NYPD tracked Muslim students, organizations [Columbia]
Recent news that the New York Police Department willfully performed surveillance on Muslim student organizations in the name of anti-terrorism measures has been met with harsh criticism by many. In light of the fears this news may provoke, the Spectator, newspaper for Columbia College, unpacks the threat to free speech that these “investigations” may have instigated, and their implications for the future.
“There, in Low Library, one of the students representing the ISO heralded terrorist actions like targeting civilians with missiles or suicide bombs as a legitimate form of resistance to the Israeli government. I was appalled that a fellow student would hold such views, but I would have been more appalled if that student had left her ideas unexpressed for fear of being filed away as a potential threat by the NYPD. The chilling effect that the surveillance program might have on campus speech would mean that such views would go unsaid, and thus certain ideologies left unexposed for the truly deleterious modes of thinking that they pose—something more harmful in the long run than a few dilettantes sitting around and speaking reverently of Sayyid Qutb.”
Anne Frank baptized… again? [Huffington Post]
Here at New Voices, we recently shared a story about the controversy surrounding the recent posthumous baptism of the parents of Simon Weisenthal. The Mormon Church had issued an apology for its actions, there was an understandable amount of criticism (an agreement between the Church and the Jewish world a couple years ago was to put a stop to this sort of thing). Apparently, not everyone got the memo, as the Huffington Post reports Anne Frank has been baptized again– her ninth baptism at the hands of the Mormon Church, if anyone’s counting. A church whistleblower provided Huffington Post with all the allegations.
“Radkey said she discovered that Annelies Marie “Anne” Frank, who died at Bergen Belsen death camp in 1945 at age 15, was baptized by proxy on Saturday. Mormons have submitted versions of her name at least a dozen times for proxy rites and carried out the ritual at least nine times from 1989 to 1999, according to Radkey. But Radkey says this is the first time in more than a decade that Frank’s name has been discovered in a database that can be used both for genealogy and also to submit a deceased person’s name to be considered for proxy baptism — a separate process, according to a spokesman for the church. The database is only open to Mormons.
A screen shot of the database sent by Radkey shows a page for Frank stating “completed” next to categories labeled ‘Baptism” and “Confirmation,’ with the date Feb. 18, 2012, and the name of the Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple.”
Tel Aviv makes move toward public transportation on Shabbat [Jerusalem Post]
While tension between traditionally observant Jews and modern communities doesn’t look to be resolved anytime soon, the city of Tel Aviv has ruled that it will offer public buses at various points around the city on the Sabbath. But the battle is far from over. The Jerusalem Post reports:
“A Transportation Ministry spokesman indicated Tuesday that the ministry would not approve Tel Aviv’s request. The Transportation Ministry will ‘not infringe [upon] the status quo which has been in place for decades regarding all aspects of public transport on Shabbat,’ the spokesman said.
Nevertheless, Huldai on Wednesday vowed to continue the mission to bring buses to Tel Aviv on Shabbat. ‘We must determine if we want to live in a democratic, Jewish state or a solely Jewish state – which will be similar to Iran,’ Huldai told Army Radio. ‘The citizens have the right to visit their relatives on Shabbat or go out for a trip,’ he added.”
Russia warns of the fallout of Israel – Iran conflict [Haaretz]
It looks like the string of international leaders urging Israel to avoid an all-out attack on Israel can add yet another name to its list: the Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, who urged Israel to consider the nuclear fallout, and impact on international peace-keeping efforts, such a strike would have. Haaretz is there:
“‘Therefore I hope Israel understands all these consequences … and they should also consider the consequences of such action for themselves,’ Gatilov said at a news conference..
A top UN nuclear official said on Wednesday his team could ‘could not find a way forward’ in attempts to persuade Iran to talk about suspected secret work on atomic arms.”
