Religion News - LeadStory

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Germany bans Muslim group accused of Iran, Hezbollah ties

Germany has outlawed a Muslim religious organization it accuses of propagating "extremism" and supporting Iran and Hezbollah. The Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community announced the ban on the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) and it...

Al Jazeera

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Potsdam’s new synagogue opens

Potsdam’s synagogue was destroyed during the Second World War. Now, more than 80 years later, a new synagogue finally opened its doors. At a time when antisemitism is on the rise, it's hoped the new synagogue in the German city will send...

DW News

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Ultra-Orthodox draft ruling sparks tensions in Israel

Israel's Supreme Court has ruled that ultra-Orthodox Jews must serve in the military. It's a popular decision in a country where nearly half of all Jewish Israelis face the draft, but it's stoking tensions in society and in the coalition...

DW News

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Deadly stampede at Indian religious event

More than 100 people were killed in a stampede at a religious gathering in India's state of Uttar Pradesh over the weekend. Officials say the commotion from overcrowding and extreme afternoon heat contributed to the stampede.

CBC News

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Ultra-Orthodox Jews rally against military service

Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from Mea She’arim in West Jerusalem are protesting against conscription in the Israeli military. They prefer imprisonment over military service following the High Court's decision to end their exemp...

Al Jazeera

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French Jews feel caught between extremes in election

As French Jews, Maury and Alain Fischler feel trapped between equally unpalatable extremes. France is rushing into a snap election with the far right ahead in the polls, followed by a left-wing bloc they say harbors antisemites.

Reuters

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Russia mourns as Dagestan attack death toll rises

Three days of mourning began in Russia on Monday (June 24), after the death toll from a series of brazen attacks on churches and synagogues in the mainly Muslim region of Dagestan rose to at least 20. Gunmen had gone on a rampage in coor...

Reuters

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Death toll at Hajj pilgrimage rises to 1,300 amid scorching heat

Saudi Arabia said that more than 1,300 faithful died during the hajj pilgrimage which took place during intense heat, and that most of the deceased did not have official permits. "Regrettably, the number of mortalities reached 1,301, wit...

France 24

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Over a dozen killed in synagogue, church attacks in Russia’s Dagestan

Gunmen have attacked churches, a synagogue and a police post in Russia’s North Caucasus region of Dagestan, killing at least 15 police and National Guard officers, several civilians and an Orthodox priest along with six attackers accordi...

Al Jazeera

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Egypt cracks down on tourism companies after Mecca heat deaths

Egypt withdrew the operating licenses of 16 tourism companies and referred them to the public prosecutor, accusing them of being responsible for the deaths of Egyptian pilgrims in Mecca, a crisis unit tasked with addressing the situation.

France 24

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Death toll tops 1,000 after Hajj marked by extreme heat

The death toll from this year's Hajj has exceeded 1,000, an AFP tally said on Thursday, more than half of them unregistered worshippers who performed the pilgrimage in extreme heat in Saudi Arabia.

France 24

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Hajj pilgrimage threatened as hundreds perish in heat

Nearly 2 million Muslims will reach the end of the hajj pilgrimage this week, but extreme heat has proved fatal for hundreds who began the journey last Friday to the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Reuters

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Hajj pilgrimage's key role in bolstering Saudi businesses

With Muslim pilgrims streaming into holy city of Mecca ahead of the start of the Hajj later this week, businesses in Saudi Arabia are set to flourish. Saudi officials said more than 1.5 million foreign pilgrims had arrived in the country...

France 24

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Gazans perform prayers on first day of somber Eid al-Adha

As the war grinds on for a ninth month, Gazans perform Eid al-Adha prayers amid the rubble of destroyed homes and buildings in the northern Jabaliya refugee camp. "We usually come to the Eid prayers cheering, with smiles everywhere on th...

