[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating about Islam and reflects a wide variety of opinions and approaches. It does not reflect the views of the Critical Currents in Islam page or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week`s roundup to cci@jadaliyya.com by Saturday night of every week.]
Philly’s Muslim cabbies’ ingenuity and community build a mosque at the airport
The Philadelphia InquirerThe mosque on Island Avenue is a humble monument to the efforts of cab drivers, the vast majority of them men, who sought to create a place of spiritual refuge amid the most prosaic of surroundings, a crumbling slab of asphalt where they park while waiting for fares from arriving flights.
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Detroit schools to close for Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr for first time
Detroit Free Press
Muslim students have been pushing officials to recognize the Eid holidays, like other nearby districts, such as Dearborn Public Schools, the Crestwood School District and Hamtramck Public Schools.
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Nigeria's Shia protesters: A minority at odds with the government
Al Jazeera
The Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) is an umbrella body for Shia Muslims in Nigeria seeking justice for those killed in clashes with the army, an account for the hundreds who have gone missing and, above all, the release of Ibrahim el-Zakzaky.
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Sri Lankan Easter bombings, claimed by ISIS, show the group maintains influence even though its caliphate is gone
The Washington Post
The Islamic State influence remains strong and claimed their responsibility on Sri Lanka’s Easter bombing that targeted Christians and “coalition countries.
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When Christians Are Under Attack, Muslims and the Left Need to Defend Them
The Intercept
Persecution against Christians in the Middle East, Africa and parts of Asia has been neglected by the media, such as the attacks on Christians in Egypt during Easter, along with the attacks in Sri Lanka that resulted in hundreds killed and injured.
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Morocco trains foreign students in its practice of moderate Islam
Reuters
Morocco, which is nearly 100 percent Muslim, has marketed itself as an oasis of religious tolerance in a region torn by militancy – and has offered training to imams and male and female preachers of Islam from Africa and Europe on what it describes as moderate Islam.
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Ministry of Religious Endowment renaming mosques across Egypt
Al-Monitor
The ministry has issued a series of decisions since 2014 aimed at preventing what it views as the political exploitation of mosques and seeks to subject all mosques — including those supervised by the Muslim Brotherhood, Salafist Call (Al-Da’wa Al-Salafiyya) and other organizations — to its direct supervision.
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Saudi Arabia’s intolerance weakens its Islamic leadership
The Washington Post
Saudi Arabia’s use of Islam to justify women’s oppression along with the murder of the journalist Khashoggi highlights their misuse of their position as a leading Islamic power, while the Islamophobic attacks are on the rise.
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Last gamer standing: Iraqi youth vow to keep playing popular PUBG game
Middle East Eye
On 17 April, the Iraqi parliament voted to call on the government to ban PUBG, saying the game had detrimental effects on health and security, particularly among young people.
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Who are Sri Lanka’s Muslims?
The Conversation
Even though most Sri Lankan Muslims are Sunni, it is a diverse community, with some following the mystical form of Islam, Sufism. Linguistically, most have Tamil as their mother tongue.
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Sudan: The difficult path to democratic rule
Middle East Eye
The transitional council of Abdel Fattah al-Burhan – who replaced Bashir and his one-day successor, Awad Ahmed Ibn Auf – seems less capable of dominating a civilian opposition that is relatively more united, with strong backing from the African Union and Western nations for an immediate end to military rule.
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Rohingya trapped inside a 'genocide zone'
TRT World
Rohingya Muslims trapped in no man’s land between Myanmar and Bangladesh are sitting ducks vulnerable to violence from the Myanmar military.
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What Ramy Gets Wrong About Muslim Women
The Atlantic
The new Hulu series cleverly explores the life experiences of a Millennial man practicing Islam in America. It misses the mark, however, in the depiction of its female characters.
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Radicalization among Sri Lanka’s Muslims was slow and steady
AP News
Attacks against mosques, shrines and followers of Sufi sheikhs in Sri Lanka more than a decade ago point to early warning signs of fundamentalism taking root among a sliver of the country’s Muslims.
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Unchecked ‘Hate’ Toward Rep. Ilhan Omar Has American Muslims Shuddering
The New York Times
Representative Ilhan Omar has only been in Congress a few months, but she is gaining attention from across the political spectrum and has become a target of the president.
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Muslims flee, Christians grieve in Sri Lankan town torn by violence
Reuters
On Wednesday, hundreds of Pakistani Muslims fled the multi-ethnic port city of Negombo an hour north of the capital, Colombo. Crammed into buses organized by community leaders and police, they left fearing for their safety after threats of revenge from locals.
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Muslim woman's picture with anti-Islam protesters goes viral
BBC News
Shaymaa Ismaa’eel, a Muslim woman who posed for a picture with anti-Islam protesters, says she wanted to ‘combat their hatred with love and a smile’.
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Nearly 27 Years After Hindu Mob Destroyed A Mosque, The Scars In India Remain Deep
NPR
What happened in Ayodhya in 1992 was a milestone for Hindutva or Hindu pride. It’s a key element of Modi’s vision for India as he runs for reelection this month and next. For Hindu voters who care deeply about Lord Ram’s presumed birthplace, step one was destroying the Babri mosque. Step two is building a Hindu temple in its place.
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Sri Lanka Muslims, refugees fear backlash from Easter attack
AP News
After fleeing their homes in Pakistan over militant attacks and government persecution, hundreds of Ahmadi Muslims felt they finally found peace in Sri Lanka as they sought resettlement across the world.
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Friday essay: how Western attitudes towards Islam have changed
The Conversation
Since its beginnings in Arabia of the 7th century CE, the religion of Muhammad the prophet had pushed against the borders of Christendom.
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Sri Lanka’s Christians and Muslims Weren’t Enemies
Foreign Policy
The country’s real divide has been between Buddhists and Muslims, but the Easter attacks may change all that.
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Sri Lanka Muslims brave militant threats for Friday prayers
AP News
Hundreds gathered at the Masjidus Salam Jumma mosque for their communal Friday prayers, one of many mosques that conducted services despite warnings of retaliatory violence.
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Suspicion stalks Sri Lanka's Muslim community after bombings
Al Jazeera
Fearing backlash many Muslims are avoiding venturing out. Some women have chosen to forego the hijab so they can continue with their daily lives in peace. There has also been an increase in men visiting barbers to shave their beards, according to local media reports.
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In D.C., a call for restaurants to give fasting Muslims an alternative to IHOP in Ramadan
Religion News Service
The 24-hour pancake house chain is often the only local restaurant open at suhoor, the meal is eaten just before the ritual fast begins at daybreak. A new initiative called Dine After Dark wants to change that, at least for Muslims living in and around the nation’s capital.
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Quebec ban on religious symbols would fall heavily on hijab-wearing teachers
The Washington Post
In Quebec, not many police officers or prosecutors wear Jewish skullcaps or turbans. The ban would likely fall most heavily on the province’s hijab-wearing teachers — of which there are believed to be hundreds.
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Spain’s Vox Party Hates Muslims—Except the Ones Who Fund It
Foreign Policy
The upstart far-right party is unapologetically Islamophobic, but without donations from Iranian exiles, it may have never gotten off the ground.
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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!