INSIDER
2 transgender women stabbed to death at home in northwest Pakistan
Read full article: 2 transgender women stabbed to death at home in northwest PakistanPolice say two men armed with daggers killed two transgender women at their home in conservative northwest Pakistan overnight before fleeing the scene.
Mourners in southern Pakistan attend funerals for 28 Shiite pilgrims killed in a bus crash in Iran
Read full article: Mourners in southern Pakistan attend funerals for 28 Shiite pilgrims killed in a bus crash in IranHundreds of mourners in southern Pakistan have attended the funerals of 28 Shiite pilgrims who were killed in a bus crash in Iran this week while heading to Iraq.
India to hold first assembly elections in disputed Kashmir in 10 years
Read full article: India to hold first assembly elections in disputed Kashmir in 10 yearsIndia has announced three-phased assembly elections in disputed Kashmir, the first in a decade and in a new political environment after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in 2019 stripped the Muslim-majority region of its semi-autonomy and downgraded it to a federally controlled territory.
Sri Lanka will hold presidential election on Sept. 21, its first since declaring bankruptcy in 2022
Read full article: Sri Lanka will hold presidential election on Sept. 21, its first since declaring bankruptcy in 2022Sri Lanka will hold a presidential election on Sept. 21 that will likely be a test of confidence in President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s efforts to resolve the country’s worst economic crisis.
Texas woman accused of attempting to drown 3-year-old girl in hate crime attack, authorities say
Read full article: Texas woman accused of attempting to drown 3-year-old girl in hate crime attack, authorities sayA Texas woman is facing multiple charges after attempting to drown a 3-year-old child at an apartment complex and making racial statements, according to authorities.
Hundreds died during this year's Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia amid intense heat, officials say
Read full article: Hundreds died during this year's Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia amid intense heat, officials sayHundreds of people have died during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia as the faithful faced intense high temperatures at Islamic holy sites in the desert kingdom.
CLIMATE GLIMPSE: Scorching Northern Hemisphere heat leads to deaths and wildfires
Read full article: CLIMATE GLIMPSE: Scorching Northern Hemisphere heat leads to deaths and wildfiresThe United States is bracing for chaotic weather this week, as the South is set to experience another heat wave following a short respite from searing temperatures earlier this month.
More than 1.5 million foreign pilgrims arrive in Mecca for annual Hajj pilgrimage
Read full article: More than 1.5 million foreign pilgrims arrive in Mecca for annual Hajj pilgrimageMuslim pilgrims have been streaming into Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca for the Hajj, as the annual pilgrimage returns to its monumental scale.
First Syrian jet in over a decade transports Muslim worshippers to Saudi Arabia for Hajj pilgrimage
Read full article: First Syrian jet in over a decade transports Muslim worshippers to Saudi Arabia for Hajj pilgrimageFor the first time in over a decade, 270 Syrians have traveled on a direct flight from Damascus to Saudi Arabia for the annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage, according to the Syrian Transportation Ministry.
USC cancels graduation keynote by filmmaker amid controversy over decision to drop student's speech
Read full article: USC cancels graduation keynote by filmmaker amid controversy over decision to drop student's speechThe University of Southern California is further shaking up its commencement plans.
The Security Council revives the Palestinian Authority’s UN hopes. The US says not yet
Read full article: The Security Council revives the Palestinian Authority’s UN hopes. The US says not yetThe U.N. Security Council has revived the Palestinian Authority's hopes of joining the United Nations as a full member.
Michigan's largest Arab American cities reject Biden over his handling of Israel-Hamas war
Read full article: Michigan's largest Arab American cities reject Biden over his handling of Israel-Hamas warDearborn and two other Michigan cities with large Arab and Muslim populations turned against President Joe Biden in the state’s primary after Democratic leaders there warned for months that voters were angry about his handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
Biden aides meet in Michigan with Arab American and Muslim leaders, aiming to mend political ties
Read full article: Biden aides meet in Michigan with Arab American and Muslim leaders, aiming to mend political tiesBiden administration officials are meeting with Arab American and Muslim leaders in Michigan.
A minibus explodes in Kabul, killing at least 2 civilians and wounding 14 others
Read full article: A minibus explodes in Kabul, killing at least 2 civilians and wounding 14 othersA Taliban official says a minibus has exploded in a mostly Shiite Muslim neighborhood in Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul, killing at least two civilians and wounding 14 others.
