Posts Tagged ‘Egypt’

Last week, I wrote about the killing of Iraqi Christians by extremists in the name of Islam. Unfortunately, events over the weekend require me to return to this topic yet again. Just after midnight January 1st, there was a deadly attack in Alexandria, Egypt on the Saint’s Church. Twenty-one people were killed and some 79 were injured [...]

On the next Inside Islam radio show, this Wednesday, December 15th, Jean will be talking with G. Willow Wilson, the author of The Butterfly Mosque: A Young Woman’s Journey to Love and Islam. In her memoir, Wilson tells the story of how she came to Islam and how she met her husband Omar. In 2003, after [...]

November 19th marked the last day of the Eid Al-Adha celebrations. During this holiday, thousands of animals are slaughtered and their meat distributed to the needy. While the intention behind the slaughter is noble, many animal rights activists are concerned that animals are being mistreated.  Interestingly, these activists use an Islamic framework to make their case. Activists [...]

Last Thursday, Egypt unveiled the restored St. Anthony’s monastery near the Red Sea. This monastery is considered to be the oldest in the world. The state-sponsored renovation project has taken 8 years and cost $14.5 million and according to Egypt’s chief archaeologist, Zahi Hawass,  represents how Muslims and Christians coexist and share a heritage. This comes [...]

While Egypt is a Muslim majority country, it has a significant Christian minority, about 10% of the population. Although relations between the groups have fluctuated over time, recent trends have unfortunately been towards increased tension. With the recent shootings on January 6th, the Coptic Christmas Eve, outside a church in southern Egypt, many are worried about an increase [...]

This past July, in Dresden, Germany, Marwa al-Sherbini, a 32-year-old Egyptian pharmacist was murdered in a courtroom. I wrote about this story right after it happened and received many responses to the event. Many were troubled by the fact that this women was stabbed at least 16 times in full view of witnesses, including her husband and three [...]

This past month, Sheikh Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar, shocked many by issuing a ban on students and teachers wearing the niqab, or face veil, in Al-Azhar University or its adjoining schools, specifically in all female settings. Tantawi’s decision to issue this ban stemmed from an interaction that he had with a [...]

Where can someone start with the story that has occupied Egyptian news media outlets for the past few days? It sounds so outrageous and so sad. How can a 32-year-old pregnant woman get murdered in a courtroom in Germany in full view of  witnesses? But it did happen and now Muslim communities around the Middle [...]

Despite the debate over whether any type of music is permissible in Islam, different types of Islamic rap have popped up around the world.

Social networks such as Facebook are increasingly used to organize political demonstrations like this April 6, 2008 strike and promote their coverage in mainstream news reports.