Ramadan

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Explosions Across Iraq: Kut, Najaf, Kirkut, Tikrit, Diyala Targeted
 56 Killed in Blasts Across Iraq 

56 Killed in Blasts Across Iraq

Dozens wounded; explosions end weeks of relative peace

(Newser) - Bombs struck more than a dozen Iraqi cities this morning, killing 56 and wounding dozens more. The coordinated explosions mark the first major violence in a comparatively peaceful month of Ramadan, the AP notes; the violence comes as as officials debate whether to maintain a US presence in the country...

Whole Foods Dishes Up Ramadan Tempest

Company embraces Muslim customers ... at first

(Newser) - Whole Foods has ended up with egg on its face after first touting Ramadan then running scared. The company decided to promote some of its halal foods for the Muslim holy month—then backed off when it was ripped by anti-Muslim bloggers. "Ramadan is fast approaching, and I'm...

Assad Forces Kill at Least 31 in Continued Crackdown

Toll could hit as high as 69, activists say

(Newser) - Two Syrian rights groups say government forces have killed at least 31 people in the latest phase of their crackdown on dissent, and the toll for the day could rise to 69. Today's casualties were mainly in the eastern city of Deir el-Zour and the central city of Houleh....

Somali Militants Launch Ramadan Offensive

Despite deadly famine, al-Shabab forces attack Mogadishu

(Newser) - For the fifth straight year, Islamic militant group al-Shabab used the start of Ramadan to launch attacks in Somalia, reports CNN . Despite one of the worst famines in 60 years , al-Shabab fighters attacked African Union forces in northeastern Mogadishu yesterday with suicide bombers, guns, and mortars. "In the midst...

Amid Clashes, Egypt Troops Clear Tahrir Square

Soldiers clean out last remaining activists

(Newser) - Swarms of Egyptian soldiers, riot police, and armored vehicles rolled into Cairo today to clear the last remaining protesters from Tahrir Square. Troops fired shots into the air and reportedly used clubs and electrified batons on activists demanding justice for the 850 protesters killed during the uprising in February, reports...

Woman Spares Man Who Blinded Her With Acid

Ameneh Bahrami halts 'eye for eye' punishment

(Newser) - As Ramadan begins in the Islamic world this week, a remarkable story of forgiveness out of Iran: Ameneh Bahrami halted the "eye for an eye" blinding of Majid Movahedi, who blinded and disfigured her seven years ago when he dumped a bucket of acid on her. Movahedi was minutes...

Syria Kills 62 in Pre-Ramadan Crackdown

Mostly in city of Hama

(Newser) - The Syrian army raided cities across the country before dawn today, killing at least 62 people—most of them in the flashpoint city of Hama where a barrage of shelling and gunfire left bodies scattered in the streets, activists and residents said. The government is escalating its crackdown ahead of...

Iran May Release Hikers: Lawyer
Iran May Release Hikers: Lawyer 

Iran May Release Hikers: Lawyer

Says Shane Bauer, Josh Fattal may be freed tomorrow

(Newser) - The lawyer for two Americans jailed in Iran on charges of espionage says his clients could be released after a court hearing slated for tomorrow. Masoud Shafiei said today the fact that the session in the trial of Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal would coincide with the second anniversary of...

Limbaugh: Obama Wants Deal in Time for Ramadan

Though even he can't keep a straight face about it

(Newser) - Rush Limbaugh couldn’t resist pushing the envelope a bit today with a crack implying that Barack Obama is Muslim. In a segment on the debt ceiling spotted by Mediaite , Rush said, “So Obama’s out there pushing this magic Aug. 2 deadline to get this thing done. That’...

Paper: Sorry for Photo of Muslims Praying on 9/11

Many deride peaceful portrayal of religion on anniversary of attacks

(Newser) - The Portland Press Herald has apologized for having the temerity to show Muslims praying peacefully on September 11th. The upbeat frontpage story followed local Muslims as they celebrated the end of Ramadan, which this year fell near the anniversary of the terror attacks (for details, click here ). These worshipers,...

Muslims Fear Backlash Over Ramadan Feast on 9/11

They worry some will believe they're celebrating the attacks

(Newser) - Ramadan’s final celebratory feast just happens to fall on or around September 11 this year, and American Muslims are a bit worried people will get the wrong idea. It’s entirely a coincidence—thanks to Islam’s lunar calendar, the holiday, called Eid al-Fitr, occurs about 10 days earlier...

Obama Supports Mosque Near Ground Zero

President cites 'commitment to religious freedom'

(Newser) - President Obama tonight forcefully endorsed building a mosque near Ground Zero, saying the country's founding principles demand no less. "As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country," Obama said, weighing in for...

Indonesia's Parliament Airs Porn

Pols think someone was trying to download porn at work

(Newser) - It wasn't your typical Monday for a group of Indonesian lawmakers and journalists, who got a shock when an online porn video steamed up dozens of computer monitors outside the parliament press room—for the long 10 minutes witnesses say it took security guards to shut down the computers. House...

Obama Praises US Muslims at Ramadan Dinner

(Newser) - President Barack Obama praised the contributions of American Muslims tonight at a White House dinner to celebrate the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Muslim community leaders, Cabinet secretaries, ambassadors and members of Congress were on hand as Obama paid tribute to "a great religion and its commitment to justice...

Huge Kandahar Blast Kills 43, but Taliban Deny Role

(Newser) - A Taliban spokesman today denied that the group was behind a huge explosion that killed at least 43 and injured 65 more in Kandahar last night. Roughly 40 shops were destroyed in the blast, which went off outside a wedding hall just as people were breaking their Ramadan fast. Rescue...

Overflowing Mosques Lead Muslims to Synagogue

(Newser) - With the Muslim population in the US booming, the start of Ramadan this weekend will see many worshippers overflowing into borrowed space, from ballrooms to synagogues, the Washington Post reports. The DC area's mosques are bursting at the seams; with the Koran's injunction against borrowing money at interest slowing new...

Holy Season for Two Faiths Intersects in Jerusalem

Jewish new year coincides with Muslim month of Ramadan in city special to both

(Newser) - This year’s intersection of Jewish new-year holidays and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan—a rarity due to Islam’s changing calendar—is felt particularly keenly in Jerusalem, a sacred city for both religions, Ethan Bronner notes in the New York Times. Night has become “a kind of...

38 Iraqis Killed in Bloodiest Ramadan Day

Bombs wreak havoc in central Baghdad

(Newser) - At least 20 people were killed yesterday when a suicide bomber detonated a vest of explosives amid a crowd of onlookers that had gathered after an earlier car bomb exploded in central Baghdad. A total of 34 people were killed in attacks in Baghdad and another four died in Dayala...

Saudi Judge: Kill Offending Broadcasters

Sheik urges fatwa on owners of channels with 'corrupt beliefs'

(Newser) - The highest judge in Saudi Arabia says “it is permissible” to murder owners of satellite TV networks that broadcast questionable material during Ramadan, the Guardian reports. When a caller to his radio show asked about channels featuring “bad programs,” Sheik Saleh al-Lihedan responded, “What does the...

Ancient Ritual Blends Faith, Technology

Muslim holy month starts on sighting of crescent moon

(Newser) - Telescopes are tilted skyward throughout the Muslim world tonight, hunting for the first glimpse of a crescent moon that signals the start of Ramadan. In an age-old mix of science and religion, astronomers and clerics gather each year to monitor the moon and announce the beginning of Islam’s holiest...

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