Tag: Religion

Swiss to beef up defences of Muslim, Jewish minorities

For the next four years, the government has earmarked CHF2.5 million ($2.7 million) annually to be spent on technical and construction measures at buildings, including synagogues and mosques, the Federal Police Office said on Wednesday. This is an increase of CHF500,000 annually, but it is likely to be cut again from 2028. It is hoped […]

Houthis want to test captive model's virginity

A Yemeni model who was abducted by the Houthis is going to be subjected to a virginity test, Amnesty International said on Friday. The rights group urged the militia to immediately halt its plans. “Yemen’s Houthi de facto authorities must immediately halt all plans to subject Entesar Al-Hammadi to forced virginity testing,” Lynn Maalouf, deputy […]

Saudi matchmaking turns high-tech

The traditional skills of the Kingdom’s matchmakers have survived many changes, and they are confident that amid rapid social changes among the younger generation and a technological revolution they can continue to ply their trade. As men and women enjoy opportunities to mingle and meet and attitudes across the country are starting to change, the […]

Court supports Hagia Sophia decision, Pompeo objects

President Tayyip Erdogan declared Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia open to Muslim prayer as a mosque on Friday after a top court ruled that the building’s conversion to a museum by modern Turkey’s founding statesman was illegal. Erdogan made his announcement just an hour after the court ruling was revealed, brushing aside international warnings not to change […]

US approves polygamy for Mormons

The Utah state Senate voted unanimously on Tuesday effectively to decriminalize polygamy among consenting adults, reducing penalties for a practice with deep religious roots in the predominantly Mormon state. The bill, which would treat the offense of plural marriage as a simple infraction on par with a parking ticket, now moves to the Utah House […]

Mark Sedgwick on the Use and Abuse of Sufism

The Levant News Exclusive - By Emad El-Din Aysha | Mark Sedgwick is Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies at Aarhus University, and Chair of the Nordic Society for Middle Eastern Studies. He studied history at Oxford University, did his PhD at the University of Bergen, and taught for many years at the American University […]

Beirut's Year of Tolerance Session under UAE patronage

The "Year of Tolerance Session" is being held in Beirut, through a grant from the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, and under the direct supervision of the Humanitarian and Developmental Affairs Attaché at the UAE Embassy in Lebanon. Hamad Saeed Sultan Al Shamsi, UAE Ambassador to Lebanon, visited the students who are taking part […]

Tashkent – one of the most amazing cities of Central Asia

Uzbekistan is the land of legends, fresh fruits, bright sunshine and cheery friendly people. In the last few years, the tourism potential at the region was improved with some new facilities and attractions. Also, Uzbek cuisine - perhaps most known national and developed aspect of the Uzbekistan culture and Uzbekistan people. Unlike its nomadic neighbors, […]

SAUDI ARABIA ARRESTS WOMEN’S RIGHTS ACTIVISTS WHO VIOLATED DRIVING BAN, WATCHDOG SAYS

Three women’s rights activists were arrested in Saudi Arabia Thursday, allegedly because of their work as advocates for human rights, an organization that monitors arbitrary arrests in the Sunni Muslim Kingdom claimed. Loujain al-Hathloul, a 28-year-old social media figure, Aziza Al-Yousef, a 60-year-old mother of five, and Eman Al-Nafjan, a university professor and popular blogger, […]

No plans to introduce gambling: Dubai Tourism chief

While sites like trustedmalaysia.casino are gaining popularity across the world, there is still no move to legalise gambling in Dubai, despite the imminent arrival of three of the world's most famous hotel casino brands, according to the emirate's most senior tourism official. The MGM Grand, the Bellagio, and as of last week Caesars Palace, are […]

Social media misused to spread extremism, security experts say

Extremists misuse social media platforms to spread false ideologies and hatred, which go against the true message of Islam, security experts said in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. They were speaking at a conference on ‘Tolerance, Moderation and Dialogue in Countering Terrorism’ organised by the Ministry of Interior at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. The two-day […]

Tolerance is in UAE’s DNA and being celebrated daily

“The UAE celebrates tolerance every day of the year because tolerance distinguishes the DNA of our country,” a top official said here on Friday evening. “Tolerance is a necessary element in our vision for the present and for the future. That vision is a global vision because our country is a global society,” said Shaikh […]

Will Yemen kick-off the 'War of the two Blocs?'

By Sharmine Narwani* for RT-- There is media confusion about what is going on in Yemen and the broader Middle East. Pundits are pointing out that the US is looking schizophrenic with policies that back opposite sides of the fight against al-Qaeda-style extremism in Iraq and in Yemen. But it isn’t that hard to understand […]

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