The group has been reduced from the world’s most fearsome terrorist organization to a low-level insurgency operating in limited parts of countries torn by conflict.
Tag: Muslims and Islam
Saudi Halloween: Once-Banned Holiday Now Haunted by Masked Monsters
Only a few years ago, a Halloween party meant arrest. Now, a government-sponsored “horror weekend” means sold-out costume shops and scary clowns. “Saudi is changing,” said a young man going as a wizard.
Father Joe, Bangkok’s Priest to the Poor, Thrives Among Fellow Outcasts
For 50 years, the Rev. Joseph Maier has lived in one of the poorest parts of the Thai capital, ministering to Catholics, Buddhists and Muslims alike, and never finding favor with the church hierarchy.
In Quebec, the Independence Movement Gives Way to a New Nationalism
In Monday’s election, residents of a town that was once a stronghold of the independence movement are expected to back the province’s popular premier, who has embraced a nationalism based on French Québécois identity.
Leicester Tensions Have Roots in India
Violent confrontations in Leicester have prompted soul searching in an area long heralded as a success story of diversity and integration among its large Indian diaspora.
Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Influential Muslim Scholar, Dies at 96
Considered a moderate by some and an extremist by others, he backed political Islam, attacked Al Qaeda and dispensed advice in a TV show viewed by millions.
The New India: Expanding Influence Abroad, Straining Democracy at Home
As India rises, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has faced little pushback as he weaponizes institutions to consolidate power and entrench his Hindu nationalist vision.
France Expels Imam Accused of Hate Speech, Reviving a Thorny Debate
The government presented the deportation of Hassan Iquioussen as part of efforts to crack down on “Islamist separatism.” Critics called it a political stunt that infringed on civil liberties.
Exploring Spain’s Arab Influence
Exploring the country’s Arab influence is an impossibly romantic journey, involving palaces with intricate geometric designs, castles and grand mosques reconfigured by Christians into cathedrals.
In India, 11 Convicted of Rape and Murder in Bilkis Bano Case Walk Free
Just as Bilkis Bano had started to rebuild her life after grisly communal violence in 2002, a state government cut short her assailants’ life sentences.