ISTANBUL — In the heart of Istanbul, on top of the towering minarets that dot the city’s skyline, 68-year-old Kahraman Yildiz toils away at a craft that has illuminated the Muslim holy month of Ramadan for generations. Yildiz, a master of Mahya, the unique Turkish tradition of stringing religious messages and designs between minarets, is … Read more
SANAA, Yemen — The leader of Yemen’s branch of al-Qaida is dead, the militant group announced late Sunday, without giving details. Khalid al-Batarfi had a $5 million bounty on his head from the U.S. government over leading the group al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, long considered the most-dangerous branch of the extremist group still operating … Read more
JERUSALEM — On the eve of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, Jerusalem’s Old City bears few of its usual hallmarks of festivity. Nearly half of the grotto-shaped gift shops are sealed behind metal shutters. The narrow streets that run toward Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third-holiest site, are eerily empty. Absent are the fairy lights and … Read more
NEW DELHI — India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday is making his first official visit to Kashmir’s main city since New Delhi stripped the disputed region’s semi-autonomy and took direct control of it in 2019. Thousands of armed paramilitary troops and police in flak jackets maintained extra vigilance across the Kashmir Valley, the heartland … Read more
LONDON — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday that a Conservative lawmaker was wrong to say the mayor of London is controlled by Islamists, and denied his party tolerates anti-Muslim prejudice. Sunak was pressured to condemn Islamophobia after the comments by Lee Anderson about Mayor Sadiq Khan, amid growing tensions within British politics … Read more
ABUJA, Nigeria — At least 15 Catholic worshippers were killed in a Burkina Faso village on Sunday when gunmen attacked a community as they gathered for prayers in the country’s conflict-hit northern region, church officials said. The violence in the village of Essakane was a “terrorist attack” that left 12 of the Catholic faithful dead … Read more
ALGIERS, Algeria — ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Algeria on Sunday inaugurated a gigantic mosque on its Mediterranean coastline after years of political upheaval transformed the project from a symbol of state-sponsored strength and religiosity to one of delays and cost overruns. Built by a Chinese construction firm throughout the 2010s, the “Great Mosque of Algiers” … Read more
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s prime minister announced Friday the reopening of the Beiji refinery, the country’s largest, which had been shut down for a decade after being damaged in the battle against the Islamic State extremist group. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said in a statement that the refinery’s return to operation will enable Iraq to … Read more
ISLAMABAD — Afghan women feel scared or unsafe leaving their home alone because of Taliban decrees and enforcement campaigns on clothing and male guardians, according to a report from the U.N. mission in Afghanistan. The report was issued days before a U.N-convened meeting in the Qatari capital Doha, where member states and special envoys to … Read more
BUCHAREST, Romania — Authorities in Moldova said Monday they destroyed explosives discovered in a part of a Shahed drone that crashed on its territory from the war in neighboring Ukraine, while the foreign minister condemned Russia’s “constant barbaric attacks” across the border. Police said that 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of explosives were discovered during an … Read more