Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism are among the fastest-growing religions in Australia. But the media still struggle to include different faith leaders or the necessary nuance in religion reporting.
A gathering during the 73rd anniversary of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2019.
Eko Siswono Toyudho/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Nahdlatul Ulama is the world’s biggest Islamic organization, initiating a reform movement, which it is calling ‘Humanitarian Islam.’
Chilean Muslims reflect significant diversity. The Naqshbandi Haqqani Sufis, a global Sufi order that originated in Central Asia, are among them.
John Albert
Two scholars – both converts to Islam – set out to understand the Muslim community in Chile. Here is what they found.
The Hazara have long been targeted in Afghanistan, and many fear violence will intensify with the Taliban in power.
Dimitris Lampropoulos/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Islamophobia increased post-9/11. Twenty years later, American Muslims are still dealing with the mental health effects – and research barriers limit what is known about what puts them at risk.
Islamophobia has changed in the 20 years since Sept. 11. Now, much of it plays out on social media.
Atilgan Ozdil/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Day 2 of our Understanding Islam series. There are five pillars – or basic tenets – of Islamic faith. Each of these pillars is an important part of being Muslim.
According to Islamic studies professor Abbas Barzegar, there are many ways Muslims practice their faith, with some young American Muslims even developing new interpretations of Islamic law.
Joana Toro/VIEWpress/Corbis via Getty Images
Day 3 of our Understanding Islam series. Many Muslims belong to one of two sects of Islam, which agree on most of the fundamentals of Islam but vary in others.
Mosul, a major city in northern Iraq, in the 19th century
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Day 4 of our Understanding Islam series. Knowing the historical contributions of Islam and its influence on other faiths can help counter many assumptions about the religion today.
World Hijab Day started in the U.S. and is one way women have asserted pride in wearing a headscarf.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Day 5 our Understanding Islam series. For some Muslim women, wearing a hijab can be a religious act but Muslim women’s clothing isn’t entirely about faith. It has been used – and is still used – as an assertion of identity.
People fleeing their homes travel on the Kandahar-Kabul highway, amid the deepening crisis in Afghanistan.
Akhter Gulfam/EPA
Indonesia, as well as many other countries that will see an increase in Afghan refugees and asylum seekers, will be put to a test of humanity and will have to act quickly.
Students on the campus of Darul Uloom, the Deoband school of Islam located in a small town, Deoband, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Sajjad Hussain/AFP via Getty Images
There are many different understandings of shariah law in the Muslim world – the Taliban’s is a particularly hard-line one that is unlikely to change radically.
A woman holds a sign reading ‘Islamophobia – that’s enough’ at a protest against the separatism law, February 2021.
Geoffrey van der Hasselt/AFP
Fatima Khemilat, Université Paris-Est Créteil Val de Marne (UPEC)
The term “separatist” has a long history in France. Now it’s being used to target Muslims in a new law.
A late 19th-early 20th century painting by Abbas Al-Musavi depicting the Battle of Karbala, which occurred in 680.
Gift of K. Thomas Elghanayan in honor of Nourollah Elghanayan, Photo: Brooklyn Museum
The Islamic New Year marks the first day of Muharram, a sacred month of prayer and annual reflection.
The Chinese government has promoted a revival of Confucianism, along with traditional religious practices, as part of its nationalist agenda.
AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
President Xi Jinping’s nationalist agenda includes supporting traditional Chinese religious beliefs and practices – as long as their leaders support the Chinese Communist Party.
Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam.
Prakash Mathema/AFP via Getty Images
A scholar of religion explains what those who fast for health and fitness can learn from religious traditions for a sustained, deeper and lifelong practice.
Ghanaian students attend a class in a madrasa or Muslim school.
Mohamed Hossam/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Most religions have periods of rest incorporated into their practice. Medical science has affirmed that short periods of contemplation can have benefits for one’s physical and mental health.
There have been few slots available for weddings at register offices since the pandemic.
Jim Steele/Alamy
Senior Research Fellow, Muslim Philanthropy Initiative at IUPUI and Journalist-fellow, Religion and Civic Culture Center, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Associate Professor in Islamic Studies, Director of The Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation and Executive Member of Public and Contextual Theology, Charles Sturt University