Turkey
Islamic State refugees grow disgruntled: ‘We loved them so much’
By Michael Kaplan — February 26, 2015
SANLIURFA, Turkey (RNS) Little is known about how the Islamic State group is viewed by those living under its thumb. But a steady stream of refugees settling in southern Turkey offers a peek into life in the areas the militants control.
Austria passes “Law on Islam” banning foreign money for Muslim groups
By Reuters — February 25, 2015
VIENNA (RNS) The law bans foreign funding for Islamic organizations and requires any group claiming to represent Austrian Muslims to submit and use a standardized German translation of the Quran.
Turkey’s atheists and religious minorities join forces to protest religious instruction in schools
By Onur Erem — February 18, 2015
ISTANBUL (RNS) Public education has become a symbol of the tug of war between Turkey’s secular tradition and the rising religious tide.
Rumi followers fight to keep Turks from cashing in on mystic’s legacy
By Michael Kaplan — January 14, 2015
ISTANBUL (RNS) Some of Rumi's followers believe the 13th-century mystic's whirling dervish ceremonies have been wrongly appropriated for profit.
Turkey plans to establish an Islamic university with a broader Muslim curriculum
By Michael Kaplan — December 23, 2014
ISTANBUL (RNS) Political unrest continues to sweep Egypt and Syria, once hubs for Islamic learning, and more students are turned off by Saudi Arabia’s more literalist interpretation of Islam. This gives Turkey an opening.
Pope Francis makes overtures to Orthodox and Muslims, but steep challenges remain
By Josephine McKenna — December 1, 2014
VATICAN CITY (RNS) “I want to assure each one of you here that, to reach the desired goal of full unity, the Catholic Church does not intend to impose any conditions except that of the shared profession of faith," Pope Francis told Orthodox leaders.
3 things Pope Francis hopes to accomplish in Turkey
By Josephine McKenna — November 26, 2014
VATICAN CITY (RNS) There are so few Christians in this overwhelmingly Muslim country that Pope Francis is leaving the armored popemobile at home. So why is he going at all?
Pope Francis asked to avoid Turkey’s lavish 1,000-room presidential palace
By Josephine McKenna — November 12, 2014
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Construction of the controversial palace will present an odd backdrop for the Argentinian pontiff who has made it clear he has little appetite for indulgence and excess.
Pope Francis to visit Turkey in November
By Josephine McKenna — September 9, 2014
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Middle East is high on the pope’s agenda and Francis has been particularly outspoken about worsening violence in Syria and Iraq and the persecution of Christian minorities in both countries.
Turkish official: Women shouldn’t laugh in public
By Michael Winter — July 30, 2014
(RNS) Many Turkish women were doubled over with laughter Tuesday (July 29) after their country's deputy leader said in a speech assailing "moral corruption" that women should not laugh in public and should not talk on their mobile phones so much.
2013: The top 14 Muslim news stories of the past year
By Omid Safi — December 30, 2013
2013 was a bloody, difficult, unraveling year for many Muslims around the world. May 2014 be a year that sees the discomforted comforted, the orphans cared for, the hungry fed, the naked clothed, the homeless provided with shelter. May there be a widening of the circle of compassion, may there be a real peace rooted in justice, and above all else, may all of us be participants in making it so.
Church bells ring in a corner of Turkey once the site of Armenian genocide
By Gil Shefler — October 3, 2013
(RNS) The reopening of what church officials say is the largest Armenian place of worship in southeastern Turkey is part of a re-evaluation by Kurdish Muslims of the active role their ancestors played in the killings of minorities including Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks and Jews in the twilight years of the Ottoman Empire.
Political Islam on the defensive across the Middle East
By Oren Dorell — August 20, 2013
(RNS) The conflict between secularists and Islamists is generating a new religious dialogue about the role of religion in politics, as political leaders in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Jordan side with the Egyptian military and secularists.
Sounds of Protest: Les Miserables, Gezi Park, and the Power of Music
By Omid Safi — June 18, 2013
Ultimately that’s what so amazing about music at Gezi park. It’s not about the notes. It’s not about the words, or the melodies. It’s ultimately about us, all of us. It's about the power of music to unite all of us. It's about this new global generation of humanity who care about the well-being of one another beyond the narrow confines of nationality, race, creed, or class, that give us hope. They give us hope that they will be able to sing together, make music together, make love together, and make of this old world, a new world.
Unexpected Hope for Iran in the Presidential Elections: Hassan Rouhani
By Omid Safi — June 13, 2013
Iranians are going to the ballot box to choose their next president. After 8 years of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, it is an opportunity to chart a new direction for the country. Oddly, amazingly, and somewhat surprisingly, reformists and moderates/centrists have come together in their support for Rouhani.
