Author: Akor Sylvester

Source: AllAfrica.com/Daily Champion

http://allafrica.com/stories/200807240603.htmlica.com/stories/200807240603.html

African leaders have condemned in totality violence against women, saying it is unreligious and against the law of natural justice.

The leaders also concluded to form a network across national border[s] that would tackle issues, beliefs and traditions that infringe on the...

Author: Lawn Griffiths

Source: East Valley Tribune

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/121467

When the holy month of Ramadan arrives Sept. 1, about 400 Muslim families in the south East Valley will finally have their own masjid, or mosque. They'll gather there for their nightly prayer services and cultural activities, meals and events that traditionally make a mosque a center of Islamic community life.

It's been 12 years of delays and setbacks...

Author: Tim Murphy

Source: Religion News Service

http://pewforum.org/news/display.php?NewsID=16141

Citing changing demographics and a steady increase in complaints from people of faith, a federal agency on Tuesday (July 22) released an updated compliance manual on religious discrimination in the workplace.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued the guidance after consultation with religious groups, employers, and labor...

Author: Jamie Tarabay

Source: NPR

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92787430

Khalid Aqbal's new condo sits in one corner of a quiet leafy square in a northern Virginia suburb. He's 62, and it's the first home he's bought in the U.S. since moving here from Canada. Some of his neighbors' homes are in foreclosure, but Aqbal isn't worried because he didn't take out a high-risk loan.

"I've always bought everything...

Author: Staff Writer

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7519040.stm

Muslims in Scotland have expressed unease about the use of "stop and search" procedures at Glasgow Airport.

The Scottish-Islamic Foundation said some members were concerned about the type of interviews they faced.

The issue will be discussed on Tuesday night during a question and answer event at a...

Author: Staff Writer

Source: CNN

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/22/islam.ads/index.html

Ads promoting Islam are to be placed on New York subway cars in September, but a U.S. congressman finds people sponsoring the messages unacceptable.

"I have no problem with the ad itself, but I have a very, very real problem with those behind it," Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican, said Tuesday. He is urging the Metropolitan Transit Authority to...

Author: Mallika Rao

Source: Religion News Service

http://www.pewforum.org/news/display.php?NewsID=16109

Mosques across the country are beginning to use a model similar to the one used by some suburban and downtown megachurches, operating multiple sites to serve a large and dispersed congregation.

Many of these "mosque chains" brand themselves as progressive, and sometimes feature gymnasiums and mixed-gender prayer areas for men and women...

Author: William Roller

Source: The Yuma Sun

http://www.yumasun.com/news/abroad_43132___article.html/trip_aimed.html

An Arizona legislator's trip abroad next month is designed to strengthen cultural bonds that may help the lawmaker better represent the diverse base of residents living in the Yuma area.

District 24 Rep. Theresa Ulmer, D-Yuma, will leave for Istanbul, Turkey, on Aug. 4 for a 10-day tour to broaden her...

Author: Staff Writer

Source: The Chicago Sun-Times

http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1064662,CST-EDT-edit20a.article

Should a man be forced to shave his beard for work if it violates his religious beliefs?

Abal Zaidi, who is Muslim, refused to shave and now alleges that's why he lost his job as a Kane County correctional officer in Geneva. Last week, he sued the Kane County Sheriff's Department, where he worked...

Author: Jeff Karoub

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/religion/story/417110.html

They filled the cafe night after night. To the casual observer, it might have appeared to be a roomful of 20-somethings with enviable amounts of idle time.

Yet the 30 young Muslim men and women who met for 30 days had serving society, not socializing, on their minds. And the group calling itself 30/30 emerged from the...

Author: Dylan Bowman

Source: Arabian Business

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/525206-religious-intolerance-rife-in-saudi-schools--report-?ln=en

King Abdullah’s international push to promote interfaith dialogue has hit a setback on news children in Saudi Arabia are still being taught religious intolerance.

Textbooks used in schools across the conservative Muslim kingdom refer to Jews and...

Author: Dominic Casciani

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7512626.stm

The British government is to fund a board of Islamic theologians in an attempt to sideline violent extremists.

The move will see Oxford and Cambridge Universities host a group of scholars who will lead debate on key issues such as women and loyalty to the UK.

The plans have angered some hardline activists who accuse ministers of trying to create...

Author: Staff Writer

Source: Institute for War & Peace Reporting

http://www.iwpr.net/?p=bca&s=b&o=345801&apc_state=henh

The state of religious freedoms in both Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan remains as poor as ever, with both governments suspicious of Muslim and non-Muslim faith groups alike.

At a White House meeting on July 14 dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the United States’ International Religious Freedom Act, President...

Author: Staff Writer

Source: The Australian

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24039586-2702,00.html

Leaders of non-Christian faiths have met Pope Benedict XVI, who hailed the shared moral values of the world's major religions.

About 20 religious leaders from the Jewish, Hindu, Islamic and Buddhist communities gathered to meet the Pope and the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney George Pell in the Chapter Hall...

Author: Staff Writer

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7512401.stm

The Philippine government and a separatist rebel group have agreed to expand an autonomous Muslim region in the south of the country.

The agreement envisages the extension of the present region in Mindanao to include a further 712 villages.

The proposed homeland will also be entitled to a large share of the resources in the area.

...