China sanctions a US research firm and 2 individuals over reports on human rights abuses in Xinjiang
Read full article: China sanctions a US research firm and 2 individuals over reports on human rights abuses in XinjiangChina says it is banning a United States research company and two analysts who have reported extensively on claims of human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups native to the country’s northwest.
The White House is working on a strategy to combat Islamophobia. Many Muslim Americans are skeptical
Read full article: The White House is working on a strategy to combat Islamophobia. Many Muslim Americans are skepticalThe White House has announced that President Joe Biden’s administration is developing a national strategy to combat Islamophobia.
An increase in harassment against Jewish and Muslim Americans has been reported since Hamas attacks
Read full article: An increase in harassment against Jewish and Muslim Americans has been reported since Hamas attacksMuslim and Jewish civil rights groups say they’ve seen large increases in reports of harassment against members of their communities since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.
Illinois boy killed in alleged hate crime remembered as kind, playful as suspect appears in court
Read full article: Illinois boy killed in alleged hate crime remembered as kind, playful as suspect appears in courtA 6-year-old Palestinian American boy who authorities allege was stabbed 26 times by his landlord in response to escalating right-wing rhetoric in the Israel-Hamas war is being remembered as kind.
Sweden calls for vigilance abroad after Quran desecrations and protests
Read full article: Sweden calls for vigilance abroad after Quran desecrations and protestsA senior Swedish official says Swedes abroad and businesses linked to Sweden “should observe increased vigilance and caution,” following recent Quran burnings in the country and protests in the Muslim world.
Officials file more charges, but not hate crimes, against man accused of attacking Muslim lawmaker
Read full article: Officials file more charges, but not hate crimes, against man accused of attacking Muslim lawmakerA prosecutor has added felony charges, including sexual assault, against a man accused of attacking Connecticut’s first Muslim state representative after a prayer service.
Hundreds gather in Sarajevo to pay their respects to Srebrenica massacre victims
Read full article: Hundreds gather in Sarajevo to pay their respects to Srebrenica massacre victimsHundreds have lined the main street of the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, as a truck carrying 30 coffins passed on its way to Srebrenica, where newly identified victims of Europe’s only acknowledged genocide since World War II will be buried on the 28th anniversary of the crime.
Muslims across Pakistan hold anti-Sweden protests to denounce burning of Islam's holy book
Read full article: Muslims across Pakistan hold anti-Sweden protests to denounce burning of Islam's holy bookThousands of Muslims in Pakistan have held protests to denounce last week’s burning of the Islamic holy book in Stockholm following a call by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to “send a strong message to Sweden.”.
Connecticut lawmaker attacked after Muslim service says Hartford police downplayed assault
Read full article: Connecticut lawmaker attacked after Muslim service says Hartford police downplayed assaultA Connecticut state lawmaker attacked as she left a Muslim prayer service is accusing local police of downplaying what happened to her.
Army veteran sentenced to 55 years for road rage shooting death of Muslim man
Read full article: Army veteran sentenced to 55 years for road rage shooting death of Muslim manA suburban Indianapolis Army veteran has been sentenced to 55 years in prison for the road rage shooting death of a Muslim man after witnesses said he hurled ethnic and religious insults at the victim.
Indiana Army veteran convicted in road rage killing of Muslim man
Read full article: Indiana Army veteran convicted in road rage killing of Muslim manA suburban Indianapolis Army veteran has been convicted in the road rage shooting death of a Muslim man, after witnesses said he hurled ethnic and religious insults at the victim, including yelling, “Go back to your country,” before opening fire.
Stampede in Yemen at Ramadan charity event kills at least 78
Read full article: Stampede in Yemen at Ramadan charity event kills at least 78A crowd stampeding at an event to distribute financial aid during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, has left at least 78 people dead and 77 injured, according to Houthi officials and witnesses.
Minneapolis OKs dawn Muslim prayer call, 1st for big US city
Read full article: Minneapolis OKs dawn Muslim prayer call, 1st for big US cityMinneapolis will allow broadcast of the Muslim call to prayer in early mornings and late evenings, becoming the first major U.S. city to allow the announcement over speakers five times a day, year-round.
