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Religion

Religion
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Religion. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Afghan girls at a primary school in Kabul. The Taliban does not permit girls to study beyond primary education. Photo: AFP
Afghanistan

2.4 million Afghan girls banned from schools 5 years after Taliban takeover: UN

The United Nations is urging an end to the ‘discriminatory’ Taliban policy that prevents girls from studying beyond primary school.

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Indonesia

Indonesian Islamic body warns against cross-dressing in Independence Day games

The Philippines

Video | Inside Asia’s only dedicated exorcism centre

Malaysia

‘This is not hijab’: unpicking controversy behind Uniqlo Malaysia’s new line

Critics are taking issue with images showing the cloth wrapped turban-like around the head, leaving parts of the neck and chest visible.

Models wear hijabs from Uniqlo Malaysia’s modest-wear line. Photo: Uniqlo Malaysia
Canada

UN experts urge Canada to protect Sikh activist facing threats to life

Rights monitors press Ottawa over alleged foreign intimidation targeting Moninder Singh.

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Singapore

Losing religion, not belief: Singapore’s fluid spiritual shift

Formal religious affiliation has been slipping in the city state, but surveys show belief in a higher power endures.

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India

India’s West Bengal shells out for eggs in school meals after outcry

The BJP, elected for the first time in the state in May, often promotes vegetarianism as a part of its broader nationalist agenda.

Students eat their free mid-day meal in Hyderabad. Photo: AFP
Crime

Man who stabbed Salman Rushdie convicted in US terrorism trial

Already serving a 25-year state prison sentence for the attack, Hadi Matar now faces a potential life sentence for the federal conviction.

Crime

Rushdie attacker declines to testify in US terror trial

Already serving 25 years for state attempted murder, Hadi Matar faces life in prison if convicted on federal charges.

Singapore

Singapore detains 3 ‘self-radicalised’ teens over planned attacks

The teens, aged 14 to 19, were held under the Internal Security Act, which allows for detention without trial.

People ride bikes past the skyline of the central business district in Singapore. Singapore detained three teenagers over separate plots to carry out shooting, stabbing and bomb attacks. Photo: Reuters
India

India’s education minister quits in major win for youth protesters

India’s latest street protests have been a challenge to PM Narendra Modi as politicians joined youngsters’ calls ‌to demand action.

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Indian Youth Congress party workers hold placards of India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan during a protest against the National Testing Agency over alleged exam irregularities in Mumbai on June 2, Photo: AFP
Crime

Terrorism trial opens in stabbing of author Salman Rushdie

This is the second trial for Hadi Matar, who was earlier found guilty of attempted murder after attacking the writer on a state in New York.

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Religion in China

My Take | Churches must ensure that complaints of sexual abuse are taken seriously

As the city prepares for a sex crime legislation overhaul, every community sector should work to ensure that people are free from harassment.

India

1 dead, nearly 100 injured in crush at India chariot festival

Tens of thousands had gathered in the town of Puri for one of the world’s oldest and largest religious processions.

An ambulance is surrounded by pilgrims during the annual Hindu chariot procession in Puri, India, on Thursday,. Photo: AP
Indonesia

Indonesia’s anti-LGBT education push raises concerns about stigmatising youth

Critics warn the new material to discourage the spread of ‘LGBT culture’ could backfire with consequences for young people.

Protesters march with banners against the LGBT community in Banda Aceh in December 2017. Photo: AFP
Wellness

Indian spiritual leader on finding inner peace and ‘the charm of Hong Kong’

On a recent Hong Kong visit, Chinmaya Mission head Swami Swaroopananda spoke about meditation, mindset and the ‘happening’ city he grew up in.

United States

Battle for the Bible, ballot: Democratic pastors fight US Christian nationalism

‘Christian nationalism is one of the biggest threats to democracy in the US,’ an Arkansas pastor vying for a congressional seat says.

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Indonesia

At Indonesia’s sharia frontier, a complicated love affair with flogging

Rights groups call it torture. Aceh’s residents reveal a more nuanced debate than outrage allows.

A man convicted of having sex outside marriage receives 100 lashes from a member of the sharia police during a public caning in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, on May 21. Photo: AFP
Japan

A Japanese city allowed Muslim park prayers for 30 years. Now, there’s unease

The Ichikawa mayor’s decision to restrict the gathering sparks debate on multicultural coexistence in Japan amid discrimination concerns.

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Italy

Pope visits Africa-Europe crossing as anti-migrant policies rise in US, EU

The Catholic Church’s first US pope has clashed with the administration of President Donald Trump over its treatment of migrants.

Thailand

8 monks killed in Thailand after boy, 11, crashes truck into pilgrims

Five monks were killed at the roadside in Mukdahan province, while three others later died in hospital.

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Monks who were slightly injured from a crash rest at Phu Manorom temple in Mukdahan province, Thailand, on Thursday. Photo: Phu Manorom temple via AP
Indonesia

Unmarried Indonesian couple get 21 lashes each over viral live stream kiss

About 100 people witnessed the caning, carried out by a group of people wearing robes and hoods on a stage in Banda Aceh.

A man reacts to lashing in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, on Thursday. Photo: EPA
Holy See

Vatican excommunicates 6 bishops from rebel Catholic group

Holy See responds aggressively to a traditionalist society that consecrated bishops without the pope’s consent.

Fifa World Cup 2026

Rima Edbouche – the anti-WAG? Meet Ousmane Dembélé’s modest hijabi wife

Ballon d’Or winner of 2025 and Paris Saint-Germain member Dembélé is repping France at the World Cup 2026 – supported by his low-key wife.

Singapore

Fewer children, more singles in Singapore, new data shows

The increase in proportion of singles was highest among women aged 25 to 29 and men aged 30 to 34.

People take pictures of roses created with Lego blocks at the Jewel Complex at Singapore Changi Airport on June 23. Photo: AFP
Indonesia

Asian Angle | Liberal Islam in Indonesia is sliding into irrelevance

Political entanglements and ideological schisms have left the pioneering Liberal Islam Network in disarray.

A boy waves a flag at a rally attended by thousands of Indonesian Islamists in Jakarta in 2018. Photo: AFP
United States

Bible passages to be required reading in Texas public schools

Critics say such decisions are at odds with the Constitution’s ‘establishment clause’, ‌long understood as separating church and state.

Malaysia

Marital duty, faith drive Malaysian women to give in to sex requests: survey

Only 44 per cent of Malay and Muslim women were able to refuse sex, compared with three-quarters of Chinese and Indian Malaysians.

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