>> abernethy: coming up, the copts-- egyptian christians since the first century challenged now by muslim extremists. and,he growing popularity of spiritual directors, drawing on practices from many faiths to help people identify god's presence in their lives. captioning sponsored by the lilly endowment >> abernethy: welcome. i'm bob abernethy. it's good to have you with us. malaria is adding to the misery in haiti after last month's earthquake. health workers say the disease is sweeping through the encampments of the homeless in and around port-au-prince. more than a million haitians lost their homes in the quake. also this week, the haitian government said the death toll could reach 300,000. meanwle, haitian and u.s. officials are debating recent cases of americans adopting haitian children. it is unclear how many children were orphaned, but unicef says that even before the earthquake, 380,000 haitian children were either orphans or had been abandoned. new clashes this week between israeli soldiers and palestinians after israel added religious sites in the west bank to its list of national heritage sites. the most controversial addition is known to jews and christians as the cave of the patriarchs-- the traditional burial site of abraham, isaac, and jacob in hebron. but the site is also revered by muslims who call it the al- ibrahimi mosque. israel's action sparked several days of riots and protests. u.s. officials called the israeli move "provocative and unhelpful" to the peace process. in washington, as legislators met with president obama to debate health care reform, an interfaith coalition was among the many religious groups urging congress to extend coverage to the most vulnerable. leaders of more than a hundred national and local faith groups signed a letter cautioning that quote "turning back now could mean justice delayed for another generation." there were several stories this week that illustrate the ongoing tensions between religion and government. our managing editor kim lawton joins me to talk about them. kim, beginning with this report this week from the chicago council on global affairs about what some have called the "god gap" in american diplomacy. >> lawton: well, a very influential panel of scholars, religious leaders, and former government officials accuse the u.s. of having an uncompromising western secularism that actually hinders american foreign policy overseas. they say ignorance about religion in places around the world has really hampered u.s. efforts and they say that there needs to be an entrenched education about the importance of religion. >> abernethy: well, this isn't the first time people have been talking about this. >> lawton: people have been talking about this for 20 years, calling for this. former secretary of state madeline albright also called for it, but it just never seems to happen. the diplomatic community, homeland security and other officials don't seem to put this in to their education and their training and so they're hoping that maybe in the obama administration there will be new opportunities. >> abernethy: another really interesting story, for me anyway, was the reaction many muslims to that plane crash last week in austin, texas when a guy who apparently hated taxes flew his airplane into the building that housed the internal revenue service and it was officially called a crime and muslims said, "wait a minute, that fits the definition of terrorism." then they charged there was a double standard about what terrorism is. true? >> lawton: well they looked at federal law, how they define terrorism in federal law, which says it's a premeditated, politically motivated act targeting non- combatants. they say this is what this is. had it been a muslim flying that plane they say that the government would have not hesitated to call it terrorism. government officials say that they were looking for links with questionable groups and there didn't seem to be any in this situation, so it's an interesting question. >> abernethy: and then there was that interesting story from indiana where goshen college says, after years of not permitting the playing of the "star spangled banner" that, okay, they can now play it. what's that all about? >> lawton: well, goshen college is a mennonite college and mennonites are part of the anabaptist tradition of christianity which has always been pacifist. it's also had a very strong separation between church and state and so for them having a flag in a church or for some people, for some mennonites, allegiance elevates love of country and love of god to the same position, or maybe makes love of country even greater... reverence for country great than for god. and so for them the "star spangled banner," also with its militaristic language "bombs bursting in air," they hadn't done it, but now they've decided they'll do an instrumental version before sporting events. >> abernethy: kim lawton, many thanks. we have a story now about one of the oldest christian communities in the world, the copts. they make up about 10% of the 80 million people in predominately muslim egypt. for centuries, muslims and copts have co-existed, usually peacefully, but that tolerance is being threatened by the growth of extremist islam, especially the saudi arabian variety known as wahabism. fred de sam lazaro reports from cairo. >> reporter: the church is carved out of el mokattam, or the mountain, a giant bluff, just outside