Top UN woman urges Muslims: Move Taliban into 21st century
Read full article: Top UN woman urges Muslims: Move Taliban into 21st centuryThe highest-ranking woman at the United Nations says she used everything in her “toolbox” during meetings with Taliban ministers to try to reverse their crackdown on Afghan women and girls.
Christian monastery possibly pre-dating Islam found in UAE
Read full article: Christian monastery possibly pre-dating Islam found in UAEAn ancient Christian monastery possibly dating as far back as the years before Islam spread across the Arabian Peninsula has been discovered on an island off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
Thailand's restive south hit by wave of arson and bombings
Read full article: Thailand's restive south hit by wave of arson and bombingsA wave of arson and bombing attacks overnight hit Thailand’s southernmost provinces, which for almost two decades have been the scene of an active Muslim separatist insurgency.
Albuquerque Muslims help bid to keep killings suspect jailed
Read full article: Albuquerque Muslims help bid to keep killings suspect jailedNew Mexico prosecutors are amassing evidence they hope will convince a judge that the Afghan refugee suspected of killing four Muslim men should remain jailed pending his trial.
Pacific rim economies in doldrums, sapped by inflation, war
Read full article: Pacific rim economies in doldrums, sapped by inflation, warEconomies in the Asia-Pacific are forecast to hit the doldrums this year as decades-high inflation and the war in Ukraine add to uncertainty and the aftereffects of the pandemic.
Campus ministries, counselors join to tackle mental health
Read full article: Campus ministries, counselors join to tackle mental healthAs student anxiety skyrockets, campus ministries are trying to help by not just offering the comforts of faith and community, but also creating collaborations with mental health professionals.
San Antonio Islamic gift shop serves Muslim community, spreads culture as Ramadan begins
Read full article: San Antonio Islamic gift shop serves Muslim community, spreads culture as Ramadan beginsFor nearly 30 years, an Islamic business on the Northwest Side has been serving the needs of San Antonio’s Muslim community.
3 US Muslims sue over religious questioning by officers
Read full article: 3 US Muslims sue over religious questioning by officersThree Muslim Americans have filed a lawsuit alleging that U.S. border officers questioned them about their religious beliefs in violation of their constitutional rights when they returned from international travel.
UN labor agency cites concerns about China's Xinjiang region
Read full article: UN labor agency cites concerns about China's Xinjiang regionAn annual report from the United Nations labor agency has highlighted the work conditions of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in China’s western Xinjiang region.
Poland: Belarus eyes using Afghan migrants as border pawns
Read full article: Poland: Belarus eyes using Afghan migrants as border pawnsPoland's prime minister has warned that migrant pressures on the European Union's border with Belarus could continue, this time with people fleeing from Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.
China vows retaliation after US blacklists companies
Read full article: China vows retaliation after US blacklists companiesChina says it will take necessary measures to respond to the U.S. blacklisting of Chinese companies over their alleged role in abuses of its Uyghur people and other Muslim ethnic minorities.
Saudi Arabia says hajj to be limited to 60,000 in kingdom
Read full article: Saudi Arabia says hajj to be limited to 60,000 in kingdomSaudi Arabia says this year’s hajj pilgrimage will be limited to no more than 60,000 people, all of them from within the kingdom, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
House votes to curb power of presidency on travel bans
Read full article: House votes to curb power of presidency on travel bansThe Democratic-led House has passed legislation to constrain a president’s power to limit entry to the U.S. The vote Wednesday was a response to former President Donald Trump’s travel ban covering five Muslim-majority countries.
Turkey reimposes restrictions after sharp rise in infections
Read full article: Turkey reimposes restrictions after sharp rise in infectionsTurkey is reinstating weekend lockdowns in most of Turkey's provinces and will also impose restrictions over the Muslim holy month of Ramadan following a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)ANKARA – Turkey is re-introducing weekend lockdowns in most of its provinces and will also impose restrictions over the Muslim holy month of Ramadan following a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases. Infections in Turkey have soared less than a month after authorities divided the 81 provinces into four color-coded categories and relaxed restrictions in some provinces under a “controlled normalization” effort. The number of infections hit a record on Tuesday, with the Health Ministry confirming 37,303 new cases in the past 24 hours. The total number of infections in the country since the start of the outbreak last year stands at more than 3.2 million.
