International
Muslims Try to Keep Ramadan Spirit Amid Virus Restrictions
VOA NewsEvery year during Ramadan, the Light of Muhammad Mosque sets up long tables on the street and dishes free meals at sunset for the poor to break their daily fast. It’s a charity that many rely on in this impoverished district on the edge of the Egyptian capital.
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Ramadan in Coronavirus Times — With a Virtual Community
DW AkafemieRamadan begins next week even as the coronavirus pandemic upends life around the world. The crisis is forcing Muslims to rethink traditions and find new approaches to one of Islam’s most important religious rituals.
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Tarawih Amid Coronavirus: Scholars Call for Home Ramadan Prayers
Al JazeeraWhile general consensus among ulema denies virtual congregational prayers’ validity, few mosques Livestream tarawih.
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Muslims Around the World Welcome Ramadan
Middle East EyeMuslims around the world are welcoming the start of Ramadan. But this year, the Islamic holy month will be different for millions living under coronavirus lockdown.
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How Will the Coronavirus Pandemic Change Ramadan for Muslims?
Al JazeeraWhat you should know about fasting, prayer, charity, health, and Eid amid global lockdowns and mosque closures.
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Ramadan and Coronavirus: 10 Life Hacks for Healthy Eating During Holy Month
Middle East EyeAs the Covid-19 pandemic sweeps the world, Muslims face hard food choices ahead of Ramadan. Food blogger Amira Ibrahim explains how to indulge and stay healthy.
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Coronavirus and Ramadan: How the Muslim Month of Fasting Will Differ This Year
Middle East EyeCovid-19 will impact Muslims celebrating Ramadan – but how? What will happen to holy month gatherings? Middle East Eye explains.
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Debunking Five Social Media Myths About Muslims and Coronavirus
Middle East EyeFar-right groups are using the pandemic as an excuse to promote Islamophobic disinformation.
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Charity Gains New Importance for Muslims Observing Ramadan Amid Economic Shutdowns
NPR NewsBefore the coronavirus pandemic, Abdul Rahman Labdour and his two brothers worked in a five-star hotel in the Red Sea resort city of Aqaba, Jordan. But with tourism now shut down, on the eve of Ramadan, the brothers set up a tiny pop-up bakery in their hometown of Shoubak, in the southern part of the country.
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Amnesty: Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, Iran Carry out 86% of State Executions
Middle East MonitorA new human rights report found a 92% increase in the usage of capital punishment in Iraq.
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Indonesia
Indonesia Has the World's Biggest Muslim Population. It Just Banned Holiday Travel Over Ramadan
CNNIndonesia has temporarily banned domestic road, air and sea travel starting Friday to prevent the spread of coronavirus, as millions of Muslims mark the start of the holy month of Ramadan.
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India
Covid-19: How Fake News and Modi Government Messaging Fuelled India’s Latest Spiral of Islamophobia
Scroll.inA lush, tony locality primarily built for retired defense personnel in the heart of prosperous South Delhi – a Muslim security guard was blamed when his employers, three of a family, tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the first week of April.
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Indian Muslims Face Stigma, Blame for Surge in Infections
ABC NewsMuslims in India are being stigmatized after the government blamed an Islamic missionary meeting for a surge in coronavirus cases.
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Pakistan
Indian Muslims Face Stigma, Blame for Surge in Infections
ReutersLeading Pakistani doctors on Wednesday urged the government and clerics to reverse a decision to allow prayer congregations at mosques during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, warning that the spread of coronavirus could spiral out of control.
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China
How China Is Using Fashion to Erase Uighur Identity
Middle East EyeIn Xinjiang, authorities are trying to push women away from Islamic dress and towards ‘modern’ fashion.
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Nigeria
These Schoolgirls Survived Boko Haram. Now They Face a Pandemic
National GeographicThese Schoolgirls Survived Boko Haram. Now They Face a Pandemic.
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Coronavirus: Buhari Asks Nigeria's Chief Judge to Free Prisoners
Al JazeeraNigerian president calls for release of inmates who are awaiting trial for six or more years amid coronavirus fears.
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Locked-Down Niger Braces for Violence as Ramadan Approaches
Journal Du CamerounWith the holy Muslim month of Ramadan set to start this weekend, authorities in Niger are fearing violence after several cities saw riots over anti-coronavirus lockdowns banning collective prayers.
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South Africa
South Africa: Ramaphosa Sends Ramadan Wishes to Muslims
Anadolu AgancySouth African President urges Muslims to continue charity in the spirit of the holy month.
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Kenya
Women’s Stories of Breaking the Mould as Muslim Preachers in Kenya
The ConversationRamadan is a period during which Muslims across the world are deeply immersed in worship and are particularly attuned to exhortations by religious scholars.
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United States
'A Month We Will Always Remember': American Muslims Welcome Ramadan Under Lockdown
Middle East EyeWhile stay-at-home measures have taken a toll on the community, many Muslims are looking at ways to make most out of lockdown measures.
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'Divisive': Rights Groups Accuse Trump of Stoking Islamophobia Ahead of Ramadan
Middle East EyeUS president suggests Muslims could get preferential treatment during the Muslim holy month, echoing a theme circulating on right-wing Twitter circles.