cairo. egypt's coptic church is one of christianity's earliest, brought here by mark, writer of the oldest new testament gospel. the liturgy closely resembles those seen in other eastern orthodox churches, though the copts leader, or pope, has always been based in egypt. this church was actually built in the 1990s, a tribute to its ancient heritage, modern engineering and the affluence of some in egypt's coptic minority. but that wealth is in small pockets of egypt's upper class and a copt diaspora in rich countries. most of egypt's copts live in poverty, sometimes dire poverty. surrounding this church is one of cairo's poorest neighborhoods called medina zabaleen, literally "trash city." for decades, the zabaleen, or trash collectors, have gone door-to-door and hauled home what the people of cairo threw away. they aren't paid for this, their entire income comes from recycling. they've been uprooted repeatedly as the city's grown, and activist laila iskander says only grudgingly tolerated. >> the government realized, "well, if we evict these people from here and tell them to vanish, who's going to service the city?" so there was always this recognition that these people were important, but we don't like them. five evictions later, into the¡ 70s, they figured there's going to be a sixth eviction. it's too easy and the city will grow and catch up with us. let's go into the belly of the mountain, the limestone rock here, and they did that. >> reporter: copts make up about 10% of egypt's population and many say zabaleen city is a metaphor for their struggle in this predominantly muslim country, a struggle to preserve traditions and livelihoods, both of which, they say are imperiled by egypt's growing religious conservatism and by government policies. in 2009, the egyptian government ordered the killing of all pigs in the country. some 300,000 animals were culled. pigs are considered unclean in islam, but the christian zabaleen were suddenly deprived of a source of both income and protein. and health experts agree the animals were never a flu threat. >> i don't think the decision was anti-christian. i think the decision was just another example of the incompetence of the government. >> reporter: author and democracy activist alaa al aswany also blames poor governance for egypt's persistent poverty. he says the resulting frustration has often fueled sectarian tension. and beginning in the 1970s, so has a steady rise in the wahabi brand of religious conservatism, imported and financed from saudi arabia. >> you have for example in egypt more than 17 t.v. channels, every day promoting the wahabi ideas. and this way of understanding the religion is very exclusive in the sense that they are against anybody who is different. they are against the shia people of iran, they are against even muslims who are for democracy, like myself, accusing me of being secular against the religion. they are against jews, of course, they are against christians, they are against everybody who is not with them. >> reporter: egyptians who grew up in the '50s and '60s, see the growing influence of wahabism: most egyptian women cover their hair today, and growing numbers don the niqab, covering all but their eyes. it's evident even in cemeteries like this one, where you can see disagreements over allowing inscriptions on tombstones. >> so this says, "the most merciful, whatever" and then somebody says you're not supposed to do that so he erased it and you actually see the culture clashing in print, right before your eyes. >> reporter: ahmed tharwat has lived in minnesotaor 25 years, where he hosts a t.v. show for the region's arab american community. he recently visited the nile delta village, where he lived, as a young man. >> this is all muslim, all muslim section. >> reporter: he says one christian family lived in the village. but there was no christian cemetery nearby so they're buried alongside muslim neighbors. this departure from custom prompted some debate but it was resolved by community leaders. >> i remember when the neighbor, my uncle, said he didn't hurt us when he was alive, why would he hurt us when he dies? and, i think, that... really just sums up the whole story. >> reporter: but some say that kind of acceptance has given way to much more awareness of a religious divide and tension. >> you always find a religious interpretation of any conflict between copts and muslims because we live in an era of tension between the religions that i've never seen registered athis level. and that's why in any conflicts between muslims and copts-- in the subway or the market-- it will always end up being taken in the religious context. >> reporter: the most violent such example occurred in southern egypt outside a coptic church on the orthodox christmas day. six worshippers and a muslim security guard were gunned down. the killings were apparently retaliation for the alleged rape of a muslim girl by a christian man. there were riots and clashes with police during the funerals. >> this intolerance has been existing in the society because of the wahabi people but also it has been transmitteas an infection to the other side. so you have also some coptic fanatics, and also, you have coptic channels who are trying to make the point that the religion of islam is a whole bunch of nonsense. >> reporter: in the end, religious leaders from both communities tried to bring calm after the christmas shootings. copts and muslims have