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sophiefreeman7

BBC News - Who are Australia's radicalised Muslims? - 0 views

  • On 15 December, self-styled Muslim cleric Man Haron Monis held several people hostage in the Lindt Chocolat Cafe at Sydney's Martin Place. The 16-hour stand-off ended with police commandos storming the cafe. Two hostages and Monis died
  • But the incident follows months of concern over the effect on Australia's domestic security of those who fight for, or sympathise with, militant Islamist groups in Iraq and Syria.
  • Authorities are concerned about a minority of Australia's small Muslim community
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  • Terrorism expert Clive Williams of the Australian National University says Australian jihadists are Sunni Muslims, the branch of Islam which the Islamic State (IS) follows
  • Man Haron Monis, the gunman responsible for the 15 December Sydney cafe siege, was born in Iran and sought asylum in Australia in 1996, later styling himself as a Muslim cleric and "spiritual healer".
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    This article discusses an event that took place this Sunday in Sydney, Australia in a coffee house where Man Haron Monis held people hostage of which two had been killed.  This relates to our unit of religion as this conflict most likely relates to religion as there have been many concerns the Muslim community in Australia as they are a minority. Because of this, Muslims are trying to gain more territory as that is the goal for most universalizing religions in hopes to get more followers and spread the religion.  In relation to AP Human Geography, what might have caused Muslims to migrate to Australia even though it is not located near the hearth of where the religion was born?
bbaker2

Sectarian tensions high, say Australian Muslim leaders - CNN.com - 0 views

  • Muslim community leaders in Australia say sectarian tensions are soaring, as radicalized Sunni youth, inspired by ISIS, seek to import the religious conflicts wracking the Middle East.
  • a 47-year old Shia leader was shot in the shoulder early Monday morning, as worshipers observed the Shia ritual of Ashura.
  • Shia community focused around the Islamic center in Greenacre, south-west Sydney
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  • "Anyone who speaks against the fighting in Syria and advocating the government to take action against people in Iraq and Syria -- they are threatened and attacked."
  • brutal Syrian conflict, and the appeal of ISIS to radicalized Sunni youth in Australia.
  • Sunni extremist group, which controls large swathes of Syria and Iraq.
  • Sectarian tensions were a new phenomenon for Australia's Muslim community
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    Sunni extremists, who are supporting ISIS, have launched attacks against Shia Muslims in Australia to bring religious conflict from the Middle East. Why are they launching attacks on groups within the same religion as them? Why do Sunni extremists feel the need to get Australia involved in the religious conflicts from the Middle East after they've managed to avoid conflict for a long time?
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    The Shiites and Sunnis have been fighting ever since the death of Mohommad over who would be Mohommad's sucessor.
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    I think that Sunni extremists and Shia Muslims, even though they are both Islamic, have different beliefs, and they each believe that they are correct. The Sunni extremists, are exactly what they say they are...extremists; AKA people who will go to extreme measures to fight for what they believe. If something the Shia Muslims are saying or doing is counteracting what the Sunni extremists believe, they will quickly result to violent action to try to put an end to it. Also, if they can "take over" Australia and make it Islamic, more specifically Sunni, then they will have more money and power...which is the reason this is such a large territorial conflict.
mdamschroder

The Object of Al Shabaab Terror: To Set Up a Caliphate in Kenya | George Kegoro - 1 views

  • Since the Westgate attack, all the major acts of terrorism in Kenya have seen the targeting of non-Muslims, while sparing any Muslims caught in harm's way.
  • Assessing the recent terrorist acts in Kenya, the president explained that "the obvious intent is to create hostility and suspicion across ethnic and religious lines and to drive non-Muslims from certain parts of this country."
  • This new situation justifies the assertion by Kenyatta that Al Shabaab's ultimate objective is to establish a caliphate extending to parts of Kenya that are contiguous with Somalia.
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    In Kenya, the Muslim extremist group known as Al Shabaab is committing terrorist attacks against those who are not Muslim, attempting to drive them out of Kenya, securing the territory for themselves. How does Kenya's isolation lend itself to these sort of attacks? Who should be intervening to stop this group?
neeltrivedi

How ISIS Drives Muslims From Islam - NYTimes.com - 2 views

  • THE Islamic State has visibly attracted young Muslims from all over the world to its violent movement to build a caliphate in Iraq and Syria. But here’s what’s less visible — the online backlash against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS and ISIL, by young Muslims declaring their opposition to rule by Islamic law, or Shariah, and even proudly avowing their atheism
  • The BBC added that “many others joined in the conversation, using the hashtag, listing reasons why Arabs and Muslims should abandon Shariah.
  • “Black Ducks” to offer a space where agnostic and atheist Arabs can speak freely about their right to choose what they believe and resist coercion and misogyny from religious authorities.
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    This article links to religious conflicts as it shows the anger towards ISIS, an extremist sect of Islam, from other Muslims in the area and other Arabs who are atheist. Why does ISIS feel the need to have such a tight and violent grasp on the community they inhabit?
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    I would also ask the same question on why the extremists are so violent towards others, and another important question is why are they violent to other Muslims.
Mr. Reidy

