Islam
India to bring supplies to Kashmir; Pakistan to go to UN
By Sheikh Saaliq — August 10, 2019
NEW DELHI (AP) — Authorities enforcing a strict curfew in Indian-administered Kashmir will bring in trucks of essential supplies for an Islamic festival next week, as the divided Himalayan region remained in a lockdown Saturday
Anti-Christian attacks in Nigeria threaten precarious balance of faiths
By Anthea Butler — August 8, 2019
(RNS) — In this West African nation, religion stands at the intersection of a divisive colonial history and a current political crisis caused by drought and land scarcity.
Indonesian Haul festival recalls pre-Islamic culture
By Alexandra Radu — July 29, 2019
WONOTIRTO, Indonesia (RNS) — In this small village in Central Java, the end of Ramadan is an auspicious time to honor one's ancestors in a festival called Haul. The celebration is a mix of Islam, Hindu and animist traditions.
Muslim group launches campaign to take Fridays off for Jummah prayers
By Aysha Khan — July 18, 2019
HARRISBURG, Pa. (RNS) – “Some weeks Friday passes and we don’t even realize it was the day of Jummah,” said Imam Azhar Haneef, missionary-in-charge of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, during his Friday sermon at the group’s annual convention.
Religion in the classroom: Where the faithful and the ACLU can agree
By Stephen Mansfield — June 7, 2019
(RNS) — A Pew poll from 2010 found that a majority of Americans cannot name the first book of the Bible but can provide the names of the four Beatles.
Amid Ramadan celebrations, Jordanians fear an uncertain future
By Ken Chitwood — June 5, 2019
AMMAN, Jordan (RNS) — In Jordan, young Muslims count their blessings during Ramadan but worry about the future.
India’s Prime Minister Modi pursues politics of Hindu nationalism – what does that mean?
By Sumit Ganguly — May 28, 2019
(The Conversation) — Modi's win is also a victory for Hindutva, an ideology that states that India is the homeland of the Hindus. According to believers, those who profess other faiths can live in the country only at the sufferance of Hindus.
Kenyan court upholds bans on gay intimacy
By Fredrick Nzwili — May 24, 2019
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) – A ruling in favor of repeal would have been a trailblazing step for an Africa court, but the three-judge bench said there was not sufficient evidence of discrimination.
New Haven mosque struggles to resume Ramadan rituals after arson attack
By Rhonda Roumani — May 22, 2019
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (RNS) — A week after the blaze, with the cameras and politicians gone, the members of a tightly knit Turkish community began to feel the weight of their loss and the reconstruction effort ahead.
For many Muslims, Ramadan is a built-in digital detox program
By Aysha Khan — May 15, 2019
(RNS) — For years, Muslims around the world have used the holy month of Ramadan as an opportunity to scale back on social media and smartphone usage.
Is religious kitsch offensive? The answer is in the eye of the beholder
By Menachem Wecker — May 10, 2019
(RNS) — The line between well-intentioned kitsch and bad taste, experts in religious artwork say, can be blurry.
Harsh punishments under Shariah are modern interpretations of an ancient tradition
By Jessica Marglin — May 9, 2019
(The Conversation_ — Islamic jurists have condemned sodomy, but they have also celebrated homoeroticism, that is, erotic love between members of the same sex.
Swept up in Muslim genocide crisis, Hindu Rohingyas are stuck in Bangladesh
By Jennifer Chowdhury — May 8, 2019
(RNS) — When the Bangladesh government prepared to return 2,000 Muslim refugees to Myanmar, Hindu Rohingya were hopeful they would be sent back, too. But no one came for them.
For Sri Lankan Americans, Easter shooting gives homeland a painful jolt of notoriety
By Ben Sales — May 3, 2019
NEW YORK (RNS) — The world almost never hears about Sri Lanka. Young Americans with Sri Lankan roots are asking why it has to learn about the country this way.
China is punishing Muslims for fasting. So US Muslims are fasting from China.
By Aysha Khan — May 2, 2019
(RNS) — While leaders of Muslim-majority nations have largely been silent on the Uighur persecution, the Fast From China campaign has caught on with U.S. Muslims.
