Posts in Islam
Muslims Welcome Ramadan Amid Heightened Security And Concern For Gaza

Muslims around the world welcomed the holy month of Ramadan on Sunday with some trepidation given the war in Gaza and political and religious turmoil taking place across the Middle East. Ramadan — the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar — is a period observed by Muslims worldwide.

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Fast Food’s Quest To Feed Body And Soul During Lent And Beyond

Fast food aficionados and practicing Catholics alike are often familiar with the Filet-O-Fish story and how the sandwich was born as a result of Lent. Catholics aren’t the only religious group chain restaurants cater to because of faith and dietary restrictions. Here’s a look at some of the biggest menu options from around the world.

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A Rally For Jews Who Reject The War But Not Israel

Unlike at other rallies for a ceasefire in Gaza, you aren’t likely to hear calls for Palestine to extend “from the river to the sea” at the one in New York’s Union Square. And there will be few or no denunciations of Israel as a “settler-colonial” state. Rather, rallygoers call on both Israel and Hamas to agree to a “bilateral ceasefire,” humanitarian aid for Palestinians and the release of all hostages in Gaza. 

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As War In Gaza Rages On, the Latest Despicable Anti-Israel Lie

(OPINION) According to a quote widely attributed to Winston Churchill, “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” This is absolutely true when it comes to reporting about Israel, except even more so. We could say that anti-Israel lies become canonized, even becoming part of sacred religious lore, before the truth even gets out of bed.

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India’s Latest Mosque Fight Further Fuels Tensions Between Hindus And Muslims

Days after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a Hindu temple built over a mosque demolished by agitators in 1990, a new report by the Archaeological Survey of India found that another mosque had been built over a pre-existing Hindu temple. A court ruling that followed the survey granted Hindus permission to conduct prayers in one of the mosque's four cellars, igniting tensions with Muslims.

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Is There A New Strongman Leading The World’s Largest Muslim-Majority Nation?

(ANALYSIS) The Feb. 14 election of Indonesia's current Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto as the country’s president should raise concern in the U.S., both because of who he is and also the chicanery surrounding his campaign. Official results will still take some weeks to appear and there are allegations of election fraud.

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Biden Ups Pressure On Israel As Deadline For Rafah Assault Approaches

After Benjamin Netanyahu pulled Israeli negotiators out of talks in Egypt, blaming Hamas for refusing to budge on what he called its “ludicrous” demands, Israel’s prime minister pledged to press ahead with the Rafah offensive. However, his war cabinet member Benny Gantz said a deal might still be possible.

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Victims Of 2020 Delhi Riots Still Trying To Piece Their Lives Together

The memory of Feb. 25, 2020, remains vivid in Mohammed Tahir Saifi’s mind, as if it occurred only yesterday. He often looks back on that day as the one that turned his life upside down because he had to spend two years in jail for a crime he he did not commit. It was a day when a riot erupted in India’s capital, resulting in the death of over 50 people.

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Is The Michigan Campaign To Protest Biden’s Gaza Policy At The Polls Gaining Steam?

In a new poll, less than a third of Michigan voters said they supported a continuation in the fighting to eliminate Hamas in the ongoing war with Israel. How that will impact President Joe Biden’s chances in the Great Lake State remains to be seen.

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Persecution Against Christians In Iran Continues To Worsen

Iranian Christians continued to face harassment, arrests and imprisonment last year for practicing their faith, according to a new report. The 35-page report, issued by four non-profit organizations advocating for persecuted Christians across the world, found that Christians have been deprived of their right to freely practice their faith.

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As Israel-Hamas War Rages On, Students In Ohio Revived A Kosher-Halal Co-Op

Founded more than half a century ago as student-run dining cooperative, Oberlin College’s kosher co-op morphed into a kosher-halal co-op in 1995, a place where Jewish and Muslim students cooked and ate together. It shuttered in 2021 before coming back — and just when the situation in the Middle East was worsening.

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Modern-Day Coptic Martyrs: The Truly Ancient Faith Of ‘The 21’ Beheaded In Libya By ISIS

(ANALYSIS) On Feb. 15, 2015, both were among the men beheaded by Islamic State soldiers on a beach in Libya. All 21 — 20 Egyptian Copts and a Ghanan who professed his Christian faith — were soon declared martyrs by the Coptic Orthodox Church.

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New York’s Public University System Adds 4 New Official Religious Holidays

Following a vote by CUNY’s Board of Trustees, Chancellor Felix Matos Rodríguez said on Wednesday that the the New York City system will become one of the first in the nation to designate Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Lunar New Year and Diwali as holidays on the school calendar.

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Noted Muslims Condemn Hamas As israel Continues To Seek Release Of Hostages

The swelling number of Islamic clerics and Middle Eastern politicians condemning Hamas continues to grow since the Oct. 7 attacks against Israel. Canadian-based imam was the latest to do so. Tariq Abdulhaleem called for Hamas’ leadership to be prosecuted for facilitating what he called “genocide in Gaza.”

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Was Taylor Swift Supposed To Say ‘Free Palestine’ At The Grammys?

(OPINION) Everyone is mad at Taylor Swift. I mean, everyone is always mad at Taylor Swift. Over football, her boyfriends, her music. This week, it’s over her failure to call for a ceasefire during the Grammys. Perhaps Swift’s silence on the destruction in Gaza would not have made waves had Annie Lennox not used her moment on the Grammys stage to raise her fist and proclaim “artists for a ceasefire.”

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A Different Campus Story: Jewish-Palestinian Cooperation

The Jewish and Palestinian American pair are the force behind Atidna, a student organization of Jews and Palestinians that began at the university’s Austin campus two years ago. Initially, it focussed on similarities between Jewish and Palestinian culture, Kahlenberg said on a call shared with Hashem, stressing “that Jews and Arabs are cousins in one family and we’re not inherent enemies.”

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An Oral History Of ‘Palestinian Chicken’ Of ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ Fame

The most Jewish episode of “Curb” — and one of its most beloved — retold here by the people who made it. “Palestinian Chicken,” the third episode of the Larry David comedy’s eighth season, seemed anything but dated when it aired on July 24, 2011, and today, you can’t assemble a list of the show’s greatest episodes without it.

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Why The Drone Attack On American Troops Risks Widening Middle East Conflict

A drone attack that killed three American troops and wounded at least 34 more at a base in Jordan has increased fears of a widening conflict in the Middle East — and the possibility that the U.S. may be further drawn into the fighting.

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Amid Ongoing War In Gaza, Palestinians Find Joy In Their Soccer Team

Palestinians celebrated the country’s national team after qualifying for the knockout stage at the AFC Asian Cup. The historic win, a 3-0 victory against Hong Kong to close out the group stage, allowed Palestine to reach the round of 16 for the first time in the tournament’s 68-year history.  It also brought some comfort amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

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