More Americans Favor Mixing Religion And Politics, Survey Says : The Two-Way : NPR

2014/09/25 Leave a comment

Religion has always been an important force in US politics, more so than in Canada (roughly a quarter of Canadians in the 2011 National Household Survey reported as “nones,” 44 percent in British Columbia):

As we [Pew] reported two years ago, the percentage of those “nones” has grown in recent years, especially among younger Americans. In a 2012 Pew survey, 1 in 5 in the U.S. said he was “religiously unaffiliated,” a group that includes those who say they have no particular religion as well as self-described atheists and agnostics. Among those under 30 years of age, fully one-third said that religion played “little or no role” in their lives.

Other findings in the latest poll: a slight drop in support for allowing gays and lesbians to marry, with 49 percent of Americans in favor and 41 percent opposed; a 5-point dip in support from a February Pew Research poll, but about the same level as in 2013, Pew says. However, Pew notes: “It is too early to know if this modest decline is an anomaly or the beginning of a reversal or leveling off in attitudes toward gay marriage after years of steadily increasing public acceptance.”

There has also been a rise in the number who view homosexuality as a sin 50 percent from 45 percent a year ago. While almost half 49 percent of those surveyed say they believe that businesses such as caterers and florists should not be allowed to reject same-sex couples as customers, nearly as many 47 percent said they approved of such a practice.

More Americans Favor Mixing Religion And Politics, Survey Says : The Two-Way : NPR.

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UK and US Muslim communities key to tackling rise of Islamic extremism?

2014/09/22 Leave a comment

Starting with the UK:

‘As the prime minister said, the root of these actions lies in a poisonous political ideology that a small minority supports. In contrast, Islam is a religion which is observed peacefully and devoutly by more than a billion people.’

But commenting on Mr Brokenshire’s remarks, Nadim Nassar said distancing the extremism from Islam would not help the problem.

‘Mr Brokenshire is right to condemn these horrible acts of terrorism in Iraq and Syria,’ he told Lapido, ‘and to work with the community to get some aid to those areas. I do not agree that the problem is purely political and ideological because the extremists are abusing religion for political ends and they are recruiting religious leaders to help them.‘

It is simplistic to say that this is “nothing to do with Islam or any other faith”. Young people are being recruited not through political speeches; they are being recruited by religious leaders that use the Quran and the Hadith. We have to acknowledge that Islamic extremism is not a true representation of Islam any more than the Crusades are a true representation of Christianity; in both cases, however, they are “to do with” Islam and Christianity.’

Muslim communities key to tackling rise of Islamic extremism? | Lapido Media – Centre for Religious Literacy in World Affairs.

And from the US, a more theological message:

The Prophet Muhammad, who was a head-of-state as well as a prophet, established a society that is the model to all Muslims. That state was declared a sanctuary, protecting and securing all members of his community including non-Muslims. He said that the Jews were a community alongside the Muslims. They had their religion and the right to practice their customs and religious laws. Fourteen hundred years later, the advancement of civilization made by Islam remains idealistic to all Muslims today. At the very least, let these ideals can extinguish the venom from ISIS.

That’s the message that needs to be conveyed to Muslims worldwide in order to isolate ISIS from Islam and provide Islam as the antidote to the ideological distortion of ISIS and its destructive ambitions. That’s the substance in countering the narrative of violent extremism. It needs a vehicle and that’s where media, government and civil society can help.

The Key to Defeating ISIS Is Islam

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How Are Different Asian-American Groups Faring Economically? : Code Switch : NPR

2014/09/05 Leave a comment

Asian AmericansSome highlights from a US Department of Labour Report on Asian Americans:

“Overall, 53.4 percent of Asians over the age of 25 have a bachelors degree or higher — the highest percentage by far among the major race groups.”

“The AAPI community has the second highest share of unemployed workers who are long-term unemployed 41.7 percent … Asian Americans who are unemployed, are without work for longer than whites and Hispanics.”

“When controlled for age, sex and educational attainment, unemployment rate for Indians is actually higher than comparable whites. This difference suggests that the Indian community as a whole tends to be more educated, but when looking at similarly situated white workers, their employment outcomes are less favorable.”

How Are Different Asian-American Groups Faring Economically? : Code Switch : NPR.

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The Franco-American Flophouse: US Citizenship Renunciation Fees to be Raised 422%

2014/09/02 Leave a comment

Victoria Ferauge on the increase in fees for citizenship renunciation (looks like a tax grab to me):

Well, its a complicated labor-intensive procedure:

“The CoSM demonstrated that documenting a U.S. citizen’s renunciation of citizenship is extremely costly, requiring American consular officers overseas to spend substantial amounts of time to accept, process, and adjudicate cases. For example, consular officers must confirm that the potential renunciant fully understands the consequences of renunciation, including losing the right to reside in the United States without documentation as an alien. Other steps include verifying that the renunciant is a U.S. citizen, conducting a minimum of two intensive interviews with the potential renunciant, and reviewing at least three consular systems before administering the oath of renunciation. The final approval of the loss of nationality must be done by law within the Directorate of Overseas Citizens Services in Washington, D.C., after which the case is returned to the consular officer overseas for final delivery of the Certificate of Loss of Nationality to the renunciant.”

