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It's a Holy Place —and It's Sinking
It's a Holy Place
—and It's Sinking

It's a Holy Place —and It's Sinking

Environmentalist: What looks like development in Joshimath, India, 'is actually devastation'

(Newser) - For months, the roughly 20,000 residents of the holy town of Joshimath, burrowed in the Himalayas and revered by Hindu and Sikh pilgrims, have watched the earth slowly swallow their community. Multistoried hotels slumped to one side; cracked roads gaped open. More than 860 homes were uninhabitable, splayed by...

'Catastrophic' Prediction for Christ's Tomb
Scientists Issue Dire
Warning on Christ's Tomb
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Scientists Issue Dire Warning on Christ's Tomb

There could be a 'catastrophic' collapse if structural issues aren't remedied

(Newser) - Few places are more holy to Christians than what's thought to be Christ's tomb in Jerusalem, but scientists are now warning that there's a "very real risk" of collapse at the site. Researchers from the National Technical University of Athens say the Edicule, a shrine that...

Suspect in Timbuktu Shrines' Destruction: 'I Am Really Sorry'

Ahmad al-Mahdi, charged with war crimes, pleads guilty at the Hague

(Newser) - When Islamic rebels backed by al-Qaeda infiltrated Timbuktu in 2012, they wreaked havoc in the Malian city and destroyed Muslim shrines, including nine mausoleums and the door of a mosque that had remained shut for hundreds of years, per the Guardian . Now Ahmad al-Mahdi, a former employee with Mali's...

Palestinians Set Fire to Joseph's Tomb

IDF spokesman calls it 'blatant violation of the basic value of freedom of worship'

(Newser) - A holy site in the West Bank often visited by Jewish pilgrims under the cover of darkness with the Israeli military protecting them was set on fire by Palestinians Thursday night. Though firefighters put out the blaze, the incident has only added fuel to the fire already burning between the...

Court Tells Hindus, Muslims to Split Holy Site

Both sides plan to appeal decision at volatile Indian locale

(Newser) - For 150 years, Hindus and Muslims both claimed a site that is sacred to their religions, positions that triggered some of the worst rioting in India's history. Today, a court came up with a compromise: Split it. Both sides said they would appeal. But the muted reaction to the potentially...

Conservatives Rewriting 'Liberal' Bible

(Newser) - Even the Bible isn't conservative enough for some conservatives. The mysterious "Conservative Bible Project" aims to bring the holy book back to its right-wing "roots" by routing out muddy translation and liberal "bias." That includes no more "gender inclusive" terms that "emasculate" Christianity and...

Preachy Bar Managers Stir Brewhaha
Preachy Bar Managers Stir Brewhaha

Preachy Bar Managers Stir Brewhaha

London bar flies revolt against lofty ideals of Christian couple

(Newser) - Praise the Lord and pass the beer—or at least that's the vision a devout Christian couple may have had for the London pub they were hired to manage. But patrons found the couple's preachy exhortations to prayer, Bible quizzes, and ban on cursing and gambling downright annoying.

Dozens Dead in Baghdad Mosque Blast
Dozens Dead in Baghdad
Mosque Blast

Dozens Dead in Baghdad Mosque Blast

More than 200 hurt as violence against Shia holy sites continues

(Newser) - A car bomb exploded near a Shia mosque in Baghdad today just as afternoon prayers were ending, killing at least 75. More than 200 people were injured in the blast, which sent smoke billowing over the central city. The explosion came 2 days after officials lifted a curfew imposed following...

Deadly Blast Rocks Holy City
Deadly Blast Rocks Holy City

Deadly Blast Rocks Holy City

Shiite Holy City Rocked by Blast

(Newser) - A car bomb ripped through one of Iraq's holiest cities today, killing at least 58 Iraqis and wounding over 150 as they made their way to evening prayers. Karbala—the site of two major Shiite shrines—is a hotspot for suicide bombers, who killed 47 in an attack just two...

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