Saudi Arabia’s enduring male guardianship system
Source: BBC News Saudi Arabia drew international plaudits last year when it lifted a longstanding ban on women driving. However, restrictions on women remain – most notably, the “male guardianship […]
‘You saved Rahaf’s life’: online outcry kept ‘terrified’ Saudi woman safe, says friend
Source: The Guardian BY Jamie Fullerton in Kuala Lumpur and Helen Davidson Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, the Saudi Arabian woman who fled her family and is now under UN protection in Thailand, has been […]
Who is Fethullah Gulen? And why is the US talking about extraditing him to Turkey?
Source: Religion News Service By Claire Sadar (RNS) — For the past 2½ years, the United States and its NATO ally, Turkey, have been at odds over the fate of […]
American Jews and Israeli Jews Are Headed for a Messy Breakup
Source: Religion News Service By Jonathan Weisman The events of the past year brought American and Israeli Jews ever closer to a breaking point. President Trump, beloved in Israel and decidedly unloved […]
Israeli police, settlers clash in evacuation of illegal outpost
Source: Reuters AMONA, West Bank (Reuters) – Israeli paramilitary police dragged dozens of Jewish settlers out of an illegal outpost in the occupied West Bank on Thursday and said more […]
US officials discuss Turkey’s request for cleric’s return
Source: Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s state-run news agency says a U.S. delegation is meeting Turkish officials to discuss a long-standing Turkish request for the extradition of Muslim […]
Conflict That Helped Spur Israeli Election Resounds Among Ultra-Orthodox Jews
Source: Wall Street Journal By Felicia Schwartz and Dov Lieber TEL AVIV—The Israeli culture clash that helped to precipitate the collapse of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition in December is […]
Evangelicals Seek Detente With Mideast Muslim Leaders As Critics Doubt Motives
Source: NPR By JEROME SOCOLOVSKY In recent months, evangelical Christian leaders have been traveling to the Middle East to meet with rulers of Islamic countries and with Muslim clergy. The […]
Israel’s Jewish Home party splits ahead of April election
Source: Reuters JERUSALEM (Reuters) – A religious-nationalist party in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government split on Saturday, with its leaders saying they were bolting to appeal to more […]
Vatican official urges Iraq’s Christians to forgive, rebuild
Source: Associated Press By NICOLE WINFIELD VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican secretary of state urged Iraqi Christians who have endured years of Islamic extremist persecution to forgive, reconcile and […]
Syria: a new front in the battle between Iran and Saudi Arabia?
REUTERS/US army By Nathalie Goulet The Middle East has never been an area of great stability. Areas of lawlessness or lacking of governance have multiplied since the US invasion […]
Egypt’s Coptic Christians celebrate Christmas, ponder changing date
Source: Religion News Service EL KOSHEH, Egypt (RNS) — This Coptic Christian village about 280 miles south of Cairo calls itself “Little Jerusalem.” Around this time of year, many of the […]
For the US, the region is no longer a politico-military playground
Dec 26,2018 – JORDAN TIMES – MICHAEL JANSEN The latest US misadventure in Syria appears to be coming to an end. When, last week, Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of […]
Biblical city of Bethlehem boasts largest Christmas in years
Source: Associated Press By ISABEL DEBRE BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Pilgrims from around the world flocked to Bethlehem on Monday for what was believed to be the biblical West […]
Israel’s Netanyahu Embraces European Leaders With Controversial Views On Holocaust
Source: NPR BY Daniel Estrin In recent years, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cultivated friendships with rising nationalist and far-right leaders in Europe. His supporters say it’s a smart […]
Netanyahu’s son banned temporarily from Facebook over ‘hate speech’
Source: CNN By Ian Lee, CNN Jerusalem (CNN)Facebook has restored the account of Yair Netanyahu, the eldest son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after it was temporarily suspended for […]
Airbnb issues conflicting statements on boycott of Jewish-owned West Bank properties
Source: Religion News Service By Michele Chabin JERUSALEM (RNS) – On Monday (Dec. 17), Airbnb, the short-term rental site, sent out a news release in Hebrew claiming the company’s decision to […]
Yemeni mother wins visa fight to see her dying child in a California hospital
Source: CNN By Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN (CNN)The US State Department granted a Yemeni mother, whose 2-year-old son is on life support in an Oakland hospital, a waiver Tuesday to travel […]
Iranians Are Converting To Evangelical Christianity In Turkey
Source: NPR By Fariba Nawa In a hotel conference room in Denizli, Turkey, about 60 Iranians sing along to songs praising Jesus mixed with Iranian pop music. When the music […]
Australia recognises West Jerusalem as Israeli capital
Source: BBC News Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has confirmed that his government will recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. However, he said Australia’s embassy would not move […]