France 24

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Muslims in Gaza pass a somber Eid al-Adha on the brink of famine

Hundreds of people in Gaza performed Eid al-Adha prayers this morning amidst the rubble of destroyed homes and buildings, in a somber atmosphere marked by the ongoing Israeli aggression and the absence of traditional holiday joy.

France 24

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Muslim pilgrims worldwide perform the last ritual of Hajj

Muslims around the world are marking the first day of the Eid al-Adha or feast of sacrifice. They traditionally sacrifice a sheep and give the meat to the poor. The faithful focus on placing God before themselves, recalling Abraham’s wil...

Al Jazeera

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Muslim pilgrims converge on Mount Arafat for holiest day of Hajj

Muslims from around the world have converged on a sacred hill near Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the holiest day of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

Al Jazeera

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Pope calls for ban on ‘lethal autonomous weapons’ at G7

Pope Francis called for a ban on “lethal autonomous weapons” in an address to the G7 leaders’ summit in Italy on the perils of artificial intelligence (AI). The pontiff was the first head of the Roman Catholic Church to ever attend a Gro...

Al Jazeera

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Pope tells G7 that humans must not lose control of AI

Pope Francis became the first pontiff to address a Group of Seven summit, warning world leaders that Artificial Intelligence must never be allowed to get the upper hand over humanity.

Reuters

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Millions make once-in-a-lifetime journey to Mecca

More than three million Muslims are gathering in Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Hajj is a religious duty for all Muslims able to perform the ritual.

Al Jazeera

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The painful memories 40 years after India’s Golden Temple raid

Four decades after the Indian armed forces stormed the Golden Temple to remove Sikh separatists, many in the Punjab community are still angry with the then prime minister, Indira Gandhi.

CBC News

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Historic Toronto church holding valuable artwork gutted by fire

A four-alarm fire has largely destroyed the historic St. Anne’s Anglican Church in Toronto’s Little Portugal neighbourhood. The flames also destroyed valuable paintings inside, including the only known religious artwork made by the Group...

CBC News

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New generation of South Koreans reviving Shamanism

Lee Kyoung-hyun is part of a growing number of Korean shamans embracing social media to attract or interact with clients, riding a wave of popular culture that is quickly warming up to a homegrown tradition once viewed with distrust.

Reuters

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France fight against Islamism hits Muslim schools

Last year, Sihame Denguir enrolled her teenage son in France's largest Muslim private school, 125 miles from their Parisian home. The move meant financial sacrifices. Then in December the school lost government funding worth around two m...

Reuters

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Indian elections: Modi's Hindu nationalist politics faces test

When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened a Hindu temple on the site of a razed mosque in the holy city of Ayodhya in early 2024, he was making a bet on mixing Hindu nationalism and politics ahead of a national election in which he...

France 24

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Pope Francis apologizes after reported use of homophobic slur

Pope Francis issued an apology for using a vulgar gay slur in a closed-door meeting with Italian bishops. "The pope never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms and he extends his apologies to those who felt offended b...

France 24

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Pope issues rare apology for using homophobic slur

Pope Francis has issued a rare apology, for using a slur for gay men, during a closed-door meeting with bishops at the Vatican. The Pope reportedly used a highly derogatory term towards the LGBT community, where he reiterated that gay pe...

CBC News

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Pope said to have used vulgar term for LGBT people

Pope Francis used a highly derogatory term towards the LGBT community as he reiterated in a closed-door meeting with Italian bishops that gay people should not be allowed to become priests, Italian media reported.

Reuters

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Minorities voice suppression concerns amid India election

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third term in the six-week election that began on April 19. Since his Hindu nationalist party, the BJP, swept elections in 2014, it's implemented policies that have left minorities unsett...

Al Jazeera

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Activists launch campaign against India's Election Commission

Muslim voters in India feel targeted more and more by the ruling party and Prime Minister Modi with hate speeches. There have been reports of Muslim voters' names being removed from the voting list and in one village in Uttar Pradesh, th...

France 24