Latest Islam News
Iraqi lawmakers pass bill criminalizing any ties with Israel
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi lawmakers on Thursday passed a bill criminalizing normalization of ties and any relations, including business ties, with Israel. The legislation says that violation of the law is punishable with the death sentence or life imprisonment. The law was approved...
Dispute over mosque becomes religious flashpoint in India
NEW DELHI (AP) — For nearly three centuries, Muslims and Hindus in India’s northern Varanasi city have prayed to their gods in a mosque and a temple that are separated by one wall. Many see it as an example of religious coexistence in a country where bouts of deadly communal violence are...
Turkish FM makes rare visit to Israel as nations mend ties
JERUSALEM (AP) — Turkey’s foreign minister visited Israel on Wednesday as part of ongoing efforts to improve ties between the two countries, which have often been bitterly divided in recent years over Turkey's support for the Palestinians. Mevlut Cavusoglu, on the first official...
In West Bank, Turkish FM pledges support for Palestinians
JERUSALEM (AP) — Turkey's foreign minister said Tuesday that improved ties with Israel will not come at the expense of its commitment to supporting the Palestinians and the two-state solution to the conflict. Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke in the Palestinian administrative headquarters in...
Turkey's Erdogan says he will no longer talk to Greek PM
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday he would cease talking to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and cancel a key meeting between their two governments, accusing the Greek leader of antagonizing Turkey. In a televised address following a...
Xinjiang in focus as UN rights chief arrives for China visit
BEIJING (AP) — Allegations of human rights abuses in northwestern China’s Xinjiang region will dominate a visit by the United Nations’ top rights official that began Monday. Michelle Bachelet’s trip is the first to China by a U.N. high commissioner for human rights since...
Egypt's top mufti to weigh in on penalty for priest's killer
CAIRO (AP) — An Egyptian court is asking the country’s top mufti, the highest religious authority for Islam, to weigh in on the case of a man accused of stabbing to death a Coptic Christian priest, the leading judge in the trial announced Wednesday. A decision from Grand Mufi...
Indonesia lifts outdoor mask mandate as COVID-19 wanes
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia is lifting its outdoor mask mandate because its COVID-19 outbreak is increasing under control, President Joko Widodo said Tuesday. However, a mask mandate remains in place for indoor activities and public transportation, he said. Widodo also said...
Now in spotlight, Dubai Jews struggle for public synagogue
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Every Saturday, in secluded beach villas, hotel banquet halls and luxury apartment towers across Dubai, Jews arrive to worship at some of the world's most hidden synagogues even as the United Arab Emirates encourages the dramatic growth and openness of its...
Indonesian sailors seize $82M of cocaine floating off port
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Sailors deployed to secure travel during the Eid al-Fitr holiday made Indonesia's biggest cocaine seizure after finding plastic packages of the drugs floating at sea, the navy said. Indonesia is a major hub for drug trafficking in Southeast Asia and has...
