RAMLE, Israel (AP) — The Israeli school year has begun, but thousands of children from the Arab minority who attend Christian schools are still on summer vacation because of a strike to protest cuts in government funding that critics say amount to discrimination. Administrators of the Christian schools, which mainly cater to Christian and Muslim … Continue reading
MINA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Two giant waves of Muslim pilgrims collided at an intersection Thursday near a holy site in Saudi Arabia, and more than 700 people were crushed and trampled to death in the worst disaster at the hajj in a quarter-century. “People were climbing over one another just to breathe,” said Abdullah … Continue reading
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel on Thursday approved harsher measures to combat the practice of stone-throwing amid a recent surge in Palestinian violence, widening the rules of engagement for police and vowing to raise minimum penalties for offenders to four years’ imprisonment. The measures, approved by the Security Cabinet, allow police officers to fire live ammunition … Continue reading
MOUNT ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Muslim pilgrims from around the world gathered before dawn Wednesday in the valley of Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia for a day of prayer that marks the pinnacle of the annual hajj pilgrimage. Some 2 million pilgrims packed should-to-shoulder for an emotional day of repentance and supplication. Many wept … Continue reading
JERUSALEM (AP) — A rectangular hilltop compound in Jerusalem is ground zero of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, it is Islam’s third holiest spot and is home to an iconic golden-domed shrine. But to Jews it is the Temple Mount, their holiest place, and the only religious site in the … Continue reading
MOSCOW (AP) — The plunge in the ruble currency is making Russians’ travels abroad hugely more expensive. For thousands of the country’s Muslims, that means more than just canceling a beach vacation, but putting on hold a once-in-a-lifetime religious experience — the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. Islam’s hajj pilgrimage, which all Muslims … Continue reading
BEIRUT (AP) — Backed by U.S.-led airstrikes and buoyed by battlefield successes, Kurdish fighters kept up an offensive through northern Syria on Tuesday, driving Islamic State militants out of a town near the extremists’ de facto capital of Raqqa. The capture of Ein Issa came just hours after the Kurdish forces had overrun a nearby … Continue reading
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — For most of his 20s, all Badr al-Enezi could think about was becoming a jihadi fighter. After getting in touch with former Guantanamo Bay prisoners who had returned to militancy, he began plotting how to take up arms. Instead, he was caught by Saudi authorities and spent six months in … Continue reading
ROME (AP) — Italy’s migration crisis took on a deadly new twist Thursday as police in Sicily reported that Muslim migrants had thrown 12 Christians overboard during a recent crossing from Libya, and an aid group said another 41 were feared drowned in a separate incident. Palermo police said they had detained 15 people suspected … Continue reading
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has condemned the attack by Islamic militants on a Kenyan university as an act of “senseless brutality” and called for those responsible to change their violent ways. In a telegram of condolence Friday, Francis also urged Kenyan authorities to work to bring an end to such attacks and … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — Three men accused of plotting to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State and wage war against the United States were arrested on terrorism charges Wednesday, February 25 federal officials said. Akhror Saidakhmetov, a Brooklyn resident and citizen of Kazakhstan, was arrested at Kennedy International Airport, where he was attempting … Continue reading
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The fathers of three young Muslims allegedly slain by a neighbor who was angry over parking spots stood before their caskets Thursday, Feb. 12, and urged a crowd of thousands to protect others by demanding justice. More than 5,000 people came to the funeral of Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23; his … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 