Latest Islam News
Gambia lawmakers refer the debate on female genital cutting to more committee discussions
SERREKUNDA, Gambia (AP) — An attempt to repeal a 2015 ban on female genital cutting in Gambia was sent for further committee discussions by lawmakers on Monday. Gambian activists fear the passage of the bill would overturn years of work to better protect girls and women. The...
US military operations across the Sahel are at risk after Niger ends cooperation
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The United States scrambled on Sunday to assess the future of its counterterrorism operations in the Sahel after Niger's junta said it was ending its yearslong military cooperation with Washington following a visit by top U.S. officials. The U.S. military has...
Wales' first Black leader is a testament to Britain's political diversity, but racism persists
LONDON (AP) — Vaughan Gething's election as the next leader of Wales marks a milestone: For the first time, none of the U.K.’s four main governments is led by a white man. It’s a striking moment in a country still grappling with racism and the legacy of empire. ...
Fasting at school? More Muslim students in the US are getting support during Ramadan
DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — While Muslim students remain a rarity in many U.S. school districts, they are a major presence in some communities, prompting public schools to be more attentive to their needs during the holy month of Ramadan when dawn-to-sundown fasting is a duty of Islam. ...
Ramadan prayers in Jerusalem pass without the violence feared amid the Gaza war
JERUSALEM (AP) — The first Friday prayers of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan passed without violence at the revered Al-Aqsa mosque under tight Israeli restrictions, amid fears the ongoing war Israel-Hamas war would spark clashes in Jerusalem's Old City. Hamas militants have called...
India's new citizenship law excludes Muslims. Here's what to know
NEW DELHI (AP) — India has implemented a citizenship law that excludes migrants who are Muslims, a minority community whose concerns have heightened under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government. The rules for the law were announced Monday. It establishes a...
Turkey's top diplomat visits Iraq and seeks support against Kurdish militant group
BAGHDAD (AP) — Turkey’s top diplomat was in Baghdad for high-level meetings on Thursday, ahead of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's expected visit next month and a potential Turkish offensive against a Kurdish militant group that maintains bases in Iraq. The talks between Turkish...
The British government wants to define extremism. Critics say it risks creating more division
LONDON (AP) — The British government published a new official definition of “extremism” on Thursday, and said groups that get the label will be barred from receiving government funding. The move is in response to a surge in reports of antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate speech...
Anti-Islam firebrand Geert Wilders says he doesn't have support of likely coalition partners to become Dutch premier
US-mandated religious freedom group ends Saudi trip early after rabbi ordered to remove his kippah
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A U.S. Congress-mandated group cut short a fact-finding mission to Saudi Arabia after officials in the kingdom ordered a Jewish rabbi to remove his kippah in public, highlighting the religious tensions still present in the wider Middle East. ...