LOS ANGELES (AP) – Democratic presidential contenders Thursday sought to underscore their differences with Republicans on gay and lesbian rights, but leading candidates also faced sharp questions on their reluctance to embrace marriage for same-sex couples. In a forum focusing on gay issues sponsored by a gay-rights organization and aired on a gay-oriented cable channel,…

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) – The Internet, satellite television and even the telephone are increasingly being used in the Muslim world to issue fatwas – religious decrees – on issues as varied as whether women can pluck their eyebrows or good Muslims should read Harry Potter. A fatwa is a ruling by a recognized Islamic scholar,…

By Jennifer Koons, Religion News Service WASHINGTON (RNS) Against the backdrop of celebrations to mark the one-year countdown to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Chinese government has angered religious freedom activists by attempting to assert greater influence over the successor to the Dalai Lama. “The so-called reincarnated living Buddha without government approval is illegal and…

Associated Press KOLOMUDO VILLAGE, Thailand – The black-uniformed raiders roared into this Thai Muslim village, firing assault rifles and hurling grenades from a pickup truck at a group of teenagers relaxing near the mosque. When the attack was over, five of the youths lay dead. As they have done in the past, authorities initially said…

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