Religion in American Culture -- Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life - 14 views

shared by Mr. Reidy on 02 Dec 13 - Cached
  • Based on interviews with more than 35,000 American adults, this extensive survey by the Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project details the religious makeup, religious beliefs and practices as well as social and political attitudes of the American public.
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    Hello APHUG! I hope you all had relaxing breaks. Looking forward to our upcoming chapter on Religion. As will be mentioned on Tuesday, I would like you to 1) bookmark and annotate (either in comments box or post-it note or both!) at least one SPECIFIC part of this "Religious Landscape Survey" website that helps you understand the geographical perspective of religion the most.  2) Explain your choice. 3) Create an authentic, relevant and real-world project task for this religion chapter that would require students to use the "Religious Landscape Survey" website. 4) Comment on at least one other person's response.  Due on Diigo by Thursday 11:59 PM.
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    http://religions.pewforum.org/maps, This is a map of the United States displaying the distribution of Evangelical Protestant Tradition. 2. I chose this map because Evangelical Protestant has one of the highest percentages for a denomination in the United States, meaning it is very popular. I thought it was very interesting how this tradition has a higher percentage in the Southeast regions of the United States, rather than the North or the West. This fits with many stereo-types about the South, which I also find interesting. 3. Analyze the map of Evangelical Protestant tradition in the United States and form a hypothesis explaining your results. Then explain whether or not this hypothesis applies to other dominant denominations in the United States and other places in the world, and why or why not. Is this specific to the United States? Maybe the students could even find research/surveys done on people's opinions of Southern people and how the data of their religion fits with these stereotypes.
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    Excellent explanation and project idea!
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    1. http://religions.pewforum.org/comparisons#, these charts show what people's affiliations are in terms of political party and important issues such as abortion and homosexuality. 2. I chose these charts because they really demonstrate the views people have based on their religion. Many religions have beliefs concerning different issues. Christians are normally don't support abortion because in the Bible it talks about a baby in the womb is already precious to God and thus it is a sin to kill the innocent baby. Christians are often times than not more conservative thus they are Republicans. Other religions are more liberal and thus they are affiliated with Democrats. 3. Pretend that you are trying to become the perfect president. What qualities and view points would you support or not support in order to please most of the population? (Yes it's not possible to please everyone, but how would you secure the majority of the population for voting you into office?) Think about issues such as abortion, homosexuality, size of the government and U.S. involvement in international affairs.
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    http://religions.pewforum.org/maps# a map of frequency of prayer accross the U.S 2. I chose this map because it displays how religious america is, as it shows high percentages of praying per day especially in the south, steriotypically the most religious area of the U.S. 3. Look at this map and explain what this map implys about this country and if that was what you expected
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    1. http://religions.pewforum.org/maps 2. I chose this map because it showed the frequency of attendance at religious services. I thought that was an interesting topic to examine because it shows how many people actually go to church, as opposed to people claiming they are a part of a certain religion, while not being active in the church. That is a powerful distinction. It showed that the Southern areas have higher attendance of religious services. 3. Look at the map about frequency of attendance at religious services and compare that to the different religions present in those areas. Is there a correlation between attendance and the type of religion practiced in a region?
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    Allyson- I thought your project idea was a fantastic idea. It was very creative and well thought out. Nice work.
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    1.http://religions.pewforum.org/comparisons# 2. I found that age affects the population of certain religions to be fascinating. It was interesting to see the way age affiliated with religion. Younger people (18-29) tend to have equal numbers between all religions but when they become older (30-49) they tend to move towards Islam, Hinduism, and Catholic Christian. 3. Examine the data shown on the affiliation between religion and age and explain why each age differs in their religious practices.
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    Nicole- Your project idea is great and I like the explanation you gave on the views of the political parties when discussing religion.
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    Nathan- I like your task. It does a good job of using the map and another map to make connections and comparisons to figure of the why of where!
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    1. http://religions.pewforum.org/comparisons# (Make sure to click on the tab labeled "Income distribution of Religious Traditions) 2. I had chosen this particular topic because I wanted to debunk many of the stereotypical associations we as a society put on numerous religions. For example, I wanted to find proof that linked Jews with large fortunes or discover some statistic that linked people of color with poverty. To my surprise, the above statements held some truth. Over 46% of the people that practice Judaism hold a job that makes them over 100,000 dollars a year and about 47% percent of those who attend historically black churches make less then 30,000 dollars a year. 3. Explain the connection between a particular group's religious beliefs and how much money they make within a year. Make sure to include details about their lifestyle(Simple or Hectic), the value they put on education, and types of jobs each group holds (White or Blue Collar and examples).
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    Nicole- I enjoyed your reasoning regarding the information you discovered detailing religious beliefs and their connection with political views. Also, I find your project very creative and rather challenging.
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    1) http://religions.pewforum.org/maps : This is a map of the United States showing the where the Mormon tradition is most prominent. 2) I decided to look at Mormons because it is a religion that is not very popular, and I am interested in learning more about it. By the website, it says that it is a sect of christianity, though many would think otherwise. Also, my friends have been watching 'The Book of Mormon' on Broadway. The percentage of Mormon's in the US is around 2%. Most of the country remains relatively lacking in this religion...until you reach West. Salt Lake City, Utah is considered the hearth of the mormon faith in the US. Here the population is 51-100% Mormon. Around Utah, especially Westward, Mormonism becomes more popular, most likely spreading through relocation diffusion. 3) Explain the success of Mormonism in the West versus the East. What are some of the reasons that would make the East less open to the Mormon tradition. Explain why Mormonism has a stronghold in Utah
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    Clay-I liked your project idea! Good job!
