(OPINION) Members of religious minorities — especially Ahmadi Muslims, Sufis, Baha’is and converts to Christianity — may be accused of fomenting “sectarian strife,” spreading “misinformation,” “insulting a heavenly religion” or threatening “national security.” In regions controlled by Sunni Islam, rival Shia Muslims may face similar accusations, with that equation being reversed in lands controlled by Shia clerics, such as Iran.
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Millions of pilgrims honor the 45 Catholic and Anglican men who were sentenced to death by Kabaka Mwanga II of the Buganda Kingdom. Ugandan reporter Deborah Laker walks in the footsteps of the 22 Catholic martyrs and unearths the tale of religious devotion, complex relationships and colonial oppression.
Read MoreThe gangsterism style of rape dwindled when South Africa gained its freedom on April 27, 1994. Yet, rape is coming to a rise in a different dimension. Many homes are affected by fathers and brothers who are victimizing and raping their own wives, mothers, daughters and sisters. What is now appalling is the reported recurring incidents of rapes that women and children suffer at the hands of some of the clergy.
Read MoreWorshippers walked across a beige, barren landscape on a Sunday morning as Bible class began in Monduli Juu, which is “up” (“juu” in Swahili) among the mountains of northern Tanzania. Part of the reason for the good Sunday turnout is the rows of giant, white tanks outside the church building.
Read More(OPINION) During the recent Global Anglican Future Conference held in Kigali, Rwanda, Raffel was one of several bishops — 315 attended, from 52 nations — who stressed that traditionalists now need to look forward. It's time to focus on life in their rapidly growing churches while dedicating less time and energy to clashes with declining churches in England, America, Canada and elsewhere.
Read More“We are now going to have two Communions of Anglicans going forward, the Global South Anglicans who are keeping to the teachings of the scripture and the Global North Anglicans who are preaching and practicing a watered-down gospel,” said the Rev. Tom Otieno, the vicar of Saint Barnabas Anglican Church of Kenya in Nairobi.
Read More(OPINION) If the Anglican Communion did not suffer schism on April 21, it’s the next best thing. A declaration issued that day at the conclusion of an international church assembly in Kigali, Rwanda, means the media and other religion-watchers should gird loins for years of maneuvers, legalities, confusion and acrimony.
Read More(OPINION) The archbishop of Canterbury is attempting a classic Anglican maneuver in which the words of core doctrines remain unchanged, but bishops have the option to offer local pastoral policies that change what doctrines mean in real life, according to Gavin Ashenden, a former Anglican chaplain to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Read MoreNow the woman, known as Betty, is among the 98 people who fasted to death in the doomsday cult headed by Pastor Paul Mackenzie which has left Kenyans — and the world — shocked. With the Kenya Red Cross reporting more than 100 people still missing, the toll could reach 200 and beyond. From President William Ruto to church leaders and the public, Kenyans are now calling on the government to tighten laws governing the opening and operation of churches.
Read More(OPINION) Among a host of crazy Black Hebrew Israelite beliefs, one of the most bizarre is the idea that they have preserved the real pronunciation of the Hebrew language, which they call Lashawan Qwadash. This is similar to claiming that Pig Latin is the true form of English or that William Shakespeare was famous for shaking a spear. It is that patently and blatantly absurd.
Read MoreIt’s hoped that the new Baha’i house of worship in Kinshasa, Congo, which over 2,000 people from across the central African nation and around the world attended the official inauguration of, will be a “force for social betterment,” said Rachel Kakudji of the Baha’i Office of External Affairs there.
Read More‘’The town is free, but my mind is not free, and I am still traumatized and remember the pain and punishment meted on women by al-Shabaab Shariah police,” Suleqha Mahat said. Her story is an example of the kind of displacement and migration experienced by many Somalians forced to leave their home country by radical Islamists.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Marking April as Arab American Heritage Month – a time to learn about the history, culture and contributions of our nearly 4 million strong community – is gaining traction across the country. In 2022, Joe Biden made history as the first U.S. president to recognize the month, which he did again in 2023.
Read MoreAs another year of drought looms in Somalia and famine stalks many rural communities, the prayers for rain have already begun. Horn of Africa faith-based organizations are increasingly playing a prominent role in responding to potentially massive famine that has received little attention.
Read More(PERSONAL ESSAY) It was as if I faced what we call in development economics a “false paradigm.” A few days before leaving my home country, every stop I took at a bank around my place of residence as well as at the O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, I felt I was wrongly advised by the forex department to not carry cash on hand for safety precautions. They, however, did not perceive the current naira scarcity saga that has affected millions of Nigerians — Christians, churches, nonbelievers, the rich and the poor.
Read MoreReuters reported that more than 30 African countries, including Uganda, already ban same-sex relations. But the new law emerging in Uganda would be the first to outlaw people identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer, according to Human Rights Watch.
Read MorePope Francis marks his 10th year on Monday as head of the Catholic church and its 1.38 billion adherents around the globe. It’s an anniversary that will be viewed differently depending on where one falls on the doctrinal spectrum. The former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who was born in Argentina and is of Italian descent, was elected the 266th pope on March 13, 2013. It marked the first time a pontiff from South America has held the position.
Read MoreForeign aid is not a cure-all for Africa according to experts and leaders from Africa who spoke at a recent conference in New York City. Rather, they suggest foreign aid is only part of the panacea alongside a more holistic dose of self-reliance, good governance, entrepreneurship and transcendent spiritual values.
Read MoreWorkers with Neema Village, a nonprofit supported by individual Christians and Churches of Christ, took Bernadette into the ministry’s Mothers Against Poverty program, known as MAP. She learned to sew and use a computer. She attended classes on women’s rights. Finally, after an assessment by a nurse, she was reunited with her daughter Zawadi.
Read MoreThe world's largest mud-brick structure is one of the most iconic structures in both Islamic and African architectural history. The community of Djenne, home to approximately 40,000 residents, sits near the Ban River. That river allowed the grand mosque to be built from a resource that is both local and sustainable: calcite-rich mud.
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