What is a fatwa?
The attack on Salman Rushdie promptly led to speculation if the attacker had been influenced by the 1989 fatwa against the…
August 17, 2022
381
Ethics
Religions have long known that getting away from it all is good for the mind, body and spirit
Rituals of rest and contemplation are woven into many religious traditions around the world.
August 15, 2022
390
India turns 75: Fast facts about the unusual constitution guiding the world's most populous democrac
Adopted in 1949, India’s original constitution has withstood the test of time to help shape the world’s largest democracy.…
August 12, 2022
1414
5 books and films that tell the story of the trauma of the Partition of India and its aftermath
On the 75th anniversary of India’s partition, scholars from the US, Canada, France, UK and Australia write about their…
August 12, 2022
741
An interfaith discussion on the role of religion in mental health
Academics and religious leaders address the role of faith and community in managing mental health issues in young people…
August 12, 2022
398
Russia’s threats to shut down Jewish Agency raise alarm bells for those who remember the past
During the Cold War, Russia’s refusal to allow Jews to leave the country reflected its political aims. The same is likely…
August 11, 2022
649
At 75, Pakistan has moved far from the secular and democratic vision of its founder, Mohammad Ali Ji
Jinnah insisted on secular education, gender equality and equal rights for minorities – all of which remain unrealized…
August 11, 2022
653
American Sikhs are targets of bigotry, often due to cultural ignorance
On the 10th anniversary of the Oak Creek massacre, a Sikh scholar writes that there is little understanding of the Sikh…
August 10, 2022
702
College requirements for police forces can save Black lives, but at what cost?
New research on police departments across the country reveals a significant link between the use of fatal force and college…
August 8, 2022
381
75 years ago, Britain's plan for Pakistani and Indian independence left unresolved conflicts on both
The fate of the so-called princely states was a particularly contentious issue during India’s partition, which killed…
August 8, 2022
380
Why are nuclear weapons so hard to get rid of? Because they're tied up in nuclear countries' sense o
Policymakers often think of their decisions about nuclear weapons as moral, a nuclear ethicist explains – which is key…
August 5, 2022
385
After Trump, Christian nationalist ideas are going mainstream – despite a history of violence
Distrust of government blended with strains of Christian fundamentalism can produce a violent form of Christian nationalism,…
August 5, 2022
386
Atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki left survivors wrestling with spiritual questions – here's
As Japanese victims struggled to process the nuclear attack, many turned to religion. The way they understood the horror…
August 4, 2022
366
Christianity was a major part of Indigenous boarding schools – a historian whose family survived the
A historian of the residential schools explains how religion played a key role in assimilationist systems for Indigenous…
July 29, 2022
905
Russia's invasion of Ukraine threatens a cultural heritage the two countries share, including Saint
Saint Sophia Cathedral was built under the reign of Grand Prince Yaroslav, whose father, Volodymyr, converted the region…
July 28, 2022
353
Pushing 'closure' after trauma can be harmful to people grieving – here's what you can do instead
An expert on grief says give people space and time to come to terms with loss and don’t expect them to need – or want…
July 27, 2022
408
There is a lot of antisemitic hate speech on social media – and algorithms are partly to blame
Antisemitism today does not always appear in the form of traditional hate speech. It manifests in GIFs, memes, vlogs, comments…
July 26, 2022
339
Proclaim debt amnesty throughout all the land? A biblical solution to a present-day problem
A scholar of the ancient Near East explains how loan forgiveness was handled thousands of years ago in the Bible and royal…
July 26, 2022
703
Utah's Pioneer Day celebrates Mormons' trek west – but there's a lot more to the history of Latter-d
The Utah holiday is a reflection of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ slowly changing identity, a historian…
July 22, 2022
399
Most Americans today are choosing cremation – here's why burials are becoming less common
As late as 1970, only about 5% of Americans chose to be cremated. In 2020, more than 56% Americans opted for it.
July 22, 2022
484