Show Standard-Examine- O'!s - Zv (POOR More Egyptian women wearing veils ' Piety modesty and fear among reasons for change By NADIA ABOU Associated Press 1 CAIRO Egypt - A newly felt fear of God’s wrath led Shireen an a housewife a Cairo family to cover her flowing black curls under well-to-d- o -- “a Muslim veil It had not been part of her attire nor her upbringing among Egypt’s privileged But after her mother-in-- died three years ago she sought comfort in the cassette rewho cordings of Omar Abdel-Kapreaches that disobedient Muslims will be tortured in the grave The veil he says helps make a woman a good Muslim “There is no guarantee in this Life” said Soleiman who speaks in measured tones but with the assurance of a convert “Many people die ’while they are still young” law fi Women of all ages are covering themselves like never before in Egypt’s modem history underlining a wider return to religion as Egyptian Muslims contemplate their identity after decades of frustrating political and social stagnation Piety modesty or the desire to avoid harassment are among the reasons women cite for wearing the veil And the social pressure is growing as more and more women cover themselves - and fiery Muslim preachers like Abdel-Ka- fi deliver their dire warnings The veil itself is conveniently versatile Some department stores now cater exclusively to veiled women offering a wide assortment of clothing - from bright floral kerchiefs popularly called the hijab that leave the allface exposed to black niqabs that cloak everything but the eyes This is a far cry from the Egypt of the 1950s and 1960s when bare arms and miniskirts were the fashion standard for urban women The full-leng- th Christian training ally unheard of Now it is more common to see women with the veil than without -and not just in Egypt Women in Arab countries from Sudan to the Persian Gulf are donning the veil in what has become the most overt sign of growing conservatism across the region Oppression is how Western and Egyptian detractors describe the phenomenon It is just another instance in which women are relegat- ed to second-clas- status in the s Muslim world they say Said a former judge and writer whose liberal interpretation of Islamic law has angered conservative Muslims contends the veil has become “a political slogan not religious obligation” Its defenders - and there are many - say the veil allows them to avoid harassment in the crowded streets or at work They discount any pressure to wear it On religious grounds they cite a See VEIL on How veils are used in some Arab countries sip of modesty and the veil is widespread throughout the Arab world Situations in some Arab countries in- women who drive with faces veiled and decision to bar female Seen as a piety medical students in niqabs from laboratories Saudi Arabia: All women including foreigners are required by law to have heads and bodies covered in public They are not forced to wear niqab More liberal Persian Gulf countries like Bahrain do not require veil but hijab is common even among professional women Lebanon: Veil is seen less clude: Sudan: Efforts by Islamic government to force women to wear hijab have largely failed Most still wear sari-sty- clothing le that wraps loosely around body Female students say they are harassed by police for wearing blue jeans Women in television and government offices wear hijab Kuwait: More women young and old are wearing hijab But niqab has become source of conflict between fundamentalist Muslims and liberals Islamists fiercely opposed ban on frequently reflecting nation’s multireligious nature and waning influence of Muslim fundamentalists Use of hijab prevalent in Muslim areas but niqabs are rare full-leng- th 9A 66 99 “I’m proud of this building I don’t Imow what I would do - - OGDEN - The public is invited to attend an election day dinner at 7 pm Tuesday at First United Methodist Church 2604 Jefferson Ave The annual event will be in the church's fellowship hall It will feature roasted turkey The church's election day dinner is a tradition that dates back more than 90 years In the old days young boys would run to the church from where votes were being counted to report election results But Betty Sail an event organizer said the dinner has evolved to a point where it simply offers an opportunity for people to visit and enjoy good food on election day The meal will be served at 5 pm and 6:15 pm Take-out- s also are available The cost is $6 for adults and $3 for children Reservations are 7 recommended Call 6 to reserve or 393-566-2 399-150- if I had to go to another ward I learned to love it as a child We band together ” - Ogden 21 st LOS Ward member Edith Thorsted places Kaysville church dedication Sunday - Members KAYSVILLE of Kaysville Bible Church will dedicate their new building at Second North and Flint Street at 3 pm Sunday The church was founded Nov 5 1972 Because of the growing membership the congregation has moved more than three times to bigger buildings The church met for the first time in the new building on Oct 8 The public is invited to the dedication For more information call By GARY D ROBERTSON Associated Press ASHEVILLE NC - Nestled inside a 'steep mountain grove a tiny resort inspired by Billy Graham has sprung up dedicated to quiet