(SRN NEWS)-( ) A growing number of American colleges and universities are hiring full-time Muslim chaplains to go with the Christian and Jewish chaplains already at work on campus. Rutgers, a state university with three locations across New Jersey, became one of the first public schools to privately fund a full-time Muslim chaplain. Today, about […]
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(SRN NEWS)-( ) A growing number of American colleges and universities are hiring full-time Muslim chaplains to go with the Christian and Jewish chaplains already at work on campus. Rutgers, a state university with three locations across New Jersey, became one of the first public schools to privately fund a full-time Muslim chaplain. Today, about 80 schools around the country have a full-time Muslim chaplain. Their role on campus has stirred some controversy in the wake of the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent pro-Palestinian protests at many colleges and universities. Anti-Semitism has also been rising on campus.
( ) New research indicates that while many Americans are religious, they are moving away from membership in traditional institutions. Professor Laura Yares (YAIR-ez) of Michigan State University says, “Our research reveals that there is a vibrant ecosystem of people learning about religion in their leisure time.” Across America, increasing numbers of people learn about religion through media, cultural productions and digital networks. Christians may study biblical themes through podcasts, online discussion groups or religious influencers. Jews and Muslims may participate in online learning communities that connect believers across the world.
( ) South Korea plans to approve abortion pills for the first time, deepening debates over abortion in a country that until recently had imposed strict rules on the procedure. The government says it will allow the drugs to be used by women who are up to nine weeks pregnant by the first quarter of 2027. Officials say that for the first two years, abortion pills will be directly prescribed and dispensed by doctors. In a landmark ruling in 2019, South Korea’s Constitutional Court ordered the easing of the decades-old ban on most abortions, one of the strictest in the developed world. Abortion was subsequently decriminalized.
( ) There is some good news for Christians in Pakistan where persecution has been severe for decades. International Christian Concern says “Registered blasphemy cases have fallen by roughly two-thirds this year, down to just 13 so far in 2026. Blasphemy-related riots and attacks, which averaged more than seven per year between 2021 and 2024, dropped to just one during the past 12 months.” ICC says the reason for these trends has to do with a government crackdown on the most extreme Islamic groups in Pakistan. With the government pursuing the extremists, they have little time to agitate against Christians.