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    1) http://religions.pewforum.org/maps This map portrays the importance of religion in one's life across the United States. 2) I chose this map because I found it interesting how religious importance varies across an area. The most dramatic difference in religious importance is between Mississippi and neighboring states, such as Florida and Georgia, for Mississippi views religion being involved in daily life as vitally important, believed by 81% of the residents. Viewing the United States as a whole, 56% see their religion as crucial in everyday life, while 26% see religion as somewhat important, 16% view religion as not very important, and 1% as refusing to practice a religion. This describes how various religions in diverse regions cause differing views on the importance of religion. 3) Explain the correlation between the predominate Protestant areas of Central and Southeast United States with the differentiating views of the importance of religion in one's life. Also, when told that Utah is inhabited by numerous Latter-day Saint members, but surrounding states, such as Nevada, are mostly Catholic, explain the relation of Utah encompassing a different value of the importance of religion from other Western states.
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    Jared- I like how your task relates analyzing religious beliefs to income and style of living, such as a person's job or their value on education. I find this intriguing, but also challenging.
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    1)http://religions.pewforum.org/maps 2) This is a map of frequency of prayer. I think that it is interesting that, even though most Americans believe in a God, the percent of those who pray (a way of practicing religion) goes down. Also the percent of those who pray vary on the area, for example in the South the percentage ranges from around 71-80% but in the New England area it ranges from around 41-50%. This has a lot to do with the way parents raise their children and how influenced from the outside world the children are. The reason the number in the south may be so high is because of isolation allowing traditional customs to continue on without influence from those who practice different religions. Barriers that restrict language in the past unit can also work to restrict religion. 3)Compare other areas of the United States and try to access why they practice their religion more so than other areas. Use geological features and factors that might hinder diffusion or allow it to occur at a faster rate.
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    Jared- I liked your assessment and I thought it was clever that you chose something relatable to most Americans. Also I liked your task idea and how it will get people to think about religion and it relating to other aspects of life.
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    1) http://religions.pewforum.org/maps 2)This is the map of the percentage of Mormons in Utah. I find this interesting for the fact that I do not know very much about the Mormon faith. I also chose Utah because I know that is the area that is suppose to have the highest amount of Mormons since their main temple is in Salt Lake city. Also my interest comes from the fact that many people consider Mormons a cult. In fact that does not to be true at all. Mormons have a significant amount of followers. This consists of 58% of the people in Utah and 2% of the entire United States. It is for this reason that I chose to look at the Mormons in Utah for the sole reason that it interests me to learn more about what I don't know about. 3) If I were to give an assignment to the class involving this data I would ask that the class look at the percentage of Mormons in Utah and then look at other states and look at their percentage of Mormons. Then I would have them record the highest and lowest three percents and form a thesis on why these areas have the amount of Mormons present as they do.
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    To Jared- I can see why you'd want to look at certain stereotypes involving certain faiths for it is an interesting topic that is a matter of debate and tension among religious groups. As for your project I think it would be very interesting to see how the characteristics of faiths could affect their financial standings. In other words I like it.
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    Nick- I think that the correspondence between age and religion is very interesting as well. Great project idea!
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    1. http://religions.pewforum.org/maps# This is a map showing the amount of people that practice Hinudism in America. 2. I wanted to check out this specific part of the website because I was curious about the statistics of Hinduism in the US, if any. I wasn't surprised to find out that only 0.5% of the American population practices this religion because it's considered an ethnic religion and is therefore tied to one location, which is primarily India. This also means that it doesn't diffuse to other areas very often. 3. Examine the map that breaks down the different religions that are practiced in the US and explain why they do or don't make sense from a geographic standpoint as well as a cultural standpoint.
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    Ally- Your project idea is so thorough and carefully thought out. Well done!
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    1. http://religions.pewforum.org/maps 2. This particular map drew my attention, because many believe in God, but not everyone carries out the duties of their religion. It was surprising to see that just 58% of people pray at least once a day. Knowing that Christianity is an extremely dominant religion in the US, the percentage should be higher. Prayer is an important part of any religion, and certainly Christianity. This stat shows America is not very devout. 3. Compare America's average amount of prayer with that of countries on multiple continents to study how closely certain religions are followed and practiced in different places in the world.
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    Nathan- Your project was clever and it would be very interesting to view the results
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    1) http://religions.pewforum.org/comparisons# 2) This particular set of percentages really helped me to understand how religions are really spread throughout the US. I think that it is amazing how many people actually are Christians in the US. I feel like the percentage should be higher, compared with the video of the spreading religions we watched in class. There are many people who just don't worship a God, and I feel like that is a large part of our country's identification now. 3) Look at how the different denominations and branches of Christianity compare to the rest of the religions in the US, such as Islam, and Buddhism, and show how they relate to each other in many different ways.
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    Isabella - I really liked your project idea and I thought that it was very well thought through. I also liked how you connected everything together with your paragraph.
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    Nathan: Cool project Idea!! I love it! That would be a really interesting overlaying of maps. You could get a map of average times people spend per week on religions services or things to do with their denomination, and then overlay it with the churches of that region. That would be totally interesting. Good job!!
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    Isabella~ I think it's interesting how faiths differ- both internally and when compared to other religions. A denomination like Catholicism seems to be so strict and almost confining, and adherence to the rules is of the highest importance, while other Christian denominations are more open to individual views and interpretation. In comparison to the Muslim faith, where one even has to change the way they dress in some circumstances, it feels like Christianity isn't strict at all! These factors concerning strictness of religions can be connected with how often followers pray and attend services.
