Why So Many U.S. Latinos Are Becoming Muslims

October 10, 2013   Most Latinos know the country is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month right now. What far fewer Latinos know is that next week marks Eid al-Adha, one of Islam’s most sacred holidays. And yet the two observances are more related now than most Latinos realize. Just as the U.S. Latino population is on…

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More American Jewish Students Take Up Study of the Arab World

October 18, 2013   Miriam Berger studied Arabic at Wesleyan University, lived twice as a student in Jordan, did thesis research in the West Bank and, after graduation, worked in Cairo. And like many of the Americans she has met each step of the way, she is Jewish. “I don’t see it as a contradiction…

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Christians, Muslims pray together

Muslims and Christians together pray in St. Peter’s Square, each with the words of their own religion. For many it is a “miracle” born by the appeal of Pope Francis who encouraged fasting for peace against the war in Syria. In St. Peter’s square, in the late afternoon, a hundred thousand people came to accept…

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Religious leaders welcome FBI hate crimes reporting

For Raed Jarrar, the FBI’s decision Wednesday (June 5) to begin tracking hate crimes against Arabs is a battle won in a larger war. “This is just one part of fixing the system, because unfortunately many hate crimes against Arab Americans have not been noticed,” said Jarrar, spokesman for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. In addition…

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First VW, Now Coke: Soda Company’s Super Bowl Ad Being Called Racist By Arab-American Groups

Super Bowl advertisers have been releasing their commercials earlier and earlier, mostly in an attempt to build social media buzz before the big game. But as advertisers this year are learning, with this new opportunity comes a great deal of risk. Coca-Cola is running into similar charges of using racial stereotypes from Arab-American groups who…

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