The complicated history of Thomas Jefferson’s Koran
The Washington PostOriginally produced as tool for Christian missionaries in Muslim lands, Thomas Jefferson’s copy of the 1734 translation of the Koran demonstrates the long presence of Islam in the US and America’s complicated relationship with minority religions.
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Christmas is for everyone, including Muslims
Toledo BladeS. Amjad Hussain reflects on interfaith participation in Christmas celebrations and other religious holidays and insists that Muslims still can.
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China seals three Hui Muslims mosques in southern province
Yeni ŞafakThree mosques belonging to Hui Muslims were shut down for what the authorities called “illegal religious education.”
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Turkey's gift of a mosque sparks fears of ‘neo-Ottomanism’ in Kosovo
The GuardianSix years after the laying of the cornerstone, Pristina’s new mosque will likely begin construction, delayed due to controversies over funding sources and the Ottoman-style design.
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Books promoting radical Islam in Dutch high security prison library
Dutch NewsMPs from the Christian Democratic party and anti Islam PVV are upset that books by people considered radical Muslims are made accessible in Dutch prisons.
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How we built a tool that detects the strength of Islamophobic hate speech on Twitter
The ConversationResearchers at Oxford University developed a tool to detect Islamophobic tweets and classify them as containing strong or weak Islamophobic language.
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China’s Gulag for Muslims
NY TimesMustafa Aykol describes the conditions faced by Uighur Muslims in China and criticizes the leaders of Muslim-majority nations for ignoring the repressive regime in Xinjiang province.
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Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar embody a new era for Muslim women
CNNWriting for CNN, Rafia Zakaria sees the election of two Muslim Congresswomen as a milestone for Muslim feminism and a demonstration of the diversity of Muslim Americans.
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Evangelicals Seek Detente With Mideast Muslim Leaders As Critics Doubt Motives
NPRAmerican evangelicals have met with Middle Eastern leaders, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt, in an effort to promote religious freedom; critics note, however, that these evangelical leaders have other motives as well.
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Meet Iran's first ever Sunni female ambassador
Al MonitorCurrently a town governor, Homeira Rigi will be the first female Sunni ambassador from Iran, and will lead the mission to Brunei.
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The nation’s first two Muslim congresswomen are sworn in, surrounded by the women they inspired
The Washington PostSupporters of Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar gathered in Washington, D.C., to witness the swearing-in of the two Congresswomen; the two women have been an inspiration for Americans from a broad-range of ethnic and religious backgrounds.
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Dear Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats: A hijab is not a hat
Religion News ServiceDemocrats plan on overturning a rule enacted in 1837 which bans hats on the House floor but, as the author notes, the hijab is not a hat and so should fall under religious freedom exemptions.
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A mainstream journalist opposed a mosque’s expansion. Is such activism appropriate?
The Washington PostA reporter has become embroiled in a disagreement between a Fairfax County neighborhood and a local mosque, the neighborhood association complaining about traffic at the mosque and preventing the expansion of prayer services.
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Moscow’s Little-Noticed Islamic-Outreach Effort
The AtlanticWorking through the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, the Russian government is pushing for the promotion of “pacifist Islam” and attempting to combat Islamism in the Middle East.
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China passes law to make Islam 'compatible with socialism'
Al JazeeraStarting on a five-year project, the Chinese government passed a law to “Sinicize” Islam after meeting with representatives from eight Islamic associations that will guide the process.
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China’s Muslims Brace for Attacks
Foreign PolicyRepressive measures used against Uighur Muslims have begun to spread to areas with other Muslim and religious minority populations, as Han ethnonationalism has been increasingly promoted by the central government.
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China Targets Prominent Uighur Intellectuals to Erase an Ethnic Identity
NY TimesHigh-profile Uighur cultural figures have been imprisoned in recent months, as decades-old “red lines” have been changed by the Chinese government.
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5 facts about the religious makeup of the 116th Congress
Pew Research CenterThough still underrepresented based on their share of the American general population, the number of non-Christian members of Congress has risen to 63 after the 2018 midterms.
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1,200-year-old Islamic-period Town Found in Israel, but You Will Never See It
HaaretzA town from the early Islamic-period was discovered in central Israel, but will likely be covered over again as part of a new construction development outside the town of Modi’in.
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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!