Spanish Officials Condemn City’s Ban on Religious Events as ‘Racist’

A leader in the conservative party says a measure does not “single anyone out for their beliefs,” but a branch of the far-right Vox party praised it for “banning Islamic celebrations.”

News
Sykes-Picot, the 109-Year-Old Pact That Looms Over French and British Moves to Recognize a Palestinian State

The Sykes-Picot Agreement was a secret treaty Britain and France signed more than a century ago. Many consider it to have seeded a legacy of strife in the Middle East.

News
How Conservative Christians Cracked a 70-Year-Old Law

The I.R.S. recently said that churches could endorse candidates from the pulpit, a shift from a longstanding interpretation of American nonprofit law.

News
Trump Administration Issues Guidance on Religious Freedom at Work

The guidance protects employees and supervisors seeking to recruit fellow federal workers to their religion. The Clinton White House issued similar guidelines in 1997, though with more caveats.

News
Who Are the Druse: The Religious Minority at the Center of Israel and Syria’s Tensions

Spread across Syria, Lebanon and Israel, the secretive religious minority has long balanced integration and independence. Now, members are at the heart of the region’s shifting power struggles.

News
Faith Leaders Can Now Endorse. Will That Swing the NYC Mayor’s Race?

The I.R.S. has cleared faith leaders to endorse political candidates to their congregations. New York clergy are wrestling with the choice to use their newfound influence.

News
N.Y. County Settles With Woman Who Says the Police Removed Her Hijab

Suffolk County’s $225,000 settlement provides a striking counterpoint to the anti-sanctuary policies that have recently taken shape across Long Island.

News
L.A. Area Bishop Excuses Faithful From Mass Over Fear of Immigration Raids

San Bernardino Bishop Alberto Rojas lifted the obligation for members of the diocese to celebrate Mass if they had a “genuine fear of immigration enforcement actions.”

News
How Endorsements From Pulpits Could Play Out in New York

The I.R.S. lifted the ban on endorsements in houses of worship. That move could pose a challenge in a city that relishes religious diversity.

News
I.R.S. Says Churches Can Endorse Candidates From the Pulpit

In a court filing, the tax agency said a decades-old ban on campaigning by tax-exempt groups should not apply to houses of worship speaking to their own members.

News