Muslim pilgrims wrap up Hajj with final symbolic stoning of the devil and circling of Kaaba

MINA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Muslim pilgrims are wrapping up the Hajj, or pilgrimage, in the deadly summer heat on Tuesday with the third day of the symbolic stoning of the devil, and the last circumambulation around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest site, in the city of Mecca. The three-day...

A Swedish diplomat says his release from a 2-year detention in Iran is like a dream

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The Swedish European Union diplomat who was held in Iran for two years and freed in a prisoner swap over the weekend said Tuesday that his release was “the dream that I sometimes did not dare to believe in." Johan Floderus and a second Swedish citizen,...

Muslim pilgrims resume symbolic stoning of the devil as they wrap up Hajj pilgrimage in deadly heat

MINA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Muslim pilgrims used the early morning hours Monday to perform the second day of the symbolic stoning of the devil, hoping to escape the noontime summer heat that caused heatstroke and sunburns among thousands wrapping up the Hajj pilgrimage. The final...

Muslims in Asia celebrate Eid al-Adha with sacrifice festival and traditional feast

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Muslims in Asia on Monday celebrated Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, with food and prayers for people in Gaza suffering from the Israel-Hamas war. One of the biggest Islamic holidays, the occasion commemorates Prophet Ibrahim’s test of faith...

Reclusive Taliban leader warns Afghans against earning money or gaining 'worldly honor'

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban’s reclusive supreme leader on Monday warned Afghans against earning money or gaining worldly honor at a time when the country is in the grip of humanitarian crises and isolated on the global stage. Hibatullah Akhundzada gave his warning in a sermon...

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. ...

Jordan says 14 Jordanian pilgrims have died from sunstroke during the Muslim Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia

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...