Author: Karen Warren

Source: The Houston Chronicle

http://www.chron.com/channel/houstonbelief/photogallery/anitagalleryeid.html#18401424

Muslims from all over Houston came to the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston Sept. 21. The holiday marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.

Author: Staff Writer

Source: Muslim Public Affairs Council

http://www.mpac.org/article.php?id=909

The Muslim Public Affairs Council today welcomed President Barack Obama's Eid message to Muslims worldwide, and extended its own wishes for a blessed Eid marked by faith, prosperity and joy. 

During this month, over 1.3 billion Muslims worldwide have practiced restraint and generosity as a reflection of their commitment to God and in fulfillment of...

Author: Kate Shellnutt

Source: Chicago Sun-Times

http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/music/1778313,muslim-islam-punk-rock-kominas-092009.article

The notion of Muslims playing punk rock may seem like incongruous cultures -- profanity-laden lyrics following the religion's traditional greeting ("Salaam aleikum"), melodic Middle Eastern strumming punctuates noisy guitar feedback, purple and red mohawks...

Author: Sarah Wheaton and Mathew R. Warren

Source: The New York Times

Author: David Grant and Jeff Karoub

Source: The Chicago Tribune

Wire Service: AP

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-us-ramadan-charities,0,4952477.story

As the Islamic holy month of Ramadan winds down, Rami Nashashibi sees a promising fundraising trend for the Chicago charity he runs.

Online donations ranging from $50 to $2,500 to his Inner-City...

Author: Gary Scharrer

Source: The Houston Chronicle

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/6624521.html

Christmas will stay in Texas textbooks, State Board of Education members said Thursday while reviewing early recommendations for new social studies standards.

The board will not approve the new curriculum standards for public schools until next year, but wanted to assure constituents they will not accept a...

Author: Sean Murphy

Source: The Houston Chronicle

Wire Service: AP

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/6625271.html

A Muslim teenager claims in a federal lawsuit that she was denied a job at an Abercrombie & Fitch clothing store at a Tulsa mall because she wore a head scarf.

In the lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Tulsa by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 17-year-old...

Author: Raja Abdulrahim

Source: The Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ramadan18-2009sep18,0,3136484.story

When Aatif Sharieff was growing up in a Maryland suburb, none of the other kids in his elementary school knew about Ramadan.

Each year, as the Muslim month of fasting came around, Sharieff had to explain to fellow students why he couldn't eat lunch with them or drink from the water...

Author: Susan Sachs

Source: The Globe and Mail

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/frances-army-embraces-its-muslim-soldiers/article1287552/

Muslims in France's army who go on the pilgrimage to Mecca this year will not have to travel on private commercial flights or bunk with ordinary civilians. In a break from tradition, the Defence Ministry will provide a plane to fly them to Saudi Arabia and...

Author: Staff Writer

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV2fNDWAnYs

A flourishing Muslim population, combined with increased attendance during Ramadan, has lead to a severe shortage of mosques. In Northern Virginia, one congregation has found a unique way to address its lack of prayer space. 

Author: Staff Writer

http://despardes.com/?p=7176

A small village in the Uttar Pradesh State is setting an example of religious amity, with its Hindu residents hosting iftar for their fellow Muslim villagers.

“Serving Muslims during the holy month gives us a unique sense of satisfaction,” Indrajeet Pandey, a 48-year-old resident of Naubatpur village, told Indo Asian News Service (IANS) on Thursday, September 17.

In Ramadan, the holiest month in Islamic calendar, the...

Author: Stuart Laidlaw

Source: The Toronto Star

http://www.thestar.com/living/religion/article/696581

With Ramadan ending in the coming days, Imam Habeeb Alli is making a special point of what he calls the greatest act of charity a Muslim can make during this holy month – signing an organ donor card.

"We cannot ignore this duty to donate our organs," says Alli, secretary of the Canadian Council of Imams.

Throughout the year,...

Author: Judith Sudilovsky

Source: Ecumenical News International

http://www.eni.ch/featured/article.php?id=3369

Indicating a loaf of sweet braided bread on the table, the Muslim man, asked a group of Jews sharing the meal with him: "Why do you eat only this type of bread at the Sabbath meal?" 

Haysam Pakir, a 30-year-old Muslim from Nablus, a Palestinian city in the northern part of the West Bank, was speaking at a dinner...

Author: Waqar Gillani and Sabrina Tavernise

Source: The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/17/world/asia/17pstan.html

A Christian man detained on blasphemy charges was found dead in his jail cell on Tuesday in eastern Pakistan. Human rights groups here said he appeared to have been killed, perhaps in collusion with the authorities.

The death of the Christian, Robert Fanish, 20, is part of a rising trend of violence against...

Author: Solange De Santis

Source: Religion News Service

http://www.religionnews.com/index.php?/rnstext/during_ramadan_30_mosques_in_30_days/

How many spiritual pilgrimages also include food reviews?

During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, New Yorkers Aman Ali, 24, and Bassam Tariq, 22, are breaking the 12-hour daily fasts at iftar dinners and prayer services at a different mosque each evening.

Their...