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    Hayley- Analyzing the reasons for the distribution of Mormons in the U.S. would be really interesting, especially why people in the west would be more willing to accept Mormon beliefs than in the east. In relation to that topic, you could also research whether there are Mormons outside the U.S., how many, and why and how the religion diffused there.
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    Nicole your project idea is fantastic! I love how you described it and the whole idea in general. I believe that the project would be difficult enough for an AP class but you described it perfectly.
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    http://religions.pewforum.org/comparisons# 2) This is a chart of the income distribution between the different religions. I choose this chart because I think it is interesting to see the distribution of wealth between different religions. 3) The students would have to compare the differences in wealth between universalized and ethnic religions. Then the could research a religion with an abundance or wealth and one with poor wealth and find out what job(s) the majority hold.
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    1. http://religions.pewforum.org/portraits The map shows that 52% of people attending evangelical churches are conservative which helps me see the relationships between evangelical churches and political views. 2. I chose this map because I practice Lutheran which can be closely tied to evangelical churches and sometimes are combined. It is interesting to learn what political views can be related with the Evangelical church 3. Using this website students could take a map of the US and the areas where different religions are found. Then compare this to a map of political views for those religions. The students will determine any patterns between religions and their political views and where they are located in the US.
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    Olivia it is interesting to see what religions have more wealth and possibly where they are located. Also for your project it would be cool to compare the US Christianity and say Africa's Christianity and find the wealth for both. Obviously the US would have more wealth but it would be interesting to see if Chirstianity in the US has the highest wealth compared to other religions in the US and if the same things works for Christianity in Africa.
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    http://religions.pewforum.org/portraits 1) With a visual representation with a pie graph, this shows how specifically how Muslims live in the United States, for example, the different regions such as the Northwest, Midwest, South and West. Though the numbers of Muslims in the United States are small they still practice what they believe and the numbers are growing, with the biggest group being in the ages of 30-49. 2) I choose this religion primarily because it is a growing religion in the United States and it is interesting to see the demographics of the people who practice Islam. I choose this section also because I could compare the Islam to other religions such as Christianity, and what surprised me was how many Muslims there are in the Northeast. 3) Why is the religion of Islam growing in the United States? Use examples from the Demographic Transition Model and the Migration Transition Model to explain your answer. Explain where this religion is found outside of the United States and how it spread from its hearth to where it is today. Is political and social unrest common in regions with this religion? Explain why/ why not this may be the case.
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    http://religions.pewforum.org/maps and select, "Mormon Tradition" under the section of "Religious Groups". This map is the percentage of the U.S. adult population that is affiliated with the Mormon tradition. 2.) I chose this map because I was interested where the most concentrated area of Mormons in the U.S. was. I do not really know that much about the Mormon faith and was wondering if there was a large population located near us. I found this not to be the case because the state with the largest Mormon concentration is Utah. All the other states where the population of Mormons was larger than 4% were all found in the east of the U.S also. 3.) My project would be for students to first learn about the Mormon tradition compared to other dominant religions in the U.S. The students would then take the things they learned about Mormons and study this map of their distribution. The students would then be required to apply their knowledge of Mormons and explain why the largest percentage of the population affiliated with this tradition is located in the West compared to other regions in the U.S.
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    Jared- Your project is very interesting and is a great idea! I really like how you want students to connect a group's religious beliefs to their lifestyle and how they value education, and the jobs they have. Great choice!
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    Kelly- it is interesting that you chose Hinduism as religion to study and prove that it is not a common practiced religion in the United States. I enjoyed your project idea because it is a different point of view trying to find whether or not a religion makes sense in a certain region or not based on the distribution that occurred in the past.
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    http://religions.pewforum.org/maps - This is a map that shows the percent of each states population that believes in God. 2.) I chose this because I was interested in seeing where the most concentrated percentages of people that believe in God occur. The map showed that the south east region of the U.S except for Florida had the highest percent of people that strongly believed in God. It also showed that the west coast had the lowest percent. This is interesting because the south east is considered the bible belt and this area has a reputation for being predominantly Christian. 3.) For my project I would have students look at the different percentages of religious beliefs and practices in each state and compare it to the religion distribution in the states. Then the student would have to explain why or why not the percentages of religious beliefs and practices make sense or not compared to the main religions belief.
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    Cameron- I think it was good that you connected this website back to the demographic transition model and the migration transition model. This is the kind of thinking the Mr. Reidy would be proud of.
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    Nicole, I love your idea! Not only are you learning about a majority of faiths in America, but you get to attack certain issues head on! This certainly beats just writing a paragraph!
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    http://religions.pewforum.org/comparisons# This graph shows what political parties a certain religion is most affiliated to. 2. I chose this because the beliefs that a specific religion has affects which political party they affiliate with. They would choose a party with similar views as themselves. Most of the religions have a majority in the Democratic Party, but Jehovah's Witnesses have a majority in no proference/don't know. This group is the "odd man out" as it has relatively low percent of followers that are affiliated with the Democratic Party. 3. I would have students look at this data and a map of the U.S. of where each religion is mostly located and what political preference they have at election time, and determine if the data with the religions matches up with the data of the political parties of each state.
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    Olivia- Interesting project idea. One would believe that universalizing religions would be tend to be wealthier, but then to find ethnic religions that are wealthy, or universalizing religions that are poor when researching. Also to find differences in wealth of the same religion, but in different areas of the world.
fruszkowski