And demand for this service is strong yep, they say that.  450 USD, they say, was already below cost and they are just raising the fee in order to not lose more money on the service.

Now I’m just an old lady and I don’t pretend to be the brightest crayon in the box but if the goal here is to “break even” then they are looking at this all wrong.  Read the outline of the procedure again. Does that sound efficient to you?  Just the assumption that any US citizen showing up to renounce his US citizenship doesn’t really understand what he/she is doing and has to have it explained ad nauseum intensive interviews? and then be sent off to a corner like a little kid to reflect on it before being allowed to come back and do the deed, is just ridiculous.  Right there Id say just treating people like adults and assuming that they do know their own mind would save a lot of time, money and hassle all around.

And the narrative that will come out of this fee raise is not likely to focus on “cost recovery” at US consulates around the world but on what is going to be perceived as a punitive act on the part of the US government.  It looks like they are so embarrassed by the renunciation numbers and the lines to renounce at the US consulates that they are looking for ways to reduce or slow down the demand.  Think about that.  Has the state of US citizenship in the world really come to the point where the US government thinks that Americans have to be actively discouraged from renouncing?

The Franco-American Flophouse: US Citizenship Renunciation Fees to be Raised 422%.

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The Franco-American Flophouse: FATCA Lawsuit Filed in the Federal Court of Canada

2014/08/26 Leave a comment

Victoria Ferauge, an American expatriate in Paris and active on the FATCA issue, commenting on the Canadian court case (see Virginia Hillis, Gwendolyn Deegan sue Ottawa over new FATCA tax rules):

And here we finally come to the Canadian lawsuit.  The plaintiffs claim that FATCA as it is being implemented in Canada violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms which among other things, shields Canadian citizens from unreasonable search and seizures and assures equal protection/non-discrimination in the application of the law. Ginny and Gwen, two very courageous women, are “Accidental Americans”.   They were born in the US but have lived in Canada most of their lives and they not willing to be reduced to semi-citizenship in Canada.  They are Canadian, they live in Canada, and US status should make no difference whatsoever in what rights they have under Canadian law.  Period.

If you wish to argue otherwise, please think hard about the implications of that.  Could a law made in Mexico that violates the rights of Mexican-Americans under the US Constitution be nevertheless applied to them with the blessing nay, the full participation and enforcement of the US government?   And it is all the more troubling when one sees all the situations where individuals do contest the attribution of citizenship  without their consent by a country they dont live in and dont consider themselves to have duties and responsibilities to. All dual citizens everywhere in the world should pay close attention to how this shakes out.

If any of you out there are interested in supporting this cause there are a couple of ways you can help.  Ginny and Gwen have really gone out on a limb here by going public and they could use your moral support.  You can send them a note here.   Another, of course, is through a donation which you can make here.

The Franco-American Flophouse: FATCA Lawsuit Filed in the Federal Court of Canada.

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Virginia Hillis, Gwendolyn Deegan sue Ottawa over new FATCA tax rules

2014/08/16 1 Comment

For those who follow implementation of the US FATCA, this Canadian court case will be of interest. My understanding from those who follow FATCA closely, the deal Canada struck with the US is more protective of Canadian rights than that signed with other countries (see The Franco-American Flophouse for regular updates):

The women are American-born dual citizens of Canada and the U.S who left the states in childhood and have lived in Canada for decades. They argue the recently enacted Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act violates their rights as Canadians under the Charter Of Rights And Freedoms.

Windsor, Ont., resident Virginia Hillis, 68, and Torontonian Gwendolyn Louise Deegan, 52, stepped up as the figureheads of a fight that has hundreds of thousands of Canadian residents fuming.

Both women were born in the U.S. but have never worked south of the border, and as such have never paid or filed U.S. taxes. Indeed, neither has ever had or used a U.S. passport.

“Gwen … has travelled to the United States in the past and has been questioned by a border officer as to why she, a person with a United States birthplace, does not have a United States passport to travel into and out of the United States, to which she always replies: Because I am a Canadian,” the pairs statement of claim reads.

Nonetheless, under the agreement that Ottawa agreed to comply with in February, Canadian banks are now obliged to hand over names and account numbers to the IRS of any clients that Uncle Sam suspects are U.S citizens.

Virginia Hillis, Gwendolyn Deegan sue Ottawa over new FATCA tax rules – Business – CBC News.

