By Beth Fitzgerald Religion News Service NEWARK, N.J. (RNS) When Passover begins on April 19 and Jewish families gather for the traditional seder meal, they can expect this question: “What happened to the Tam Tams?” The bite-sized matzo crackers are a Passover perennial, perfect for dipping in egg salad or chopped liver and eating straight…

Associated Press – March 28, 2008 AMSTERDAM, Netherlands – A Dutch legislator’s film that portrays Islam as a ticking time bomb aimed at Western democracy prompted denunciations from Muslim capitals and street protests in Pakistan, but a restrained reaction from Dutch Muslims who had expected worse. The 15-minute film entitled “Fitna,” an Arabic word meaning…

Associated Press Religion is supposed to be Barack Obama’s strength. Unlike many Democratic candidates before him, Obama speaks with ease about his faith. He attends Sunday worship and knows his Bible. His supporters believe he can pry some committed churchgoers away from the GOP. But the furor over comments by his Chicago pastor, the Rev.…

Associated Press Lhasa, China – A group of monks shouting there was no religious freedom disrupted a carefully orchestrated visit for foreign reporters to Tibet’s capital Thursday, an embarrassment for China as it tried to show Lhasa was calm following deadly anti-government riots. A Foreign Ministry spokesman later insisted that Tibetans had full rights and…

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