Taliban school attack: 145 killed in Pakistan siege - CNN.com - 1 views

  • By the time the hours-long siege at Army Public School and Degree College ended early Tuesday evening, at least 145 people -- 132 children, 10 school staff members and three soldiers
  • The attack drew sharp condemnation from top Pakistani officials, who vowed that the country wouldn't stop its war against the Taliban.
  • But he said the ambush at the school is another example of how great his nation's sacrifices have been in fighting that's raged for more than a decade.
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  • Peshawar, an ancient city of more than 3 million people tucked right up against the Khyber Pass, has often found itself in the center of it all. Militants repeatedly targeted the city in response to Pakistani military offensives,
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    The extremist Islamic group Taliban has attacked a Pakistani school for religious purposes. These conflicts occur because of strong religious opposition to modern government.Why would they target children of all people.
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    I know that the extremist group, the Taliban, hate western views because they are very religious in the Islamic faith, but I also find it strange that the Taliban would attack a school full of children. Maybe it was to really cause an impact on the people living in Pakistan and to make those people scared.
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    Its such a shame that the Taliban commits these kinds of acts because it gives muslims in general a bad reputation even though REAL muslims condone their acts and have no affiliation with them. This also causes racism towards muslims because unfortunately the Taliban is the only thing we hear about that is affiliated with muslims from western media.
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    The Taliban are a vile extremist group of Islam, and unfortunately very loud, we sadly only hear horrible, violent things from such a peaceful religion.
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    I also agree with Alec, people are racist to those who look middle eastern, just because of the horrible terrorists out there. It doesn't even matter if they are Islam, let alone extremists.
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    Nice thread of discussion. How are stereotypes formed?
Mr. Reidy