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Stop the Anti-Semitism When Talking Gaza

2014/08/11 Leave a comment

Commentary by Dean Obeidallah, a Palestinian American, on the need to avoid antisemitism when criticizing Israel on Gaza:

But to those who want to cheer “Death to the Jews,” use Nazi imagery, or in any other way want to demonize the Jewish people, let me be clear: I don’t want you on our side. Your hateful rhetoric is not only morally repugnant, it’s hurting my family and the millions of other Palestinians struggling for basic human rights. Don’t attend events supporting Palestinians or post vile comments in our name on Facebook, etc. We don’t want the Palestinian cause to be defined by your hate.

Let’s follow the lead of people like [US Congressman] Ellison—and those in Europe engaged in the “Raise Your Voice” campaign—and vocally counter anti-Semitism wherever we see it, be it at an event or a posting on social media. We can’t afford to wait to speak out until we see anti-Semitic incidents in the United States like those happening in Europe.

Hate is hate regardless of the target. Let’s not lose our own humanity while trying to fight for the humanity of others.

Stop the Anti-Semitism When Talking Gaza – The Daily Beast.

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Progressive U.S. Muslim movement embraces gay and interfaith marriages, female imams and mixed prayers

2014/08/06 Leave a comment

On a progressive strain of Islam in the USA:

Nearly 40 per cent of the estimated 2.75 million Muslims in the U.S. are American-born and the number is growing, with the Muslim population skewing younger than the U.S. population at large, according to a 2011 Pew Research Center survey.

Advocates for a more tolerant Islam say the constraints on interfaith marriage and homosexuality aren’t in the Qur’an, but are based on conservative interpretations of Islamic law that have no place in the U.S. Historically, in many Muslim countries, there are instances of unsegregated prayers and interfaith marriage.

“I think it’s fair to say the traditional Islam that we experienced excluded a lot of Muslims that were on the margins. I always felt not very welcomed by the type of Islam my parents practiced,” said Tanzila Ahmed, 35, who published an anthology of love stories by Muslim American women in 2012 called “Love Inshallah.”

…. In Los Angeles, a religious group called Muslims for Progressive Values has been pushing the boundaries with a female imam who performs same-sex and interfaith marriages, support groups for gay Muslims and a worship style that includes women giving sermons and men and women praying together. The group has chapters in half a dozen major U.S. cities and at least six foreign countries and last year was recognized by the United Nations as an official non-governmental organization.

Founder Ani Zonneveld, a Muslim singer and songwriter of Malaysian descent, started the group in 2007 after she recorded some Islamic pop music that generated a backlash because it featured a Muslim woman singing.

“For us, the interpretation of Islam is egalitarian values — and by egalitarian it’s not just words that we speak. It’s practice,” she said. “It’s freedom of religion and from religion, too.”

Progressive U.S. Muslim movement embraces gay and interfaith marriages, female imams and mixed prayers

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ICYMI: The Immigrant Advantage – NYTimes.com

2014/07/14 Leave a comment

The_Immigrant_Advantage_-_NYTimes_comInteresting piece on the relative success of immigrants in the US compared to native-born Americans, particularly in the poorer states with weaker public and other supports:

American scholars have long warned of declining “social capital”: simply put, people lacking the support of others. In Texas, I encountered the wasteland described by writers from Robert D. Putnam on the left to Charles Murray on the right. In mostly white, exurban communities that often see themselves as above the woes of inner cities, I found household after household where country music songs about family and church play but country-music values have fled: places where a rising generation is often being reared by grandparents because parents are addicted, imprisoned, broke or all three.

In places bedeviled by anomie, immigrants from more family-centered and collectivist societies — Mexico, India, Colombia, Vietnam, Haiti, China — often arrive with an advantageous blend of individualist and communitarian traits.

I say a blend, because while they come from communal societies, they were deserters. They may have been raised with family-first values, but often they were the ones to leave aging parents. It can be a powerful cocktail: a self-willed drive for success and, leavening it somewhat, a sacrificial devotion to family and tribe. Many, even as their lives grow more independent, serve their family oceans away by sending remittances.

The Immigrant Advantage – NYTimes.com.

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The Runner-Up Religions Of America

2014/06/23 Leave a comment

US relions by stateA partial snapshot of US religious diversity, along with some interesting histories of some of the communities involved:

Glance at the map above, Second Largest Religious Tradition in Each State 2010, and you will see that Buddhism orange, Judaism pink and Islam blue are the runner-up religions across the country.No surprises there.

But can you believe that Hindu dark orange is the Number Two tradition in Arizona and Delaware, and that Bahai green ranks second in South Carolina?

The map — created by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies and published recently in The Washington Post — “looks very odd to me,” says Hillary Kaell. She is a professor at Concordia University in Montreal who specializes in North American Christianity. “These numbers, although they look impressive when laid out in the map, represent a very tiny fraction of the population in any of the states listed.”

True that. Christianity is the Number One religious tradition across the board. A 2012 Gallup poll showed that 77 percent of Americans identify as Christians. But a deeper look into the stories behind the maps data reveal a bit more about a nation in flux.

The Runner-Up Religions Of America : The Protojournalist : NPR.

Canadian Comparison:

Religious Diversity by Provinces.001

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