HOME / NEWS /

Islam

Religion Among Asian Americans

October 11, 2023

Like the U.S. public as a whole, a growing percentage of Asian Americans are not affiliated with any religion, and the share who identify as Christian has declined, according to a new Pew Research Center survey exploring religion among Asian American adults.

But the survey also shows that 40% of Asian Americans say they feel close to some religious tradition for reasons aside from religion. For example, just 11% of Asian American...

Read more about Religion Among Asian Americans

Sri Lankans Are Positive About Religious Diversity, Says Pew Survey

September 18, 2023

Although Sri Lanka suffered decades of violent ethnic conflict, Sri Lankans seem to have positive attitudes toward people of other religions – despite the fact that most see religion as key to their Sri Lankan identity.

A new Pew Research Center report titled “Buddhism, Islam and Religious Pluralism in South and Southeast Asia” found that 62 percent of Sri Lankans surveyed...

Read more about Sri Lankans Are Positive About Religious Diversity, Says Pew Survey

Muslim call to prayer can now be broadcast publicly in New York City without a permit

August 29, 2023

NEW YORK (AP) — The Muslim call to prayer will ring out more freely in New York City under guidelines announced Tuesday by Mayor Eric Adams, which he said should foster a spirit of inclusivity.

Under the new rules, Adams said, mosques will not need a special permit to publicly broadcast the Islamic call to prayer, or adhan, on Fridays and at sundown during the holy month of Ramadan. Friday is the traditional Islamic holy day, and Muslims break their fast at sunset during Ramadan.

Source: ...

Read more about Muslim call to prayer can now be broadcast publicly in New York City without a permit

Halal nail polish raises complex discussions among Muslim consumers

August 11, 2023

On her TikTok, Maham Ayaz, also known as @eggdelivery, regularly tests the water permeability of halal nail polish. In a video that received 27,000 likes, Ayaz lay small portions of nail polish film on a paper towel before applying six to seven drops of water to each.

After a five-minute wait, she announced the verdict: The paper towel remained dry. None of these products let water seep through despite advertising to the contrary.

The flow of disappointed users in the comment section revealed the stakes: Making sure water can reach the surface of the nail tip at any...

Read more about Halal nail polish raises complex discussions among Muslim consumers

First female Muslim federal judge in US history confirmed by the Senate

June 15, 2023

The Senate... confirmed Nusrat Choudhury, a longtime civil rights attorney, to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, making her the nation's first female Muslim federal judge.

Choudhury, a former American Civil Liberties Union attorney, was confirmed 50-49 on a mostly party-line vote. West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, joined Republicans in opposing her.

Choudhury has served as the legal director...

Read more about First female Muslim federal judge in US history confirmed by the Senate

Lawsuit against Hamline University raises questions about religious discrimination law

May 17, 2023

 

A lawsuit brought by a former Hamline University art history instructor who showed images of the Prophet Muhammad in class is raising new questions about how to interpret laws prohibiting religious discrimination.

An attorney representing Erika López Prater told a federal judge Wednesday that he believes the private university in St. Paul would have treated his client differently had she been Muslim. The university decided not to renew her contract and in a campus email an administrator called her actions "undeniably inconsiderate, disrespectful and...

Read more about Lawsuit against Hamline University raises questions about religious discrimination law

How women have cultivated religious authority at LA’s Women’s Mosque of America

May 2, 2023

Tazeen M. Ali was a graduate student in Boston when she first learned about the opening of the Women’s Mosque of America in Los Angeles, believed to be the nation’s first women-only mosque.

Ali recalls the social media debates that ensued around the mosque’s 2015 opening, with people arguing over the Islamic legality of woman-led prayers as well as news coverage about “Muslim women ‘fighting back’ against the patriarchy.”

These media narratives informed Ali’s assumptions that the mosque was a “radical space” made up of younger women who carried traumatic and...

Read more about How women have cultivated religious authority at LA’s Women’s Mosque of America

'Progress': How Eid is becoming a US school holiday

April 20, 2023

Growing up in the United States, Selaedin Maksut would skip school on Eid to go to the mosque, attend festivities with his family and celebrate one of the most joyous days for Muslims across the world.

While he said he never regretted the decision, he was burdened by having to miss classes.

Now, as the director of the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ), Maksut has been helping a new generation of Muslim-...

Read more about 'Progress': How Eid is becoming a US school holiday

During Ramadan, Muslim leaders hope to shield Philly youth from gun violence

April 18, 2023

During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, marked by 30 days of fasting, imam Azam Akram says he’s opening the doors of the Bait-ul-Aafiyat Mosque in North Philadelphia so it may be a beacon of safety — especially for teenagers at risk of engaging in violence.

“We have young Black men here who are a product of this neighborhood,” he said. “We’re trying to develop a little bit of righteousness so that at least that could become something in vogue, that when our young men walk in the communities, they walk with righteousness.”

The mosque is set back from the corner of...

Read more about During Ramadan, Muslim leaders hope to shield Philly youth from gun violence