Islam in Media Roundup | 5-11 August 2019

BBC apologizes after presenter calls Muslim prayer sign 'IS salute'

BBC apologizes after presenter calls Muslim prayer sign 'IS salute'

The Guardian

The BBC has apologized and amended a Panorama documentary presented by Stacey Dooley after she inadvertently described a Muslim prayer sign as a terrorist salute.
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Turkey: 1,000-year-old Quran recovered from smugglers

Turkey: 1,000-year-old Quran recovered from smugglers

Andolu Agency

Turkish security forces recovered a 1,000-year-old Quran manuscript from suspected antiquities traffickers in the southern province of Mugla.
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Everything in Mecca gets 5 stars — and online reviews of other holy sites are wildly inflated, too

Everything in Mecca gets 5 stars — and online reviews of other holy sites are wildly inflated, too

The Conversation

A study shows that online reviews of Mecca’s accommodations, clothing stores, eateries and transportation options all have much higher ratings than can be reasonably expected.
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Hindus from Kashmir celebrate India move, Muslims feel 'deceived'

Hindus from Kashmir celebrate India move, Muslims feel 'deceived'

Al Jazeera

Kashmiri Pandits in India’s capital hail decision to scrap special status while critics call it a ‘constitutional coup’. 
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Hajj 2019: An in-depth look at the sacred journey

Hajj 2019: An in-depth look at the sacred journey

Al Jazeera

For Muslims, the Hajj re-enacts the actions of the Prophet Muhammad in his “farewell pilgrimage” in 632 AD. It is a central pillar of the Islamic faith meant to cleanse followers of sin and bring them closer to God.
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Sudan: Hassan Al-Turabi's Life and Politics

Sudan: Hassan Al-Turabi's Life and Politics

Al Jazeera

In the current power struggle enveloping Sudan, al-Turabi’s influence is still felt – not least among some of the protesters vying with the army for civilian rule in the post al-Bashir era.
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Ennahdha's Mourou, Marzouki eye presidency in Tunisia polls

Ennahdha's Mourou, Marzouki eye presidency in Tunisia polls

Al Jazeera

Tunisia’s biggest political organisation, Ennahdha, has nominated its vice president Abdel Fattah Mourou as the party’s candidate for president, pitting him against former President Moncef Marzouki, who is also seeking the post for a second time.
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Shiite military factions have long way to integrate into state forces

Shiite military factions have long way to integrate into state forces

Al Monitor

While Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s deadline for the integration of the Popular Mobilization Units into Iraq’s official security forces passed July 31, there is a long road ahead for this task.
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REVEALED: How Saudi Arabia has blocked Palestinians fleeing Syria's war from Hajj

REVEALED: How Saudi Arabia has blocked Palestinians fleeing Syria's war from Hajj

Middle East Eye

Stateless, displaced and driven from home by war, tens of Palestinian refugees from Syria have been denied the chance to perform Hajj by Saudi Arabia.
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How Ilhan Omar symbolises the struggle of Black American Muslims

How Ilhan Omar symbolises the struggle of Black American Muslims

Middle East Eye

“Omar’s tremendous impact on US political discourse stands as a testament to the enduring legacies of Black American Islam,” Sylvia Chan-Malik writes.
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Tunisia’s Ennahda nominates Abdelfattah Mourou for presidential elections

Tunisia’s Ennahda nominates Abdelfattah Mourou for presidential elections

Middle East Eye

Tunisia’s largest political party has named its deputy leader Abdelfattah Mourou for president after a unanimous vote by its senior leaders.
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Egyptian artist paints murals on houses to celebrate haj

Egyptian artist paints murals on houses to celebrate haj

Reuters

Eid Al Salwaawi, 69, volunteers to paint scenes that celebrate the haj and religious stories and lessons.
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Saudi prepares for hajj as Gulf tensions persist

Saudi prepares for hajj as Gulf tensions persist

Yahoo News

More than 2.5 million Muslims will on Friday begin the annual hajj pilgrimage in the Islamic holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, against a backdrop of tensions in the Gulf.
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'I am really shy': introducing Phoenix, the world’s first hijab-wearing champion wrestler

'I am really shy': introducing Phoenix, the world’s first hijab-wearing champion wrestler

