Free Republic

A government-sponsored panel says the United States must dramatically transform its negative image in the Arab and Muslim world to better meet the dangerous challenges of extremism. The bleak state of our relations with the Middle East was underlined by the 13-member U.S. Advisory Group on Public Diplomacy in its report titled "Changing Minds/ Winning Peace," with a subtitle that sums up the report: "A new strategic direction for U.S. Public Diplomacy in the Arab and Muslim World." The study has come at a critical time, with tensions escalating in the Middle East and the cycle of violence taking another...

Citing concern over what she perceives as growing religious fundamentalism, a Houston woman filed suit Monday in federal court against Harris County, demanding it remove a King James Bible from a monument near the Fannin Street entrance of the civil courthouse. The Bible, tattered and waterstained, has occupied the lighted display case since 1995, when an employee of then-state District Judge John Devine's court undertook an effort to refurbish the neglected monument. The 4-foot-tall pedestal was erected in 1956 to honor industrialist William Mosher for his philanthropic contributions to the Star of Hope Homeless Programs. "It's unconstitutional and I expect...

A lot of people are talking about Mel Gibson's movie The Passion, but few have seen it. I am fortunate to be one of those who has viewed it. I was the organizer and host of the Houston screening, and with the permission of Icon Productions, Gibson's production company, I have some thoughts to share. At our screening, we had approximately 100 guests. It was, by design, a very diverse group, as befits the Houston tradition of openness, dialogue and mutual respect. Our audience included significant representation from the Jewish community, including officials of the Anti-Defamation League. In fact, the...