Islam

Debates about abortion often center around the issue of when life begins. Some religions say it's at conception. Another says it's with the baby's first breath.

The Ramadan fast is usually followed by a feast. In Hyderabad, India, that feast is dominated by haleem, a meat and lentil stew pounded into paste and flavored with rose petals, cinnamon and cardamom.

New state laws make it harder for interfaith couples to marry. The idea is to halt forced marital religious conversions. But they've emboldened extremists to interrupt weddings.

The Taliban's ideology has distant links to India. Scholars say Afghanistan's new leaders might listen to clerics in the birthplace of Deobandi Islam, though the clerics deny ties with the Taliban.

Sheikh Nuru Mohammed began to fight disinformation during Friday sermons — and turned his mosque into a vaccination center. It was the first of its kind in Britain and paved the way for dozens more.

The pontiff arrived at Baghdad International Airport where he was greeted by the prime minister. During his four-day visit, Francis will focus on Iraq's ancient but dwindling Christian community.

After the beheading of a teacher in in a Parisian suburb last year, France is on the verge of a campaign against "separatist Islam." Some aren't sure how that fits with the country's secular ideals.

The intellectual heart of China's Muslim community is under threat as scholars, writers, religious leaders and their families are under constant state surveillance.

The 1992 destruction of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya by Hindu extremists sparked riots that killed thousands of Muslims, leaving a deep rift between the country's religious communities.

Religiously speaking, it was not a substitute for the real pilgrimage, which all Muslims must try to make in their lifetime. But it inspired many to go once it's possible again.

Observance of the Muslim holy month of fasting, prayer and festivities is being curtailed in many parts of the world due to COVID-19. But in some countries, the pandemic hasn't dissuaded the faithful.