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This is such a controversial topic. I saw a reference to it recently (was it possibly something that was brought up in the Bill Maher/Ben Affleck dust-up?) that pointed out that the practice is almost unheard of outside of central and northeastern Africa, with a few small pockets in Iraq and the Gulf.

This article touches on an array of ideas but for the sake of my research I focused on the "Thirty Years War" section. Douglass Murray from The Spectator conveys the perspective that the Middle East is likely to be going through a similar 17th century European 30 years war, when Protestant and Catholics launched a full fledged war against one another. This means that religious war in the Middle East is so much bigger than just al-Qaeda and similar groups. The conflict will re-align the region, but also the entire religion of Islam. Douglass says the outcome would call for a Treaty of Westphalia-style solution, redrawing boundaries of a region where they've been bursting for decades.  For the time being the drivers of the conflict is a standoff between the two regional powers and their affiliated proxies, Saudi Arabia and Iran. 

The article mentions the statements made by the Ministry of Religious Endowments. The statements made clear that both ISIS and the Muslim Brotherhood are organizations meant to destroy and spread terror throughout their regions. The article concludes with: "The United States Congress said that Isis has ambitions and capabilities greater than Al-Qaida."

Despite more Saudi bombings, Houthis fighters remain unwavering. The crisis could lead to an all out religious war between Sunni and Shia Muslims.

This article is about the draft of a bill that may lead into a ban on the full face veil, the niqab. Lawmakers suggest that the veil is not a religious requirement and therefore banning it does not impede religious freedom.

This article gave a great general overview to the education in Lebanon. One of the major components of Lebanon's education system is when they changed it 1999 to reflect the style of French education systems. Additionally, Lebanon has a high rate of 95% attendance for its students and it also has a high rate of literacy at 89%

The Islamic State is no mere collection of psychopaths. It is a religious group with carefully considered beliefs, among them that it is a key agent of the coming apocalypse. With this new threat in the middle east there must be something or someone to combat it.

The issue with America fighting ISIS is that the United States and the rest of the world do not understand what we are dealing with in the battle against ISIS. This caliphate is more than just a bunch of radicals who want to run the world, it is a group of religious people fighting for what they believe is a pure Islam.

This article discusses the issue of censorship. By talking with Egyptian novelist Khaled al-Berry, presented is the idea of a strong hope for less censorship because the January 25th revolutions had opened up a future of possibilities and challenges for Egyptian literature. While in previous years there had been no actual direct political censorship, publishers would attempt both religious and moral censorship as a means to protect people. While the article does discuss that there will always be censorship, they also look forward to a culture that values art and reading that will change the perspective of the culture.

Arab states have began to jump on board offering support to the coalition against ISIS. UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon have recently voiced their support. Turkey, the only Arab member of NATO has voiced their lack of support in the coalition thus far. Saudi, the home to major religious cities, feels like a direct threat to ISIS and have made it clear that they will be playing a major role in the war against the Islamic State. UAE allegedly initiated bombings from Egyptian bases on Libya due to islamic militia takeovers of major cities and institutions. Arab states along with France, Germany, and Britain have agreed to form a "coordinated military campaign." Bringing in Assad from Syria is somewhat crucial, but the coalition is hesitant due to the loss of the Assad Regime's legitimacy over the past years of civil strife. Official plans of attack are still sketchy, but are definitely in the works. The coalition of states have made it clear that in order to tackle this ISIS threat, they must band together to dynamically exterminate the Islamic State from all angles.

Druze thought not taking sides in groups per say, remain loyal to their nation of Syria. Partitions or creating a free Druze state is not forseen by any Druze in the near future. "...the Druze's loyalty is to the national central state, not the religious statelets."

Meem, an average girl of no particular age or political and religious views, started speaking the minds of local women.

Upon researching issues in women's rights, an issue involving forced marriage came up as an issue for Saudi Arabia. This link is about forced marriage in Saudi Arabia. The article starts with the story of a 15 year old girl that was forced to marry a 90 year old man who paid her parents $17,000 for her. The article then goes into detail about who is to blame and how it is perceived religiously.

This article captures Syria's geography, history, and all events leading up to the state Syria is in today.

Despite more Saudi bombings, Houthis fighters remain unwavering. The crisis could lead to an all out religious war between Sunni and Shia Muslims.

I enjoyed this article because it uses terminology that is not typically associated with this topic. The author compares Egyptian women to zombies, stating that they must "play-dead" or be "obliterated and shunned."

This slideshow summarizes the Israeli and Palestinian political parties and their religious beliefs. Their differences are vast in difference and can be hostile.

Tired of being told Islam dictates their subservience to men, Muslim women are reclaiming their religion for themselves. With equality in the religious life, many women hope to regain equality in their social and professional lives as well.

Qatar, whose former emir was quite close with Assad, not slowly draws from the civil war. A source who wishes to remain anonymous tells that Qatar still supports Syrians, but does not want to fuel the new religious conflict, rather wishes to be useful in finding a peaceful end.