Ethnic/Religious Minorities

Police vehicles are seen on a road after a shooting incident at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Dec. 14, 2025.

What we know about Ahmed al-Ahmed, bystander who wrestled attacker in Sydney shooting

The 43-year-old man, a father of two and the owner of a fruit shop in a Sydney suburb, was shot twice.

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Iranian soldiers keep watch at a patrol post in Zabol, southeastern Iran, near the Afghan border, on Oct. 10, 2012.

Analysis

Militant merger in Iran’s Baluchistan signals new threat to Tehran

The group’s outreach to broader ethnic communities reflects a strategic bid for wider legitimacy and a role in the wider struggle against the Islamic Republic.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Head of Israel's Raam, Mansour Abbas, speaks at his campaign headquarters in the northern Israeli city of Tamra before national election polls close, on Nov. 1, 2022

Analysis

Stunt or recalibration? Israel's Raam to break with Muslim Brotherhood

Raam leader Mansour Abbas took a huge political risk this week, announcing the party will sever its ties with the Islamic Movement.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

rabbi

Culture

In first, Syria approves restoration of Jewish property, synagogues

The new organization is the latest sign of Damascus’ outreach to Syria's dwindled Jewish community.

Latest News

As Syria marks one year since Assad fall, some minorities skip celebrations

TOPSHOT - This aerial view shows people gathering to commemorate the 14th anniversary of the uprising against Syria's former president Bashar al-Assad for the first time since he was toppled in the Umayyad Square in the centre of Damascus on March 15, 2025. The rally in Damascus was the capital's first after years of repression under Assad, during which the square was the sole preserve of the ousted president's supporters. Activists called on people to hold similar demonstrations in the major cities of Homs

Pope Leo gets rock star's reception in Lebanon, drawing cheers, celebrations

Pope Leo XIV waves to a crowd of youths upon his arrival at the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkerke, north of the capital Beirut, on December 1, 2025. Leo prayed for peace in Lebanon and the region on December 1 on day two of his trip to the multi-confessional country, with joyful Lebanese welcoming the pontiff at two famous pilgrimage sites. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon celebrates Pope Leo’s visit as Israel escalates attacks

A giant billboard of Pope Leo XIV along the highway leading to Beirut's international airport, Nov. 20, 2025.

In first foreign visit, Pope Leo meets Erdogan, urges Turkey to uphold pluralism

President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan greets Pope Leo XIV during a welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace, Ankara, Nov. 27, 2025.

Najaf Shiites launch solidarity initiative with Sunni areas

Religious figures from Najaf have developed an initiative for dialogue and cooperation with the Sunni provinces liberated from Islamic State.

Changes expected in Palestinian Knesset representation

There appears to be a good chance that the Joint List will not be the only party vying to represent the interests of Palestinian citizens of Israel in April elections for the next Knesset.

Christians rejoice as Egypt forms committee to combat sectarianism

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced the formation of a committee tasked with fighting sectarianism, a move widely welcomed by both Christians and Muslims in Egypt.

Activist’s murder in Tunisia attests to racism’s grip

Tunisia’s new law against racism needs substantial backup in the form of cultural change.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I gives presents to Greek Orthodox faithful after they swam into the Golden Horn during the Epiphany day celebrations in Istanbul, Turkey January 6, 2019. REUTERS/Umit Bektas TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1371622270

Patriarch grants Ukrainian Church independence at Istanbul mass

The spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox faithful recognized a new national church of Ukraine, marking a historic split with Moscow amid a broader geopolitical dispute.

An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man looks at his watch as he stands near tracks of the light rail in Jerusalem October 18, 2018. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RC13C8690D70

The Israeli ultra-Orthodox paradox: earning little, feeling rich

The ultra-Orthodox population in Israel is considered poor by economic measurements, but its members do not feel poor in part due to their consumption habits and solidarity networks.

Iraq's grand Sunni mufti forbids participation in New Year's celebrations

Clerics who issued fatwas against participation in New Year's celebrations come up against a wave of criticism.

UN seeks to raise awareness of bias against African-Iraqis

Iraqis of African descent seem to be making progress, albeit slowly, against discrimination, with the UN's help.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) delivers a statement at the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem, on December 24, 2018. - Israel's government decided to hold early elections in April with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struggling to keep together a one-seat majority in parliament as he also faces potential corruption charges in the months ahead. (Photo by Marc Israel SELLEM / AFP) / Israel OUT (Photo credit should read MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/AFP/Getty Images)

What Israel’s election should actually be about

The issues of ending the occupation, the democratic nature of Israel and relations with American Jewry should dominate the election campaign no less than the character of the political actors seeking office, but they likely will not.

Mourners carry a coffin during the funeral of Coptic Christians who were killed in an attack, in Minya, Egypt November 3, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany - RC193E912290

Copts once again fall victim to deadly violence in Egypt

In an area of Egypt known for violence against Coptic Christians, a father and son were recently slain, allegedly by an Egyptian who was supposed to be guarding a church.

US genocide law triggers mixed feelings among Iraqis

US President Donald Trump has signed legislation calling for greater support for religious minorities victimized by the Islamic State.

A woman poses in a group photo with a wooden cut-out depicting the ringstone symbol of the Baha'i faith during a carnival commemorating International Minority Rights Day in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on December 16, 2017. (Photo by HAIDAR MOHAMMED ALI / AFP) (Photo credit should read HAIDAR MOHAMMED ALI/AFP/Getty Images)

Iraqi official denies Bahaism as religion

An Iraqi official's statement against the Baha'i religion raises concerns of Baha'is and other religious minorities in Iraq.