ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS YEAR. The Islamic religious year is highlighted by two major events that are enjoined by the Qurʾān and that are celebrated all over the Muslim world. These are the pilgrimage, or ḥājj, which culminates in...

A religious festival is a time of special importance marked by adherents to that religion. Religious festivals are commonly celebrated on recurring cycles in a calendar year or lunar calendar. This means that, because ancient calendars were not very...

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak condemned the conduct of Saddam Hussein's execution and its timing at the start of a Muslim religious festival, saying in an interview published Friday that the hanging made the deposed leader "a martyr."Mubarak told Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot that when it...

Nepalese authorities are reviewing their decision to revoke a 10-year-old girl's "living goddess" title after she broke tradition by traveling overseas, an official said Friday, following a rapturous welcome on her return.Sajani Shakya, who traveled to the United States last month to promote a documentary...

Police imposed a curfew Wednesday in parts of the northern Indian city of Agra that is home to the Taj Mahal and advised tourists and residents to stay indoors after rioting that followed a fatal truck accident, officials said.All schools and colleges in Agra have...

A man blew himself up outside the Marriott Hotel in Pakistan's capital on Friday, killing at least one other person and wounding seven in what appeared to be a suicide attack, officials said.The Marriott is frequented by Islamabad's expatriate community, but it wasn't clear if...