A Samba street party on its way to a town in south Lebanon was stopped in its tracks after a group of religious dignitaries labelled it "pornographic" and "against Muslim beliefs". According to one of our Lebanese Observers, the decision is a disgrace to the country. Read more...

Hundreds of people flocked to a small town in western Ukraine to pray before a mysterious mark that appeared on a wall last July. For some, it's a sign from heaven. For others, it's urban legends. Read more...

The month of Ramadan starts tomorrow (22 August). We asked our Observers from Algeria to Iraq to tell us what goes on in their country. Read more and take part in the post...

A Texas branch of American diner chain Denny's has come under fire for offering a 10% discount to church-going customers. Web user Jeff Wagg came across a poster in a Denny's restaurant in Texas, photographed it and posted the image online, condemning the company for religious discrimination. Read more...

A 32-year-old Saudi man could face court for debauchery, premarital sex and for breaking the Islamic code after he was interviewed by a Lebanese channel about his sex life. Read more...

Extremist Ultra-Orthodox Jews have been rioting for three days after social services took a woman's child away from her for alleged starvation. Read more...

One of our Observers in Japan, Lee Chapman, photographed this motorbike, complete with Swastika-shaped spokes, outside a Harley Davidson shop in Tokyo. Depending on how you look at it, it could represent the ancient Buddhist symbol for universal harmony, the infamous emblem of Nazi Germany, or, as Lee tells us, simply being "cool". Read more...

The French parliament has launched an inquiry into how many women wear head-to-toe Islamic veils in France. President Nicolas Sarkozy used the occasion to spell out that "the burqa is not welcome in France", leading to concerns that he would ban it in public places. A French Muslim explains to us why she chooses to wear the sitar - the Saudi full-face cover - and why Sarkozy's comments frighten her. Read more...

When Obama said that Western countries should avoid "dictating what clothes a Muslim woman should wear", it could have been perceived as a personal attack in France. The hijab, along with all religious symbols, was banned in French schools in 2004. Read more...

Videos of an obscure armed group are circulating on the net. The "Islamic Arab Resistance" present themselves as the Shia rival to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Watching their training footage however, it doesn't seem to hold true. Read more...