Especially since the banking crisis in 2008, Islamic-interest-free financial initiatives have enjoyed renewed interest. However, despite significant inroads over 40 years, there are still a number of difficulties on the way, explains Rebecca Schönenbach, a German expert in ethical and Islamic financing in the German journal Materialdienst der EZW (September). The oil boom and money […]
Israeli pagans face intolerance, ultra-Orthodox hostility
In a country closely connected to its religious legacy such as Israel, Jewish-born Pagans constantly fear the perceived negative consequences of public exposure and intolerance both from Ultra-Orthodox Jews and from government, writes Shai Ferraro (Tel Aviv University) in an article analyzing the community-building discourse among Israeli Pagans from 2011-13 in the current issue of […]
Featured Story: Islamic State’s growth feeding off anti-Shia, apocalyptic sentiments
The rise of the Islamic State can partly be explained by the fertile ground they have found for alliances with Sunnis feeling discriminated against by the Shia-dominated power that has ruled Iraq in recent years. That is the conclusion of Patrick Cockburn, the author of a newly-published book titled The Jihadis Return: ISIS and the […]
Alevis’ relations with Turkish government hangs in balance
In the late 2000s, the Turkish government seemed to be on the way to giving public recognition to the significant Alevi minority in Turkey. But there is reluctance to grant them a status equal to that of Sunni Islam in Turkey, and the Turkish Sunni foreign policy in the Middle East has had a boomerang […]
‘Muslimism’ — the new face of Islamic orthodoxy?
Not convinced by vague expressions such as “moderate Islam,” which tells one little about content and rather describes what that type of Islam it isn’t, Neslihan Cevik, of University of Virginia, identifies new Islamic orthodoxy as “Muslimism.” Although paying special attention to the Turkish case, Cevik said her observations can be applied, at least to […]
Featured Story: When Muslim converts don’t stay converted
While the number of people converting to Islam in the West is growing, new converts face a variety of significant challenges, both from inside and outside the community, leading a segment to drop out after some time. “Apostates” among converts remains an under-researched and difficult topic, according to several participants at sessions on “Moving In […]
Faith-inspired schools losing market share but still playing role in Africa
A majority of schools in Africa used to be faith-inspired, but their share has dropped with the expansion of public facilities. Today, such schools’ average market share is probably around 15 percent (slightly more than secular private schools), although there are variations in schools from one country to another, with some growing at a faster […]
Demands for complete control over the Temple Mount growing among religious Jews
While such news is unlikely to be peace-promoting in the current context in the Middle East, a growing number of religious Jews, primarily among religious Zionists, but also some Orthodox, feel that visits to the Temple Mount are permissible and that the Temple should be built on what has been for centuries a Muslim holy […]
Saudi Arabia’s religious scholars and jihadism: a dilemma for government
The Saudi system and its legitimacy are based on an alliance between the royal family and the religious scholars and preachers belonging to the Wahhabite school of Islam. But new rifts have emerged between those partners over the influence of jihadism, according to the geopolitical intelligence firm Stratfor (July 30). A total of 100 imams, […]
Competition stirring for religious TLDs on the Internet
While a number of new generic top-level domains (TLDs) on the Internet are likely to end up as failures due to the sudden proliferation of options for users (with .com possibly continuing to enjoy a dominant position anyway), the launching of some new religion-related TLDs may help some religious groups to increase their online profile. […]
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