The French Islamologist had a crucial role in shaping our current discourse on Islam and the Middle East. His roots were in a special brand of Catholic mysticism.
From the World
The Mystery of Thugs: Did They Really Exist?
The legendary Indian sect of stranglers probably existed, although controversies are not settled—but using them to slander Hinduism does not make sense.
USCIRF: Pakistan Exports Persecution of Ahmadis Abroad
In a new factsheet, the U.S. commission documents how the Ahmadiyya Community is also persecuted in Algeria and Malaysia.
Forced Conversion Law Rejected in Pakistan: Democracy’s Bitter Winter
The statute would have put a halt to the practice of kidnapping, converting to Islam, and marrying to Muslim men young Hindu and Christian girls.
Bangladesh: Hindus Attacked At Durga Puja, 5 Dead
A Hare Krishna temple in Choumuhoni was among the places of worship vandalized after a false blasphemy charge. Two devotees were murdered.
The Blood Libel Anti-Semitic Myth. 9. The Fixer
Immortalized in Malamud’s novel, the 1913 Beilis trial in Kiev was the last internationally famous case where a Jew was accused of ritual murder.
The Blood Libel Anti-Semitic Myth. 8. The Strange Case of a Girl in Bohemia
Leopold Hilsner was one of the last Jews sentenced in a case of blood libel. His case divided the Imperial bureaucracy and the Catholic Church.
The Blood Libel Anti-Semitic Myth. 7. The Tisza-Eszlár Incident, 1882
The mysterious death of a girl in Hungary is attributed to a Jewish ritual murder by right-wing extremists to this very day.
The Blood Libel Anti-Semitic Myth. 6. The Case of Damascus, 1840
In the 19th century, Catholics became more inclined to believe in the blood libel myth. Politics, however, saved the accused Syrian Jews.
Persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia Escalates to Torture
In Irkutsk, Siberia, Jehovah’s Witnesses believers were badly beaten and threatened with rape by OMON special forces agents.