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TEL AVIV, May 15 (Reuters) - The Eurovision Song Contest has found few fans in a famous mosque in the Israeli host city, where worshippers have complained that the gaudy festivities are disrupting their observances of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. A "Eurovision Village" pavilion set up on the Tel Aviv beachfront to host parties is located directly opposite the century-old Hassan Bek mosque, named after an Ottoman governor and frequented by Israeli Arabs from nearby Jaffa. The 41-country songfest has been a focus of pro-Palestinian boycott calls, and some Muslims fasting daily as part of Ramadan resent the...

Stephen Montemayor reported in the Star Tribune Morning Hot Dish email newsletter earlier this week that Gov. Tim Walz and First Lady Gwen Walz hosted the first iftar dinner ever held in the governor’s residence on Tuesday: “Plans for the historic meal, which marks each day of fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, have been in the works for at least a couple months: Walz first announced his intent to use the residence to host such a meal in March during a conference on Islamophobia [sic]. A spokeswoman confirmed that scheduled attendees include Jaylani Hussein, executive director of...

Pakistan: teen girl has oil thrown on her, lit on fire for refusing marriage proposal Another case that illustrates the gross human rights abuses against women, based on their lower status in Islam. This case illustrates the cruelty sometimes associated with “forced marriage”. A teen girl in Pakistan had oil thrown on her and was then set on fire in Pakistan for reportedly refusing a marriage proposal. The intent was to murder her. Her face will never be the same, her life will never be the same. Do Western feminists care? evidently not. Also in Pakistan, forced conversion and forced...

At least 9 killed in blast outside Sufi Muslim shrine in Lahore, Pakistan, A faction of the Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for the bombing of the Sufi shrine of Data Darbar in Lahore, Pakistan, which killed at least nine people and wounded a further 24.

by Sheri Urban A school district in Seattle has sent out a letter asking teachers to bless its Muslim students -- in Arabic -- during the month of Ramadan and give them preferential treatment, such as obtaining dispensations for classes and exams, reports Fox News. And even more disturbing, the school's directive follows almost word-for-word an script put out by the terror-linked CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations. In response to the letter, the religious liberty legal defense group Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund (FCDF), has threatened the Dieringer School District with a potential lawsuit for violating the conscience of its...

CBS2’s Greg Mills reports that mosques in our area have gone on high alert. This is an important time for those of the Islamic faith. The 30 days of Ramadan are just beginning. “It’s a month where we try to be better versions of ourselves. Both mentally, spiritually and physically,” says Qureshi. The holiday begins under the dark cloud of their fellow worshipers who share their faith and those of other faiths. Imam Quereshi has talked about what he called people who are isolated and have murder in mind. The Islamic Center has been also reaching out to synagogues, churches...

BANGKOK, Thailand -- China's government sent more than one million majority ethnic Han Chinese to live uninvited in the homes of minority Uighur families in Xinjiang province and report if the Muslims display Islamic or unpatriotic beliefs which need to be forcibly reformed. "Had a Uighur host just greeted a neighbor in Arabic with the words 'Assalamu Alaykum'? That would need to go in the notebook," and reported to China's authorities, said American anthropologist Darren Byler. "Was that a copy of the Koran in the home? Was anyone praying on Friday or fasting during Ramadan? Was a little sister's dress...

SEATTLE — A federal judge has ordered the Washington Department of Corrections to provide nighttime meals to Muslim inmates who have been fasting during the month of Ramadan, after several said prison officials refused to do so. The Council on American-Islamic Relations sued the department Sunday on behalf of four prisoners at the Washington State Reformatory in Monroe, including one who said he’s lost 15 pounds since Ramadan began in mid-May.

President Donald Trump excluded a variety of domestic Islamic groups linked to the Muslim Brotherhood from his first White House annual Islamic ‘Iftar’ dinner. The exclusion is a sharp change from former President Barack Obama, who put the Brotherhood-linked groups front-and-center in his Iftar dinners and his Middle East strategy. His regional strategy crashed once the Brotherhood groups in Egypt, Syria, Libya, Tunisia, and other countries were unable to restrain their Islamic radicalism during the so-called “Arab Spring.” Reports show that most of the invitees at the dinner were the ambassadors of Islamic countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Morocco....

