Rabbi David Saperstein has been nominated by President Obama to be the next ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom at the U.S. State Deaprtment. Rabbi Saperstein would be the first non-Christian to hold the position since the job was created in 1998.
“I am grateful that Rabbi Saperstein has chosen to dedicate his talent to service the American people at this important time for our country,” President Obama said. “I look forward to working with him in the months and year ahead.”
Rabbi Saperstein now awaits Senate confirmation.
The nomination is coming after controversy. The position was left unfilled by the Obama Administration for almost two years before Suzan Johnson Cook took the role in 2011. She left in October during very visible times of Christian persecution around the world and the administration had not taken steps to fill the office for the last nine months.
Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist Convention took note of the nine-month delay in the President’s action but had praise for the nominee.
“Rabbi Saperstein is a respected thinker and leader who brings gravity to this important task,” Moore said. “He has my prayers and my pledge of full cooperation. The downgrade of religious freedom and the persecution of religious minorities around the world must end.”
The United Nations Security Council has voted for an “immediate and unconditional” cease-fire in the Gaza Strip after more than 1,000 people were confirmed dead because of the fighting.
The demand for the cease-fire comes on the Muslim holiday of Eid Al Fitr that is part of the end of the Ramadan month of fasting.
The demand from the United Nations makes no reference to the fact Israel has respected five cease-fire agreements so far in the conflict and Hamas had rejected or breached each one.
President Barack Obama reportedly spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and told him that the U.S. continues to support their right to defend themselves from Hamas attacks.
“The President underscored the United States’ strong condemnation of Hamas’ rocket and tunnel attacks against Israel and reaffirmed Israel’s right to defend itself. The President also reiterated the United States’ serious and growing concern about the rising number of Palestinian civilian deaths and the loss of Israeli lives, as well as the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza,” the readout of the call provided to the press said.
An Easter Prayer Breakfast was held at the White House Monday.
Invitations to the breakfast were sent to members of various denominations. The President addressed the crowd to speak about Christ and His love.
“We’re reminded how He loves us, so deeply, that He gave his only begotten Son so that we might live through Him. And in these Holy Days, we recall all that Jesus endured for us – the scorn of the crowds and the pain of the crucifixion, in our Christian religious tradition we celebrate the glory of the Resurrection – all so that we might be forgiven of our sins and granted everlasting life,” President Obama said.
The President also used the occasion to speak about the tragedy at Jewish community centers in Overland Park, Kansas, saying that nobody should have to worry about their security when gathering for worship.
The President then encouraged the Christians in attendance to not “remain on the sidelines.”
“I want to thank you for your ministries, for your good works, for the marching you do for justice and dignity and inclusion, for the ministries that all of you attend to and have helped organize throughout your communities each and every day to feed the hungry and house the homeless and educate children who so desperately need an education,” the President said. “You have made a difference in so many different ways, not only here in the United States but overseas as well.”
Pope Francis held a 50-minute private talk with President Obama Thursday, a time period that one Catholic news service called an “extraordinarily long time.”
The Pope reportedly wanted to discuss two major issues with the President, treatment of the poor and growing inequality around the world and also the increasing amount of military conflicts around the world.
The President was very generous in his praise of the Pontiff after the meeting.
“Those of us as politicians have the task of trying to come up with policies to address issues,” the President said, “but His Holiness has the capacity to open people’s eyes and make sure they’re seeing that this is an issue.”
The Pope reportedly did not directly discuss the Affordable Care Act, which is facing legal challenges to mandates that would force Christian business owners to pay for treatments that include abortion drugs. However, the Vatican’s Secretary of State reportedly took the President to task on issues of religious freedom in America.
The Pope gave the President a copy of his work The Joy of the Gospels. The President said he would probably read it in the Oval Office to which the Pope said “I hope.”
The President reportedly asked the Pope at the conclusion of the meeting to pray for him and his family.
A member of the Muslim Brotherhood, considered a terrorist group by many Middle Eastern nations including Egypt and Saudi Arabia, had a senior member of their organization hosted by President Obama at a White House meeting.
Anas Altikriti is a British lobbyist for the Muslim Brotherhood and his father heads Iraq’s Muslim Brotherhood party. He joined the President and Vice President Joe Biden in a meeting with Iraqi officials to discuss ongoing security problems in the country.
Altikriti can be seen in official White House photos standing next to Iraqi Parliament Speaker Usama al-Nujaifi as he shook hands with President Obama.
A White House spokesman confirmed Altikriti’s presence at the meeting, claiming the Muslim Brotherhood leader was a translator for the Iraqi Speaker.
Altikriti has publicly backed the terrorist group Hamas and supported a 2007 boycott by Britain’s Muslim Council of Holocaust Memorial Day.
The White House has announced the President Obama will hold his first meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican in March.
The President is conducting a trip to Europe in late March and will meet with the Pope on March 27th.
“The President looks forward to discussing with Pope Francis their shared commitment to fighting poverty and growing inequality,” the White House statement said.
The President quoted the Pope during speeches speaking about the income equality problems in the United States.
A White House task force has called for the brakes to be applied to the National Security Agency.
The presidential advisory panel recommended close to four dozen changes for the NSA and their actions to collect electronically based data for investigations. While the group did not call for an outright ban on the use of phone and internet data, there was a clear signal that the NSA had gone too far.
One of the biggest recommendations is that the NSA be no longer allowed to store information related to American’s telephone records.
“The message to the NSA is now coming from every branch of government and from every corner of our nation: You have gone too far,” read a statement from Vermont Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy. “The bulk collection of Americans’ data by the U.S. government must end. This momentous report from the President’s closest advisers is a vindication of the efforts of a bipartisan group of legislators that has been working for years to protect Americans’ privacy by reining in these intelligence authorities.”
The panel also recommended that a court sign off on any search of an individual’s phone or internet data.
President Obama is under no obligation to implement the changes suggested by the committee but has said he will discuss the report with members of his national security team.
For the first time, President Obama has made a direct appeal to Iran for the release of jailed Christian pastor Saeed Abedini.
President Obama called Iranian President Hassan Rouhani marking the first time the leaders of the two nations have spoken directly since 1979. While the majority of the conversation centered on Iran’s enrichment of nuclear materials, Obama broached the subject of the American pastor jailed for his faith. Continue reading →