The haggadah is the book that guides Jews through the ritual of the Passover Seder, the meal commemorating their ancestors’ exodus from slavery in Egypt. The Sarajevo Haggadah is famous for its artistically illustrated manuscript pages. Created 600 years ago, “It went through so many different cultures,” observes composer Merima Kljuco, “and so many different people took the care of the book and helped it survive.” More →

April 11, 2014

“I think Egyptians just rose up and said we don’t like the direction Egypt is going in. It’s not because we don’t love Muslims – most of us are Muslims – but we don’t like the idea of an Islamist Egypt,” says Kate Seelye, senior vice president of the non-partisan Middle East Institute. More →

July 12, 2013

“We’re trying to convince fellow Muslims of the fact that the idea of free speech is a foundational part of the Quran itself,” says the director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council’s Washington office. More →

September 28, 2012

Religious leaders came out strongly in their opposition both to demonizing another’s religion and to deadly violence. More →

September 14, 2012

Watch our interview with the director of the Washington, DC office of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, who says the violence in Libya and Egypt “does not stand for who we are as a people.” More →

September 14, 2012

“We don’t want a religious state,” says Muslim Brotherhood member of parliament Ossama Yassin. “We want a modern, civil, democratic state belonging to the people.” More →

February 10, 2012

Egypt’s recent parliamentary elections have raised concerns about the imposition of an Islamist agenda by Islamist groups and parties, but Middle East expert Kate Seelye says “the hope is that once in office they will move more to the center and that won’t be the case.” More →

January 27, 2012

We discuss the major religion and ethics stories of the past year in the U.S. and abroad with Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne, Religion News Service editor Kevin Eckstrom and Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly managing editor Kim Lawton. More →

December 23, 2011

“The idea that it’s possible to move from slavery to freedom and from darkness to light and from despair to hope—that is the greatest Jewish story every told.” More →

April 15, 2011

“Something is changing,” says an Israeli sociologist, “and I don’t know, but I think it will come here. It’s very difficult to believe the whole Arab world will be in riots and Jerusalem and West Bank are going to be quiet.” More →

March 25, 2011