Category Archives: Africa and Middle East

Iraqi Christians are caught in the middle and hitting the road

KHAZIR CHECKPOINT, Iraq — Lilian stood by the side of the road at this dusty checkpoint along the Erbil-Mosul highway. In skinny jeans and a polka-dot blouse, she looked a bit out of place. Most of the other Iraqis on the road … Continue reading

Posted in Africa and Middle East, Luce Top News, Main Top News, Reporting, Reporting & Resources, Resources | Comments Off on Iraqi Christians are caught in the middle and hitting the road

Vatican to debate teachings on divorce, birth control, gay unions

  Contraception, cohabitation, divorce, remarriage and same-sex unions: They’re issues that pain and puzzle Roman Catholics who want to be true to both their church and themselves. Now those issues are about to be put up for debate by their … Continue reading

Posted in Africa and Middle East, Asia and Oceania, Europe and North Eurasia, Luce Top News, Main Top News, North America, Reporting, Reporting & Resources, Resources, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Vatican to debate teachings on divorce, birth control, gay unions

The Roots of Nigeria’s Religious and Ethnic Conflict

Modern Nigeria emerged through the merging of two British colonial territories in 1914. The amalgamation was an act of colonial convenience. It occurred mainly because British colonizers desired a contiguous colonial territory stretching from the arid Sahel to the Atlantic Coast, and because Northern … Continue reading

Posted in Africa and Middle East, Luce Top News, Main Top News, Resources | Comments Off on The Roots of Nigeria’s Religious and Ethnic Conflict

Women Take the Wheel in Saudi Arabia

In this week’s issue of the New Yorker, Katherine Zoepf writes about an emerging women’s revolution in Saudi Arabia. Yesterday, we posted a slide show focussing on the inroads that women have made in the workforce, particularly in the retail sector, in a … Continue reading

Posted in Africa and Middle East, Luce Top News, Main Top News, Reporting, Reporting & Resources, Resources | Comments Off on Women Take the Wheel in Saudi Arabia

It’s Salafist vs. Salafist in Syria’s civil war

DAMASCUS — Some extremist Sunni clerics help foment sectarian violence in Syria, one indication of how a popular uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’s government became a civil war. Both sides use religion to justify their grab for power. Egyptian Imam Sheikh Yusuf … Continue reading

Posted in Africa and Middle East, Luce Top News, Main Top News, Reporting, Reporting & Resources, Resources | Comments Off on It’s Salafist vs. Salafist in Syria’s civil war

Syrian Christians Battered by Extremist Rebels

Fighting between government troops and rebels continues in Syria. Christian areas of Damascus are under attack from rebel mortars, and tens of thousands of Christians have fled the country. Correspondent Reese Erlich filed this story for CBS Radio News from … Continue reading

Posted in Africa and Middle East, Luce Top News, Main Top News, Reporting, Reporting & Resources, Resources | Comments Off on Syrian Christians Battered by Extremist Rebels

Putting religious differences aside, Tanzanians craft new constitution

ZANZIBAR, Tanzania – Political divisions in this East African nation are so profound that to achieve some sort of unity may, paradoxically, require dividing the country even further—into as many as three governments within a single state. That’s the proposal … Continue reading

Posted in Africa and Middle East, Luce Top News, Main Top News, Reporting, Reporting & Resources, Resources | Comments Off on Putting religious differences aside, Tanzanians craft new constitution

Peacemakers gather under heavy guard to confront Nigeria’s Christian-Muslim violence

  Soldiers with automatic weapons flanked our convoy and armored personnel carriers guarded the entrance as we arrived at the opening of a peace conference here. This city, which has been a flashpoint in Nigeria’s ongoing violence among Christians and … Continue reading

Posted in Africa and Middle East, Luce Top News, Main Top News, Reporting, Reporting & Resources, Resources | Comments Off on Peacemakers gather under heavy guard to confront Nigeria’s Christian-Muslim violence

International Town Hall: Egypt and the Struggle for Democracy

America Abroad explores what lies ahead for Egypt’s fragile democracy in this international town hall discussion connecting audiences and a panel of experts in Los Angeles and Cairo. The conversation explored the Muslim Brotherhood’s future in Egyptian politics; the role … Continue reading

Posted in Africa and Middle East, Luce Top News, Main Top News, Reporting, Reporting & Resources, Resources | Comments Off on International Town Hall: Egypt and the Struggle for Democracy

Kenya: One month after Westgate attack, police still abusing Somali Muslims

As the nation grieves, few Kenyans direct their anger toward Somali immigrants here. But that hasn’t stopped police from singling out Somali communities. GlobalPost’s Jacob Kushner writes from Eastleigh, the heart of Nairobi’s Somali Muslim district, about the ongoing religious … Continue reading

Posted in Africa and Middle East, Luce Top News, Main Top News, Reporting, Reporting & Resources, Resources | Comments Off on Kenya: One month after Westgate attack, police still abusing Somali Muslims