Israel suspends actions that led to closure of Christian holy site

Israel on Tuesday suspended tax measures and other actions that led to the rare closure of the church built at what is seen as the holiest site in Christianity, shut down all week in protest.

ECJ backs religious symbol bans in headscarf ruling

The European Union's top court has ruled that employers may bar staff from wearing visible religious symbols, in its first decision on the issue of women wearing Islamic headscarves at work.

Egypt Christians flee Sinai after a spate of attacks

Suspected Islamic militants gunned down a Coptic Christian man and stabbed his daughter to death inside his home in northern Sinai, the seventh such killing in a month's time in the restive region, officials and a Christian priest said Friday, prompting hundreds of Christians to flee from the area for fear of being targeted next.

Swiss Muslim girls must learn to swim with boys, court rules

Switzerland has won a case at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) obliging Muslim parents to send their children to mixed swimming lessons.

Turkish military allows female personnel to wear headscarf

The ban on headscarf for female civilian personnel serving in the Turkish military has been lifted, according to a ruling released in the official gazette published on Friday, Turkish Daily Sabah reported.

Bulgarian parliament adopts ban on face veils

The Bulgarian parliament has approved a bill that would ban the wearing of garments concealing the face entirely or partially in public places.

Bangladesh: Hindu man hacked to death in Pabna

Unidentified attackers have hacked to death a 62-year-old Hindu monastery worker in Bangladesh, police say, the latest in a series of such attacks on religious minorities in the mainly Muslim country.

Around 90 radical mosques under surveillance - German intelligence head

Dozens of radical mosques in Germany are currently being closely watched, Germany's domestic intelligence agency BfV said on Monday.

Stara Zagora becomes second Bulgarian municipality to ban the burqa

The southern Bulgarian municipality of Stara Zagora became the second in two days to vote to ban the wearing of the burqa in public places.

Les femmes autorisées à prier au mur des Lamentations à Jérusalem

Les femmes juives vont être autorisées à prier à l'instar des hommes au mur des Lamentations, alors que cette pratique leur était jusqu'alors strictement interdite sur le lieu le plus saint du judaïsme à Jérusalem. Une zone de prière distincte leur sera réservé, a-t-on appris dimanche.

Somalia and Brunei ban Christmas celebrations

Somalia has issued a ban on Christmas celebrations in the Muslim-majority country after the Southeast Asian sultanate of Brunei announced a similar prohibition earlier this month with the threat of five years in jail.

Παλαιστίνιος ποιητής κααδικάστηκε σε θάνατο στη Σαουδική Αραβία

Σε θάνατο καταδικάστηκε Παλαιστίνιος ποιητής από δικαστήριο της Σαουδικής Αραβίας, επειδή εγκατέλειψε τη μουσουλμανική θρησκεία, σύμφωνα με τα δικαστικά έγγραφα που περιήλθαν στην κατοχή του Παρατηρητηρίου Ανθρωπίνων Δικαιωμάτων (HRW), όπως δήλωσε ο ερευνητής του για τη Μέση Ανατολή, Άνταμ Κουγκλ.

DPRK rejects US accusation of no religious freedom

A foreign ministry spokesman of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Friday rejected the U.S. accusation of no tolerance for religious freedom in the country, said the official KCNA news agency.

China rejects US religious freedom report

China on Thursday criticized the U.S. State Department's annual religious freedom report, urging the country to stop interfering in China's internal affairs under the pretext of religious issues.

France's Le Pen to be tried over anti-Muslim incitement

Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's far-right National Front, has been ordered to stand trial in October on charges of inciting racial hatred after comparing Muslim street prayers to the Nazi occupation, legal sources have said.

Insecurity grips minority groups in Bangladesh (video Al Jazeera)

The UN's Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion has visited Bangladesh to look into the recent murders of four writers who had been labelled atheists by conservative religious groups.

Christians decry Israeli restrictions on holy sites

A delegation of Palestinian Christians visiting South Africa has complained about Israeli discrimination that restricts them from accessing holy sites in Jerusalem during Christian holidays.

Council of Europe Urges Slovakia to Stop Discriminating Refugees

Slovakia should change its outrageous stance on accepting refugees based on their religion, Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland said Thursday.

China opposes US official meeting with Dalai Lama

China on Monday voiced its opposition over a senior US official meeting with the Dalai Lama.

As the Dalai Lama Turns 80, Tibet Still Suffers

On July 6 the  Dalai Lama, whose spiritual wisdom and friendship have been touchstones for both of our lives, is turning 80 years old.