Aysha Khan
California church sues over polling place dispute
A local voter complained about the church’s Black Lives Matter banners and the church was removed as a county polling place.
New Haven mosque struggles to resume Ramadan rituals after arson attack
Diyanet Mosque was set ablaze in broad daylight, destroying much of the ground floor. Attendance has been low at its iftar meals.
Arson in Boston area, Chicago threatens Jewish communities
One location, the Chabad Center for Jewish Life in Arlington, Massachusetts—also home to the rabbi’s family—was set on fire twice.
American involvement in organized religion continues to wane
The data on the decline in church membership shares “almost exactly the same pattern of ups and downs” as engagement in secular civil society, said political scientist Robert Putnam.
Muslim inmates charge Arkansas with violating their religious liberty
One Muslim prisoner had his religious accommodations taken away when he protested the combined services with the Nation of Islam and Nation of Gods and Earths, groups that follow distinct religious teachings.
New Zealand mosque shootings prompt vigils and vigilance
Civil rights advocates called for curbing hate speech online, as the perpetrator’s video continued to circulate on social media.
New York Muslim village calls for justice after plot against it is foiled
For more than a decade, Islamberg has been a focus of right-wing conspiracy theories and has found itself the target of anti-Muslim white supremacist attacks as a result.
Muslim slave’s narrative offers new window on Africans in America
A digitized version of Omar ibn Said’s 15-page autobiography is now available through the Library of Congress.
Muslim civil rights group sues Maryland over ban related to Israel boycott
Twenty-six states currently have some form of a ban on supporting the the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement.
Program equips graduates of traditional Muslim schools for engagement with wider world
Madrasa Discourses at Notre Dame covers the scientific and philosophical questions Islamic seminaries often skip.
Ibtihaj Muhammad becomes first U.S. Olympian wearing a hijab
Ibtihaj Muhammad, a 30-year-old fencer, made history in Rio de Janeiro as the first U.S. Olympian to compete in a hijab.
...U.S. commission cites religious freedom abuses, but India rejects findings
Religious freedom remains under “serious and sustained assault” around the globe, according to the recently released annual report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
...Resisting Trump is motivating Muslim voters
Salim Jaffer moved to the United States when he was 14 years old....