海角大神

2017
April
12
Wednesday

Monitor Daily Podcast

April 12, 2017
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Mark Sappenfield
Senior global correspondent

In Russia today, United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson delivered a hard line. The message: Stop supporting Syria鈥檚 inhumane regime.

It would appear that something changed within Donald Trump after the sarin gas attack in Syria. He鈥檚 spoken of his absolute revulsion at seeing the humanitarian toll. Since that moment, his kind words for Russia have all but disappeared.

Time will tell whether Mr. Trump has pivoted on Russia. But the US approach to this week鈥檚 talks in Russia speaks to something greater: The power of humanity to change hearts. The world鈥檚 refusal to accept atrocity is a sign of progress.


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Today’s stories

And why we wrote them

At the moment, Russia and the US appear to be engaged in a diplomatic shouting match. Each side is dramatically expressing exasperation. But beneath the surface, Russia may be looking for practical answers. And the US might be able to give them.聽鈥淚 believe we understand each other better after today,鈥 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told journalists just hours ago.

Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune via AP
People with Asian community organizations from Chicago hold signs to protest after Sunday's confrontation where David Dao, 69, of Elizabethtown, Ky., was removed from a United Airlines airplane by Chicago airport police at O'Hare International Airport Tuesday.

The video of a United Airlines customer being dragged from his seat points to many travelers' pent-up frustrations. While those in first class get everything short of a shiatsu massage, coach passengers get hassles, delays, and maybe a bag of peanuts, it seems. But here's the thing. Air travel is cheaper than ever. You get what you pay for, experts say.

John Bazemore/AP
Jon Ossoff, Democratic candidate for Georgia's 6th congressional district, will challenge for a long-held GOP seat in a special election April 18.

It's easy to blame Washington for political hyperpartisanship, but most experts say it's the country that's polarized and D.C. is just amplifying it. A key Georgia election raises the question: Are we seeing a rebellion of the middle or simply another turn in the cycle of partisan backlash?

Jonathan Torgovnik/Getty Images
Waste pickers sort through garbage for products worth recycling at a dump site in Sasolburg, South Africa.

From Africa to India, some of the best-run public services aren't public at all. They're run by citizens who step in where the government fails 鈥 from recycling to transportation. Now, these countries face a balancing act: How to improve services聽without squelching the remarkable entrepreneurship that has sprouted.聽

And finally, we look at the transforming effect of knowing someone's name. We all know we don't want to be treated like a number. A recent study examines why. When we begin to see others as real people, behavior changes for the better.


The Monitor's View

REUTERS
Minarets of a mosque and the cross above a church are seen near Cairo, Egypt, April 11.

As it loses ground elsewhere in the Middle East, the Islamic State (ISIS) has stepped up terrorist attacks in Egypt, the Arab world鈥檚 most populous country but also home to the region鈥檚 largest 海角大神 community. The latest attack was the killing of 45 people at two 海角大神 churches on Palm Sunday. ISIS seems intent on sparking a religious conflict between Egypt鈥檚 majority Muslims and minority 海角大神s. Yet if anything, the attacks have drawn the faiths closer. Other countries that seek a good defense against ISIS should take note of how Egyptians are countering the militants鈥 message.

A good example was an interview on Cairo鈥檚 Dream TV with the nephew of a Muslim policewoman assigned to protect Coptic 海角大神 churches but who was killed in the April 9 attacks. 鈥淚 say to our Coptic 海角大神 brothers and sisters. Do not be sad. Muslims and 海角大神s are one. It鈥檚 not about Muslim attacking 海角大神s,鈥 said the nephew, Islam Fathi. His words echoed those of many leaders in Egyptian society.

Egypt has struggled for decades to calm sectarian tensions between Coptic 海角大神s and Muslims. ISIS is well aware of the occasional violent flare-ups in local communities. And the government could be doing far more, such as giving Copts greater rights and privileges while also offering better protection of churches.

Yet the best attempt to safeguard Muslim-海角大神 coexistence comes from the top two religious leaders, Grand Imam Muhammad al-Tayyeb and Coptic Pope Tawadros II. In 2011, the two launched an effort, known as 鈥淭he House of the Egyptian Family,鈥 to reform religious teachings about the others and seek to end the root causes of religious violence.

The program sends out teams of Islamic imams and Coptic priests to meet with young people and to go into villages with high sectarian tensions. The teams hold sessions on reconciliation that focus on each faith鈥檚 shared message of peace for a diverse society like Egypt鈥檚.

The rest of the Middle East needs similar models of such cross-faith harmony. They would be a soft but powerful weapon against the hate and violence of both ISIS and Al Qaeda.


A 海角大神 Science Perspective

About this feature

Each weekday, the Monitor includes one clearly labeled religious article offering spiritual insight on contemporary issues, including the news. The publication 鈥 in its various forms 鈥 is produced for anyone who cares about the progress of the human endeavor around the world and seeks news reported with compassion, intelligence, and an essentially constructive lens. For many, that caring has religious roots. For many, it does not. The Monitor has always embraced both audiences. The Monitor is owned by a church 鈥 The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston 鈥 whose founder was concerned with both the state of the world and the quality of available news.

The noise is getting louder. Opinions and extreme views are becoming too much of the core of society鈥檚 conversation. And they are increasing a sense of division among us. The problems are complex, but fresh answers are available from a new/old idea that can bring healing if we take it seriously. Christ Jesus said we should focus on doing two things 鈥 loving God with all our heart, and loving our neighbor as ourselves. When our sense of God becomes Love itself and our sense of our neighbor becomes a real person instead of someone鈥檚 view we may not like, there鈥檚 opportunity for real healing. Love still works.

( The illustrations in today’s Monitor Daily are by Jacob Turcotte. )

A look ahead

That鈥檚 a wrap for today. Thank you for taking the time to think more deeply about the day鈥檚 news.聽If you鈥檝e been following along, then you know that we鈥檝e been developing this daily digital offering to showcase our approach to news: Reaching for nuance, adding perspective, and filtering out noise.聽

We鈥檒l be back several more times before our official launch May 8. We hope to see you regularly beginning then!

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2017
April
12
Wednesday

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