Islam
Palestinian Americans rally, pray and organize amid crisis in Gaza
By Kathryn Post — October 23, 2023
(RNS) — 'This is not a time to say, ‘I'm stressed and I can't.’ People in Gaza need us,' said Walaa Kanan, a Palestinian American community organizer.
In tough times, churches can’t afford to go it alone, new book advises
By Bob Smietana — October 20, 2023
(RNS) — Samford University sociologist Jennifer McClure Haraway looks at the way congregations in Alabama work together — and what congregations around the country can learn from them.
Campuses should model care: Engaging deep divides on Israel, Palestine and beyond
By Jenan Mohajir and Rebecca Russo — October 20, 2023
(RNS) — In this moment, campus professionals and students must lead with care, creating space to honor the distinctive pain of both Israelis and Palestinians.
Islamic Relief, other charities call for cease-fire to allow aid to reach Gaza
By Bob Smietana — October 19, 2023
(RNS) — Aid groups are doing what they can but worry that time is running out to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
For what crime did Wadea Al-Fayoume, a 6-year-old in Chicago, die?
By Omar Suleiman — October 18, 2023
(RNS) — Every child should have the right to grow up with the compassion that Wadea Al-Fayoume expected.
Palestinian Americans decry demonization in media amid rising fear of hate crimes
By Kathryn Post and Roxanne Stone — October 18, 2023
(RNS) — ‘This is reminding me a bit of how it felt post-9/11,’ Palestinian activist and policy analyst Laila El-Haddad told Religion News Service.
Illinois boy killed in alleged hate crime remembered as kind, playful as suspect appears in court
By Melissa Perez Winder, Claire Savage, and Sophia Tareen — October 18, 2023
BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. (AP) — The child, who recently celebrated a birthday, was also seen as another innocent casualty in the escalating war.
Hamas was unpopular in Gaza before it attacked Israel – surveys showed Gazans cared more about fighting poverty than armed resistance
By Nathan French — October 18, 2023
(The Conversation) — Politicians have used their assumptions about Gazans to support their policies. But the people in Gaza experience these policies far differently, writes a scholar of Islamism.
A congressman’s ‘Dharma Caucus’ stirs suspicion for Hindu and Sikh organizations
By Richa Karmarkar — October 18, 2023
(RNS) — The joint statement echoes a growing trend among some Hindu Americans who are concerned with the American political courtship of members of the Bharatiya Janata Party of India — a political party they say has contributed to a rise in oppression of religious minorities.
White House protest leads campaign for a cease-fire before Israeli ground invasion
By Jack Jenkins — October 17, 2023
(RNS) — Dozens of participants at a primarily Jewish protest were arrested on Monday where demonstrators chanted "Cease-fire now!"
#UsToo: How antisemitism and Islamophobia make reporting sexual misconduct and abuse of power harder for Jewish and Muslim women
By Keren McGinity — October 17, 2023
(The Conversation) — In minority faith groups that already face hate, women who have experienced harassment sometimes fear bringing negative attention to their community.
Why Hamas is selling its assault on Israel as a holy war
By Michele Chabin and Yonat Shimron — October 17, 2023
(RNS) — The reference to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, was a rallying cry to unite Muslims everywhere.
Florida faith leader: Black history toolkit gains interest outside the state
By Adelle M. Banks — October 13, 2023
(RNS) — What the Rev. Rhonda Thomas started as a state-focused response has attracted interest in a far wider stretch of the country than she ever imagined.
Israel orders the evacuation of 1.1 million people from northern part of Gaza, the UN says
By Joseph Krauss and Wafaa Shurafa — October 12, 2023
JERUSALEM (AP) — International aid groups warned of a worsening humanitarian crisis after Israel halted deliveries of food, water, fuel and electricity to Gaza.