Muslim Distribution - 0 views

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    Where are Muslims distributed around the world and why?
lqmorris

Boko Haram attacks aim at Islamic 'establishment' - CNN.com - 0 views

  • Boko Haram has targeted the Muslim "establishment" in Nigeria, accusing it of not defending the interests of Nigeria's 80 million Muslims, of corruption and of "perverting" Islam.
  • The group has also assassinated senior Muslim political and religious figures in northern Nigeri
  • the Nigerian military faces multiple problems. It has been plagued by indiscipline, desertion and mutinies, with some commanders attacked by their own men.
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    The conflicts have resulted in Nigeria from religious extremist groups whose beliefs may not fall in line with the places they are invading and taking over. Why is the president doing little to help and why has the military collapsed? 
kskurcenski

Two hostages, gunman dead in Sydney siege - CNN.com - 2 views

  • a self-styled Muslim cleric had been holding hostages early Tuesday, killing the gunman.
  • According to his social media posts, the hostage-taker appears to have embraced a radical Sunni theology.
  • They were holding up a black flag with Arabic writing on it reading, "There is no God but God and Mohammed is the prophet of God."
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    this relates to religious conflicts and what we have been learning in class because this event is about a sunni Muslim man who is carrying out attacks to spread the beliefs of his religion. Why did he feel the need to carry this out in a cafe in Sydney when there didn't seem to be anything threatening him or his religion? 
adukkipati

To Quell Unrest, Beijing Moves to Scatter Uighurs Across China - NYTimes.com - 3 views

  • As a winter chill settled across China’s far northwest, 489 people boarded a chartered train in the city of Urumqi for the 50-hour ride to the country’s opposite corner, in semitropical Guangdong Province, to take up new factory jobs.
  • With violence upending the social order in sections of Xinjiang, where resistance to Beijing’s rule has been growing among ethnic Uighurs, officials there and elsewhere in China are pushing new measures — like chartering entire trains — to bring Uighurs and members of other ethnic minorities to parts of the country where the Han, the nation’s ruling ethnicity, are the majority.
  • Assimilation is only one element of the party’s strategy to quell ethnic unrest in Xinjiang. Security forces there have arrested large numbers of Uighurs, saying some are terrorists, and courts have issued death sentences.
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  • “people have a bias against Xinjiang people,” Mr. Cheng said. “We need to establish a new image.”
  • “The gap between the Han and Uighur communities has widened significantly since 2009,” he said, “and it’s hard to imagine these sort of state-orchestrated cohesion-building projects narrowing it.”
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    Since the Communist takeover of the region in 1949, the Uyghurs, a Muslim minority in China, have gotten a lot of religious and cultural persecution by Han Chinese. Similar to convicted communists during The Red Scare, Uyghurs have been prosecuted under false circumstances for separatist activities. While this isn't necessarily a dispute over territory, it's certainly an ethnic conflict and because of these hostilities, Uyghurs have a hard time finding migrant work within China. How does this relate to other ethnic conflicts like in Russia or Palestine?
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    It is interesting how all of the people of China are viewed as being Chinese by outsiders, but are viewed much differently by the Chinese themselves. China seems to encompass more than what we believe is Chinese, including smaller ethnic groups like the Uyghurs. This seems to be reminiscent of the view of Native Americans in the United States today, who also have trouble finding work and live in relative poverty.
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    I never knew this was happening in China. Like Alex said, I did not know China had smaller ethnic groups. I thought the culture was relatively homogeneous. In the documentary we watched in class, I did not see any discrimination to different ethnic groups, either. It is interesting that the events taking place are very similar to The Red Scare in the United States. I wonder how China is going to resolve this conflict?
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    This is similar to the conflict in Palestine because of the persecution of a group of people resulting in hostilities such as protests, riots, etc. It is sad yet interesting that there are so many instances of such similar conflicts happening all over the world. It seems like if one was to be solved, the rest would be able to find similar solutions.
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    I agree with Alexander about the similarity to Native Americans. Not only is China helping these people with jobs, but they are also making them go through the training programs which includes learning Mandarin, to the point where the minorities are in fear of losing their own identities. The Native Americans were forced to go through similar programs in order to "help them".
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    One of the cities that we will be traveling to in China is Xian. This city has a large Muslim minority. Do ethnic groups form enclaves as a refuge?
baileyanderson

Fear of deadly 'religious war' between Jews and Muslims raised after synagogue attack -... - 2 views

