Kudos to GetReligion’s Mollie Ziegler for picking out some news stories that catch a religion angle to the Darfur rallies. In Yes, it’s a big religion story, Ziegler, who went Sunday to the Darfur rally on the Mall, pulls together some mainstream press coverage that commented on the fact that there were many people from different religions at the rally, supporting the same cause. Particularly of note, is the strong presence of Jews, who vocally connected the genocide in Darfur with the Holocaust—a noteworthy (and, in my book, commendable) occurance. It’s a short piece, and worth the read.Though not directly related, also of note today is the Associated Press report that the African Union Extends Darfur Deadline. In Nigeria, “The African Union extended the Tuesday midnight deadline for a peace pact aimed at resolving violence in Sudan's Darfur region that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, the chief AU mediator said. The 48-hour extension came as the United States, Britain and Libya sent top envoys to press the Sudanese government and rebels to reach a compromise to ending fighting that has also driven millions from their homes.” But even as peace talks are occurring, “U.N. officials reported an upsurge of fighting in Darfur, where a three-year conflict has led to the deaths of at least 180,000 people and the displacement of more than 2 million.”
That’s it for now.
(Image: taken by
paytonc on May 2 as college students attend evening's rally for Darfur in Chicago)