Foreign Policy
Republicans Divided Over Support for Torture
[11.15.2011]On Saturday night, Republican presidential candidates Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman found themselves in an unlikely alliance on an important foreign policy issue: torture. Responding to Herman Cain and Michele Bachmann, both of whom expressed their support for waterboarding (which was banned by the Obama administration in 2009), both candidates emphatically declared that the practice was torture, not an “enhanced interrogation” technique. Paul decried waterboarding as “immoral” and “illegal under… more
The Morning Buzz | November 15, 2011
[11.15.2011]Welcome to the Morning Buzz, PRRI’s morning dose of religion-related news with a shot of data – because what doesn’t liven up a morning round-up like some public opinion numbers? Planning to hop on a plane next week for the holidays? Here’s an air travel horror story that will make you check your seat pockets for bugs. In Tablet magazine, a Shia-born Iranian American reviews the new show, All-American Muslim,… more
Is it Wrong to Celebrate Moammar Gaddafi’s Death?
[10.20.2011]After a morning of uncertain and contradictory news, Libyan former dictator Moammar Gaddafi was confirmed dead. According to Abdulrahman Busin, the military liaison to Libya’s transitional government, Gaddafi was injured and captured by revolutionaries as he attempted to escape an attack on Sirte, his home town. Spontaneous celebrations erupted in Sirte and other parts of Libya as the news of Gaddafi’s death spread. The dictator ruled the country for 42… more
Ten Years After 9/11, Americans Divided on Approaches to Terrorism
[09.01.2011]Where were you during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001? According to a new survey from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, even if you were only eight years old when the attacks occurred, chances are you still remember where you were or what you were doing. The report, “Ten Years after 9/11: United in Remember, Divided over Policies,” reveals an America that was profoundly… more
American Muslims Are Happy Despite Media Bias
[09.01.2011]In the wake of a new survey on Muslim-Americans from the Pew Research Center, Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), the congressman behind last spring’s series of hearings on the alleged radicalization of American Muslims, castigated the American Muslim community for failing to do enough to support his investigations. “I don’t know what world they’re living in,” said King, of the 41% of Muslim-Americans who questioned the “sincerity” of the U.S. effort… more
Figuring Faith | When bad things happen to bad people
[05.12.2011]Here is an excerpt from Dr. Robert P. Jones’ new post at the Washington Post’s On Faith section. You can find the full post here. Religious people have long struggled over the question of why bad things happen to good people. Over the last week following the death of Osama bin Laden, there has been serious debate over a different question: how people should react when bad things happen to… more