News around the Muslim World and more . . . : 2015-10-04

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The science of religion: How spirituality impacts mental health

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/09/29/science-religion-how-spirituality-impacts-mental-health/#

Last week, millions of Americans weree navigating crushing crowds and spending hours traveling in order to catch a glimpse of Pope Francis on his first visit to this country. To those who are devoutly religious, the pope's U.S. trip presents a unique opportunity to get papal blessings, receive mercy and feel closer to God.

But even those devoted Catholics who aren’t in the front row seat for Francis' visit may see benefits to their belief. A slew of research has tied being religious with better well-being and overall mental health. A number of studies have found that devout people have fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as a better ability to cope with stress. Certain religious practices may even change the brain in a way that boosts mental health, studies suggest.

Justice Dept. Sues Illinois City For Blocking An Islamic Center

By Ryan J. Reilly, link.huffingtonpost.com
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WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department on Wednesday sued the City of Des Plaines, Illinois, alleging that officials imposed parking and zoning regulations on an Islamic center that were never imposed on non-Muslim places of worship.

The city of 58,000 is 77 percent white and has about 42 places of worship, 40 of which are Christian, according to the lawsuit. The American Islamic Center did not have a permanent location and tried to purchase a facility, but officials in Des Plaines "imposed a substantial burden" on the religious organization by refusing to rezone an abandoned office building.

10 Countries With The Best Care For The Dying

By Antonia Blumberg, link.huffingtonpost.com
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October 8th, 2015

We all want a high quality of life. But what about the quality of death?

Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore understood the desire for a peaceful death. One verse of his 1919 poem "Stray Birds" reads: "Let life be beautiful like summer flowers and death like autumn leaves."

What constitutes a peaceful death can mean many things to different people, but it frequently includes the quality of care they receive in the final days of life. On Tuesday, The Economist Intelligence Unit released the Quality of Death Index 2015, a report that evaluates palliative care in 80 countries around the world.

What elephants can teach scientists about fighting cancer in humans

Deborah NetburnContact Reporter

You've heard that elephants never forget, but did you know they almost never get cancer either?

It turns out just 4.8% of known elephant deaths are related to cancer. For humans, cancer-related deaths are between 11% and 25%, scientists say.

The low cancer rate among elephants is particularly intriguing because, all things being equal, elephants should get more cancer than we do.

Elephants have about 100 times more cells than humans, and they live for about 70 years. That gives a lot of cells a lot of chances to mutate and become malignant over the course of a pachyderm’s lifetime.

Scientists have spent decades wondering why elephants and other large mammals don’t get cancer more often than smaller mammals. This conundrum even has a name — Peto's paradox.

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The Guardian

Narendra Modi calls for unity in wake of Muslim man's murder for eating beef

The Guardian

India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, has appealed for religious unity after days of growing tensions over a Muslim man's murder by a mob for ...

India's Food Fight Turns Deadly - The Atlantic

After a Muslim is beaten to death for eating meat, India's Modi calls for harmony -Washington Post

Beef Brawl Shows Rising Hindu-Muslim Tension Before India Vote - Bloomberg