Christian contemplation J Some might consider it heaven on earth £ “You can listen to yourself think here” "'said Garrian McGhee of Miami sitting on a porch overlooking foothills of the Blue Ridge - mountains “Everybody has a smile It makes 546-444- SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco's Roman Catholic community welcomed its new spiritual leader recently during a ceremony at St Mary's Cathedral Scores of priests and about 50 bishops from around the country attended the ceremony at which William J Levada 59 formerly of Portland Ore became the seventh archbishop of San Francisco He will serve as “coadjutor” for about six months along with Archbishop John R Quinn 68 The San Francisco Archdiocese has a $100 million operating budget 500 priests and 400000 parishioners they learned be- come reality The Cove now boasts a conference building two chalets for guests facilities for youth camps chapel and visitors center The purpose is to train people “so that they can win the world for Christ” said Jerry Miller a retired Texaco vice president and the man Graham asked to come to Asheville and develop the center in 1983 “This is the legacy he wanted to have” The evangelist now 76 and suffering from Parkinson’s disease has declined several to have colleges renamed in his honor said William Martin author of a Graham bi- ography I "What worries him is that whatever con-- ‘ tihues in his name is not a departure from " what he has preached” Martin said "There is some understandable hope that he will be remembered for a long long time” More than 7000 people attended seminars at The Cove last year “People come here because they have confidence in Billy Graham” said the Rev Carlisle Sanford a retired Southern Baptist pasat the center tor now working part-tim- e “Somehow they expect The Cove to operate in a similar fashion as his ministry" In the beginning the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association Graham’s parent organization bought 1500 acres just 20 miles from I Graham’s home in Montreat for a little over $1 million Soon after Graham and his wife - Ruth hiked up the mountain prayed and dis- -: cussed their vision for the land in 1987 The I“ The Cove officially opened Chantlos Memorial Chapel was completed in - 1989 the conference center opened in 1991 “ the Shepherd’s Inn was added in 1992 fol- lowed by the Pilgrim’s Inn last year Woman exchanges crane for pulpit NORFOLK Neb - Strange as may seem Janet Burgel of Norfolk is equally at home behind a church pulpit or the controls of a crane During the day Burgel works full time as a crane operator at Norfolk Iron and Metal She also spends about 15 hours a week at First and Westridge United Methodist churches in Norfolk as it of-fe- rs CHRISTINE Lois Maddock (left) who recently compiled a history of the Ogden 21st LDS Ward stands next to longtime friend Edith Brick-by-bri- ck Ogden ward remembers bam that predated facility By JEFFREY P HANEY staff Standard-Examin- - Edith Thorsted’s eyes sparkle when she life as a gangly girl picking berries and doing odd jobs to earn a nickel every week In the local fields Thorsted plucked plants nonstop to earn enough to buy bricks - bricks she would promptly donate to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da- y Saints Her church was building a chapel And she wanted to do her part OGDEN JACOBSStandartl-Examti- Thorsted daughter of the ward’s first bishop Ward members will be celebrating the ward's 65th anniversary this month history of chapel n Thorsted is one of the original members of the Ogden 21st Ward still attending the same ward after 65 years Others like Ray Richards and Lois Maddock also still live within the ward boundaries They too bought bricks and toiled on the church building into the night after working at their day jobs effort They also were part of a heart-fe- lt in 1934 to move their small ranks from a small dusty bam in downtown Ogden to a historic intricately designed chapel that bears an uncanny resemblance to Ogden High School It was that effort they say that formed a familial bond in the congregation that has spanned more than six generations half-doze- “The ward has never lost that unity we built up over all this time” Thorsted says The ward was formed in 1930 Because they had no chapel church members met every Sunday in a wood bam on 12th Street “We painted it and scrubbed it up for the meetings" she said “A lot of water has gone under the bridge since that time I’ll tell you that” For more than 3 years faithful members sat on unfinished wood panels in the old bam without heat in the winter for the Sunday services They also hung curtains across the middle to create rooms for Sunday school classes “If you didn’t like your lesson you could just bsten to the other side” Thorsted said See WARD on 9A Holy Land journey improves Christian group’s faith ur first view of Jerusalem was from 1 Mount Scopus near the Mount of OI- ives at dusk As the sun set we clearly saw the golden Dome of the Rock built on the site of Solomon’s temple and the booming modem city surrounding it The Rev Teny Fullam our spiritual guide I V asked “Why would anyone come here? This is a city with peace in its name: Salem Yet it has known very little peace It’s been fought over many tiroes even in our short