Religion News

ISLAMABAD (AP) — This year’s Hajj in Saudi Arabia attracted the lowest number of pilgrims for 30 years, excluding the COVID-19 pandemic period , according to figures released Thursday.

MUWASI, Gaza Strip (AP) — With the Gaza Strip devastated by war and siege, Palestinians struggled Thursday to celebrate one of the most important Islamic holidays.

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel has recovered the bodies of two Israeli-American hostages taken in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack that ignited the war in the Gaza Strip.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday handed down a unanimous ruling in a religious rights case, finding that a Catholic charity in Wisconsin can't be required to pay unemployment taxes when other religious groups are exempt.

KARA, Nigeria (AP) — Muslim families across west Africa are grappling with the steep cost of rams for the traditional sacrifice that is central to the celebration of Eid al-Adha , a struggle that mirrors the region's deepening economic and humanitari

ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia (AP) — More than 1.5 million foreign pilgrims are in Saudi Arabia for this year's Hajj , a government spokesperson said Wednesday.

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt says the sovereignty of a famous monastery is assured.

This is a photo collection curated by AP photo editors. The Associated Press

IKITSUKI, Japan (AP) — On this small island in rural Nagasaki, Japan ’s Hidden Christians gather to worship what they call the Closet God. In a special room about the size of a tatami mat is a scroll painting of a kimono-clad Asian woman.

For the leaders of U.S. Jewish institutions, the recent attacks in Boulder, Colorado , and Washington, D.C.