Israel / Middle East

Hard-Line Muslim Faithful Storm Iran Shrines Shut over Coronavirus

Devout Muslim Shiite followers in Iran fought their way into two major shrines closed over coronavirus fears, Iranian state media reported Tuesday, as they demanded the right to continue worshipping practices that include kissing, touching and in some cases licking sacred public objects.

People gather outside the closed doors of the Fatima Masumeh shrine in Iran's holy city of Qom on March 16 2020. - Iran closed four key Shiite pilgrimage sites across the Islamic republic on March 16 in line with measures to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, state media …

Lebanon on Coronavirus Lockdown as Iraqis Prepare for Curfew

BEIRUT — Lebanon went into lockdown and Iraqis prepared for a curfew Monday as part of regional efforts to contain the new coronavirus even as businesses remained open in Iran, which is battling the worst outbreak in the Middle East and where another senior official has died from the virus.

A Lebanese man, wearing facial gas mask as part of health safety measures related to the spread of COVID-19, walks past a graffiti in the northern port city of Tripoli, on March 16, 2020 - Lebanon, on March 15, urged people to stay at home for two weeks and prepared …

Dulis: Were Mordecai and Esther Really Faithful to God?

Every year around the time of Purim, churches and synagogues around the world dive back into the book of Esther, where we hear of a courageous young Jewish woman in exile saving her people, who were put in danger because of her uncle’s unbending integrity in the face of pagan tyranny. But is that story really what we read–or merely what we’ve read *into* this unique book of the Bible?

The Bible Art Library is a collection of commissioned biblical paintings. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, under a work-for-hire contract, artist Jim Padgett created illustrations for 208 Bible stories encompassing the entire Bible from Genesis through Revelation. There are over 2200 high-quality, colorful, and authentic illustrations.