Bomber planning to attack Mecca’s Grand Mosque blows himself up
DUBAI (Reuters) The interior ministry said that three cells had planned the attack on worshippers and security forces at the mosque as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan nears its climax. The post Bomber...
View ArticleSaudi woman in miniskirt video arrested after public outcry
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The woman was detained by police in the capital, Riyadh, for wearing 'immodest clothes' that contradicted the country's conservative Islamic dress code. The post...
View ArticleA look at why a Saudi woman’s miniskirt sparked an outcry
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The woman was eventually released without charge, but the incident and the online debate it ignited point to the tension in Saudi Arabia between proponents of its...
View ArticleNo veil, no visa? Saudi Arabia may ease rules for tourists
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia plans to build a 'semi-autonomous' visa-free travel destination along its northwestern Red Sea coast where restrictions on women's dress and other...
View ArticleHajj pilgrimage offers US traveler a reset
(RNS) — In public and private messages on Facebook, Salman Azhar described the pilgrimage that he and his wife are set to conclude on Sunday, one that included lessons in self-restraint, humility and...
View ArticleStudy finds Saudi government still tolerates hate speech
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) —The report said Shiites and Sufis who practice Islam differently from conservative Sunnis in Saudi Arabia are a 'prime target of Saudi-sponsored hate speech and...
View ArticleEvangelicals support Trump’s Jerusalem decision because we care about the...
JERUSALEM (RNS) — "We did not support the President’s decision because we favor Jews over Arabs nor for any obscure theological reasons like those speculated about, reported upon and sensationalized in...
View ArticlePolitics, religion interfere as Saudi Arabia hosts world chess games
(AP) Israeli players were denied visas and a leading cleric stands by his view that chess is forbidden in Islam. The post Politics, religion interfere as Saudi Arabia hosts world chess games appeared...
View ArticleSaudi-backed interfaith center boosted by crown prince’s surprising reforms
VIENNA (RNS) — Change in the Desert Kingdom has helped establish it as a serious player in interfaith dialogue. The post Saudi-backed interfaith center boosted by crown prince’s surprising reforms...
View ArticleSaudi Arabia prepares for the annual Muslim hajj pilgrimage
MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Over 2 million Muslims from abroad and inside the kingdom will be taking part in this year's hajj. The post Saudi Arabia prepares for the annual Muslim hajj pilgrimage...
View ArticleMuslim pilgrims gather at Mount Arafat for hajj’s pinnacle
MOUNT ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Some 2 million Muslim pilgrims gathered on Monday in the valley of Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia for a day of prayer that marks the pinnacle of the annual hajj. The...
View ArticleSilenced forever: Saudi Arabia admits Khashoggi is dead
BEIRUT (AP) — Friends recalled Jamal Khashoggi as a devout Muslim who loved his homeland, an avid history buff and a humble man with a sense of humor. The post Silenced forever: Saudi Arabia admits...
View ArticleU.S. evangelical delegation meets with crown prince of Saudi Arabia
(RNS) — The meeting comes one month after the death of Washington Post contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi, for which Saudi Arabia has acknowledged responsibility. The post U.S. evangelical...
View ArticleThe Iranian government is targeting Baha’is in Yemen. We’ve seen this before.
(RNS) — If we allow the condemnation of 22 Baha’is to death in Yemen, what will the world have actually learned? The post The Iranian government is targeting Baha’is in Yemen. We’ve seen this before....
View ArticleJamal Khashoggi and the paradox of Saudi Arabia
(RNS) — We are left to hold two competing facts in our minds: Saudi Arabia’s prince may have ordered the murder of Kashoggi, and he is also leading the country through a breathtaking era of reform. The...
View ArticleSaudi Arabia allows women to travel without male consent
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi clerics supported the imposition of male guardianship based on a Quran verse, but other Islamic scholars argued this misinterprets fundamental Quranic concepts....
View ArticleEverything in Mecca gets 5 stars online
(The Conversation) — Mecca’s sites average 4.96 TripAdvisor stars out of 5, while Europe’s 200 best-rated tourist destinations average 3.96 stars. The post Everything in Mecca gets 5 stars online...
View ArticleUS Christian evangelical delegation meets Saudi crown prince
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Prince Mohammed bin Salman's meeting with prominent Christians marks the second such visit by American evangelicals to the kingdom, which is trying to shake off its...
View ArticleReport: Iran suspends talks with Saudi after mass execution
(AP) — Some activists believe the killings included more than three dozen Shiites, the majority sect of Islam in Iran. The post Report: Iran suspends talks with Saudi after mass execution appeared...
View ArticleAs COVID-19 shutdown lifts, Mecca’s pilgrims bring Islam’s holiest city back...
MECCA, Saudi Arabia (RNS) — Pandemic closures played havoc with the livelihoods of traders who depended on the pilgrims. The post As COVID-19 shutdown lifts, Mecca’s pilgrims bring Islam’s holiest city...
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