A Christian woman mourns the death of her relative who was killed in a suicide attack on a church in Lahore March 15, 2015. Bombs outside two churches in the Pakistani city of Lahore killed 14 people and wounded nearly 80 during Sunday services, and witnesses said quick action by a security guard prevented many more deaths. A Pakistani Taliban splinter group claimed responsibility. REUTERS/Mohsin Raza (PAKISTAN - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS RELIGION) - RTR4TEI9

I was beaten in Pakistan for my religion. I am 

far from alone.A Christian couple, parents of three children with a fourth on the way, were accused of blasphemy by a mob and incinerated in a brick kiln at their worksite in Punjab last November. Suicide bombers blew themselves up at two churches in Lahore in March. Asia Bibi, a Christian laborer and mother of five, awaits a hearing on her death sentence after being accused of blasphemy in 2009. In Peshawar 127 worshipers were killed and 160 wounded by suicide bombers at All Saints’ Church in September 2013.


http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/08/30/why-has-pakistan-become-so-intolerant.html

                                                                            

Toward a More Inclusive Islam

An item in this week’s LGBT Global Roundup about the struggle to recognize marginalized pro-LGBT voices in the Arab world, reminds us that while religious voices are typically the loudest in denying human dignity, religions are not homogeneous. Here in the US, meanwhile, much of the post-Obgergefell v. Hodges opposition is framed as a religious concern, though it’s seldom noted there have been deep, ongoing debates about inclusion in American Muslim communities for years.

                                                                            

Muslim leaders support Islamic declaration on 

climate change

By Sara Weissman | Religion News Service

Muslim leaders and scholars from 20 countries made a joint declaration Tuesday (Aug. 18) at a conference in Istanbul, calling on Muslims and all nations worldwide to address climate change.
“Our species, though selected to be a caretaker or steward (khalifah) on the earth, has been the cause of such corruption and devastation on it,” the statement says.Supporters of the Islamic Declaration on Climate Change included the grand muftis (highest authorities in religious law) of Uganda and Lebanon and government representatives from Turkey and Morocco. The conference itself, the International Islamic Climate Change Symposium, was co-sponsored by Islamic Relief Worldwide, the Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and GreenFaith.