Islam is on track to overtake Christianity

Islam is the youngest major religion and 34 percent of its followers are younger than 15 (compared with 27 percent for Christianity), according to a new Pew Center report. Muslims also have a higher average fertility rate, at 3.1 children per woman, compared with 2.7 for Christians. Read more here.

Muslim at Baptist Seminary

A Baptist seminary has its first Muslim student. Ghassan Nagagreh is part of the doctoral program of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Texas. The Religious News Service has an article about what's become a controversial topic here.

Iran hauls off Christian pastor in new sweep

CNN interviews Lisa Daftari on the increasing tensions between Christians and Muslims in Iran.

Suit over Muslim attack in Michigan

A group called the Bible Believers are suing a Sheriff's office in Detroit, Michigan for not protecting two of its members from being attacked by Muslims. The group claims the Wayne County Sheriff and two of his deputies stood by while the Christian men were hit by bottles, rocks and other debris while they were witnessing at the Arab International Festival in Dearborn this summer. Here's a video of what happened.

Christian girl accused of blasphemy in Pakistan released from jail

Read the story here.

Pakistani Girl Remains in Jail

The young girl, beaten and jailed in Pakistan over accusations she burned parts of the Koran, is not being allowed to see her family or her lawyer. The 11-year-old, identified only as Rashma, suffers from seizures. Her attorney says her family is Christian and would not have had a Koran in the home - and even if they did, the girl cannot read or write. Blasphemy is punishable by death.

More on Young girl held in Pakistan

We told you yesterday about the young girl being held in Pakistan, accused of burning pages of the Quran or some other Muslim holy book. CNN reports on the confusion surrounding the case.

Young Girl Arrested for Blasphemy

Police in Pakistan have arrested the 11-year-old daughter of Christian parents for allegedly committing blasphemy. Rifta Masih reportedly burned pages of an Islamic religious text. She suffers from Down's Syndrome and lives in a village close to Islamabad. One newspaper in the region says she was beaten by locals, though police deny it. Rifta was jailed, along with her mother, after Muslims surrounded the local police station demanding action. Hundreds of Christians living in the area have gone into hiding because of the incident, according to Pakistan's Daily Times.

police captain sues department over mosque assignment

Read the story at Fox News here.

Burning the Koran.. again

Evangelical leaders are condemning Terry Jones decision to burn copies of the Koran over the weekend along with an image of Muhammad. The Gainesville, Florida pastor says he's protesting Iran's continued imprisonment of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani. About two dozen people showed up and the city gave the church a citation for violating burn ordinances.

Zombie Muhammad Controversy

A judge called a Pennsylvania man a "doofus" for offending Islam - even though he was the victim in the case before the judge. Mark Martin, who is a Muslim himself, dismissed harassment charges against Muslim defendant Talaag Elbayomy for choking Ernest Perce during a Halloween parade in Mechanicsburg where Perce wore a “zombie Muhammad” costume. Elbayomy ran out from the crowd, grabbed a sign around the neck of Perce and pulled it until the strings choked Perce, who is the state director of American Atheists’ Pennsylvania. Instead of defending Perce First Amendment rights, as the arresting officer stated to a local TV station, Martin lectured him, saying, “I think our forefathers intended to use the First Amendment so we can speak with our mind, not to p— off other people and cultures – which is what you did.” Martin went on to warn Perce that he could be put to death in some Arab countries. Perce faces a possible arrest  himself for posting audio of the judge's comments, which you can hear below. The first video is a report on what happened from WHTM-TV.

American Attitudes toward churches

A new LifeWay Research survey shows how favorable Americans are toward some denominations:

62% are favorable toward Methodists
59% are favorable toward Catholics
53% are favorable toward Southern Baptists
37% are favorable toward Latter-day Saints (Mormons)
28% are favorable toward Muslims.

This denomination is not for me:
35% strongly agree that a Southern Baptist church is not for them
33% strongly agree that a Catholic church is not for them
29% strongly agree that other Baptist churches are not for them
26% strongly agree that a Methodist church is not for them
20% strongly agree that a nondenominational church is not for them

44% Knowing a church is Southern Baptist would negatively impact their decision to visit or join the church
36% Knowing a church is Southern Baptist would have no impact
10% Knowing a church is Southern Baptist would positively impact their decision.

Complaint: Crosses violate Human Rights

Muslim students at Catholic University in Washington DC say their rights are being violated because they have not been allowed to start a Muslim student group and because there are no rooms at the school set aside for their daily prayers without Christian symbols such as crosses. Federal officials are investigating because of a complaint filed by a law professor at George Washington University. Catholic University officials say they have not received any direct complaints about the issue.

Koran-Burning Pastor to Ground Zero

Florida pastor Terry Jones says he'll be in New York during ceremonies marking the 9/11 terror attacks. Mayor Michael Bloomberg is leading the anniversary events. Jones says he will protest the exclusion of first responders and clergy from the program. He came to national attention when he threatened to burn a Koran.

Egyptian Leader

Egyptian telecommunications billionaire Naguib Sawiris wants to become the next president of the country. He has started a political party called the Free Egyptian Party and wants to create a secular democratic government in Egypt. What many in the West will find interesting is that he is a Coptic Christian who stands in opposition to the Muslim majority and Islamist threat his country faces.

Islam Hotline

Jakes to Graham: Apologize

Dallas megachurch pastor T.D. Jakes is calling on Franklin Graham to apologize for casting speculation onto the president’s Christian faith. The son of evangelist Billy Graham has said he believes President Barack Obama was born a Muslim and that those religious roots affect his presidential policies and “the Islamic world sees the president as one of theirs.” Here's what Jakes said to one interviewer:

“We didn’t question the Christianity of President Bush when he said he accepted Christ, and I’m disappointed in Rev. Franklin Graham in that regard. And I would hope that he would see the rationale in apologizing for such statements — because if the president’s faith is suspect, then all of our faiths are suspect, because the Bible is quite clear about what it takes to be saved and the president has been quite open about his accepting Christ and him openly confessing it before men. And if it’s good enough for the Bible it ought to be good enough for the rest of us.”

As recently as last year, about 20% of Americans polled said they believed Obama was a Muslim.

Protest at Mosque

Terry Jones, the Quran burning Florida pastor, wants to protest in front of a mosque. But a Michigan judge has told him to appear in court first. The protest is scheduled for later this week in Dearborn at the Islamic Center of America. Prosecutors have asked the judge to make Jones post a bond to cover the cost of additional police officers during the demonstration. When Jones burned a Quran at his small church in Gainesville, Florida last month, riots broke out in Afghanistan, leading to an attack on a United Nation's facility that killed seven staff workers.

Muslim Growth

If trends continue, more than one person in four will be a Muslim by 2030, according to a study. The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life found the number will reach 2.2 billion. of Muslims in the US will more than double in the next 20 years.

Cutting Ties with Interfaith Group

Southern Baptists are parting ways with an interfaith coalition that works against discrimination against Muslims in the building of mosques. The Interfaith Coalition on Mosques was started by the Anti-Defamation League. Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, announced his intention to withdraw from the group this past Friday.