Mos Def protests Guantanamo force-feeding

Right now, more than 100 detainees at the US naval base on Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are engaged in a months-long hunger strike. Many are being involuntarily fed through nasogastric tubes, a practice that rapper and activist Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def) is protesting in a new video.

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Muslims around the world end fast, usher in Eid

Muslims around the world woke up Sunday and welcomed the end of a long month of fasting with hearty greetings of “Eid Mubarak,” or happy festivities. The faithful were ushering in Eid al-Fitr — three days of celebrations that Muslims mark with joyous community prayers, acts of charity, visits from far-flung relatives, gift-giving and elaborate feasts.

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Middle East hungry for TV during Ramadan

Ramadan, that holy month of fasting and dawn-to-dusk abstinence, is a key period in the Muslim calendar apart from its standing as one of the five Pillars of Islam. More typically associated with praying, fasting and religious contemplation, it’s also the month that Muslims are more glued to the tube than at any other time during the year, much like Thanksgiving or Christmas in the United States.

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Soccer Star Benched for Fasting During Ramadan

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which falls on different dates of the Western calendar each year, began on Aug. 21 in 2009, just in time for another event in Europe with near religious significance: the kickoff of soccer season. But the timing has sparked controversy in Italy, where in the past four days both a prominent coach and a team owner in the top Serie A league have linked the rigors of Ramadan’s sunrise-to-sunset fasting to Muslim players’ poor performance on the pitch

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Mourinho’s Ramadan row over Muntari

Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho is under fire from a Muslim leader in Italy after his criticism of Sulley Muntari for fasting during Ramadan. Ghana midfielder Muntari was taken off after just half an hour of Inter’s disappointing 1-1 home draw against Bari as they began their defense of the Serie A title on Sunday

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Iraqi violence overshadows start of Ramadan

Ramadan, the holy month of Islam, began Saturday with Iraqis hoping for tranquility but fearful after recent attacks that have shaken the country. Al-Iraqia state TV interrupted regular programming Saturday afternoon to broadcast Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s address to Iraqis on the occasion of the start of the holy month. The prime minister said that as he congratulates Iraqis, his “heart is full of sadness and sorrow.” Four Iraqi soldiers and a government worker were killed Saturday in attacks in Baghdad and Mosul, according to an official of the Interior Ministry.

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