The Guardian

Malaysia’s hijab-wearing champion wrestler, Nor Diana, says she becomes transformed in the ring, ready to take on her opponent – and conservative Islamic critics.
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Hamza Yusuf and the struggle for the soul of western Islam

Hamza Yusuf and the struggle for the soul of western Islam

Middle East Eye

Sheikh Hamza Yusuf, the American Muslim scholar known for his razor-sharp wit, peerless grasp of the Arabic language, and propped up as the voice of millions of North American and European Muslims, is facing an unprecedented crisis of legitimacy among ordinary Muslims.
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Politics v pilgrimage: some Muslims call for Saudi haj boycott

Politics v pilgrimage: some Muslims call for Saudi haj boycott

Reuters

As millions of Muslims don robes and flock to Mecca for hajj, a small counter movement to boycott the pilgrimage in protest at Saudi Arabia’s politics has won limited support online.
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Kashmir curfew partially eased for prayers amid lockdown

Kashmir curfew partially eased for prayers amid lockdown

AP

A strict curfew in Indian-administered Kashmir in effect for a fifth day was eased Friday to allow residents to pray at mosques, officials said, but some protests still broke out in the disputed region despite thousands of security forces in the streets as tensions remained high with neighboring Pakistan.
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Muslim pilgrims descend on Mecca for haj, Saudis warn against politics

Muslim pilgrims descend on Mecca for haj, Saudis warn against politics

Reuters

Saudi officials asked Hajj pilgrims to focus on rituals of worship, warning against politicizing the rite as wars rage on in the region and at a time of heightened tensions between Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shi’ite Muslim adversary Iran. 
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Jerusalem Waqf Calls for Protest Over Allowing Jews on Temple Mount on Muslim Holiday

Jerusalem Waqf Calls for Protest Over Allowing Jews on Temple Mount on Muslim Holiday

Haaretz

The Islamic custodian of the Temple Mount has called on Muslim worshipers to attend a mass service at the Jerusalem complex on Eid al-Adha on Sunday, in protest of a possible police decision to allow Jews commemorating Tisha B’Av access to the holy site on the same day.
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Two million Muslims gather at Mount Arafat for Hajj prayers

Two million Muslims gather at Mount Arafat for Hajj prayers

Al Jazeera

More than two million Muslims have gathered at the sacred hill of Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia for an intense day of worship and reflection on what’s considered the climax of the Islamic Hajj pilgrimage.
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Here's what you need to know about Eid al-Adha, one of Islam's biggest holidays

Here's what you need to know about Eid al-Adha, one of Islam's biggest holidays

CNN

From Sunday, more than a billion Muslims around the world will celebrate Eid al-Adha, which translates to the Festival of Sacrifice.
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US Muslims embrace Hajj ‘heart and soul’

US Muslims embrace Hajj ‘heart and soul’

Arab News

Thousands of Muslim Americans have paid at least $6,000 each to make the journey to Makkah in Saudi Arabia as part of the Islamic ritual of Hajj.
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Hajj pilgrims cycle from Nairobi to Mecca

Hajj pilgrims cycle from Nairobi to Mecca

BBC

Four Kenyan friends have cycled 3,500km (2,100 miles) from Kenya to Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
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Mo Salah: Man admits posting racist tweets at Liverpool star

Mo Salah: Man admits posting racist tweets at Liverpool star

BBC

A man has admitted posting a series of offensive tweets in a “racist rant” aimed at Liverpool star Mohamed Salah.
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Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha religious holiday

Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha religious holiday

Al Jazeera

Millions of Muslims around the world are celebrating the Eid al-Adha religious holiday on Sunday.
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Some 2.5 million Muslim hajj pilgrims scale Mount Arafat

Some 2.5 million Muslim hajj pilgrims scale Mount Arafat

Yahoo News

Nearly 2.5 million Muslim hajj pilgrims converged on Mount Arafat in Mecca on Saturday marshalled by tens of thousands of stewards in a bid to prevent any repetition of previous years’ deadly stampedes.
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Maydan editors selected some of the most thought-provoking news items on issues around Islam, religion and public-life for you. Let us know what you have been reading. Drop us a line at mediaroundups@themaydan.com!