U.S. government said ABWE had to let it off the hook for Peru plane shooting or missionaries wouldn't get paid, and other stories from around the world
Agabi is particularly concerned that Muslims face Shari'ah law while non-Muslims do not. "A Muslim should not be subjected to a punishment more severe than would be imposed on other Nigerians for the same offence," he wrote. "As an elected governor, I am certain that you would not tolerate such disparity in the allocation of punishment. It is not only against the constitution but also against equity and good conscience. … Unless we abide by the constitution, we shall have on our hands an arbitrary society based on the discretion of our rulers. That is totally unacceptable."
Zamfara State Governor Ahmed Sani says Shari'ah will stay, and that no non-Muslim had the right to dictate what laws Muslims would follow He dismissed the letter as the result of pressure by the West. "What he wrote in his letter was because of the outcry by the international community, and if you look very well, these countries are not Muslim countries," he said.
The federal government and the Shari'ah states have clashed before over this issue, and the government has stated that Shari'ah is unconstitutional. But both Nigerian and international newspapers say this is a major escalation of government tensions—and fear that this might lead to more violence in the country.
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Compensating the ABWE Peru missionaries:
Settlement discussions end | After being warned nothing would be done for our missionaries unless we agreed to release the U.S. government from responsibility for any payment for losses to our organization, ABWE has chosen to grant a release. (ABWE press release)
Suspect was former mental patient | Man accused of fatally shooting a priest and a parishioner during morning Mass had been twice admitted to psychiatric hospitals (Associated Press)
NAACP, pastors urge crackdown on lenders | Prosecutor asked to take on predatory lenders and to be less strict with people charged with crack cocaine possession (The Plain Dealer, Cleveland)
Convicted con artist faces fresh charges in $385,000 fraud | Narvin Wray Edwardson uses religion to his advantage and often preys on Christians who believe he is offering investments that will benefit Christian orphanages (Vancouver Sun)
Breaking faith | As sexual scandal rocks the Roman Catholic church, Protestants face a lurking sex scandal as well. Will churches and national organizations take biblical steps to prevent further shame? (World)
Former church elder held in molestation | First Evangelical Free Church Sunday school teacher admitted guilt in '92 but couldn't be prosecuted. (Los Angeles Times)
Church newspaper clarifies remarks | Says it didn't intend to challenge teachings on priest celibacy, ordination of women and homosexuality. (Associated Press)
Marriage of faith | These Catholic priests are honoring vows to God and family (The Boston Globe)
Many Catholics see coverup in abuse scandal | Fifty-six percent of the Catholics in the poll said church leaders have "mostly tried to cover up the problem," while 32 percent said their leaders have "mostly tried to deal with" it. (The Washington Post)
Kan. court asked to rule on abortion | Lawmakers vote to ask the state Supreme Court to declare that life begins at the moment of conception (Associated Press)
Parishes can seek other view | In a concession to conservative bishops who oppose the ordination of gays and women, the Episcopal Church will allow parishes that disagree with their bishops to seek leadership temporarily from an outside bishop (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
Irish prefer pub to church, survey says | 22 percent of people in the Irish Republic view regular church-going as important, compared with 35 percent who said going to the pub at least once a week was a priority (Reuters)
Mainline religions dwindle as megachurches gain ground | Unlike other parts of the country, where the social pressure to attend a long-established church is more intense, the Northwest's lack of religious tradition means fragile congregations struggle even more (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
Running a marathon is hard | Organizers promise to never again schedule race for Palm Sunday (The Washington Post)
A church in the limelight | The demise of Limelight—a New York dance club that for nearly two decades traded on the novelty of its setting, a neo-Gothic church -- turned out to be brief. (The Wall Street Journal)
FBI takes page from Mormons' data book | The FBI is consulting Mormon Church computer experts who oversee the institution's vast genealogy data bank to help rebuild the bureau's outdated information system. (USA Today)
While we pray for peace, we need moral clarity about this war.
A Christian reconciliation group in Israel and Palestine warned that war would come. Now the war threatens their relevance.العربيةFrançais
Christian artists work at the intersection of music and climate change.
