reading →

NEWS: Tibetan Monks take Science Classes

The integration of science and religion is important to His Holiness the Dalai Lama–so much so that he requested a team of scientists and professors from Emory University to come to Dharamsala, India, where he and many of his followers are living in exile, to teach them the basics (and not so basics) of Western … Continue reading →

NEWS: Young Iranians Are Rapidly Turning Against Religion, Survey Finds

The London-based Association of Iranian Researchers has recently published the findings of a 2007 internet survey on Iranian identity, which gives some interesting insights into the lives of young Iranians aged 20-29. A detailed analysis of more than 4,000 valid filled questionnaires shows that some 40% of this age group does not self-identify as religious, … Continue reading →

NEWS: Sharia Scholars Paid $100,000 per Fatwa

While thousands of experts are losing their jobs in the world financial sector, the $ 1 trillion Islamic banking sector is desperately looking for sharia scholars who can give expert advice on many financial issues facing the sector. Whereas there is an increasing demand for adjusting all financial contracts such as mortgages and bonds to sharia, there … Continue reading →

NEWS: Islamic Finance: A third way to reconcile faith and finance?

Islamic finance has recently attracted a lot of attention both in the oil-rich Middle East and in some Western countries with a significant Muslim minority. The alleged inconsistency between the western finance and Islamic law has given rise to an increasing number of sharia-compliant hedge funds. While Muslims constitute some 20% of the world’s population, … Continue reading →