Philippine president approves amnesty program for rebels
Read full article: Philippine president approves amnesty program for rebelsThe Philippine president has approved an amnesty program for Muslim and communist rebels who would agree to surrender their weapons as they return to normal life in the latest such attempt to tame rural insurgencies that have raged for half a century. (Joey Dalumpines/Malacanang Presidential Photographers Division via AP)MANILA – The Philippine president has approved an amnesty program for Muslim and communist rebels who would agree to surrender their weapons as they return to normal life in the latest such attempt to tame rural insurgencies that have raged for half a century. Duterte also agreed to include former insurgents who once belonged to the main communist New People’s Army in his amnesty program. The 75-year-old Duterte has promised to resolve Muslim and communist insurgencies before he leaves office. The amnesty program excludes the notoriously brutal Abu Sayyaf and other small armed bands associated with the Islamic State group.
France passes anti-radicalism bill that worries Muslims
Read full article: France passes anti-radicalism bill that worries Muslims(AP Photo/Thibault Camus)PARIS – Lawmakers overwhelmingly approved on Tuesday a bill that would strengthen oversight of mosques, schools and sports clubs to safeguard France from radical Islamists and ensure respect for French values — one of President Emmanuel Macron's landmark projects. 18 is known as the ‘’Paty law," named after Samuel Paty, the teacher beheaded outside his school west of Paris. But Le Pen criticizes the bill as too weak and has offered what she called her own, tougher counter-proposal. Associations are to sign a charter of respect for French values and pay back state funds if they cross the line. A Muslim is a Muslim and that's all.” As for convicted radicals, he said, their crimes "get put on the back of Islam.
UK tribunal to hear witnesses on China genocide accusations
Read full article: UK tribunal to hear witnesses on China genocide accusationsOrganizer Nick Vetch said Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021, a eight-member panel who will act as jury has been finalized. The panel has been selected to represent diverse backgrounds and no expert on China was included on purpose, Vetch said. In declaring genocide, Pompeo cited widespread forced birth control and forced labor among Uighurs. China denies any abuses and insists that the steps it has taken are necessary to combat terrorism and a separatist movement. AdVetch said the tribunal has written to the former and current Chinese ambassadors to London to request the Chinese government’s presence and cooperation, but so far received no response.
Rohingya refugees fear returning to Myanmar after coup
Read full article: Rohingya refugees fear returning to Myanmar after coupRohingya refugee Mohammad Jaffar, 70, talks to the Associated Press at the Balukhali refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Feb.2, 2021. Rohingya refugees from Myanmar living in camps in Bangladesh are condemning the military coup in their homeland and saying it makes them more fearful to return. (AP Photo/Shafiqur Rahman)DHAKA – Rohingya refugees from Myanmar living in camps in Bangladesh condemned the military coup in their homeland and said it makes them more fearful to return. Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that it hopes the coup will not hamper the refugees' return. The United Nations has described the Myanmar military crackdown on the Rohingya as a form of genocide.
China labels Pompeo 'doomsday clown' over genocide claims
Read full article: China labels Pompeo 'doomsday clown' over genocide claimsThe accusation of genocide by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo against China touches on a hot-button human rights issue between China and the West. Pompeo’s announcement Tuesday doesn’t require any immediate actions, although the U.S. must take the designation into account in formulating policy toward China. China says its policies in Xinjiang aim only to promote economic growth and social stability. “So hopefully we’ll see a continued continuity with regards to the new (Joe Biden) administration on holding China to account," Leibold said in an interview. “And hopefully the Biden administration can bring its allies along to continue to put pressure on the Chinese government," he said.
Bosnian city of Mostar holds 1st local election in 12 years
Read full article: Bosnian city of Mostar holds 1st local election in 12 years(AP Photo/Kemal Softic)MOSTAR – MOSTAR, Bosnia-Long-entrenched ethno-nationalists were projected to win the first local election in Bosnia’s southern city of Mostar in 12 years, but early results of Sunday's vote also indicated multiethnic parties and alliances would be a strong part of the future city council. Mostar is split between Muslim Bosniaks and Catholic Croats, who fought fiercely for control over the city during the country’s 1992-95 war. It hasn’t held a local election since 2008, when Bosnia’s constitutional court declared its election rules discriminatory and ordered them changed. Thus, the lawmakers from multiethnic parties appear set to become tiebreakers in all but certain disputes between the dominant Bosniak and Croat nationalists. Prior to the war, ethnically mixed couples made up 10% of all marriages in Mostar, and the city was markedly cosmopolitan.
