Topic: Mecca
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Who are the Taliban and what do they want? 5 key points
While Pakistani and Afghan insurgents often get labeled as the 'Taliban,' in reality there are several groups that often act independently and have distinct command structures, ideologies, and strategies.
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Shiite and Sunni: What are the differences?
While the two sects share the same basic beliefs, differences in hierarchy and doctrine make Catholics and Protestants an apt comparison.
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What is Eid al-Fitr?
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In Pictures: Muslims in America
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Jerusalem Day: Why the Holy City is at the crux of the peace process
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Muslim school teacher denied hajj, US sues Illinois school district
A middle school teacher in suburban Illinois was not permitted to perform the hajj, a once in a lifetime Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The US government says the school violated the teacher's civil rights.
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Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 11/18
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Despite Hamas-Fatah split, Gaza's sportsmen score a truce. Game on.
Gazans from Hamas and Fatah have overcome the deep political divide to reopen sports clubs, many of which Hamas had turned into police stations and military bases.
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Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 11/15
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Hajj 101: Five facts about the Muslim pilgrimage
More than two million Muslims have flocked to Saudi Arabia this week for the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage that Muslims are obligated to make at least once in their lifetime. Their destination is Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, and the pilgrimage is the fifth pillar of Islam, making it one of the religion’s chief obligations. The number of pilgrims that travel to Saudi Arabia every year have made the Hajj, which typically lasts five days, one of the greatest religious events in the world.
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In Pictures: Hajj to Mecca
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Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 11/11
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Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 11/09
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Milkweed: Not just for monarch butterflies
Milkweed is best known for its usefulness to monarch butterflies, but it's a good plant for gardeners, too.
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A virtual world that breaks real barriers
In Second Life's Al-Andalus, a virtual world patterned after medieval Andalus in Spain, avatars of Muslims mix with avatars of Jews and Christians to strive for a more perfect union.
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How 5 countries celebrate Eid al-Fitr and the end of Ramadan
Eid al-Fitr began at sunset Thursday, when the crescent of a new moon first showed over the Middle East. Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity," while Fitr means "break fasting." The three-day feast celebrates the end of the a month-long period of Ramadan's fasting and prayer. While traditions don't vary much between Sunnis and Shiites, customs vary greatly from country to country. Here is how five countries ring in Eid al-Fitr.
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Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 09/07
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The Muslim myth about Obama: He's in good company
The bigoted and ignorant allegations that President Obama is a Muslim call to mind slurs against past US presidents. Critics called Lincoln a Catholic and labeled Jefferson an atheist.
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Ramadan 2010 USA: From Miami to Mecca, how 1.6 billion Muslims celebrate
Ramadan 2010, USA-style, includes streaming footage of Friday prayer sermons as Muslims seek to counter rising anti-Islamic sentiment. Saudi Arabia unveils a new clock, while Morocco makes do with makeshift tents after 1,256 mosques were closed.
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In Pictures: Scenes of Ramadan
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Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 07/19
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George Steinbrenner: architect of the multimillion-dollar athlete
George Steinbrenner, who passed away Tuesday, resuscitated the Yankees by the force of his will and checkbook. He was a trailblazer in the commercialization of baseball.
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Terrorism cases force more Muslim Americans to grapple with homegrown jihad
Recent arrests of Muslim men in terrorism plots lead some adherents to ask if they need to approach risks of homegrown jihadists with more urgency.
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US withholds $4 billion in Afghanistan war aid. Can Gen. Petraeus cope?
Gen. David Petraeus's strategy in the Afghanistan war relies on money for reconstruction and development. But Congress says it will withhold $4 billion in Afghan aid unless rampant corruption is stopped.
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Opinion: Questions about God: Don't assume all religions offer similar answers
The idea that all religions are beautiful, true, and essentially the same is a well-intentioned but dangerous myth. It’s time we studied religious differences seriously.
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In Pictures: Palestinian smugglers on the Egypt Gaza border
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Cleric's support for men and women mingling in public sparks furor in Saudi Arabia
Sheikh Ahmed al-Ghamdi, a Saudi cleric in the holy city of Mecca, recently declared that nothing in Islam bars men and women mingling in public places like schools and offices. For the first time in decades, religious scholars are debating the previously untouchable hallmark of gender segregation.
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Arab Christians from Jordan risk all for Easter Sunday pilgrimage to Israel
Hundreds of Arab Christians from Jordan are risking their careers and reputation to complete an Easter Sunday pilgrimage to holy sites in Israel.
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The Future of Islam
How Muslims are forging a 21st-century Islam.
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In Aceh Indonesia, Islamic police take to the streets
Islamic police in Aceh, Indonesia, patrol daily for women wearing tight clothes and unmarried couples sitting too close.
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