("MSNBC," February 2, 2012) Cairo, Egypt - One of the Arab world's best-known comedians was sentenced to three months in jail for offending Islam on Thursday, just weeks after Islamist parties won a majority in parliament. A judge, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, told The Associated Press that Adel Imam was convicted in absentia of "defaming Islam.

Andy Ivens ("The Montreal Gazette," February 1, 2012) Vancouver, Canada - One of a handful of experts in the world on Mormonism testified at the tax trial of B.C. polygamist Winston Blackmore on Tuesday, outlining crucial aspects of the religion. W.

Elizabeth Flock ("The Washington Post," February 3, 2012) USA - Megachurch leader Eddie Long is making waves once again after a video being circulated on the Web shows him being crowned “king” in an elaborate ceremony, the Associated Press reports. Other religious leaders have called the video “repulsive” and “inappropriate.” The video, taken at a service last Sunday at Long’s church, New Birth Missionary Baptist in Lithonia, Ga.

(AP, February 3, 2012) Washington, USA - Blending politics and religion, President Barack Obama said his Christian faith is a driving force behind his economic policies, from Wall Street reform to his calls for the wealthy to pay higher taxes.

(AP, February 3, 2012) El Cercado, Mexico – John Casias found his calling when he joined a Texas church group that came to preach the Gospel in the little Mexican town of El Cercado in the early 1980s. He later wrote that he saved nine souls, but worried how the villagers would grow without a teacher. By the time he returned to Texas, he knew his future would be as a missionary.

Philip Pullella (Reuters, February 3, 2012) Vatican City - The Roman Catholic Church has sometimes been in denial over the sexual abuse of children by clergy but must now move forward to face up to the scandal, the Vatican's top official for the issue said on Friday.

Rachel Zoll ("Huffington Post," February 3, 2012) Washington, USA - The Obama administration's decision requiring church-affiliated employers to cover birth control was bound to cause an uproar among Roman Catholics and members of other faiths, no matter their beliefs on contraception. The regulation, finalized a week ago, raises a complex and sensitive legal question: Which institutions qualify as religious and can be exempt from the mandate?

(AP, February 3, 2012) Paris, France - A French appeals court on Thursday upheld the Church of Scientology's 2009 fraud conviction on charges it pressured members into paying large sums for questionable remedies.

Mariam Karouny (Reuters, February 2, 2012) Damascus, Syria - A year ago, Ali was enjoying university in Damascus, looking forward to a career in dentistry and paying little heed to politics in a country controlled by a single family for over 40 years. That all changed, not so much when other Syrians took to the streets to demand President Bashar al-Assad step down, but when a mysterious message popped up on his Facebook page;

Carlo Strenger ("Haaretz," February 3, 2012) Jerusalem, Israel - The Israel Democracy Institute has just published a major survey that gives an insight into Israeli society. Its major findings are that an average of 90 percent see Jewish lifecycle rituals as important or very important.

("Associated Press," February 3, 2012) New York, USA – Thirty-two civil rights groups from around the country filed a complaint with the New York attorney general Friday over police documents that showed the New York Police Department recommending increased surveillance of Shiite mosques based solely on their religion.

Richard Allen Greene ("CNN," January 30, 2012) Canada - Zainab Shafia's crime was to run off to marry a man her parents hated. Middle sister Sahar's crime was to wear revealing clothes and have secret boyfriends. Youngest sister Geeti's crime was to do badly in school and call social workers for help dealing with a family home in turmoil. The punishment for all three teenage Canadian sisters was the same: death.

Peter Henderson and Kristina Cooke (Reuters, January 31, 2012) Salt Lake City, USA - A religious studies class late last year at Utah State University in Logan, Utah, was unusual for two reasons. The small group of students, faculty and faithful there to hear Mormon Elder Marlin Jensen were openly troubled about the future of their church, asking hard questions. And Jensen was uncharacteristically frank in acknowledging their concerns.

Peggy Fletcher Stack ("The Salt Lake Tribune," January 30, 2012) Salt Lake City, USA - An LDS student surfs the Internet for a school assignment and discovers that Mormon founder Joseph Smith had multiple wives, even marrying a 14-year-old. A returned LDS missionary, preparing a Sunday school lesson, comes across a website alleging that the Book of Mormon was plagiarized from a novel.

Jennifer Garza ("McClatchy News," January 30, 2012) USA - Mitt Romney’s tax returns reveal that the Republican presidential candidate does something fewer Americans do these days: He tithes. Romney’s 2009 and 2010 tax returns, released Tuesday, show that he and his wife, Ann, gave 10 percent of their income, about $4.1 million, to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The couple reported income of about $43 million for the two years.

Huma Khan ("ABC News," January 30, 2012) Washington, USA - The most recent showdown between Roman Catholic Church leaders and the Obama administration over contraceptive services threatens to alienate the president’s liberal religious supporters at a time when discontent with Washington is surging.

David G. Savage ("Los Angeles Times," January 30, 2012) Washington, USA - The Supreme Court and the Obama administration, already headed for a face-off in March over the constitutionality of the healthcare law, appear to be on another collision course over whether church-run schools, universities, hospitals and charities must provide free contraceptives to their students and employees.

("Associated Press," January 30, 2012) West Point, USA - A retired U.S. lieutenant general who made comments denigrating Islam withdrew Monday from speaking at a West Point prayer breakfast after a veterans' advocacy group asked the Army chief of staff to rescind the invitation. VoteVets.org told Gen. Raymond Odierno in a letter that allowing retired Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin to speak at the U.S.

Calum MacLeod ("USA Today," January 31, 2012) Beijing, China – Looking down on Drango town from his hillside monastery on China's eastern Tibetan plateau, monk Gelek Rabten appeared hopeful last fall. Unlike in neighboring counties, no Drango monks had set themselves on fire and died in protests for religious freedom.

("Associated Press," January 30, 2012) San Angelo, USA - A judge has moved the bigamy trial of a former lieutenant to polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs. The trial of Wendell Loy Nielsen has been moved from San Angelo to Midland by order Monday of state District Judge Barbara Walther. Midland is about 100 miles northwest of San Angelo.