š®š± Israel-Hamas War: The Crucial Role Of Religion In The Deadly Conflict š
Weekend Plug-in š
Editorās note: Every Friday, āWeekend Plug-inā features analysis, fact checking and top headlines from the world of faith. Subscribe now to get this newsletter delivered straight to your inbox. Got feedback or ideas? Email Bobby Ross Jr. at therossnews@gmail.com.
(ANALYSIS) Good morning, Weekend Plug-in readers!
Did you miss me? I traveled to Cuba on a reporting trip. Given my limited internet access while away, Plug-in took last week off.
That means this is our first edition since the Israel-Hamas war started. What an overwhelming story with countless religious angles. But Iāll do my best to catch you ā and me ā up.
The latest: an overnight blast on the campus of the historic St. Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza City, where scores of Palestinian families had been sheltering from Israeli air strikes. ReligionUnplugged.comās own Clemente Lisi has the details.
This is our weekly roundup of the top headlines and best reads in the world of faith. We start, of course, with the deadly conflict in the Middle East.
What To Know: The Big Story
āBlood libelā: āThe heated discourse about the deadly rocket explosion at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in the southern Gaza City neighborhood of Zeitoun on Tuesday is rooted in the centuries-old religious hatred underlying the current war in Gaza.ā
Thatās the lede from Gil Zohar, reporting from Jerusalem for ReligionUnplugged.com.
The blast occurred at Gazaās only Christian hospital, as Christianity Todayās Morgan Lee explains.
āThe fatal explosion hit a well-known facility run by Anglicans ā and formerly by Southern Baptists ā āin the middle of one of the worldās most troubled places,āā CT notes.
The why: Hamas is selling its assault on Israel as a holy war, as Religion News Serviceās Michelle Chabin and Yonat Shimron detail:
When Hamas, the Islamic Palestinian terrorist group, stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, took over military bases, massacred more than 1,300 Israelis ā most of them civilians ā and kidnapped 150, it dubbed its military operation the āAl-Aqsa Deluge.ā
The reference to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which includes the Dome of the Rock, as well as the smaller Al-Aqsa Mosque, was clearly intended as a rallying cry to unite Muslims by convincing them that their faith is under assault.
Expressions like āFree Al-Aqsaā are intended to galvanize Muslims against non-Muslims, said Shuki Friedman, vice president of the Jewish People Policy Institute and an expert on Islamic law at the Peres Academic Center. They help to unify the worldās nearly 2 billion Sunni and Shiite Muslims, who have been at odds, and sometimes war, for centuries. āWhat can unite them is the common enemy: Jews and Israel,ā said Friedman.
Read much more Israel-Hamas war coverage here at ReligionUnplugged.com:
ā¢ āMiracle we got out aliveā: Jews recall horror of Hamas attacks (by Clemente Lisi)
ā¢ Should Hamas members be called āterroristsā or āfightersā? (by Clemente Lisi)
ā¢ Islamic world divided over Hamas massacres (by Gil Zohar)
ā¢ āThis is Israelās 9/11ā: Christians wage war against Hamas (by Erik Tryggestad)
ā¢ Franciscans maintain lonely vigil over Holy Landās Christian sites (by Gil Zohar)
ā¢ As death toll climbs, the war becomes personal for every Israeli (by Gil Zohar)
ā¢ Palestinian-American community mourns death of Muslim boy (by Clemente Lisi)
ā¢ Christian leaders call for āend to cycle of violenceā between Jews and Muslims (by Clemente Lisi)
Power Up: The Weekās Best Reads
1. Counting the dead: āRarely do rabbis spend the Sabbath counting bodies. But ā¦ after Hamas militants blew easily past Israelās fortified security fence and gunned down hundreds of Israelis ā at music festivals, in their homes, in cars while trying to flee ā Israelās military rabbinate made an exception.ā
Amid the smell of death, Israelās rabbis worked around the clock, as The Associated Pressā Julia Frankel details.
2. Frustrated progressives: U.S. President Joe Biden faces criticism āfrom progressives, Muslims and Arab-Americans, who say his sympathy for lost Palestinian lives and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is too little too late.ā
The Wall Street Journalās Sabrina Siddiqui and Tarini Parti examine how millennials are more supportive of Palestinians than past generations.
Palestinian Americans report a wave of Islamophobic incidents amid what they decry as a demonization in the media, according to Religion News Serviceās Kathryn Post and Roxanne Stone.
In an Arab enclave near Detroit, āeverybodyās guard is up,ā the WSJās Joe Barrett reports.
3. āNeutrality isnāt an optionā: āConservative Christiansā strong connection to Israel forms the backbone of Republican support, and is tied to beliefs about biblical promises and prophecy.ā
How are American evangelicals who back Israel responding to the Israel-Hamas war?
The New York Timesā Ruth Graham and Anna Betts go behind the scenes.
American Jews, meanwhile, feel solidarity about Israel ā for the moment, according to the Washington Postās Michelle Boorstein and Annie Gowen.
More Top Reads
Clergy burnout is a growing concern in polarized churches. A summit offers coping strategies, The Associated Pressā Giovanna DellāOrto reports. ā¦ A convention for fans of āThe Chosenā brought thousands to Dallas as a theater rollout for Season 4 was announced, BeLynn Hollers writes for Religion News Service. ā¦ The Washington National Cathedral got a high-tech copy of a hand-lettered Bible, the Washington Timesā Mark A. Kellner notes. ā¦ A fired Southern Baptist seminary president has demanded $5 million in a lawsuit threat, according to The Tennesseanās Liam Adams. ā¦ And in a think piece at RNS, Thomas Reese suggests that covering synods for the media is not easy.
Inside The Godbeat
The Gaza hospital blast referenced earlier showed the challenges for journalists covering the Israel-Hamas war, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The WSJās Alexandra Bruell delves into the confusion the news media experienced ā and potential lessons.
Charging Station: ICYMI
Here is where you can catch up on recent news and opinions from ReligionUnplugged.com.
Martin Scorseseās faith shines in his new film āKillers Of The Flower Moon.ā
So proclaims Joseph Holmes in his movie review for ReligionUnplugged.com.
The Final Plug
At a time of such heavy news, hereās a fun story: The Associated Pressā Luis Andres Henao writes about how church parking near stadiums āscores big in a win-win for faith congregations and sports fans.ā Enjoy!
Happy Friday, everyone! Enjoy the weekend.
Bobby Ross Jr. writes the Weekend Plug-in column for ReligionUnplugged.com and serves as editor-in-chief of The Christian Chronicle. A former religion writer for The Associated Press and The Oklahoman, Ross has reported from all 50 states and 18 nations. He has covered religion since 1999.