Iraq
World Vision president: Treat refugees as guests
By Timothy C. Morgan — May 16, 2016
(RNS) Christians in Iraq’s Kurdish north, Jordan, and Lebanon are becoming more innovative in responding to the needs of refugees. U.S. churches can learn from them, Rich Stearns said.
The ‘bad boy’ cleric poised to be Iraq’s next kingmaker
By RNS staff — May 4, 2016
While Moqtada al-Sadr is trying to cast himself as a populist and reformer, he has a bloody history in Iraq.
The true Islamic response to the Brussels attacks (COMMENTARY)
By Salaam Bhatti — March 24, 2016
(RNS) Muslims must unite and reject the ideologies of ultraconservative schools of thought that inspire some to become extremists.
Brussels attacks: How radicalization happens
By The Conversation — March 23, 2016
The bombings once again call attention to a serious crisis: the radicalization of citizens outside the Middle East by extremist groups.
To silence propaganda, Iraq seeks to take Islamic State offline
By Reuters — February 4, 2016
Iraq is trying to deal a blow to the group's potent propaganda machine which relies heavily on social media to inspire its followers to wage jihad.
2015 was ‘worst year’ for Christian persecution, says Open Doors
By Cathy Lynn Grossman — January 13, 2016
WASHINGTON (RNS) North Korea marks its 14th year atop the list of most dangerous countries to be Christian.
Iraqi Shiites protest Saudi execution of cleric
By Reuters — January 4, 2016
Iraqi Shiites marched in Baghdad and southern cities. At least two Sunni Muslim mosques were attacked and two people killed.
PHOTOS: The Shiite pilgrimage Arbaeen
By Jerome Socolovsky — December 3, 2015
(RNS) Drawing an estimated 17 million pilgrims, the Shiite ritual known as Arbaeen dwarfs even the hajj. Arbaeen marks the end of the 40-day mourning period after the anniversary of the seventh-century slaying of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, which engendered the Sunni-Shiite schism.
‘I’ll warm myself on fire of revenge’: Hatred hangs in ruins of Iraq’s Sinjar
By Reuters — November 19, 2015
Islamic State militants overran Sinjar last year, purging its Yazidi population -- with the collaboration of Sunni residents who once lived in peace with their Yazidi neighbors.
At a castle in Austria, villagers and refugees celebrate Eid al-Adha
By Reuters — September 25, 2015
(Reuters) An ancient castle in an Austrian village somewhere between Vienna and Hungary is not where you might expect to see an Islamic celebration.
Mississippi newlyweds arrested, accused of planning to join ISIS
By Reuters — August 12, 2015
OXFORD, Miss. (Reuters) A Mississippi couple, accused of seeking to join the militant Islamic State group on a planned honeymoon trip, remained in custody on Tuesday after being denied bond in federal court.
Britain’s most high-profile Islamist cleric charged with IS support
By Reuters — August 5, 2015
LONDON, Aug 5 (Reuters) Anjem Choudary, well-known for praising the Sept. 11 attacks, was accused of using lectures published online to encourage Islamic State support.
Campaign against Islamic State loses its Shiite religious name in Sunni region
By Reuters — May 27, 2015
The campaign name, with Shi'ite references that highlighted a dependence on Shi'ite paramilitaries could have alienated Sunni Iraqis.
5 takeaways from the new report by US Commission on International Religious Freedom
By Brian Pellot — May 5, 2015
(RNS) The Central African Republic is bad, Malaysia is getting worse, and ISIS fighters should face the International Criminal Court.
Colonial Williamsburg offers to safeguard Iraqi relics
By Reuters — March 12, 2015
WASHINGTON (Reuters) Islamic State militants have systematically destroyed dozens of ancient temples, shrines, manuscripts, statues and carvings in northern Iraq.