lifetime Psalm 48 suggests a reason to come: "Walk around Zion go around her count that you may tell them to the her towers next generation For this God is our God for ev er and ever he will be our guide even to the end “You would not be a Christian today had not somebody told you about the grace of God so you could understand it Someone had to tell the person who told you w There’s an unbroken chain of witnesses Seeing Israel “You will know more about God than those you work with You hasea responsibility to pass on what you know A century ago a British general walking on Jerusalem's okl wall saw what appeared to be a large skull in an outcropping of rock and 1 Archbishop moves to San Francisco The Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove started as a dream three decades ago Graham envisioned a retreat where Christians could study the Bible then return to churches and workplaces to live what That dream has Methodists plan elections dinner 392-655- Resort grows under Graham’s influence ' RELIGION UPDATE hijab was rare the niqab was virtu- center ' 7A Saturday November 4 1995 r remembered that Jesus was crucified at Golgotha the Place of the Skull He excavated a nearby hill and found a first century tomb stone with a trough in which a could be rolled and cisterns below to water the garden of a rich man While the traditional sue of Calvary is beneath a fourth century Church of the Holy Sepulchre the “Garden Tomb" is equally plausible and has been lushly restored into a quiet oasis visited by 250000 Christians a year We celebrated communion there Our group also walked down the steep Mount of Olives as Jesus did on Palm Sunday and stopped in the Garden of Gethserru-n- e -- old olive which has 200b-yea- r trees that Jesus may have seen We even saw what might have been the cell m Caiaphas house that held him disc-shap- ed We visited Shepherd's Field near Bethlehem where sheep still graze on sparse grass amidst the stones and heard a talk on Micah’s prophesy that from Bethlehem will come a “ruler over Israel" Of course most of Jesus’ ministry was in Galilee Though Capernaum a fishing village which was his base no longer exists we stood in the partly restored synagogue where he really preached On a high hill over Galilee we took turns reading the Sermon on the Mount though Jes sus probably never delivered the point sermon at a single time We visited Caesarea Philippi a source of the Jordan River where the water flows from an underground spring Fullam said it w as at this spot that Jesus asked the most important of 3 294 questions in the Bible: “Who do you say that I amT Peter replied "You are the Christ son of the living God" "Blessed are you Simon son of Jonah for this was not revealed to you by man but by my Father in heaven" We also went to the surprising')' little Jordan River where one person was baptized and many had pastors pray for special needs 100-plu- before immersion One person reported a major healing Reactions? "We will never read the Bible the same way We can relate it to places we have been" said Harvey Haack a counselor with alcoholics in the Salvation Army "Saying I’m back from the Holy Land will mean a lot to those starting to read the Bible” Joan E Gregg who came with her husband Bill inflicted with terminal cancer said “Walking in Jesus’ steps improved our faith It is Jesus with skin on a humanity that is hard to describe" Bill was at absolute peace - and full of joy Ralph and Dorothy Engle are converted Jews who were excited to exchange Christian wedding vows for the first time at Cana He said his visit to Israel "brought me to a relationship 1 had not known tied to my Jewish roots knowing that Jesus came from my roots" Ross Jones 30 who traveled with his new wife Emily said "I came aw ay enamored with Israel and have a better understanding of Old Testament prophesy" Emily adds "I have a deeper understanding that our faith is focused more on life of Jesus than his a pastor She is pursuing theology studies and hopes to be ordained as a minister in the United Methodist Church The decision to enter the ministry was not easy even though she has been a member of the Methodist church since age 3 Her morning starts at 5:30 with an hour of devotions By 7 am she is at work on the crane By midaftemoon she returns home to get ready mentally and physically for her other job Burgel said she draws her y strength from her faith "I believe that if this is what I’m intended to do that God will help give me the strength to endure the difficult things’ she day-to-da- said Pastors promote racial harmony WINSTON-SALENC -Churches m North Carolina are trying to cross the racial divide brought to light by the OJ Simpson trial In Winston-Saleblack and m white congregations mingled recently and pastors traded pulptts in the interest of racial harmony Members of the First Baptist Church a predominantly black congregation met at Wake Forest Baptist Church a predominantly white church on the Wake Forest University campus for the fourth joint worship service in less than two -- years 1 think lately because of the Simpson verdict you can feel the tension and separation’ Teresa Hi ft on a member of First Baptist said after the sendee ’Here I don't seem to feel that" - Standard-Examine- r staf and wire service s |