Hajj intimidating for secular reporter
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Performing the hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage more ancient than Islam itself, is complicated and confusing even for those well-versed in Islam Â so it's particularly intimidating for someone who's hardly religious.
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NAJAF, Iraq -- Her full, traditional veil, which stands out even here in the religious capital of the socially conservative Shi'ite south, makes it hard for Anwar Uboud-Ali to see on the campaign trail.
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Some Muslim congregations are seeking native imams who can discuss issues that seem relevant to young people.
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Ghalab al-Jazaari is the Iraqi police chief masterminding the siege of Najaf. It is an unenviable job by any standards. But, he tells Donald Macintyre, for him it&#39;s also very personal ...
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For hajj pilgrims returning from the once in a lifetime trip to the holy city of Mecca, arriving back home in this staunchly Muslim Indonesian province of Aceh should have been a proud and happy occasion. It was anything but for Nurasyirah.
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Saudi Arabian officials have reportedly detained a blogger whose writing has criticized religious extremism in the country, according to the two press freedom groups and a regional human-rights organization.Blogger and IT professional Fouad Ahmed al-Farhan, 32, was taken into custody on December 10, the Committee to Protect Journalists reported on Wednesday. His Arabic-language site now has a &quot;Free Fouad&quot; banner in English across the top.In a letter sent to friends shortly before his arrest, al-Farhan wrote that he had been told that the interior ministry was investigating him and would pick him up within two weeks. At the time he described the worst case as being jailed for three days, but he was still being held without charge as of Friday, according to Joel Campagna, Middle East program coordinator for the CPJ in New York.Al-Farhan&#39;s blog promotes political reform and bears the tagline, &quot;Searching for freedom, dignity, justice, equality, Shura and all the remaining Islamic values which are missing,&quot; along with a dedication to his daughters, according to a report on the website of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information. Some of his more critical commentary has dealt with the question of religious extremism, Campagna said. Al-Farhan also recently posted a blog item criticizing ten well-known personalities who have close ties to the Saudi royal family, he said.The Saudi government&#160;heavily censors Internet content, both political criticism and pornography, Campagna said. Contentious news or political commentary sites are frequently blocked.There have been previous incidents of online writers suffering retaliation. In 2006, Saudi journalist Rabah al-Quwai&#8217;, who had criticized religious extremism, was held for 13 days. In order to obtain his release he had to confess to having denigrated Islamic beliefs, and promise to would defend Islamic values in his future work, the CPJ reported.Reporters Without Borders Thursday released a statement calling for al-Farhan&#39;s release; its current list of &quot;13 Internet Enemies&quot; includes Saudi Arabia.Research into Internet content filtering by the OpenNet Initiative shows substantial blocking activity by the government of Saudi Arabia. The group says that filtering content for political reasons is the common denominator across the Middle East.The CPJ last year detailed Saudi media censorship in its report, Princes, Clerics and Censors.&#160;
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The Interior Ministry has mobilized more than 50,000 forces to prepare for the annual hajj pilgrimage, officials said Saturday, but they warned that terrorists may still be able to launch attacks.
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Millions of Muslims from around the world gathered in Mecca Sunday for the start of the annual Islamic hajj pilgrimage, as the Saudi Interior Ministry announced tough security precautions.
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LAHORE, Pakistan  - She may be a model of Islamic modesty beneath her headscarf, but Nilofar has no time for religious political students who would dictate how she dresses, who she talks to, and what she can and can't study.
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Senior clerics are publishing a guide for Britain's Muslim community offering advice on dealing with a terror attack.
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Muslim pilgrims performed final rites of the haj on Saturday, with many praising its safety following fears of stampedes or al Qaeda strikes.
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Modern technology has changed the way Muslims experience the hajj pilgrimage, a rite required of able-bodied faithful who can afford it at least once in a lifetime. It has also perhaps changed the way they experience being Muslims, as Islamic militants have popularly seized on the Internet as a tool for publicizing their extremist, often violent, version of the religion.
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MECCA, Saudi Arabia  - Muslim pilgrims performed  final rites of the haj on Saturday, with many praising its  safety following fears of stampedes or al Qaeda strikes.
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Reporters from The Associated Press visited mosques around the world Friday to take the pulse of the faithful at a time of upheaval in Islam. They found believers who, for all their cultural and geographical diversity, share an anger over Iraq and the Palestinians and a feeling that their religion is under threat from the West.
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Mumtaz Ahmad spent more than three years at a madrasa in Pakistan learning the Koran, then pursued his pious desire to become a Qari' -- one who recites the Muslim holy book -- at a similar Islamic religious school in Kabul.
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Ramadan, the holy month of fasting for 1.2 billion Muslims worldwide, begins this weekend. The observance, with its emphasis on inner reflection, fasting and prayer
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His take on Islam, however clumsy, raises tough truths about reason and religion