lived side by side for centuries, with only occasional spasms of sectarian violence. the key question is: are things different this time? will the current tension escalate into an enduring religious conflict? author aswany thinks it's not in the egyptian character. >> it could be repeated, but i don't think this is opening of an era of killing in egypt because, as i said, the egyptian culture, which is very old and very civilized, will never tolerate it. so we have had before, probably, this is one positive aspect to be belonging to a country which has been existing for 16 centuries, 6,000 years, because everything you are having now you will discover that it happened before many times. >> our problem is not with the average muslim. our problem is extremist, and the wahabi thinking about islam. that's where most of the problem is. average muslim, no problem. >> and we wish the government, and society in general, would recognize that we are a vibrant community, not just the trash people. >> reporter: back in medina zabaleen, church elders say they can only hope that the historic tolerance prevails in egypt, a society that may not have fully embraced the copts, but one that, nonetheless, recognized their citizenship as one of egypt's ancient original people. for "religion and ethics newsweekly," this is fred de sam lazaro, in cairo, egypt. >> abernethy: polls indicate that is on of the least religious regions of the country is the pacific northwest. but there are a lot of people there who say they are spiritual, and who are seeking out the insights of spiritual directors. they draw on the meditation traditions of many faiths to help searchers identify the signs of the holy in their lives. we have a lucky severson story today we call "spiritual in seattle". >> reporter: sunday mass at st. james cathedral in seattle where attendance has actually been growing, defying a national trend of fewer people attending church. sister joyce cox, a catholic scholar and spiritual director for the seattle archdiocese says a survey in a book called "the none zone" found that people in the pacific northwest are less religious than the national average. >> the first question was: do you have any faith or church that you follow or you participate in? and the answer was none. so, 67% of those who answered, answered none, but they still claimed in other questions that they believed in god and that they were spiritual. >> rerter: that's the good news, an increasing number of americans say they are searching for spirituality. >> by whatever name you might call the holy one of being. >> reporter: and many, inside and outside of church, are finding it with the help of a spiritual director-- someone to listen and offer guidance in the quest for the experience of god's presence. sometimes it's in groups, like this retreat. most often it's one on one, and deeply personal. >> it isn't as though one has to meet with a person as a spiritual director in order to know the spiritual journey, but it sure helps. >> reporter: liz ellmann is the executive director of spiritual directors international which has a worldwide membership of 7,000, a number that has been expanding rapidly. >> and our members are clergy, our members are rabbis, they're catholic priests, they're methodist ministers and presbyterianinisters. they're also lay people of all different faith traditions. >> reporter: the first step to what some call a "personal experience of the holy," most agree, is to find a state of tranquility and silence. these two women, both spiritual directors, invited us to observe the process or what they call "the journey." >> during the day, sometimes when i'm feeling kind of chaotic or pulled in too many different directions, i've come up with a simple gesture to center, to quiet, to quiet. >> reporter: not surprisingly, with the upsurge of those seeking a spiritual connection, there are an increasing number of courses around the country for spiritual directors in training, like this one at seattle university. it is not a lucrative undertaking. many don't charge for their services. some may ask for a donation to a religious or humanitarian organization. for those who charge, the rates vary from around $25 to $60 an hour. >> many people seek a spiritual director when there is something tragic that's happened in their life. they're trying to make sense out of it. where is god in all of this? and so they reach out to meet with a spiritual companion, a spiritual director, to journey with them into what is the deeper meaning? i'd like to share a story about this. >> reporter: ellmann knows about overcoming tragedy with some spiritual guidance. her journey began after she was almost killed in a car accident, then survived a brain tumor. as head of spiritual directors international, she is often invited to explain the role of the spiritual director, as she did when she attended the spiritual direction retreat at this interfaith community church in seattle. >> i'm going to talk about prayer first as these three chairs... >> reporter: she explains there is a person in one chair who is a spiritual director and there's a person in the second chair who's coming with the story of what is going on in their spiritual life. >> there is an understanding that there is a third chair always present. god is in that third chair. >> reporter: this retreat, over a series of saturdays, was organized by one of the directors in liz's organization, sheik