CLinton-MUSLIMS Muslims break Ramadan fast at State Department

Washington (AP) Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has told American Muslims and diplomats from the Islamic world that the Obama administration "will defend the freedom of religion." Clinton hosted a State Department iftar the evening dinner at which Muslims break the daytime fast they observe during their holy month of Ramadan.

Clinton said she and President Barack Obama who hosted an iftar at the White House two weeks ago , are committed to improving relations with the Muslim world.

She told her guests, "Whatever God you pray to, or even whether you believe at all, we all need to work for the same goals a world where our children can live together in peace and prosperity and fulfill their own God-given potentials."


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00:09 "freedom of religion" Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the Iftar dinner reflects a liberty that Americans share.

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00:15 "than divides us" Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the Obama administration wants to improve relations with the Muslim world.

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00:17 "own God-given potentials" Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says Americans of diverse faiths share common principles.

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00:13 "country without pause" Farah Pandith Farah Pandith, the U.S. Special Representative to Muslim Communities, says she's like many American Muslims.

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00:11 "and men worldwide" Farah Pandith Farah Pandith, the U.S. Special Representative to Muslim Communities, says Muslims everywhere are fasting this month.

MALAYSIA-JAIL FOR ALCOHOL Malaysian judge orders jail and caning for drinking

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) A judge in Malaysia has ordered a Muslim man to be whipped with a cane and jailed for a year for drinking alcohol in a restaurant.

In July, the same judge sentenced a Malaysian woman to be caned and fined for drinking beer in public. If that sentence is carried out, she'll be the first woman to be caned in Malaysia.

Islamic laws do not apply to Malaysia's non-Muslims, who include ethnic Chinese and Indians.

Observers have questioned the judge's verdict, saying the Quran does not call for punishment for drinking alcohol, even though Islam forbids it.

Many view the sentence as a blow to Malaysia's reputation as a moderate nation in the Muslim world. About 60 percent of Malaysia's 28 million people are Muslims.

CIVILITY PROJECT Outbursts underline call for civility

ATLANTA (AP) Christian publicist Mark DeMoss says the televised outbursts by rapper Kanye West, tennis star Serena Williams and Congressman Joe Wilson reflect a regrettable incivility in public life.

DeMoss launched what he calls "The Civility Project" in part because of the vitriol against Mormons he heard last year when he supported Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.

The project's Web site asks people to pledge that they'll be civil in public discourse and behavior, will oppose incivility and will be respectful of others regardless of their views.

DeMoss says incivility is usually unpersuasive, and for Christians it's a poor witness for the faith they claim to follow.

On the Net: www.civilityproject.org Sound:

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00:14 "I see it" Mark DeMoss Mark DeMoss says The Civility Project asks people to take an online pledge.

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00:08 "turns away wrath" Mark DeMoss Mark DeMoss says there are Bible verses that recommend civility.

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00:19 "I know it" Mark DeMoss Mark DeMoss says we all know incivility when we see it.

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00:17 "supporting a Mormon" Mark DeMoss Mark DeMoss says he launched The Civility Project after the 2008 election.

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00:12 "a Mormon temple" Mark DeMoss Mark DeMoss says when he was working for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, he saw Christians being hateful about Mormons.

APOLOGIES Rabbi: Private apologies should follow public outbursts

NEW YORK (AP) An American Jewish leader is unimpressed by the public apologies offered by rapper Kanye West, tennis star Serena Williams and Congressman Joe Wilson after their televised outbursts.

Rabbi Irwin Kula, president of The Center for Leadership and Learning, says the apology that matters is the one that's made to the person who was actually offended.

He says that apology also helps reconcile the offender to God.

Kula notes that the current rash of public misbehavior is occurring as Jews prepare to observe Yom Kippur, the annual Day of Atonement when they seek forgiveness.

Rabbi Kula is author of "Yearnings: Embracing the Sacred Messiness of Life."


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00:58 "" Steve Coleman A Closer Look: A rabbi says some recent public outburts should be followed by private apologies. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports.

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00:05 "Americans know that" Rabbi Irwin Kula Rabbi Irwin Kula says celebrity apologies for misbehavior often seem insincere.

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00:19 "hurt real people" Rabbi Irwin Kula Rabbi Irwin Kula says genuine apologies are made to the people who are hurt by the misbehavior.

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00:12 "relationships are aligned" Rabbi Irwin Kula Rabbi Irwin Kula says hurting others hurts our relationship with God.

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00:17 "that you hurt" Rabbi Irwin Kula Rabbi Irwin Kula says apologizing to the injured party helps us get right with God.

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00:10 "a forgiveness practice" Rabbi Irwin Kula Rabbi Irwin Kula says Jews will soon be observing their annual Day of Atonement.

CUBA-PRISON RELIGION Cuba to allow worship services in its prisons

HAVANA (AP) Cuba has authorized inmates to attend Roman Catholic Mass and Protestant church services inside prisons, a softening of the island's often-antagonistic view toward religion.

A spokesman for the Protestant Cuban Church Council says officials from the Cuban Communist Party met with prison officials and the council last week and agreed to authorize organized worship behind bars.

Perviously, Cuban prisoners were allowed to worship only "on a personal level." When an inmate sought guiDance from a Catholic or Protestant leader, he or she was allowed to meet with one individually.

So far, the decision only applies to Catholic or Protestant prisoners, but Communist officials were considering extending the relaxed rules to inmates of other faiths.

AUSTRIA-CATHEDRAL COFFEE Cafe for a day to serve coffee in cathedral tower

VIENNA (AP) Talk about a caffeine high.

Coffee enthusiasts will be able to get a cup of coffee and a slice of cake in a makeshift cafe being set up inside a tower of stately St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna.

Organizers say the cafe will offer sweeping views of the Austrian capital from its perch in the tower, which is 236 feet high.

The lofty cafe won't be permanent. Vienna's Coffeehouse Association says it's a one-day deal to help mark the city's annual Coffee Day on Oct. 1.

NUN-TEACHING BAN Banned nun's supporter also out in Cincinnati

CINCINNATI (AP) A volunteer religious teacher has been dismissed after writing a letter to the editor backing a Roman Catholic nun who was ordered to stop teaching for supporting women priests.

Dr. Carol Egner says she's been told she can longer teach her Old Testament class to sixth-graders at Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Cincinnati.

The archbishop of Cincinnati recently banned Sister of Charity Louise Akers from teaching at parishes and institutions after 40 years because she supports the ordination of women as priests.

Akers says she refused to renounce her support of women priests as a matter of conscience.

Egner's pastor, the Rev. David Sunberg, says parish teachers must follow church teachings.

RELIGIOUS SECT-PROPERTY Religious sect's building plan alarms neighbors

FORT HALL, Idaho (AP) Followers of an excommunicated Mormon who claims to be the Holy Ghost have run into opposition to their plans to build a three-story dormitory in Fort Hall, Idaho.

The Idaho Journal reports that several dozen members of The Church of the Firstborn and General Assembly of Heaven moved from Utah to a home in Fort Hall this summer, with some living in trailers.

On Monday, more than 100 people packed the Land Use Policy Commission meeting for a hearing on the group's plan to build a motel-like building with as many as 38 rooms.

Some complained about the impact on the neighborhood. Others voiced concern about the group itself.

The church's Web site says it has received and translated records from God. Among those records are references to plural marriage and instructions to tithe to the church's founder.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 09-16-09 0231CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list