Latest Islam News
Pilgrims commence the final rites of Hajj as Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha
MINA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia under the soaring summer heat. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. ...
Sweden frees an Iranian man convicted over 1988 mass executions in exchange for 2 men held by Iran
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran and Sweden carried out a prisoner swap Saturday that saw Tehran release a European Union diplomat and another man in exchange for an Iranian convicted in Stockholm of committing war crimes over his part in 1988 mass executions in the Islamic Republic. ...
Muslim pilgrims converge at Mount Arafat for daylong worship as Hajj reaches its peak
MOUNT ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Following the footsteps of prophets beneath a burning sun, Muslims from around the world congregated Saturday at a sacred hill in Saudi Arabia for worship and reflection amid a sweltering heat. The ritual at Mount Arafat, known as the hill of...
A usually joyous Muslim holiday reminds families in Gaza of war's punishing toll
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Last summer, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip celebrated the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha the way it's supposed to be: with large family feasts, meat shared with those less fortunate, and new clothes and gifts for children. But this year, after eight...
Muslims start the Hajj against the backdrop of the devastating Israel-Hamas war
MINA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — In sweltering temperatures, Muslim pilgrims in the Saudi city of Mecca converged on a vast desert tent camp Friday, officially starting the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Earlier, they circled the cube-shaped Kaaba in the Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site. ...
Masses of pilgrims in Saudi Arabia circle the Kaaba ahead of the official beginning of the Hajj
MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Masses of Muslim pilgrims in the Saudi city of Mecca on Thursday circled the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site, a day before heading to the nearby desert area of Mina to officially open the Hajj, the annual Islamic pilgrimage that takes the faithful along a route taken by...
AP PHOTOS: Nomadic Muslim devotees throng a forest shrine in disputed Kashmir
BABA NAGRI, India (AP) — The road to the Baba Nagri forest shrine in India-controlled Kashmir was a colorful spectacle. Tens of thousands of men in vibrant attires, henna-dyed beards and bright headgears thronged the Muslim shrine nestled at the base of a mountain to pay their obeisance last...
More than 1.5 million foreign pilgrims arrive in Mecca for annual Hajj pilgrimage
MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Muslim pilgrims have been streaming into Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca ahead of the start of the Hajj later this week, as the annual pilgrimage returns to its monumental scale. Saudi officials say more than 1.5 million foreign pilgrims have arrived in...
India investigates attack by suspected militants in Kashmir that killed 9 on Hindu pilgrimage
NEW DELHI (AP) — India is investigating an attack in which suspected militants fired at a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims in Indian-controlled Kashmir, killing nine and injuring 33, officials said Monday. The attack caused the vehicle to fall into a deep gorge Sunday in Jammu...
On Eid al-Adha, Senegal's star sheep are for luxury, not sacrifice
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — When Cheikh Moustapha Seck, a 24-year-old sheep breeder from Senegal, speaks about his animals, his face lights up. “You need love and patience to work with the sheep,” said Seck, affectionately stroking the long neck of Sonko, his champion sheep, named...
