Christian schools in Mumbai demurred recently a suggestion by the Birhand Mumbai Corporation to introduce Hindu culture into their classes.

Archdiocesan Board of Education General Secretary Gregory Lobo said their 150-odd Christian schools in Mumbai promote respect for all faiths, and there is no need to focus on a particular faith, Christian Today India said.

The BMC also asked missionary schools to increase holidays for Hindu festivals and to remove a ban on students applying mehendi and bindis (decoration marks on the hands and forehead) and bangles, CT India said.  Read more... (277 words, 1 image, estimated 1:06 mins reading time)

The story of 17-year-old Christian (formerly Muslim) convert Fathima Rifqa Bary is far from over according to the Orlando Sentinel, as she is getting surgery for cancer and will need several rounds of chemotherapy afterwards.

Rifqa Bary

Last year Bary converted to Christianity, then fled to Florida because she was afraid her parents or people from their mosque would kill her.

Now she is back in Ohio due to a court order, but lives with a foster family.

Even as her parents continue the court battle over how she should be raised, Bary has had two surgeries for cancer, and will undergo a third operation on Thursday, the Orlando Sentinel said.  Read more... (466 words, 2 images, estimated 1:52 mins reading time)

Last year an Egyptian girl wrote a letter to U.S. President Barack Obama from a Coptic Christian  website.

She told the president that Muslims in the United States are treated much better than Copts in Egypt, Compass Direct News (CDN) reported.

Dina Maher Ahmad Mo’otahssem and her father have been on the run for two years due to religious persecution in Egypt.

Dina Maher Ahmad Mo’otahssem, 16, has been in hiding since 2008 with her father, Maher Ahmad El-Mo’otahssem Bellah El-Gohary.  They have suffered constant persecution whenever people discover their identities, CDN said.  Read more... (769 words, 2 images, estimated 3:05 mins reading time)

American Idol has a distinct church connection–Most of the show’s winning contestants have hailed from the “Bible belt,” and many of them having been trained by singing in evangelical or Pentecostal churches.

This season’s top contenders were the exception, as Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze are from the Midwest.  However Aaron Kelley, Michael Lynche and Tim Urban got their “singing legs” by performing in their churches, the LA Times said.

In season eight, half of the top 10 were worship leaders in their church.  Churches also became a big part of the contestants’ fan bases with congregations launching viewing parties and vote drives for their favorites, the LA Times reported.  Read more... (493 words, 2 images, estimated 1:58 mins reading time)

Two Iranian Christian women were acquitted recently of apostasy charges and were allowed to leave their country, the Baptist Press (BP) reported.

According to the BP Marzieh Amirizadeh, 31,  and Maryam Rostampour, 28, were charged with apostasy for converting to Christianity.  They spent more than 250 days in jail for their faith.

While in prison Amirizadeh and Rostampour were repeatedly placed under great pressure to recant and deny Jesus Christ. They faced repeated interrogations, weeks in solitary confinement, and unhealthy prison conditions. Both became seriously sick during their imprisonment and did not receive the treatment they needed. Senior judges and officials also intimidated them.  Read more... (419 words, 1 image, estimated 1:41 mins reading time)

The wildly successful “Lost” ended with a finale recently that was replete with concepts of faith and belief, where all of the show’s main characters–and many from seasons past–meet in a church, then head to the afterlife.

Carlton Cuse, who co-produced the show with Damon Lindeloff said, “The faith axis seems like it’s a big part of the show this year.  The show is a reflection of our beliefs,” the New York Daily News reported.

Lost Finale: Experts Talk Impact Of Religion On The Island  Read more... (400 words, 2 images, estimated 1:36 mins reading time)

Faith progressive democrats expressed apprehension recently that the party may be missing the boat by giving less emphasis to their faith outreach—more so with democratic control of Congress at stake in this fall’s general elections, the Washington Post reported.

The Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) faith staff of six has now dwindled to one part-time slot–a huge difference from the 2008 elections when the democrats hired faith consultants, advertised regularly on Christian radio and featured candidates, including President Obama, who spoke openly about their relationship with God, the Washington Post said.  Read more... (568 words, 2 images, estimated 2:16 mins reading time)

The Texas State Board of Education approved recently a new social studies curriculum that has angered leftists and liberals.

The new standards came into consideration after the board appointed a panel of experts last year to make recommendations.  The 15-member board voted 9-5 in favor of the new standards for textbooks and teaching history, economics and other civics classes that will take effect in August 2011.

The new curriculum will teach free market principles, explain how government taxation and regulation can restrict private enterprise, emphasize the achievements of Republican leaders such as President Ronald Reagan, and lend more focus on the biblical and Christian traditions of the country’s founding fathers, among others.  Read more... (292 words, 1 image, estimated 1:10 mins reading time)

Somalia’s minority Christians still observed Pentecost, despite a spray of gunfire between  pro-government troops and Muslim militants causing 14 deaths.

The engagement occurred as the insurgent group al-Shabab advanced on the presidential palace overnight, but were stopped by government troops and African Union peacekeepers, according to BosNewsLife.

Somalia’s frail government faces unrest from two insurgent groups, al-Shabab and Hizbul Islam.  Although the two latter groups agree that they want a more strict Islamic state, they are also fighting each other, aside from both groups fighting the government.  Read more... (479 words, 1 image, estimated 1:55 mins reading time)

British pop star Adam Ant checked into a mental health facility in the UK recently, after an offensive outburst he made during a comeback concert in a church recently, according to the Daily News.

Ant, whose real name is Stuart Goddard, was the lead singer of Adam and the Ants.  He suffers from bipolar disorder and was sectioned under the UK Mental health Act of 1983, Spinner reported.

He is now at the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, from where he released a statement that said, “Ant fans — please send me postcards at the Chelsea & Westminster hospital, Fulham Road.”  He discouraged fans from coming to the hospital because “it may upset the staff who have been really pleasant,” according to Spinner.  Read more... (309 words, 1 image, estimated 1:14 mins reading time)