DAMASCUS: Syrian President Bashar Assad has issued a decree eliminating the post of top Muslim cleric for the country and expanding the powers of a government ministry overseeing religious affairs. The new decree, which state media said came into effect on Monday, effectively forces Ahmed Badreddin Hassoun, appointed as... Read more
Oman Resumes Friday Prayers in Mosques Following More Than Yearlong Closure
Middle EastNewsRegional NewsReligion 24 September 2021 0
Oman’s mosques reopen for Friday prayers today, after a closure that lasted more than a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, national daily Times of Oman reported. The decision came after a “noticeable decrease in the curve of COVID-19 cases,” the report added. Oman’s coronavirus supreme committee issued the... Read more
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Down on earth, the coronavirus outbreak was felling lives, livelihoods and normalcy. A nation-spanning blessing seemed called for. So up went a priest in a small airplane, rumbling overhead at an epidemiologically safe distance from the troubles below, wielding a sacred golden vessel from a cockpit-turned-pulpit.... Read more
Tourists visit the archaeological site of Tel Shiloh in the West Bank, March 12, 2019 About 20 kilometres (12.4 miles) north of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, just west of the Israeli settlement Shiloh, lies Tel Shiloh, an archaeological site that attracts tens of... Read more
KARBALA, Iraq — The annual ceremony commemorating a founding figure of Shiite Islam is one of the most important religious celebrations in the Shiite world, drawing millions of pilgrims to the holy city of Karbala, Iraq. This year, the Arbaeen ceremony was also a political skirmish — the latest... Read more
Saudi Arabia now charging SR300 ($80) for multiple entry visa valid for one year Previously an Umrah pilgrim had to pay SR2,000 ($533) in case of repeating the pilgrimage during a three-year period. By Gavin Gibbon Thu 12 Sep 2019 11:25 AM Pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia for Haj... Read more
At a time when more than two million Muslims performed Hajj in Mecca, the holiest place in Islam, an image was taken by KhalifaSat of the Grand Mosque (Haram) is circulating the internet. The unique image captured a photograph of the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca on the afternoon of the... Read more
Eid al-Adha in Arabic literally means the ‘festival of the sacrifice’ Millions of Muslims around the world are celebrating the Eid al-Adha religious holiday on Sunday. Eid al-Adha, which in Arabic literally means the “festival of the sacrifice”, commemorates the story of the Muslim Prophet Ibrahim’s test... Read more
Some 2.5 Muslims from across the world are expected to arrive in Mecca, Saudi Arabia by Friday, as part of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. One of the five pillars of Islam, every Muslim that is physically and financially capable of doing so is required at least once in their... Read more