Malaysia group teaches refugee women how to read and write
Read full article: Malaysia group teaches refugee women how to read and writeRefugee women in Malaysia, some in their late 50s, are learning to read and write for the first time. The students are refugee women in Malaysia, some in their late 50s, who for the first time are learning how to read and write, both in Malay and English. Like Zaleha, many refugee women in Malaysia have picked up the local tongue, but without knowing how to read or write, they are mostly confined to familiar surroundings. For most refugee women, education is often viewed as a low priority, Arissa said. “It was very essential for us to not pitch the refugee women as a charity, where they are constantly requiring external aid," Arissa said.
Anti-France protests continue, as Macron seeks understanding
Read full article: Anti-France protests continue, as Macron seeks understandingSmaller demonstrations in Lebanon, Turkey and India followed on anti-France protests across the Muslim world last week that were mostly led by Islamist groups. The renewed protests came after President Macron's interview late Saturday in which he said that he understood the shock Muslims felt at caricatures depicting the Prophet Muhammad. “I have never said that,” Macron told the Al-Jazeera interviewer, explaining that some false translations of his words in the media showed him to support the cartoons mocking Prophet Muhammad. “We condemn blasphemy of Islam and Prophet Muhammad by French President,” read a slogan scribbled on a French flag. Anti-France protests were held by Muslim groups on Friday in Mumbai, India’s financial and entertainment capital, and Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh state.
France mourns 3 killed in church attack, tightens security
Read full article: France mourns 3 killed in church attack, tightens securityA family lights a candle in front of the Notre Dame church in Nice, France, Friday, Oct. 30, 2020. A new suspect is in custody in the investigation into a gruesome attack by a Tunisian man who killed three people in a French church. Macron's government stood firm, and called up thousands of reserve soldiers to protect France and reinforce security at French sites abroad. Before Nice, Issaoui, who was born in 1999, arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa on Sept. 20, France’s antiterrorism prosecutor said. Minister Luciana Lamorgese called Thursday’s attack in France “an attack on Europe.
France reacts after Erdogan questions Macron's mental health
Read full article: France reacts after Erdogan questions Macron's mental healthFILE - In this Sunday, Jan. 20, 2020 file photo, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left and French President Emmanuel Macron stand, during a group photo at a conference on Libya at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany. France has recalled its ambassador to Turkey after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said President Emmanuel Macron needed mental health treatment and made other comments that the French government described as unacceptably rude. Erdogan questioned his French counterparts mental condition while criticizing Macrons attitude toward Islam and Muslims. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)PARIS – France recalled its ambassador to Turkey for consultations after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said President Emmanuel Macron needed mental health treatment and made other comments that the French government described as unacceptably rude. Erdogan questioned his French counterpart's mental condition while criticizing Macron’s attitude toward Islam and Muslims.
Grisly beheading of teacher in terror attack rattles France
Read full article: Grisly beheading of teacher in terror attack rattles FranceFrench President Emmanuel Macron denounced what he called an "Islamist terrorist attack" against a history teacher decapitated in a Paris suburb Friday, urging the nation to stand united against extremism. (Abdulmonam Eassa, Pool via AP)PARIS – For the second time in three weeks, terror struck France, this time with the gruesome beheading of a history teacher in a street in a Paris suburb. French President Emmanuel Macron denounced what he called an “Islamist terrorist attack” and urged the nation to stand united against extremism. Macron visited the school where the teacher worked in the town of Conflans-Saint-Honorine and met with staff after the slaying. ... Why does a history teacher behave this way in front of 13-year-olds?” the man asked.
Pilgrims return to Mecca as Saudi eases virus restrictions
Read full article: Pilgrims return to Mecca as Saudi eases virus restrictionsBut as nations begin to ease those restrictions, the Saudi government on Sunday started allowing a maximum of 6,000 pilgrims a day to enter the sprawling Grand Mosque in Mecca. Muslim travelers from outside Saudi Arabia could be allowed to perform the umrah pilgrimage as early as Nov. 1, the Interior Ministry has said. Saudi Arabia recently began easing some restrictions on international flights for the first time since March. Pilgrims were selected after applying through an online portal and all were residents or citizens of Saudi Arabia. Despite taking early and sweeping measures to contain the virus, Saudi Arabia has recorded nearly 336,000 cases, including 4,850 deaths.
