Warning: some of these images may be distressing for viewers. Tomorrow, millions of Muslims will celebrate Ashura, an important holy day that marks the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt; the death of Imam Hussein , grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), in the year 680 at Karbala in modern-day Iraq; and the day Noah left the Ark. Every year the holiday spawns shocking images of blood and gore, self-inflicted wounds on a communal scale. Did you know it's not only men who take part? Ashura is observed worldwide ...

When Arabs go shopping, they go to town — that is, they try and buy the whole town. London is a favorite with the Qataris in particular, who have been on a shopping spree of late, snapping up prime real estate in Mayfair, shares in the London Stock Exchange, Chelsea Barracks, Camden Market and hotels such as The Connaught and The Berkley. Arab investors also love their iconic monuments and high fashion labels, even if the investments were running at a loss. Harrods , previously owned by Egyptian magnate Mohammed ...

The Middle East is a notoriously unforgiving place, a quality that is nowhere more apparent than in how it executes prisoners. In Saudi Arabia, public beheadings and stonings are the favored method of applying the death penalty, and the condemned are often sedated beforehand. In Egypt, over 500 people were sentenced to death in a single day last year. In Iran, ethnic minorities, non-violent drug offenders and even children are killed in staggering numbers. Here’s an overview of how Middle Eastern countries use capital punishment.

Things are heating up in Israel-Palestine. Protests against the occupation are increasing, as are lone-wolf stabbing and car attacks by Palestinians on Israeli citizens and soldiers. Fears of a Third Intifada are spreading on both sides of the separation barrier. Here are the top 8 reasons Palestinians are raging against the Israeli state.

On Monday, politicians from both of Libya's rival governments appeared to reject a UN-brokered power-sharing arrangement that had been announced only days earlier. The breakdown of the proposed unity government is only the latest disaster for Libya, which has been racked by four years of war between a dizzying array of political factions , Islamist militias , Salafi fanatics , secular nationalists and tribal groups. If you can't keep track of it all, don't worry: Here’s a simple explainer of what’s happened in the country since Gaddafi was ousted in ...

Between the Bodrum peninsula and the Greek island of Kos lies a narrow section of the Aegean Sea, only four kilometers in length. The distance doesn’t seem like much on paper, but for refugees and migrants fleeing countries shattered by years-long conflict, these are often the few kilometers between the things they’re leaving behind and the promises they’re running toward on European shores. By now you know the story—people smugglers in Turkey stuff flimsy plastic dinghies to the brim with men, women and children chasing the European dream. Sometimes they ...

Hold on to your hijabs because these Muslim fashionistas are taking the internet by storm! Modest fashion is making a comeback, with the infamous fashion brand H&M announcing its first hijab-clad model. Pioneers of modern hijab fashion are showcasing their unique style on social media outlets like Instagram… but not everyone approves of the rise of hijabi fashion . The hijab is a Muslim practice of covering of one’s head and chest and dressing modestly. While most people associate such style with drab, black abayas , hijab is taking a ...