Pakistan
Her American father was shot in a blasphemy trial in Pakistan. Now she’s fighting for justice.
By Aysha Khan — August 19, 2020
(RNS) — Tahir Ahmad Naseem’s daughter is fighting for the U.S. government to deliver justice for her father — an American citizen who was killed while being tried on blasphemy charges in Pakistan.
Pakistan’s persecution of Ahmadi Muslims must end
By Siobhain McDonagh — August 14, 2020
(RNS) — During every moment of their life, Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan face persecution.
Muslims try to keep Ramadan spirit amid virus restrictions
By Samy Magdy and Lee Keath — April 21, 2020
BAHTIM, Egypt (AP) — As Ramadan begins later this week, Muslims around the world are trying to maintain the cherished rituals of Islam's holiest month without further spreading the outbreak.
Behind the tensions between Muslims and Sikhs in Punjab
By Simran Jeet Singh — January 3, 2020
(RNS) — A Muslim mob surrounded the Gurdwara Janam Asthan, marking the birthplace of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhi.
Sikh holy site in Pakistan mobbed by locals, trapping worshipers
By Aysha Khan — January 3, 2020
(RNS) — The demonstration may have been sparked by a local dispute between Muslim and Sikh residents.
Why these New York Sikhs are fundraising for a mosque in India
By Aysha Khan — November 25, 2019
(RNS) – A Sikh-majority village in the Indian side of Punjab has some 300 Muslims, but no mosques. This Sikh family in New York City wants to change that.
India seeks to portray sense of calm in locked-down Kashmir
By Emily Schmall — August 29, 2019
NEW DELHI (AP) — By limiting the ability of journalists to report on the region, critics of the Indian prime minister say, India's government has whitewashed coverage of resistance to the new policy of direct rule in Kashmir.
How South Asian Americans are reckoning with Partition’s legacy 72 years later
By Harmeet Kamboj — August 14, 2019
(RNS) — While we often talk about the calamity of 9/11, it's impossible to ignore the legacy of the 1947 Partition of India, whose 72nd anniversary is this week, in the sometimes troubled relations between South Asian American communities today.
Kashmiri Americans organize to put a human face to the crisis in their homeland
By Aysha Khan — August 13, 2019
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (RNS) – As Kashmir faces a security lockdown and widespread media blackout, U.S. Kashmiris are kicking up a new wave of activism focused on 'azaadi.'
Gurinder Chadha: ‘I started my career as a way of combating racism’
By Simran Jeet Singh — August 13, 2019
(RNS) — British director Gurinder Chadha's latest film, 'Blinded by the Light,' depicts a lost teenager in Margaret Thatcher's Britain finding salvation through perhaps the unlikeliest of saviors — Bruce Springsteen.
Curfew eased partially in Kashmir for Friday prayers
By Associated Press — August 9, 2019
NEW DELHI (AP) — The mostly Muslim region has been under a security lockdown since India's Hindu nationalist-led government announced it was revoking its special constitutional status.
Forced conversions, marriages spike in Pakistan
By Bob Smietana — June 6, 2019
LAHORE, Pakistan (RNS) — 'The ugly reality of forced conversions is that they are not seen as a crime, much less as a problem that should concern ‘mainstream’ (Muslim) Pakistan,' said Mehdi Hasan, chairperson of the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.
Asia Bibi, a Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy, leaves Pakistan
By Kathy Gannon — May 8, 2019
(RNS) — Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who was acquited of blasphemy, has left Pakistan. She had been in protective custody since the country's high court had released her from death row. She has rejoined family in Canada.
New Pakistani leader’s education aims may include reining in religious schools
By Naila Inayat — March 5, 2019
LAHORE, Pakistan (RNS) — Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's plans to introduce a nationwide curriculum for all his country's schools, including its 38,000 madrassas, is viewed skeptically by religious leaders.
Asia Bibi free to leave Pakistan after court dismisses challenge to her acquittal
By Bob Smietana — January 29, 2019
LAHORE, Pakistan (RNS) — Bibi, a Christian whose death sentence for blasphemy was overturned last year, will likely leave Pakistan after a court rejected an appeal of her acquittal.