House approves second bill aimed at forced labor in China
Read full article: House approves second bill aimed at forced labor in ChinaFILE - In this Dec. 3, 2018, file photo, people line up at the Artux City Vocational Skills Education Training Service Center at the Kunshan Industrial Park in Artux in western China's Xinjiang region. The Associated Press has found that the Chinese government is carrying out a birth control program aimed at Uighurs, Kazakhs and other largely Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. Chinas repression in Tibet, the status of the exiled Dali Lama, and its treatment of ethnic minorities spurred violent protests ahead of Beijings 2008 Olympics. China is host to the 2022 Winter Olympics with rumblings of a boycott and calls to remove the games from Beijing because of widespread human rights violations. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)
32 acquitted in razing of India mosque that set off violence
Read full article: 32 acquitted in razing of India mosque that set off violenceAn Indian court on Wednesday acquitted all 32 accused, including senior leaders of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, in the case. Last year, India’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of building a Hindu temple on the disputed site. The Supreme Court also ruled that the demolition of the Babri Masjid was illegal and ordered that the separate trial in the mosque demolition case be completed expeditiously. The four acquitted BJP leaders — L.K. “When the Supreme Court said that the demolition of the mosque was an unlawful act, how can a lower court set free the accused?” he said.
Australian think tank finds 380 detention camps in Xinjiang
Read full article: Australian think tank finds 380 detention camps in XinjiangCANBERRA – China appears to be expanding its network of secret detention centers in Xinjiang, where predominantly Muslim minorities are targeted in a forced assimilation campaign, and more of the facilities resemble prisons, an Australian think tank has found. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute used satellite images and official construction tender documents to map more than 380 suspected detention facilities in the far northwestern region, highlighting internment camps, detention centers and prisons that have been newly built or expanded since 2017. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Friday dismissed the report as “pure disinformation and slander,” saying the Australian institute had “no academic credibility.” China does not operate “so-called detention camps” in Xinjiang, Wang told reporters at a daily briefing. “Of these, about 50% are higher security facilities, which may suggest a shift in usage from the lower-security, ‘re-education centers’ toward higher-security prison-style facilities,” Ruser wrote. Of the camps stripped of security infrastructure, 90% were lower security facilities, the report said.
Saudi Arabia to lift ban on Mecca pilgrimage amid virus
Read full article: Saudi Arabia to lift ban on Mecca pilgrimage amid virusFILE - In this May 25, 2019 file photo, Muslim worshippers circumambulate the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, during the minor pilgrimage, known as Umrah in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Muslim travelers from outside Saudi Arabia could be allowed to perform the “umrah” pilgrimage as early as Nov. 1, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Saudi Arabia recently began easing some restrictions on international flights for the first time since March. Pilgrims were selected after applying through an online portal and all were residents or citizens of Saudi Arabia. Despite taking early and sweeping measures to contain the virus, Saudi Arabia has recorded more than 330,000 cases, including more than 4,500 deaths.
Gas pipeline blast burns dozens praying at Bangladesh mosque
Read full article: Gas pipeline blast burns dozens praying at Bangladesh mosqueDoctors treat a burn Muslim worshipper in a hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020. Dozens of Muslim worshipers suffered burn injuries critically during evening prayers after explosions of a gas pipeline installed underground near a mosque outside Bangladesh capital, officials said Saturday. (AP Photo/Abdul Goni)DHAKA An underground gas pipeline near a mosque exploded during evening prayers outside the capital of Bangladesh, leaving dozens of Muslim worshipers with critical burns, officials said Saturday. The blast occurred Friday night as people were finishing their prayers at Baitus Salat Jame Mosque at Narayanganj, local police chief Zayedul Alam said. TV stations reported that because of the impact of the gas line blast, at least six air conditioners also exploded inside the mosque.
Very different, symbolic hajj in Saudi Arabia amid virus
Read full article: Very different, symbolic hajj in Saudi Arabia amid virusHundreds of Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, as they keep social destination to protect themselves against the coronavirus ahead of the Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, July 29, 2020. During the first rites of hajj, Muslims circle the Kaaba counter-clockwise seven times while reciting supplications to God, then walk between two hills where Ibrahim's wife, Hagar, is believed to have run as she searched for water for her dying son before God brought forth a well that runs to this day.