Ethnic/Religious Minorities

US President Donald Trump (L) welcomes Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC, on Aug. 8, 2025.

Feature

Backed by Trump and Turkey, Armenia's Pashinyan eyes third term in pivotal poll

As Russia and the West vie for influence, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan appears on track to secure a new mandate for his peace agenda with Azerbaijan and rapprochement with Turkey.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Arab-Israeli Knesset member Ahmed Tibi takes part in a demonstration against rising crime rates against Arab-Israelis in Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 31, 2026.

Interview

Ahmad Tibi says Arab parties in Israel can block Netanyahu without joining next government

Ahmad Tibi, head of the Arab Israeli Ta’al party, accused US President Trump of enabling Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to continue the war in Gaza and escalate settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

Ahmad Tibi

Ahmad Tibi

Israeli Arab lawmaker

San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl speaks at a press conference following a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego in Southern California, on May 18, 2026.

Three victims identified in San Diego mosque attack: What to know

One of the victims, Amin Abdullah, was a security guard at the center who "played a pivotal role in preventing this from being much worse," San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said.

Ali al-Zaidi

Iraq's Shiite alliance nominates Ali al-Zaidi as PM candidate: What to know

Ali al-Zaidi, who leads a bank accused of money laundering, received support from previous nominee Nouri al-Maliki and incumbent Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, though it remains unclear whether the Trump administration will approve of him.

Latest News

Iran arrests Ahwazi separatist leader amid war crackdown: What to know

Iranians carry the coffin of one of the people killed in a shooting attack, during their funeral in the city of Izeh in Iran's Khuzestan province, on November 18, 2022. In some of the worst violence since the protests erupted, assailants on motorbikes shot dead seven people, including a woman and two children aged nine and 13, at a central market of Izeh on the evening of November 16, 2022, state media said. (Photo by ALIREZA MOHAMMADI / isna / AFP) (Photo by ALIREZA MOHAMMADI/isna/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Hostage to Hormuz, can Gulf rewire future energy flows to bypass Iran’s chokepoint?

A police speed boat patrols the port as oil tankers and high speed crafts sit anchored at Muscat Anchorage near the Strait of Hormuz on March 30, 2026 in Muscat, Oman.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

Displacement and dissent: Hezbollah’s war with Israel splits Lebanon’s Shiites

A Hezbollah flag is seen in a destroyed car after an Israeli airstrike in Nabi Chit (Al-Nabi Shayth), Lebanon, on March 26, 2026. In the first week of March, the Israeli army carried out an unsuccessful nighttime commando operation there to recover the remains of Ron Arad, a pilot missing since 1986, triggering airstrikes and destruction in the area that forced residents to flee their homes. (Photo by Fabio Bucciarelli / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

Karim Safieddine

By Karim Safieddine

In Beirut, reporting on politics

Lebanon scrambles to contain tensions over displacement as Israel ups threats

Displaced families set up tents along Beirut's waterfront in Beirut, Lebanon, on March 10, 2026, after fleeing recent Israel-Hezbollah hostilities.

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.

Last Greeks of Alexandria struggle to keep their community alive

The Greek community of Alexandria long considered itself one of the main actors in the building of modern Egypt, but with their number dwindled to fewer than 1,000, they are now organizing to deepen and expand existing roots by connecting more with local non-Greek Alexandrians.