Mosque

Turkey opens three mosques in Gaza as Ankara expands religious influence

Turkey’s Diyanet Foundation opened three mosques in Gaza ahead of Ramadan, part of Ankara’s broader effort to expand religious and political influence in the enclave.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Turkish charities operating in the southern Gaza Strip, October 23, 2025
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the general Conference of Fatah Youth in Ramallah, with a backdrop including a portrait of Abbas and Yasser Arafat, November 27, 2025; illustrative.

PA drafts constitution, omits Jewish ties to Jerusalem, calls for Sharia legal system

The draft constitution also called for the "right of return" for refugees, caring for families of "martyrs, prisoners, and exiles," and reaffirming the PLO's position as representing Palestinians.

|ByJAMES GENN
Brenton Tarrant, the gunman who shot and killed worshippers in the Christchurch mosque attacks, listens as Crown prosecutor Mark Zarifeh delivers his submission during Tarrant's sentencing at the High Court in Christchurch, New Zealand, August 27, 2020.

New Zealand mosque gunman appeals conviction, says guilty plea was irrational

He is serving a life sentence in prison without parole - the first time a New Zealand court imposed a sentence requiring a person to spend the rest of their life in prison.

|ByREUTERS
People mourn as they attend a funeral for victims following the suicide explosion at a Shi'ite Muslim mosque, in Islamabad, Pakistan, February 7, 2026.

China denounces deadly Islamabad mosque attack, pledges support to Pakistan

An attacker opened fire at the gates of the mosque before setting off a suicide bomb and killing at least 31 people in the deadliest attack of its kind in Pakistan's capital in more than a decade.

|ByREUTERS

Health Ministry considers changing coronavirus restrictions in synagogues

Health Minister Yuli Edelstein expressed caution regarding easing restrictions on the number of worshipers allowed in houses of prayer.

AUGUST 5, 2020ByJEREMY SHARON
MEN DRAPED in tallitot pray outside their homes in Safed on April 13.

Jordan reiterates to Israel: Al-Aqsa is a place for Muslim worship only

The ministry's spokesperson Deifallah al-Fayez condemned the "continued Israeli violations."

AUGUST 3, 2020ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
The Golden Gate also known as the Mercy Gate (R) and the Dome of the Rock at the Al-Aqsa mosques compound in Jerusalem's Old City

Mosque near Ramallah torched in suspected ‘price tag’ attack

‘The hate virus, like the coronavirus, is a common enemy of all religions and peoples in the world.’

JULY 27, 2020ByTOVAH LAZAROFF, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Scene from the suspected 'price-tag' attack in a mosque in Al-Bireh, July 27, 2020

Prayers at Hagia Sophia will crown decades-long Muslim campaign

The Hagia Sophia move was a sign towards "achieving freedom" for al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, Erdogan said earlier this month.

JULY 23, 2020ByREUTERS
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey

Greece: Turkey being 'petty' over Hagia Sophia

"With this backward action, Turkey is opting to sever links with western world and its values," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said.

JULY 14, 2020ByREUTERS
TURKISH PRESIDENT Recep Tayyip Erdogan originally proposed re-titling Hagia Sophia as a mosque instead of a museum in March, and last month proposed restoring mosque status to the 6th-century landmark.

Turkey to inform UNESCO on Hagia Sophia after converting it back to mosque

The site was inscribed onto UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1985 under Historic Areas of Istanbul, along with other points of significance in the city.

JULY 13, 2020ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
TURKISH PRESIDENT Recep Tayyip Erdogan originally proposed re-titling Hagia Sophia as a mosque instead of a museum in March, and last month proposed restoring mosque status to the 6th-century landmark.

Russian Orthodox Church concerned about Hagia Sophia mosque plans

Hagia Sophia is one of Turkey's most visited sites, attracting over 30 million visitors since 2007. It has been a museum since 1935.

JULY 5, 2020ByALEX WINSTON
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey

Date set for sentencing of New Zealand mosque shooter

Brenton Tarrant pleaded guilty earlier this year to 51 charges of murder, 40 charges of attempted murder and one charge of committing a terrorist act.

JULY 3, 2020ByREUTERS
Brenton Tarrant, charged for murder in relation to the mosque attacks, is seen in the dock during his appearance in the Christchurch District Court, New Zealand March 16, 2019

Turkish court weighs bid to turn Hagia Sophia into a mosque

Turkish groups have long campaigned for Hagia Sophia's conversion into a mosque, saying this would better reflect Turkey's status as an overwhelmingly Muslim country.

JULY 2, 2020ByREUTERS
The Byzantine monument of Hagia Sofia (Ayasofya) is seen from the top of one of the minarets of the Sultanahmet mosque in Istanbul

Mosques in Iran to resume daily prayers - president

As of Friday, Iran had recorded 146,668 infections, with 7,677 deaths.

MAY 30, 2020ByREUTERS
Members of the medical team spray disinfectant to sanitize indoor place of Imam Reza's holy shrine, following the coronavirus outbreak, in Mashhad, Iran February 27, 2020