A whiteboard message at Oregon State University’s library asks students to try to avoid eating foods, especially smelly foods, in shared spaces to be considerate of those who are observing Ramadan. The Muslim holy month this year runs from about May 15 to June 14. During this period, Muslims are obligated to fast from dawn until sunset. Presumably, the sign was made to encourage non-observers to not eat foods with strong smells because it would make Muslim students’ hunger worse, or that it might be disrespectful. It is not unheard of for a university to work with Muslim students during...

WASHINGTON, June 5, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, June 6, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), in partnership with other civil rights organizations,* will host a "NOT Trump's Iftar" fast-breaking meal (iftar) outside the White House. People of all faiths and backgrounds are welcome to take part in the iftar. Wednesday's event is designed as a counterpoint to the iftar that will take place at that same time in the White House. [*Other sponsoring organizations include CWS Immigration and Refugee Program, the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) and the Justice for Muslims Collective. Other groups are expected to be...

London's Southwark Cathedral hosted its second annual "Grand Iftar Service" on Sunday evening, marking the anniversary of the London Bridge terror attack last year. In addition to the 11 a.m. Eucharist service, the church also held a 3 p.m. Service of Commemoration for the attack, and an 8 p.m. service to celebrate the Muslim service. The Iftar service stood out, however, as it marked the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. It has not yet been reported whether or not the prayers associated with Ramadan were performed inside the cathedral, which would be a serious violation of Christian holy space. Hosting...

.... Trump will host a dinner at the White House on Wednesday to recognize the Muslim holy month of Ramadan...

(CNN)President Donald Trump will host a dinner at the White House this week celebrating the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The iftar is scheduled for Wednesday, according to Politico, which first reported Trump would host the dinner, and a guest list was not made available by the White House. The event was not held last year, breaking nearly two decades of tradition by previous Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.

Accused of being “infidels,” a group of Kurdish asylum-seekers say they were attacked at a refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos on Friday. Local reports on Saturday said six persons were wounded in the clashes. One Syrian Kurdish refugee said four Kurds had been killed when they were set upon due to “sectarian and ethnic hatred against Kurds.” Reports corrected the numbers on Sunday to indicate ten had been injured and none killed.

A federal judge granted a restraining order Thursday forcing prison guards in Alaska to stop giving Muslim inmates pork as they break their fasts during Ramadan, rights campaigners said. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) filed a lawsuit on Tuesday claiming Anchorage Correctional Complex had violated constitutional prohibitions against "cruel and unusual punishment." CAIR said the US District Court for Alaska had granted its request for an emergency temporary order requiring guards to provide adequate meals in accordance with government health guidelines. "CAIR has reported an unprecedented spike in bigotry targeting American Muslims and members of other minority groups since...

Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan, detained in France over rape allegations by four women, has lost an appeal for early release ahead of his trial, the Paris appeals court said Tuesday. Judges had earlier this month refused bail for 55-year-old Ramadan, who is being treated behind bars for multiple sclerosis, as well as a request for release on health grounds.

A Danish minister known for her strong anti-immigration views on Monday May 21st called for Muslims to take time off work during the fasting period of Ramadan, saying the practice is “dangerous for all of us”. The comments from immigration and integration minister Inger Stojberg, a member of the center-right Liberal Party, come after Ramadan, one of Islam’s most revered holidays in which Muslims around the world fast from dawn until dawn, began last week. “I want to call on Muslims to take leave from work during the month of Ramadan to avoid negative consequences for the rest of Danish...

(CNSNews.com) - House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.) issued a statement on Tuesday in observance of the Holy Month of Ramadan. “Ramadan offers all Americans an opportunity to honor the remarkable contributions that Muslim Americans make to our nation,” she said. “In every corner of the country, this beautiful heritage enriches our nation and reminds us all that in diversity there is strength.” Here is the full text of Pelosi’s statement: “The Holy month of Ramadan is a sacred time of devotion and contemplation for Muslims in America and around the world. This month, families will join together to honor...

It’s Ramadan and my mother is in the kitchen slaving over a hot stove preparing a big feast. She’s fasting even though she is a 64-year-old diabetic. As for myself? Earlier in the day, I had a huge fish and chips platter for lunch, but my Muslim family believes I’m fasting with them. This has gone on for years During the month of Ramadan, most of the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims will observe by basically not partaking in any vice for 30 days. From sunrise to sunset all able-bodied Muslims are required to “fast”; we are prohibited from eating, drinking...