  • far-reaching religious confrontation between Jews and Muslims.
  • “All of us are scared that there will be a religious war, that extremists from both sides will start fighting each other,
  • Jewish activists have been pressing the Israeli government to insist that Jews be allowed to pray on the raised esplanade, which also harbors the al-Aqsa mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam.
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  • ade clear that they wanted to end the Israeli occupation of what they consider their lands.
  • We condemn all acts of violence,”
  • . All it does, the imam said, “is make the people more angry.”
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    This article talks about the ongoing religious conflict in Israel and Palestine. For decades they have been fighting over the land that holds there holy spaces. I wonder if this conflict will ever end.
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    I feel as if this conflict will always be around no matter what the situation is like. In this case, I don't know if there is any way to make all involved happy, since the Muslims and Jews have strong religious ties to the area.
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    Emily- I agree, I think believe that it will take a very long time for this conflict to be resolved. I know earlier in the year attacks between Jerusalem and Palestine were vast and prevalent. Since both religious groups have ties to the land it will be very hard to achieve peace.
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    Sadhana- I agree that peace will be very difficult to achieve. They both want different things for themselves and the conflict will take time to resolve.
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    Bailey- I agree that the conflicts end is to be questioned. The idea shown in the article that neither side is willing to compromise is one of the largest issues in my opinion. The holy sites are so close together which makes both sides want the land enough that they will go to extreme lengths to defend it.
loganknepper

Religious Discord Menaces Mideast as Israel-Palestinian Peacemaking Fails - Businessweek - 1 views

  • An undercurrent of religious strife has burst to the fore in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, threatening to turn a political battle over land into a war of faiths between Muslim and Jew.
  • “If a political conflict is transformed into a religious war between Muslims and Jews, it becomes impossible to solve since religious problems tend to be absolutist.”
  • The radicals’ growing influence has changed the face of the Arab world, a change that “is also happening very quickly now in Palestinian society,” Ben-Zur said. In this combustible environment, Israeli officials must avoid actions or comments that can be interpreted as anti-Muslim, especially where the Jerusalem shrine is concerned, he said.
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    This article is about the Palestinian conflict we have been discussing in class, and how it seems to be turning from a racial to a religious war, changing from bad to worse. How much longer can this region go before full-out war begins? What other countries may be dragged into a possible war?
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    I think because of the histories of the two places and the fact that what is happening now is because of years of increasing tensions and dangerous conditions, this conflict will not be solved soon, and because of that, it will only get worse. Both groups want the territory, but one group was placed there (the Jewish people by the British) so they spread and began to dominate, claiming it as theirs.
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    I agree with Alex, the tension in this region is historic and recently rekindled with the insertion of Israel back into this area. The conflict there is essentially a time bomb on its final countdown and is not likely to be dismantled before it goes off. From my perspective there is no way to stop it unless one religion is removed which is even more impossible.
dkessler701

5 Dead in Synogogue Attack by Muslim Fundamentalists - 0 views

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    On november 18th, two muslim Palestinians entered a synagogue and both shot and chopped, with meat cleavers, 3 rabbis, another nearby Jew, and shot a Druze police officer responding to the attack, leaving 5 dead and the 2 Palestinians.
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    This has been part of a string of attacks by lone Palestians in the past 2 month, other instances include ramming cars into civilians leaving many injured and 1 child dead, stabbings in supermarkets, and acid attacks leaving 7 israelis injured.
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    After previous attacks between the IDF and the terrorist group, HAMAS, during Operation Protective Edge left over 2,000 people dead, primarily on the Palestinians, tensions have been higher than ever and revenge is fresh in many people's minds.
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    Why might Palestinians think that supporting members of a confirmed terrorist group in political office be the solution to their problems?
aspidle

BBC News - Why segregated housing is thriving in India - 0 views

  • A range of old reasons like caste and cultural differences - and some relatively new ones such as migration and religious tensions
  • Segregation has inevitably led to curious business opportunities. Sensing that mixed neighbourhoods were fast disappearing and even well-to-do-Muslims were finding it a problem to buy property,
  • So despite the fact that more than a third of India's Muslims live in cities and towns - making them the most urbanised community of a significant size - poverty and discrimination continues to easily push them into ghettos.
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  • In the end, segregated housing - now increasingly driven by religious discrimination - is a blight on India's progress.
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    This article discussed the effect of discrimination to the point of migration. It shows the extremities of the living areas in India. These tensions create a term that Loic Wacquant used, "neighbourhoods of exile." The dangers and unsafe environments that many people live in are definite push factors.    
cpeytonj

