In the undertaking of a Muslim custom, a woman finds deep sense of reward -- and shaved off 40 sins. [read more]

TodayBrookridge Helping Hands' fundraiser pancake breakfast and craft fair: 7:30 to 11:30 a.m., Brookridge clubhouse, 8150 Hampton St., Brookridge. The breakfast includes pancakes, sausage, juice, coffee and tea. The cost is $4 for adults, $3 for children ages 5 to 11 and free for children ages 4 and younger. There will be vendors with crafts and baked goods, a silent auction and a raffle. There ... [read more]

It was a match made in speed-dating hell. A Long Island woman claims she was hoodwinked into marrying a Pakistani immigrant -- who tricked her into thinking he was a wealthy computer whiz who shared her devout Muslim faith, when he was actually using her to get a green card... [read more]

The black Maserati slowly rumbles along the water's edge and comes to a stop. A well-dressed young driver behind dark sunglasses leans out and inquires about accommodation for a school work crew. [read more]

Every woman remembers her wedding day with a tear in her eye – but, here in Ethiopia, the tears are different, and darker, and do not stop. Nurame Abedo is sitting in her hut high in the clouds, remembering the day she became a wife. She lives hundreds of miles into the countryside, thousands of feet above sea-level, in the hills of the bridal-kidnapping capital of the world. For 40 years, she ... [read more]

MARCH 15 — Just as churches and suraus were being fire-bombed following the recent High Court judgment which ruled that Christians can use the word Allah to refer to God, the son of one of my church members married a Malay Muslim lady. The wedding couldn’t have come at a more interesting time. [read more]

Israel’s Knesset passed a civil union bill, although it is expected to help only a small percentage of Israelis who do not want a religious wedding. The bill introduced by the Yisrael Beiteinu party passed its second and third readings during a midnight vote Monday. [read more]

GAZA CITY - GAZA'S borders are closed and its economy in shambles, but the glittering alleys of the territory's centuries-old gold bazaar are packed with young brides to be. The market has experienced an unlikely renaissance in recent years as Gaza's Islamist Hamas rulers have championed weddings and Israeli closures have crippled the local economy, making gold an attractive investment. [read more]

Gaza's borders are closed and its economy in shambles, but the glittering alleys of the territory's centuries-old gold bazaar are packed with young brides to be. [read more]

Chris Evans says that he is woken up every morning with a telephone message that gives him a "word of the day". The other day it was Armageddon. Leaving aside the ominous vibe of having someone whisper "Armageddon" in your ear at the crack of dawn, you have to ask what kind of person actually chooses to be woken with an electronic vocabulary update. You'd have to be an autodidact, certainly, and ... [read more]