US antisemitic incidents hit record high in 2023 amid war in Gaza, report says
Reuters The number of antisemitic incidents of assault, vandalism and harassment in the US hit a record high in 2023 as anti-Jewish sentiment spiked after the start of the Israel-Hamas war, according to a report released this week. The Jewish advocacy group Anti-Defamation League (ADL) tallied 8,873 antisemitic incidents in 2023, a 140 per cent […]
Gazans live on memories of past Eid festivals as war ruins special day
Gaza Reuters Palestinians visited the graves of loved ones killed in the Gaza war and prayed beside the wreckage of a mosque and in shattered streets as the devastating conflict cast a pall over the Eid al-Fitr holiday. Millions of Muslims around the world are observing Eid, marking the end of the fasting month of […]
Chaos of Gaza war forces Christians to bury dead in Muslim cemeteries
Gaza Reuters Too frightened to travel on dangerous roads that lead to their graveyards in Gaza, Palestinian Christians are lowering their loved ones into the ground in Muslim cemeteries amid the chaos of war between Israel and Hamas. “I’ve been working at this cemetery for almost 10 years and this is the first time in […]
Gallup poll: More than half of Americans rarely go to church
United States RNS The most popular church in America might be St Mattress, followed by Bedside Baptist. Those two – euphemisms for sleeping in on Sundays – increasingly describe the attitude of many Americans toward attending churches or other houses of worship. Mark Galli kneels in prayer before Mass at St Michael Catholic Church, on […]
UK unveils new extremism definition amid rise in hate crimes against Jews, Muslims
London, UK Reuters Britain unveiled a new definition of extremism on Thursday in response to an eruption of hate crimes against Jews and Muslims since the 7th October Hamas attacks on Israel, although critics said the change risked infringing on freedom of speech. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warned that Britain’s multi-ethnic democracy […]
India implements citizenship law opposed by Muslims before election
New Delhi, India Reuters India moved on Monday to implement a 2019 citizenship law that has been criticised as discriminating against Muslims, weeks before Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a rare third term for his Hindu nationalist government. The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) grants Indian nationality to Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Christians who […]
India’s Assam scraps colonial-era Muslim marriage law
Guwahati, India Reuters India’s Assam state has scrapped an 89-year-old law that allowed marriage involving underage Muslims, against opposition from leaders of the minority community who called the plan an attempt to polarise voters on religious lines ahead of elections. Assam, which has the highest percentage of Muslims among Indian states at 34 per cent, […]
Modi opens Hindu temple built on ruins on razed mosque, in political triumph for Prime Minister
Ayodhya, India AP Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened a controversial Hindu temple Monday that was built on the ruins of a razed historic mosque – a political triumph for the populist leader who is seeking to transform the country from a secular democracy into a Hindu state. The temple, dedicated to Hinduism’s Lord Ram, sits on […]
Essay: After Christmas attacks in Plateau State, 2024 must be the year Nigeria’s nightmare ends
ELLIS HEASLEY, of UK-based religious freedom advocacy CSW, calls for action – both from Nigerian authorities and the international community – to address the ongoing “nightmare” of violence in Nigeria…
Sharing space: Muslim migrants in New York find refuge in a Nigerian church
FIONA ANDRÉ, of Religion News Service, reports on how Hosanna City of Refuge Church in Queens, New York, is helping Muslim migrants from West Africa…