School attacked by Pakistani Taliban - 1 views

  • The people they came, they had no sense of humanity in them. They killed little children. Muslims would not do this."
  • Not satisfied with their slaughter in the auditorium, the Taliban attackers went upstairs to a computer lab. Pools of blood on the floor show how their young victims, many of them sons and daughters of army personnel from around Peshawar, were sprayed with bullets as they sat at each machine.
  • more than 140 of them, mostly children, who'd blithely left home for an ordinary day at school, never to come home.
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    A Taliban group attacked a Pakistan school. Many children and teachers were killed. These groups were opposed because they had different views on education. What was the Taliban seeking to accomplish by this action and how did they justify it?
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    I'm asking the same question and I struggle to understand how these actions will solve the Taliban's problems. I don't get how killing the people they disagree with is the resolution they fall upon. Even other Muslims disagree with their way of dealing with these things.
willowyorlets

Jerusalem: Don't call it a religious conflict - Opinion - Al Jazeera English - 0 views

  • Those who insist on stressing the religious dimension are bolstered by the reaction from Hamas to this attack, as the Islamist group has, with bleak predictability, praised and celebrated it.
  • For some months now, this hard right coalition government has not just tolerated but actively supported a movement agitating for "Jewish prayer rights" at Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif - a sacred site to both Muslims and Jews.
  • This movement goes against a long-established status quo agreement, whereby non-Muslims can visit, but not worship at this holy site housing both the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. 
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  • the issue is political, not religious
  • But pushing this conflict into the religious realm, defining it as a "religious war", serves a clear political purpose. It means the Israeli government can bind its cause with the "war on terror", claiming that Palestinians are just like ISIL in their motivation - a hyper-violent, hyper-fundamentalist jihadi mission rather than a quest for self-determination. It deprives Palestinians of cause or motivation, save for just one factor: religious hatred.
  • religious-hate
  • with religion so rampantly abused to weaponise increasingly brutal wars in the Middle East, the worst thing we could do is to frame the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as religious. Now more
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    These territorial conflicts are coming to be due to the fact that Islamic and Jewish Holy Lands are build right on top of each other and these two groups have to fight for control. Why can't Jerusalem just become a non governed state? Why do any of the conflicting religions need control?
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    My article relates similarly to your article. Religions have different beliefs and outlooks on certain things and it gets in the way and causes problems. All over the world there are tons of religious issues, but I think this is one of the most important since it has been continuing for many decades. What will they do to resolve the issue? How will they solve it?
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    I think its cool that your article, Lexi, connected to willows! This whole issue is fascinating and scary! Great article!
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    Eena - Why is this issue fascinating and scary to you?
rscolforo

Atheists: the new persecuted minority, international report concludes (COMMENTARY) - Re... - 1 views

  • Atheists, humanists and liberals are now the targets of hate campaigns, according to a new Freedom of Thought Report, which found that some countries find the idea of atheism as a popular movement a threat to the prevailing order.
  • And in a more widely reported story in June, Egyptian authorities proposed an organized campaign against atheists.
  • To some readers, maybe this won’t sound very controversial. But imagine the developments above, applied to other groups: The Jews are “deviant.” The Muslims are a kind of “new religion” that will bring down the state. Or, Christian thought is a form of “terrorism.”
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    This conflict connects to territorial conflicts among religious groups because it talks about how various countries are starting to persecute Atheists and target them with hate campaigns. Why have countries started to bring up the past of Religious prosecution if it destroyed so many lives in events like The Holocaust?
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    This is different from the religious conflicts we discussed in class because the conflict between Palestine and Israel is mainly over the land, whereas this example of persecution is a result of the concept of atheism. In addition, Saudi Arabia, one of the countries mentioned in the article, is almost all Muslim and religious freedom is virtually nonexistent. Of course a country like this one will not tolerate atheists as other religions and freedoms are also extremely restricted.
Mr. Reidy

Militants Attack Iraq's Largest Oil Refinery As Sectarian Clashes Spread : The Two-Way ... - 0 views

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    APHUGers: Why are there issues between some Sunni and Shiite Muslims? How does this event reflect political and ethnic geography?  What else does this event suggest in regards to human geography?
alexandergray

Religion makes Israeli-Palestinian conflict more volatile | CCTV America - 0 views

  • Religious leaders have asked both sides to back away from a blood feud based on religion.
  • Muslims and Jews feel threatened by a possible loss of control over sites that both consider sacred. Both turned houses of worship into battlegrounds.
  • “A religious war usually is motivated by a belief that God is on your side. God is a very potent actor in international relations. You are ready to make great sacrifices. You have great patience, which means you are ready to fight for a long time if God is on your side,”
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    The religious aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is explored in light of a recent firefight. Why would both sides take shelter in their respective religious places of worship? Wouldn't that be against the rules both religions have to bring a conflict into a religious place? 
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