Iran
Iranian clerics keep shrines open, even as virus spreads
By Aya Batrawy — February 26, 2020
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The coronavirus outbreak in Iran prompted the government to call for closure of Shiite shrines in Qom, Mashhad and Shiraz, but the country’s powerful clerics have rejected or ignored the notices.
The hand of Iran can be seen in the persecution of 24 Yemeni Baha’is
By Nabil Elias — February 24, 2020
(RNS) — Since the Houthis came to power in 2013, they have begun a program of systematic persecution against the Baha’is that is suspiciously reminiscent of Iran’s historical enmity.
‘Don’t lose hope,’ Pope Francis tells diplomats amid war, climate change concerns
By Claire Giangravé — January 9, 2020
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Pope Francis laid out his international agenda for the new year by addressing mounting concerns about the situation in Iran, the impact of climate change in Australia and the necessary steps to ensure peace.
Iranian cultural sites include landmarks important to Jews and Christians, too
By Yonat Shimron — January 7, 2020
(RNS) — Among Iran's important religious sites are the tombs of Esther and Mordecai, Daniel and King Cyrus.
Amid US-Iran escalation, Pope Francis and Catholic leaders call for restraint, dialogue
By Claire Giangravé — January 7, 2020
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Concern about the growing tensions between the United States and Iran has been bubbling within the Vatican, as Pope Francis and high-ranking prelates urge global leaders to seek peace.
Caught in crossfire: After US strike, border stops leave Iranian Americans feeling vulnerable
By Aysha Khan — January 6, 2020
(RNS) — Iranians in America have been caught in the crossfire of US-Iran tensions for decades. Advocates say things are likely about to get a whole lot worse.
How war bypasses morality
By Russell P. Johnson — January 6, 2020
(Sightings) — Ironically, it is in times of crisis when we can be least likely to step back and compare our words and actions against our moral convictions.
Faith leaders offer mixed response after missile strike kills Iranian commander
By Jack Jenkins — January 3, 2020
(RNS) — Religious leaders were split along liberal and conservative lines, though even the president's staunchest supporters appeared unsettled about the potential blowback from the attack.
After 200 years, the Baha’i prophet, the Báb, holds promise for the world
By Anthony Vance — October 28, 2019
(RNS) — The Báb's life is a model of independently investigating the truth free from blind imitation of past practices, the power of young people to create social change and the unstoppable power of spiritual conviction.
Muslim groups condemn detention of Iranian broadcaster
By Aysha Khan — January 23, 2019
(RNS) – Muslim civil rights organizations have joined press freedom and other human rights groups in questioning the detention of the American-born journalist.
The Iranian government is targeting Baha’is in Yemen. We’ve seen this before.
By James Samimi Farr — November 28, 2018
(RNS) — If we allow the condemnation of 22 Baha’is to death in Yemen, what will the world have actually learned?
Thirty years on, why ‘The Satanic Verses’ remains so controversial
By Myriam Renaud — September 24, 2018
(The Conversation) — Author Salman Rushdie's book goes to the heart of Muslim religious beliefs and challenges some of the most sensitive tenets.
When Christians sell out Christians for political power
By Don Golden and Shane Claiborne — August 29, 2018
(RNS) — The cost of a White House dinner celebrating evangelical Christian leadership may be silence on the plight of persecuted Christians and other religious minorities around the world.
Iran president slams US recognition of Jerusalem as capital
By Omer Farooq — February 16, 2018
HYDERABAD, India (AP) — Iran's president on Friday strongly criticized the Trump administration's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and urged Muslims to support the Palestinian cause.
Iranian women protest obligatory headscarf
By Lauren Markoe — January 30, 2018
(RNS) — The women appear to be following the lead of a 31-year-old protester identified as Vida Movahed, who took off her headscarf on the same street in late December. She was detained for a few weeks and then released.