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When The Holy Month Of Ramadan Comes At The Peak Of A Pandemic
Huffington PostMuslim Americans are forced to get creative in order to make the most out of Ramadan.
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Syracuse Mosque, Once a Catholic Church, Transforms Again to Try to Keep the Faith, Free of Coronavirus
SyracuseIrfan Elahi is an asbestos abatement expert who worships at the Mosque of Jesus, Son of Mary on the North Side.
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Muslim Call to Prayer to Be Broadcast in Minneapolis Neighborhood
Star TribuneThe first broadcast in Minnesota will run through Ramadan holy days.
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Empty Prayer Rows and Donation Boxes, Coronavirus Hits US Mosques
Middle East EyeMosques fear they could be forced to stay closed permanently as in-person donations dry up due to lockdown measures.
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Why I’m Letting My 7-Year-Old Fast During Ramadan
The New York TimesI’m choosing to nurture her nascent spirituality, but will monitor her closely.
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Islamic Center Damaged in ‘Suspicious’ Fire at Start of Ramadan
The New York TimesThe police said the fire, at the Islamic Center of Cape Girardeau in Missouri, was being investigated as possible arson.
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How Turkish TV, Bollywood and K-Pop Spell the End for the American Century
Middle East EyeIn ‘New Kings of the World’, Fatima Bhutto details how culture from the east is sweeping the globe.
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'No Money for Ramadan': Remittances to Hit Record Low Because of Coronavirus
Middle East EyeNew York’s immigrant communities fear for their families back home as loss of earnings diminishes remittance flows.
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New York City Will Distribute 500,000 Free Halal Meals to Muslims During Ramadan
CNNThe coronavirus pandemic has turned life upside down for many New Yorkers, including those who wish to safely practice their faiths.
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Ramadan, a Month About Community for Many Muslims, Goes Virtual
NPR NewsIn their tiny apartment just outside Minneapolis, Sarah Alfaham directs her husband Mohamed Ahmed to hold up the gold curtains she picked up at Walmart.
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United Kingdom
Coronavirus Exposes How Riddled Britain Is With Racial Inequality
The GuardianEthnic minorities are at greater risk because social and economic disparities lead to poor outcomes in health.
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Coronavirus: British Muslims Prepare to Celebrate Ramadan Under Lockdown
Middle East EyeAs Covid-19 has disproportionately hit black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) individuals in the UK, Muslims are set to mark the holy month while combating Islamophobia.
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Leading Muslims Hit out at Trevor Phillips’s Role in COVID-19 Bame Deaths Inquiry
The GuardianObjections raised to the inclusion of man suspended from Labour over Islamophobia allegations.
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Meet the Man Arranging Muslim Funerals for Those in Need in the Coronavirus Pandemic
MetroAbu works at charity Eden Care, which provides financial relief for the families of Muslims and non-Muslims alike to cover funeral costs.
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Trump, Biden Issue Ramadan Blessings, but What Are Their Records Regarding Muslims?
Middle East EyeAs Muslims have become an important voting bloc in some key swing states, politicians have tried to reach out to gain their support.
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Germany
No Faithful, No Cash: Lockdown Proves Critical for German Mosques
ReutersMosques in Germany that depend on donations from Friday prayers face bankruptcy as the coronavirus lockdown strips them of their only source of income, which peaks during the month of Ramadan that starts this week.
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Kosovo
Mourning in Lockdown: COVID-19 Transforms Kosovo War Commemorations
Balkan Transitional JusticeWith coronavirus infections increasing in Kosovo, annual commemorations of wartime massacres that are usually attended by crowds of mourners have been replaced by low-key visits to loved ones’ graves and memorial posts on social media.
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Turkey
Turkish Mosque Turned Into Temporary 'Supermarket'
France 24At the entrance of an Istanbul mosque, the racks usually reserved for the shoes of the faithful are loaded with pasta packages, oil bottles, biscuits — like a supermarket.
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Saudi Arabia
English Football Rules Won't Stop Saudi Arabia's Newcastle United Bid
Middle East EyeProposed takeover would give Saudi investment fund headed by Mohammed bin Salman an 80 percent stake in the club.
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Egypt
In Old Cairo, a Subdued Ramadan Looms as Virus Shutters the City
The New York TimesThe holiest month in the Islamic calendar promises this year to be the strongest ever for the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims. In Cairo, known as the city of a thousand minarets, the coronavirus has cast a long shadow.
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Iraq
In Post-Islamic State Northern Iraq, Demographic Changes Raise Concerns
Middle East EyeAs more members of the Shia Shabak community have moved in historically Christian areas, some tensions have emerged.
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Lebanon
Remembering the Qana Massacres
MondoweissEvery day in Lebanon bears memories or threats of Israeli aggression.
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Israel/Palestine
Israel Approves Appropriation of Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque
Middle East MonitorIsraeli government’s Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit yesterday approved the expropriation of Palestinian land adjacent to the Ibrahimi Mosque in occupied West Bank city of Hebron.
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Lantern Making in Gaza Keeps Children Busy and Marks Ramadan
Middle East EyePalestinians take up lantern making as a way of filling up time under quarantine and preparing for Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
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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!