by Joseph A. Kechichian Senior Writer

Beirut: In the latest annual Pew Research Center survey, titled “The
Divide Over Islam and National Laws in the Muslim World,” pollsters
sought views as to whether the Quran should influence laws in 10
countries with significant Muslim populations, including Lebanon, where
surprising results reflected the country’s unique socio-political
configuration. While the poll found that half or more of
respondents in four countries — Pakistan, the Occupied Palestinian
territories, Jordan and Malaysia — said laws should strictly follow
Sharia, small percentages in Burkina Faso, Turkey and Lebanon wished to
see their legal systems altered.

In fact, only 15 per cent of
Lebanese Muslims preferred that the legal system strictly follow Sharia.
Another 37 per cent of Lebanese Muslims believed that the legal system
should include Sharia precepts but not follow them strictly, while 42
per cent were opposed to any such considerations. A majority of
Lebanese Christians (59 per cent) stated that Sharia should not
influence the country’s laws. But while that was probably expected, the
more interesting data was the significant difference between Lebanese
Sunnis — who are divided between supporters (34 per cent) and
challengers (37 per cent) — and Lebanese Shiites (56 per cent backers).

Hamed Sinno, 24, lead singer
and song writer of the Lebanese group Mashrou’ Leila performs with the
band in the ancient Roman amphitheater in the Jordanian capital Amman.
The popular Lebanese rock band says Jordanian authorities have banned it
from performing again because its songs promote religious and sexual
freedom. (AP Photo/Diaa Hadid)

AMMAN,
Jordan (AP) — Jordan has banned a performance by a popular Lebanese rock
band on religious grounds, spurring criticism of the Western-allied
kingdom, which portrays itself as an island of tolerance in a turbulent
region. The band Mashrou’ Leila (“Leila’s Project”) is known internationally
for violin-laced pop music with catchy Arabic lyrics. Songs often tackle
controversial subjects such as corruption, censorship, state violence
and sexual freedom.

Jordan’s Antiquities Department initially said it would not permit a
show at the Roman Theater in the capital Amman later this week because
it would contradict the “authenticity” of the ancient venue. However, Amman district governor Khalid Abu Zeid told The Associated
Press on Wednesday that the band’s material “contradicts” the beliefs of
the three Abrahamic faiths, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

by: Claire Schaeffer-Duffy  It is a common paradox that one can find remarkable examples of
interfaith cooperation within the most sectarian, conflict-ridden
corners of the world. Such is the case with Adyan, a Lebanese foundation
promoting interreligious engagement in a region where religious
identities are often a source of division. Established in 2008, Adyan’s
educational efforts include courses in cross-cultural studies,
curriculum development in co-existence, media training, and annually
hosting a national day of interfaith prayer.

Adyan’s concept of “spiritual solidarity” undergirds all these
efforts. Adyan co-founders Fr. Fadi Daou, a Catholic priest and theology
professor, and Nayla Tabbara, a Muslim professor of science of
religions and Islamic studies, explain. This interview has been edited
for length and clarity.

Tabbara: The expression itself is not an invention of Adyan.
It is taken from the 1994 pastoral letter of the patriarchs of the
Orient, “Called Together in Front of God.” The document’s definition of
spiritual solidarity is “including the other in my prayer.”

People visiting the Armenian ‘Genocide’ Memorial in Yerevan, Armenia.

Daily Star.com.lb

Commemorations of the 1915 Armenian genocide kicked off early Sunday across Lebanon. The Traffic Management Center tweeted that a demonstration took off from the Antelias Square to the town’s main highway. The
Armenian Tashnag Party also held a ceremony in the Metn district east
of Beirut, the state-run National News Agency reported. Several
officials, including Tashnag leader MP Hagop Pakradounian, former social
affairs minister Salim al-Sayegh and Free Patriotic Movement MP Ibrahim
Kanaan took part in the event.

April 24 marks 101 years since the start of the genocide, recognized by millions of Armenians across the world. Around
1.5 million Armenians were slaughtered by the Ottoman Turks during WWI,
an event widely considered as “the first genocide in the 20st century,”
as has been described by Pope Francis.

by Howard LaFranchi

Al Qaeda’s fundamentally
different approach to winning the hearts and minds of the world’s
Muslims – recently thrown into shadow by the bold moves of the Islamic
State – is now showing signs of longer-term success.

Al Qaeda has long espoused “strategic patience” to
establish a global caliphate only after gradual persuasion of Muslims
through a long war with the West. That approach contrasts starkly with
that of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, which declared a
caliphate in Syria and Iraq months after breaking with Al Qaeda in 2014.

Now, as ISIS
faces mounting pressure from the outside with apparently scant support
from the populations it dominates, Al Qaeda’s “patience” appears to be
paying off. In
Syria, Al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra is solidifying both its place
within the Syrian opposition and its hold on some pro-opposition
communities. 

Washington D.C., Apr 20, 2016 / 03:23 pm (CNA).-
As the U.S. treasury announces the legendary Harriet Tubman as the new
face of the 20 dollar bill, she also drew praise from religious freedom
advocates for her deep and abiding Christian faith.

“Harriet Tubman was a woman of faith who was not afraid to act on her
beliefs to fight for justice,” said Kristina Arriaga, executive
director of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.

“Her incredible moral and physical courage is an example to all
Americans, as is her willingness to act on her Christian faith. She is
an icon of religious liberty.”

by: Parag Khanna, “Connectography: Mapping the Future of Global Civilization” The Middle East continues to crumble, and the next American administration may inherit an even wider swatch of crises. Jordan, Lebanon and even Saudi Arabia could fail through a combination of ISIS attacks and the oil price collapse. Exactly a century after the Sykes­-Picot agreement that created the […]

Martin Matishak, The Fiscal Times

The war against the Islamic State has now cost American taxpayers
more than $7 billion, a figure that could increase dramatically as the
U.S. prepares to send 200 more troops to Iraq to help fight the
extremist network. As of March 15, the price tag for 568 days of war was $6.8 billion,
with an average cost of $11.5 million per day, according to a Defense
Department report released on Tuesday. If the daily tab has held steady
since then, another $402.5 million can be added to the sum, putting the
total over $7.2 billion.

Given the Obama administration’s airpower-first approach to battling
ISIS it’s not surprising that daily flight operations accounted for 48
percent of the war’s cost, or about $3.2 billion.