Tom Gjelten
Tom Gjelten reports on religion, faith, and belief for NPR News, a beat that encompasses such areas as the changing religious landscape in America, the formation of personal identity, the role of religion in politics, and conflict arising from religious differences. His reporting draws on his many years covering national and international news from posts in Washington and around the world.
In 1986, Gjelten became one of NPR's pioneer foreign correspondents, posted first in Latin America and then in Central Europe. Over the next decade, he covered social and political strife in Central and South America, the first Gulf War, the wars in the former Yugoslavia, and the transitions to democracy in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
His reporting from Sarajevo from 1992 to 1994 was the basis for his book Sarajevo Daily: A City and Its Newspaper Under Siege (HarperCollins), praised by the New York Times as "a chilling portrayal of a city's slow murder." He is also the author of Professionalism in War Reporting: A Correspondent's View (Carnegie Corporation) and a contributor to Crimes of War: What the Public Should Know (W. W. Norton).
After returning from his overseas assignments, Gjelten covered U.S. diplomacy and military affairs, first from the State Department and then from the Pentagon. He was reporting live from the Pentagon at the moment it was hit on September 11, 2001, and he was NPR's lead Pentagon reporter during the early war in Afghanistan and the invasion of Iraq. Gjelten has also reported extensively from Cuba in recent years. His 2008 book, Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba: The Biography of a Cause (Viking), is a unique history of modern Cuba, told through the life and times of the Bacardi rum family. The New York Times selected it as a "Notable Nonfiction Book," and the Washington Post, Kansas City Star, and San Francisco Chronicle all listed it among their "Best Books of 2008." His latest book, A Nation of Nations: A Great American Immigration Story (Simon & Schuster), published in 2015, recounts the impact on America of the 1965 Immigration Act, which officially opened the country's doors to immigrants of color. He has also contributed to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and other outlets.
Since joining NPR in 1982 as labor and education reporter, Gjelten has won numerous awards for his work, including two Overseas Press Club Awards, a George Polk Award, and a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. A graduate of the University of Minnesota, he began his professional career as a public school teacher and freelance writer.
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Starting Friday, President Trump will address Muslim leaders in Saudi Arabia as well as visit the Israel and the Vatican. But there's plenty that could go wrong. -
Hundreds of Christian leaders from around the world are in Washington to highlight the cause of Christian persecution in the Middle East and other countries. No other faith group faces more restrictions, and some leaders are pushing the U.S. for more protection.
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President Trump used the National Day of Prayer to promote his administration's commitment to religious freedom. Conservatives wish his executive order would go further in protecting the claims of Christian institutions.
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After weeks of wrangling, the GOP will send a health care bill to a vote Thursday. Also, President Trump is expected to sign an executive order relaxing political restrictions on religious groups.
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It's commonly accepted that as societies become more modern, religion loses its grip. But recent research suggests it's more complicated than that. -
NewsThe Al Fatih Academy in Virginia is one of about 270 Islamic schools in the U.S. The staff aim to give their students a well-rounded education and promote civic awareness. -
Nationally, Americans are growing disenchanted with traditional religion. But in a Maryland suburb, Catholics seeking more spiritual lives are banding together with others who share their values. -
Some Islamic institutions in the U.S. were founded by brotherhood members or sympathizers. Community leaders say ties with the Islamist movement were cut long ago; conservatives suspect otherwise. -
NewsA showdown may be coming on the meaning of religious freedom, and LGBT advocates fear anti-discrimination protections could be weakened as a result. -
Jewish cemeteries in Pennsylvania and Missouri have been hit by vandalism in recent weeks, but it's unclear if the attacks are the work of a few individuals or part of a larger problem.
