The Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, proved to be just the first bloodletting in a renewed cycle of violence and recrimination. Israel responded with its destructive campaign in Gaza. Far from the theater of war, American Jews reckoned with renewed fears of antisemitism and fractures within their own communities and families.
Read More(ANALYSIS) One lesson from the study is that people may apply political principles differently depending on where they see their own group in a conflict. Indian American politics therefore cannot be understood only through U.S. party identity. A person may support the Democrats in the United States and Modi in India because the two political settings place that person’s group in different positions.
Read MoreThe Iran war has triggered several instances of unity among Sunnis and Shiites — two major Muslim groups that have historically been at odds. Young people lead the displays of solidarity, finding a common cause in the wake of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s assassination.
Read MoreIn Christianity, Buddhism and Judaism, religious teachings consistently emphasize caring for others — whether through love of neighbor, generosity as spiritual practice or the moral obligation to give. In fact, charity is one of the Five Pillars of the faith but potentially the least discussed. It’s the Third Pillar and is called zakat (Arabic for “almsgiving”) — an annual obligation to give a portion of one’s wealth to those in need.
Read More(ANALYSIS) As Muslims gather for the annual pilgrimage of Hajj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, they will circle around the “Kaaba,” a black cube draped in gold-embroidered cloth. A ceremonial textile — known as the “kiswah” — covers the Kaaba, around which Muslims will walk seven times in a ritual known as “tawāf.” It is the central act of the annual pilgrimage.
Read MoreAt the dawn of the new millennium in northern Nigeria, while a Christian man was petitioning God with his midnight prayers, his 19-year-old Muslim neighbor was calling upon Allah, also through prayer. What the Muslim teen didn’t know is that he would someday convert to Christianity, something that in the African nation can prove to be dangerous.
Read MoreTravel to Cairo and you’ll find Muslims and Christians intertwining their faiths, borrowing one another’s saints and celebrating religious festivals side by side. The official iconography of Saint George, for example, shows a knight on horseback — an image that echoes ancient Egyptian depictions of Horus striking a hippopotamus with a spear.
Read MoreAfter yet another deadly attack, the focus turns — once again — to protecting houses of worship. The shooting at a San Diego mosque hit close to home for a Jewish engineer more than 1,300 miles away.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Many Muslim Americans are fearful following a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego that left three worshipers dead. Investigators reportedly found hate speech and anti-Islamic writing inside the vehicle of the suspected shooters, who killed themselves soon after the attack.
Read MoreThe killing of three people at San Diego’s largest mosque highlighted the rise in Islamophobia that has spread across the United States over the last few years. There had been no specific threat made against the Islamic Center of San Diego, but police officials found evidence that the suspects — two teenage boys — had engaged in “generalized hate rhetoric.”
Read MoreReligious minorities in India are in dire straits, facing persecution, lynching and other violence, according to a U.S. watchdog group. “Every day violence and calls for violence have become routine,” said Stephen J. Rapp, Former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice. “Throughout this grim history, it is seldom that the perpetrators have been held to account.”
Read MorePope Leo XIV’s first international apostolic journey was clouded by heated disputes with President Donald Trump, criticisms of appearing to appease the Islamist persecution of Christians and ongoing conflicts over homosexuality and polygamy among those who are members of the Catholic Church.
Read MoreYazidis in northeast Syria are fleeing yet again as renewed fighting in Aleppo triggers mass displacement, reviving trauma from ISIS’s 2014 genocide. Survivors face deep psychological scars, economic hardship, and persistent insecurity, with many fearing further violence, family separation, and the gradual erosion of their community and identity through repeated upheaval.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Muslim Americans can often feel helpless in combating the hate they experience – more awareness and advocacy could reduce Islamophobia and address the mental health needs of an already vulnerable community. As the war with Iran continues, these issues will continue to persist among America’s Muslim community.
Read More(ANALYSIS) What should have been a routine game for Spain’s national soccer team at home against Egypt on March 31 instead became a revealing and deeply uncomfortable moment — one that placed superstar striker Lamine Yamal at the center of a broader conversation about identity, faith and belonging.
Read MoreWedged between a pizzeria and a clothing shop in Houmt Souk, the capital of Tunisia’s island of Djerba, lies an ancient treasure. The El Barounia Library is one of the oldest centers preserving Ibadi heritage in North Africa. Ibadism presents itself as a third path — between the two major branches — within Islam.
Read More(ANALYSIS) In war-torn Iraq, Muslims will join Christians in celebrating Easter every year, fostering a spirit of solidarity and coexistence. The celebrations have gained prominence since ISIS was forced out of major strongholds. Around 140,000 Christians in Baghdad, Mosul, the disputed territory of Nineveh plains celebrate Lent, which culminates with Easter Sunday.
Read MoreIn the past three years, Bahrain, a small Middle-Eastern country off the coast of the Arab Peninsula, has been promoting women’s empowerment despite its strict religious laws and criticism from religious clerics.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The war in the Middle East is rapidly expanding across the Gulf countries, including Iran and Lebanon. The conflict has already targeted the region’s civilians, natural resources, tourist destinations and U.S. military bases. Some Muslim community leaders in the U.S. warn that people far from the conflict could experience backlash.
Read MoreAs you approach Iranian houses of worship, you’ll hear it: Locals striking their chests and rhythmically chanting laments to grieve the recent death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s death. Each movement carries a dual meaning — expressing both personal grief while signaling loyalty to both a religious leader and a totalitarian state.
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