Middle East
Trump condemns religious persecution amid refugee squeeze
By Elana Schor — September 26, 2019
NEW YORK (AP) — The president's promise rang hollow to advocates for persecuted religious minorities seeking refuge in the United States.
King of Jordan wins Templeton Prize for fostering Muslim cooperation
By G. Jeffrey MacDonald — June 27, 2018
(RNS) — King Abdullah II of Jordan has won the 2018 Templeton Prize for promoting interreligious dialogue and cooperation between Muslims of differing traditions. He is the second Muslim to win the prize, joining laureates such as Mother Teresa, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Billy Graham, Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama.
Fearing extremist violence, Egypt silences 20,000 storefront mosques
By Amr El Tohamy — May 25, 2018
CAIRO (RNS) — The Egyptian government has banned preaching at 20,000 mosques as a precautionary measure to prevent extremist violence during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Evangelicals find like-minded Christians in unlikely place: Palestinian West Bank
By Dan Rabb — May 10, 2018
BEIT SAHOUR, West Bank (RNS) — It's an evangelical church that is proudly, defiantly Palestinian.
‘Ignorance’ feeds anti-Semitism in the Arab world
By Jerome Socolovsky — March 27, 2018
JERUSALEM (RNS) — How to deal with the problem was the challenge posed at a conference in Jerusalem.
Jerusalem tax spat pits heaven against earth
By Jerome Socolovsky — March 12, 2018
JERUSALEM (RNS) — An ethereal city graced with sunlight so bright it turns the white stone skyline gold at sunset, Jerusalem is also an earthbound city whose teachers must be paid and whose garbage must be collected.
Christians are key to support for el-Sissi in upcoming Egypt election
By Mina Nader — March 5, 2018
CAIRO (RNS) — Since Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi took over Egypt’s presidency four years ago, he has worked to improve life for Coptic Christians, giving them near equal rights and benefits as Muslims even as their churches have been attacked by terrorists.
Pence: US Embassy to move to Jerusalem in 2019
By Lauren Markoe — January 22, 2018
(USA Today) — Pence made the announcement Monday (Jan. 22) at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament.
More Israeli ultra-Orthodox Jews buck tradition and head for the army, higher ed
By Lauren Markoe — January 17, 2018
JERUSALEM (RNS) — 'My father didn’t serve and neither did my nearly 100 cousins, not that I hold it against them,' said one ultra-Orthodox soldier.
Egyptian Parliament considers outlawing atheism
By Kimberly Winston — January 4, 2018
(RNS) — It is already illegal to 'defame' religion, but a new law would make it a crime to have no belief in God.
Pope Francis laments ‘winds of war’ blowing around the world
By Cathy Lynn Grossman — December 25, 2017
(AP) — The Christmas message has become an occasion for popes to survey suffering in the world and press for solutions.
Evangelicals support Trump’s Jerusalem decision because we care about the Palestinians
By Johnnie Moore — December 18, 2017
JERUSALEM (RNS) — "We did not support the President’s decision because we favor Jews over Arabs nor for any obscure theological reasons like those speculated about, reported upon and sensationalized in recent days," writes Johnnie Moore. (COMMENTARY)
Morocco goes digital to counter radical Islam online
By Tom Heneghan — November 21, 2017
(RNS) — The Mohammadia League of Islamic Scholars, a government research institute leading Morocco’s extensive campaign against violent Muslim extremism, is producing videos and reaching out on Facebook and YouTube to those in their teens and 20s.
Pence to visit Israel and Egypt to support persecuted Christians
By The Associated Press — October 25, 2017
DALLAS (AP) — Pence discussed his plans at a religious dinner in Washington, where he stressed the Trump administration's commitment to helping Christian minority groups across the Middle East.
Middle East’s Samaritans link Muslims and Jews
By Lauren Markoe — October 17, 2017
MOUNT GERIZIM (RNS) — Every Samaritan has both a Hebrew name and an Arabic name, and Samaritans are fluent in both languages — but not fully accepted by either Muslims or Jews, community members say.
