Sorted by date Results 1 - 11 of 11
Demoralized by the Biden administration's handling of the Israel-Hamas war, Palestinian American Samia Assed found in Vice President Kamala Harris' ascension — and her running mate pick — "a little ray of hope." That hope, she said, shattered during last month's Democratic National Convention, where a request for a Palestinian American speaker was denied and listening to Harris left her feeling like the Democratic presidential nominee will continue the U.S. policies that have outraged many in the anti-war camp. "I couldn't breathe because I f...
Once a year, Muslim pilgrims flowing into Saudi Arabia unite in a series of religious rituals and acts of worship as they perform the Hajj, one of the pillars of Islam. As they fulfill a religious obligation, they immerse themselves in what can be a spiritual experience of a lifetime for them and a chance to seek God's forgiveness and the erasure of past sins. Here's a look at the pilgrimage and its significance to Muslims. WHAT IS HAJJ?Hajj is the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia that is required once in a lifetime of every...
Olfa Hamrouni doesn't know much about her granddaughter; not her favorite toy nor food — is it the pasta the child's mother loves, or something else? The Tunisian grandmother doesn't even let her mind go there. "I don't want to know. What for but more heartache?" she said. For now, she just fights for 8-year-old Fatma. The child has spent virtually all her life with her mother and aunt — Hamrouni's eldest daughters — raised in detention in Libya, where the women wound up after leaving home as teenagers and joining Islamic State group extre...
Muslims around the world are welcoming the start of Ramadan, a month of fasting, increased worship, heightened charity, good deeds and community. Christians are also fasting during Lent, the 40-day period of penance and prayer ahead of Easter, which marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Fasting across religions is practiced for a wide range of reasons that include spiritual purification and self-discipline. Here is a quick look at fasting as an act of faith: BUDDHISM -- In Buddhism, fasting is recognized as one of the methods...
Police announced Tuesday that they have detained a "primary suspect" in the killings of four Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico, whose deaths sparked fear in Muslim communities nationwide. Police Chief Harold Medina made the announcement on Twitter, saying that authorities had tracked down a vehicle believed to be involved in one of the slayings in New Mexico's largest city. "The driver was detained, and he is our primary suspect for the murders," the tweet said. No other information was immediately available. Police planned to provide an...
Authorities on Monday identified the fourth victim in a series of killings of Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as the deaths sent ripples of fear through Islamic communities nationwide. Three of the slayings happened in the last two weeks. Now law enforcement officials are seeking help finding a vehicle believed to be connected to the killings in New Mexico's largest city. The common elements were the victims' race and religion, officials said. Naeem Hussain was killed Friday night, and ambush shootings killed three other Muslim men over...
Mohammed Al Zabidi celebrated in 2017 when he learned he had been selected in the U.S. green card lottery, which picks people at random from a large pool of applicants. It was a chance to escape his war-torn homeland of Yemen and pursue his dreams in the United States. “I won! I won!” Al Zabidi cheered. He borrowed money to finance his trip, bought clothes for his new life in America and packed souvenirs for friends there. With no U.S. Embassy in Yemen, he made a grueling journey to Djibouti for his visa interview. But there, after he had bee...
BRIGHAM CITY, Utah (AP) — Wearing dress shirts, ties and name tags, three missionaries with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sit around the kitchen table inside a Utah apartment planning how they'll spread their gospel that day. Seth Rather, a 19-year-old from Wichita, Kansas, reads aloud as he types on a smartphone: "During this time, we must put our faith in God to deliver us through these unprecedented times. How has putting your faith in God helped you in your life? "That good?" he asks his two companions. "I like it," A...
As the pandemic upended commencement rituals across campuses, Kim Gaddie wanted to give the University of Oklahoma's class of 2020 a taste of tradition -- well, kinda. Armed with boxes of chalk, Gaddie, her husband and a few colleagues spent hours writing the names of graduating seniors on the concrete sidewalk where class members would have lined up to march into the ceremony. By the time they were done, the pathway was festooned with more than 4,000 colorful names. "I was thinking to myself, 'Wow, they're not going to get a chance to do...
WINTER PARK, Fla. (AP) — Scared for friends who had contracted the new coronavirus and worried about her daughter's schooling and husband's work, Whitney Rutz cried and screamed into her pillow. Then, the Portland, Oregon, resident started baking. What began as an effort to cheer herself up ended up lifting the spirits of many others, raising money for thousands of meals and nourishing "the bellies and souls" of health care workers — one giant cinnamon roll at a time. Rutz's rolls have raised more than $35,000 for the Oregon Food Bank, eno...
BEIRUT (AP) — Singer Tania Saleh grew up amid a civil war that robbed her of her childhood, of her friends and neighbors and of the Lebanon she so loved. For years, she has sung the pains of sectarian schisms. "You Lebanese have created 10 or 12 gods ... You divided me. You aggravated me. You parceled me out and you became divided," one of her songs says, imagining a conversation with God. "He who wants to pray ... must understand that God, the creator, has not made one sect better than the other." Based on a poem written in 1975, the year t...
