A faith-based aid revolution in the Muslim world?
Every year, somewhere between US$200 billion and $1 trillion are spent in “mandatory” alms and voluntary charity across the Muslim world, Islamic financial analysts estimate. At the low end of the estimate, this is 15 times more than global humanitarian aid contributions* in 2011. Islam requires Muslims to give a portion of their wealth to charity […]
Recognizing World War II Muslims that sheltered fleeing Jews
WASHINGTON, April 27, 2017 – One of the little-known stories of the Holocaust is that of Muslims who risked their lives to save Jews from the Nazis. Fortunately, on this year’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, more attention is being paid to this important record of bravery and idealism. At Adas Israel Congregation in Washington, D.C.., Holocaust […]
U.S. Monitoring Europe on Religious Discrimination
The United States is monitoring Western Europe for signs of religious discrimination, particularly against Muslims and Jews, according to the annual report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. “The state of affairs for international religious freedom is worsening in both depth and breadth of violations,” according to the USCIFR, a federal government commission.
Report: Russia Among World’s Worst on Religious Freedom
Days after imposing a complete ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses operating in the country, Russia has been labeled a “country of particular concern” by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). It is the first time that Russia has been designated among the highest tier of violators of religious freedom. It joins 15 other […]
China Bans Muslim Baby Names in Xinjiang Region
Chinese authorities have banned a list of Muslim names for children born in the northwestern region of Xinjiang according to reports. Officials released a list of dozens of baby names with religious connotations used by Muslims around the world. The ban on baby names existed in Hotan, a region of the semi-autonomous Xinjiang, since 2015, […]
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, […]
Islamic Society wins ‘landmark ruling’ in long battle for new mosque
Bernards Township’s insistence that a proposed mosque have more parking spaces than churches or synagogues is unconstitutional, a federal judge said in a ruling filed New Year’s Eve. U.S. District Court Judge Michael Shipp’s ruling eviscerates the township’s main reason for rejecting Islamic Society of Basking Ridge’s plan to build a mosque in…
Germany’s Merkel stands her ground despite four attacks in seven days
Angela Merkel is not a candidate in the U.S. presidential election – she already has a steady job as Chancellor of Germany – but she delivered a message Thursday that people in America and elsewhere ought to take to heart. “Anxiety and fear cannot be a counsel for political action,” she said in making clear […]
Duke sets aside space for interfaith prayer
DURHAM, N.C. — Like many Duke students, when Yossra Hamid isn’t in class, the senior is most likely studying in Perkins Library. And that has posed a daily quandary for Hamid, a devout Muslim who prays five times daily. Sometimes she walked to the Bryant student center or Duke School of Divinity, where there are […]
Executive Summary of the Marrakesh Declaration on the Rights of Religious Minorities in Predominantly Muslim Majority Communities
In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate Executive Summary of the Marrakesh Declaration on the Rights of Religious Minorities in Predominantly Muslim Majority Communities 25th-27th January 2016 WHEREAS, conditions in various parts of the Muslim World have deteriorated dangerously due to the use of violence and armed struggle as a tool for settling […]