In ‘historic’ move, Trump envoy hosts interfaith meeting
During summit with Jason Greenblatt, Jewish, Muslim and Christian clergymen vow to advance peace and to ‘reject all incitement to violence’ By Raphael Ahren Jason Greenblatt, the US administration’s Special Envoy for International Negotiations, with members of the Council of Religious Institutions in the Holy Land at a gathering at the US Consulate-General in Jerusalem, […]
Iran pilgrims to join this year’s hajj: Saudi Arabia
Iranian pilgrims will participate in this year’s annual hajj, Saudi Arabia has said, after an absence last year during tensions between the regional rivals. “The ministry of hajj and the Iranian organisation have completed all the necessary measures to ensure Iranian pilgrims perform hajj 1438 according to the procedures followed by all Muslim countries,” the […]
Erdogan Warns of Crusade Against Islam
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Europe of starting a new battle between Islam and Christianity following a ruling permitting employers to ban headscarves. Prompted by the case of a Muslim receptionist fired for wearing a headscarf to work in Belgium, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled Tuesday that bans on the wearing […]
How does the EU hijab ruling affect Muslim women?
The European Union’s top law court ruled on Tuesday that employers are entitled to ban staff from wearing visible religious symbols – a decision some said was a direct attack on women wearing hijabs at work. The European Court of Justice said it does not constitute “direct discrimination” if a firm has an internal rule […]
Ahead of French poll, pro-Europeans take heart from Wilders defeat
After Brexit and Trump, many pro-EU politicians were beginning to dread a wave of right-wing populism that might reach the Netherlands and, most dangerously for the bloc, France. The Dutch election results have them breathing a sigh of relief, though not all observers are convinced. Paris (dpa) – It’s the nightmare haunting European Union leaders […]
Dallas Imam More Fearful of Islamophobia than ISIS
A Dallas imam who was targeted for death by the Islamic State militant group is more afraid of Islamophobia at home than ISIS terrorists, he said. Omar Suleiman, a prominent imam and scholar in Irving, Texas, was featured in a threatening video uploaded to YouTube earlier this month, which appeared to come from ISIS. Suleiman […]
Russia Creates Surveillance Task Force To Monitor Social Media
The Russian National Guard has created a cyber intelligence task force to monitor social media with the goal of weeding out “extremist content,” the Moscow Times reported Thursday. The task force is part of Russia’s anti-terrorism efforts that were intensified last year, when the Kremlin reported it saw a 86 percent rise in online extremism […]
Has Trump Done Enough to Fence Off His Business Interests?
In January, then-President-elect Donald Trump announced a “complete separation” from his global business empire. Under siege by critics who charged that his organization represented a maze of potential conflicts of interest, Trump said his sons would manage it in a trust and that he would “completely isolate himself” from the company’s day-to-day operations. The plan […]
Air raids on mosque near Aleppo ‘kill dozens’
Dozens of people have been killed after fighter jets struck a mosque during prayer time in a rebel-held village in northern Syria, according to a monitoring group. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitor tracking developments in Syria’s conflict, said Thursday’s air raids in al-Jina, southwest of Atarib near Aleppo, killed at least […]
Christine Flowers: Travel ban is a Muslim ban, any way you slice it
Religion is very important to me. I’m not unusual. According to a recent Pew report, three-quarters of Americans said that religion was at least “somewhat important” in their lives, and well over half said that it was “very important.” Only 11 percent said that it was “not important.” We are privileged to live in a […]