• Iraqi protesters torch Swedish embassy in Baghdad

    Iraqi riot police fired water cannon to disperse demonstrators away from the embassy while security forces armed with electric batons chased protesters, an AFP photographer on the scene said. Some protesters had raised copies of the Koran into the air, while others held portraits of Mohamed al-Sadr, an important religious...

  • Saudi Arabia launches E-Visa system for Umrah pilgrimage

    Dubai, UAE - Saudi Arabia has introduced a new electronic visa system for Muslims intending to embark on the spiritual journey of Umrah.  The Ministry of Haj and Umrah aims to facilitate the pilgrimage experience for Muslims worldwide by initiating this streamlined online application process. The visa issuance has commenced,...

  • Saudi Arabia hosts the biggest hajj pilgrimage in years

    Islam's holiest site is expected to host more than two million worshipers from 160 countries during the annual rites that could break attendance records.

  • The hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, will start on Sunday

    Mecca, Saudi Arabia - The annual hajj pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam, will start on Sunday with more than two million Muslims from around the world expected to take part this year. It will be the largest pilgrimage since the coronavirus pandemic forced Saudi authorities to dramatically...

  •  Halal crypto investments: UAE-based Islamic Coin gains over 1.3m users

    Dubai, UAE - Founded in 2022, Islamic Coin ($ISLM) has garnered a community of over 1.3M users, a feat accomplished in less than six months.  The coin which aims to cater to over 2 billion Muslims worldwide is the first Shariah-compliant decentralized ledger specifically designed to follow the rules and...

  • Lebanese squabble over decision to push daylight savings

    Beirut, Lebanon - A last-minute decision in Lebanon to delay daylight savings by a month has been met with opposition from the influential church, leaving the small country divided between two time zones. Wracked by a crippling economic meltdown and political deadlock, a seemingly odd question was added on Sunday to...

  • Global talks between religions key to peace and justice

    The hopes placed on the event -- attended by prominent religious figures and symbols, including the Grand Imam of Al Azhar and Pope Francis of the Catholic Church -- are big to address modern challenges, support interfaith dialogue and achieve global peace, the UAE-based journalist adds.

  • Halal tourism eyes recovery as COVID-19 norms ease

    The recovery process of the sector remains fragile and could be disrupted by the ongoing war in Ukraine, fuel price increases, and other potential health threats, say experts.

  • UAE, Saudi Arabia set new halal economy goals for GCC

    Beside halal food business, Islamic banking holds the largest share of the Sharia-compliant industry, says Nik Joharris Nik Ahmad, country head of Maybank Islamic Dubai-DIFC.

  • Tensions threaten to boil over in Jerusalem’s Muslim quarter

    The Old City of Jerusalem, with its Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Armenian quarters, swarms with tourists and pilgrims, security forces, merchants and its residents who live in a constant state of tension.

  • Saudi Arabia to allow one million hajj pilgrims this year: statement

    Saudi Arabia said Saturday it will permit one million Muslims from inside and outside the country to participate in this year's hajj, a sharp uptick after pandemic restrictions forced two years of drastically pared-down pilgrimages. The hajj ministry "has authorised one million pilgrims, both foreign and domestic, to perform the...

  • Muslims face frugal Ramadan as Ukraine war drives up food prices

    Russia's Ukraine invasion, which has already exacerbated food woes in parts of Africa and the Middle East, is marring preparations for the holy month of Ramadan and forcing a turn to frugal iftar sunset meals. From Lebanon to Tunisia and Somalia, Muslims who traditionally break a dawn-to-dusk fast with lavish...

  • Millennial, Gen Z Muslims to adopt Islamic banking if it gets more accessible

    The report titled ‘Faith and Finance: The changing face of Islamic banking’, surveyed over 2,000 respondents globally

  • Pilgrims arrive in Mecca for second hajj of Covid-19 pandemic

    Up to 60,000 Muslims residing in Saudi Arabia are allowed to take part in this year's hajj, evoking the envy and awe of millions of international pilgrims who have been barred for the second year due to the coronavirus pandemic

  • Saudi allows 60,000 vaccinated residents on hajj, bars foreigners

    Only up to 10,000 Muslims took part in last year's hajj, 70% of them foreigners   2.5 million participated in the pilgrimage in 2019  Saudi Arabia announced Saturday it will allow 60,000 residents vaccinated against Covid to perform this year's hajj, but Muslims from abroad will be barred for a second...