jamal rahman. >> as we allow this to just sink within us, just end with a chant, allahu allah. >> allahu allah. >> reporter: sheik rahman is a respected scholar and teacher in the mystical branch of islam known as sufism. at this retreat, he is getting some help from two other spiritual directors-- don mackenzie, a retired minister for the united church of christ, and ted falcon, a rabbi. >> i think more and more, pele have greater degree of awareness that the path exists within them. the institution has a tendency of protecting us from the immediacy of the spiritual encounter. >> what are we doing here? what's it about? >> reporter: pastor mackenzie says the tradition of seeking help from a spiritual director is ancient and historically it's been people active in their faith who have been doing the seeking. >> people are feeling there's an emptiness, and how is it that we can get back and claim the substance that comes through our traditions in a way that moves toward healing, that fulfills us, that makes us better citizens, and so forth. >> reporter: searchers say they sometimes feel closer to god when they're not in church. that would apply to sally marquis. she also thinks her engineering and science background may have jaded her faith. >> this whole idea of prayer was so alien to me that i had no idea how to start. >> reporter: at this retreat, they practice prayer techniques that spiritual directors say are universal, that help clear the mind of distractions. >> was it easier to be the speaker or the listener and be conscious of your breathing? howas that? >> when i just noticed how i was breathing as opposed to trying to breath in some way. then it was very easy to engage. >> listen with the attention that i was hearing going on over here, of not only your ears, but your eyes and your heart and breath. >> reporter: liz ellmann explains one way to clear the mind in this exercise designed to focus on the act of breathing. >> breathing is one of the most basic prayeyf god gives us breath. we are so close to god, we're as near as our breath. >> and then once again, you make a commitment to really submit your attachment to your ego to god. >> reporter: at this spiritual retreat, they learn how different faith groups reach out to god, including the muslim prayer of salat-- always facing mecca five times a day. >> an islamic prayer is essentially about praising god and thanking god, and when we bow to god, the wonderful saying is: "one prostration of prayer to god liberates you, frees you, from a thousand prostrations to your ego." >> reporter: the sufi's whirling dervish, performed here by reverend karen lindquist, interfaith church's co-founder, is also a mode of prayer although it requires a life-long commitment. >> one of the benefits of ritual is it gives us a form, for example, the ritual of prayer. but every ritual that we do in our lives also has us going on automatic. so there comes a time when i might be doing it outwardly, i might be saying the words, but i'm no longer conscious of them. >> months later, i realized it was an act of surrender to god, that my life is not in my own hands. >> reporter: a common theme among spiritual directors is that first it's necessary to value and love oneself as god's creation. >> so what i've been doing is using the buddhist prayer to quiet me down, quiet my thoughts down, and open myself up, and then the sufi prayer to just reassure and love my own heart so that i can feel really full and complete. and, then, from that place, i can pray for people that are struggling, people that are sick, people that... that i feel like need some extra love. >> reporter: even sister joyce cox, in describing her method of personal or centered prayer, finds herself borrowing the language originally of the ancient indian vedic tradition. >> what i do in centering prayer is i choose a mantra, which is my sacred word, doesn't have to have any meaning for me. what i sily do is return to that sacred word as a method of intention and just sit. >> ♪ swing low, sweet chariot. >> reporter: liz ellmann says it's a sign of our times that so many people have turned from searching for material things to the pursuit of spirituality, and, she says, it's a good thing. for "religion and ethics newsweekly," i'm lucky severson in seattle. >> abernethy: on our calendar, this weekend, jews celebrate purim. children join in the re- telling of the story of queen esther and the jews' deliverance from a plot to destroy them. the long tale is called the megillah, from which any other long, complicated story has come to be called the whol megillah. on, monday, the hindu festival of colors, holee. the popular celebration includes families painting each other and tossing colored water and powders that represent energy, life, and joy. and on tuesday, bahais begin a 19-day fast. they abstain from food and drink between sunrise and sunset and practice prayer and meditation, the fasting period leads up to the new year celebration, nowruz. that's our program for now. i'm bob abernethy. we'd like to hear from you. you can follow us on our facebook page. we also have much more on our web site. you can comment on all of our stories and share them. audio and video podcasts are also available. join us at pbs.org. as we leave you, scenes from this year's preparation for holi in india. captioning sponsored by the lilly endowment captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.o