The instability of the Balkan countries, the growth of Salafi Islam and their proximity to Western Europe has made this region an important target in the strategy of the Islamic State, according to the Terrorism Monitor (Oct. 2), a newsletter published by the Jamestown Foundation. During the past two years, over 1,000 foreign fighters from […]

Anti-Muslim Buddhists are entering the political mainstream of Myanmar (Burma), according to a report in Reuters (Sept. 1). The Buddhist group the Committee for the Protection of Race and Religion, headed by 77-year-old Buddhist abbot Ashin Tilawkar Biwonsa (Ma Ba Tha), passed four bills by Parliament and signed them into law. Critics say the new […]

Across denominations, Orthodox Christians in Syria tend to be supportive of the Assad regime, since it is seen as protective of non-Muslim minorities, writes Christoph Leonhardt in the journal Ostkirchliche Studien (63/2). More than loyalty to the regime itself, the rejection of opposition groups makes these churches supportive of the status quo, he adds. The […]

A tiny remnant of an old community, Samaritans are now reduced to some 780 souls, as they find their greatest challenge in finding ways to marry while keeping their religion, writes Ahmad Melhem in Al Monitor (Sept. 20). Of those 780 Samaritans, 380 live in Gerizim (in the northern West Bank), near the mount that […]

The Arab Spring has added an entirely new dimension to the discussion of Shia geopolitics, writes Cenap Çakmak (Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Turkey) in The Review of Faith and International Affairs (summer). Due to lack of national identity and sentiments in the Middle East, when a more democratic order is established, Shiites will be prone to […]

The use of religious healing methods among Muslims is spreading due to limited health options but also high levels of trust in Islamic healers and their faith-based practices. In a report in Global Plus (July 31), a blog published by the Association of Religion Data Bases (ARDA), Algerian journalist Larbi Megari writes that shops selling […]

Facing unending cycles of violence, Christians in Israel and Palestine find themselves on both sides, which raises questions about their possible role in the conflict and its resolution as well as about relations between them, writes Israeli Jesuit David Neuhaus in the journal Proche-Orient Chrétien (1/2/2015). Being a minority and facing potential decline through emigration, […]