A new archeological find at ancient Shilo fits in with the Biblical narrative regarding the war at Even Ha'ezer, and could confirm scholars' conjectures as to how Shilo was destroyed. The First Book of Samuel does not say when and how Shilo, which served as the Israelite capital for 369 years, was destroyed. The
A leading Jewish group welcomed on Monday the resignation of a close adviser to Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi who last week called for Jews of Egyptian descent to return to Egypt and "leave Israel." The official, Essam al-Erian, who is the deputy head of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, reportedly referred to
A prominent Saudi Islamic scholar was reported on Wednesday as saying wrestling and other dangerous games are prohibited in Islam because they harm the body. Sheikh Ali Al Hikmi, a member of the 7-man Supreme Scholars Authority in the Gulf Kingdom, said Muslims are not permitted to hurt themselves under any circumstances. “Therefore,
An Iranian minister breaks ranks with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and admits US-backed sanctions have sliced oil exports by 45 percent – but says the nuclear weapon program continues. The sanctions are designed to convince the Iranian regime to allowed United Nations officials to inspect the nuclear development program, to make sure it is not
U.S. President Barack Obama on Mondy named former senator Chuck Hagel as his next defense secretary and counterterrorism adviser John Brennan to head the CIA, urging the U.S. Senate to confirm them quickly. Hagel, a decorated Vietnam veteran, would replace Leon Panetta at the Pentagon. Critics have already launched attacks over Hagel's record on
A city in Indonesia's Islamic law stronghold of Aceh will ban women from straddling male drivers on motorbikes, its mayor said on Wednesday, dubbing the position "improper". The move comes after leaders from the country's only province ruled by strict sharia law drafted a series of new bills including banning women from wearing tight
Growing a beard, or shaving it off, are unrelated to Sharia (Islamic) law, according to a fatwa (religious edict) issued Monday by Egypt’s Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa, and published today in Youm 7 newspaper. The fatwa quotes the late prominent Egyptian religious scholar and Islamic theologian Sheikh Mahmoud Shaltout as saying everything relating to
The release of an Egyptian blind sheikh, jailed in the United States for the 1993 World Trade Center attack, will be urged by Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi during his upcoming visit to the U.S., the leader said on Monday. The announcement follows his pledge, during his presidential campaign earlier this year, to free Omar
Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is taking another step in his bid to officially name the areas he controls "the State of Palestine". After he ordered all of the PA's institutions to stop using the term "Palestinian National Authority" on official documents, Abbas published new guidelines on Sunday, which order the PA government
The recent marriage of a 90-year-old Saudi man to a 15-year-old girl has sparked condemnation from human rights and social media activists in the kingdom. On Twitter especially, activists criticized the parents of the girl for giving her to a man decades older than her. In an interview, the groom insisted that his
