Topic: Ramadan

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Ramadan 101: Ten facts about the holy month of Ramadan

Throughout the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims will fast from dawn until dusk. Here are 10 facts to help you understand this holiday:

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The Monitor's View In Sanford and Cairo, a call to worship – and post-conflict peace

Egypt's Muslims began the holy month of Ramadan with some calling for national unity. In Sanford, Fla., pastors sought to heal a divided community after the George Zimmerman not-guilty verdict.
Ramadan 101: Ten facts about the holy month of Ramadan

Throughout the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims will fast from dawn until dusk. Here are 10 facts to help you understand this holiday:
Ramadan truce across Syria? UN Chief Ban Ki-moon makes an appeal

On the eve of Ramadan, Ban Ki-moon called for everyone in Syria to put down their weapons during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, 'for the sake of the Syrian people.'
Guantánamo hunger strike: Force-feedings won’t clash with Ramadan, US says (+video)

US government lawyers defended the policy of force-feeding hunger-strikers at Guantánamo and said the detainees would be fed before dawn or after sunset, in accordance with Ramadan.
On Cairo streets, generators' hum sends loud message about Morsi's failings

Egyptians are furious with President Morsi, who they blame for widespread electricity cuts that are further disrupting businesses, shops, and restaurants at a time of economic hardship.
Focus 'Provoking peace' in Indonesia

Christians and Muslims in Ambon, Indonesia, have relearned how to live together after a 1999 - 2002 war killed 5,000 people and displaced half a million.
In Morocco, activists struggle to keep protest fervor alive

After tens of thousands protested on Feb. 20, 2011, Morocco's powerful king pushed through reforms. Two years later, activists say little has changed, and vow to face down threats and keep up pressure for a 'real' democracy.
3 of spring's most anticipated novels

From the latest novel by Pulitzer Prize-winner Elizabeth Strout to a new novel by legendary author James Salter, this fiction roundup includes some of spring's most anticipated titles.
God and mammals: In Kenya, religious leaders pray to thwart poaching

African religious leaders toured Kenya's Nairobi National Park to learn about the urgent threat to elephants and rhinos from poaching – and to share ideas about using their moral clout to stop it.
'Insider killings' challenge US exit strategy in Afghanistan

The Pentagon wants to know whether the recent spike in 'insider killings' – Afghan forces targeting US and NATO forces – reflects 'infiltration, impersonation, and coercion' or is mainly just personal.
Why Western retailers are scrambling to get a foothold in Indonesia

Consumer spending makes up more than half the Indonesian economy, making it an attractive new market for Western companies like L'Oreal whose traditional customers are in recession-mired countries.
Syria's Assad emerges in public to mark Eid al-Fitr

The outing marks the Syrian president's first appearance in public since a bombing last month that killed four of his top security officials.
Backchannels Saudi Arabia and UAE urge citizens out of Lebanon after kidnappings

The growing spillover from the Syrian civil war, which included the kidnapping of over 30 Syrians in Lebanon today, prompted the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia to tell their citizens to leave Lebanon.
Focus What's it mean that an Islamist rules Egypt?

Egypt's President Morsi moved to consolidate his power this weekend. Here's what Morsi and the new Islamist politicians in Tunisia and Libya want to do.
Former Lebanese minister arrested for planning attacks for Syria's Assad

Michel Samaha, a former Lebanese minister, reportedly confessed to helping plan attacks on Sunni targets in Lebanon. If true, it illustrates how far Syria's Assad regime can reach into Lebanon.
Libya celebrates first peaceful transition of power

Libya's interim post-Qaddafi leadership handed over power to the newly elected national assembly yesterday. Security promises to be an immediate, ongoing challenge.
Sudan allows aid into border areas after oil deal struck with South Sudan

The border areas are facing an impending famine. An oil transit fee deal between Sudan and South Sudan is a move toward ending conflict between the two nations.
Will Ethiopian crackdown stir Islamist backlash?

Peaceful protests continue in Addis Ababa this week among Muslims angry over what they see as Ethiopian government interference. The government sees foreign extremist threat.
L.A. earthquake rattles, Indonesia quake rocks

Los Angeles earthquake: A magnitude 3.8 quake rattled nerves but caused no serious damage in L. A. Wednesday. But in Indonesia, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake damaged 20 buildings, and caused at least one death.
Tenn. mosque unready for Ramadan due to lawsuit delays

Mosque opponents sued Rutherford County in September 2010 to stop construction of the new building. Their suit included claims that Islam is not a real religion and that local Muslims wanted to overthrow the US Constitution and replace it with Islamic religious law.
Judge orders Tennessee county to allow new mosque to open

After a long batter in Rutherford County, a federal judge ruled that worshipers should be allowed to use a newly built mosque.
Fifty years after Algerian freedom, youths take fresh look at France (+video)

Younger Algerians have a more pragmatic approach to France, Algeria's former colonial master. They view engagement with the West as a necessity, especially for creating jobs through investment.
Turkey takes lead in rebuilding Somalia

Turkish workers have flooded Somalia - a country many have long considered too dangerous to work in - to rebuild it and burnish Ankara's image as a regional player and powerful force in the Islamic world.
Somalia famine has ended, but many still hungry

Good rains and reduced conflict have helped aid groups reach hundreds of thousands of displaced people in Somalia who rely on their aid. The hunger crisis remains a delicate situation, though.
Focus In France's suburban ghettos, a struggle to be heard amid election noise (+video)

In the suburban ghettos ringing France's cities, marginalized minority residents, particularly youth, struggle to access opportunity in a society that seems off-limits.