MARIAM FAM

Global religion reporter

Fam is a reporter with The Associated Press’ global religion team. She covers faith, and the many ways it intersects with culture and daily life, in the Middle East and beyond.

What’s the Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage, and why is it significant for Muslims?

Once a year, Muslims coming to Saudi Arabia unite in a series of religious rituals and acts of worship as they perform Hajj, one of the pillars of Islam.

Transgender inclusion? World’s major religions take varying stances on policies toward trans people

The Vatican has issued a new document rejecting the concept of changing one’s biological sex. It’s a setback for transgender people who had hoped Pope Francis might be setting the stage for a more welcoming approach from the Catholic Church.

What is Eid al-Fitr and how do Muslims celebrate the Islamic holiday?

Muslims around the world will soon bid farewell to the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and start celebrating the holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

Awe and dread: How religions have responded to total solar eclipses over the centuries

Throughout history, solar eclipses have had profound impact on adherents of various religions around the world.

A Lebanese nun’s request to pray for Hezbollah fighters highlights schisms over the group’s weapons

A video showing a Lebanese nun asking young students to pray for the “men of the resistance,” a reference to Hezbollah fighters, has sparked controversy in Lebanon.

Fasting at school? More Muslim students in the US are getting support during Ramadan

While Muslim students remain a rarity in many U.S. school districts, they are a major presence in some communities.

What is Ramadan and how do Muslims observe the Islamic holy month?

Observant Muslims the world over will soon be united in a ritual of daily fasting from dawn to sunset as the Islamic holy month of Ramadan starts.

Two daughters ran away to join Islamic State. Years later, their family’s story is an Oscar nominee

A documentary about a Tunisian family and the radicalization of two teenage daughters who joined the Islamic State group is up for one of the most prestigious film awards in the world.

Grieving and often overlooked, Palestinian Christians prepare for a somber Christmas amid war

From Jesus’ biblical birthplace of Bethlehem to New York City, many Palestinian Christians this Christmas season are gripped with helplessness, pain and worry amid the Israel-Hamas war.

In US, some Muslim-Jewish interfaith initiatives are strained by Israel-Hamas war

The Israel-Hamas war and its polarizing reverberations in America are straining some Muslim-Jewish interfaith relationships in the U.S. more than ever.

New documentary offers a peek into the triumphs and struggles of Muslim chaplains in US military

The small group of Muslim chaplains in the U.S. military tends to the souls and spirits of troops of all faiths and no faith.

Jewish and Muslim chaplains navigate US campus tensions and help students roiled by Israel-Hamas war

For many of the Jewish and Muslim university chaplains and faith leaders caring for students angered and shaken by the Israel-Hamas war, the needs are acute, the days intense.

Fearing ostracism or worse, many nonbelievers hide their views in the Middle East and North Africa

In the Middle East and North Africa, where religion is often ingrained in daily life’s very fabric, rejecting faith can come with repercussions.

Adidas is donating Yeezy sales to anti-hate groups. US Jews say it’s making best of bad situation

Last October, sportswear giant Adidas cut ties with Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, due to his antisemitic comments.

Morocco’s historic Women’s World Cup performance inspires girls even if some in Arab world ignore it

Morocco’s national women’s team will make its debut this month at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the first to qualify from an Arab world.

Through personal ups and downs, they’ve waited years to perform Hajj. These are their stories

This year’s Hajj is a landmark: the first full pilgrimage after a daunting period of three years when the COVID-19 pandemic sharply reduced the scale of one of Islam’s holiest rites.

In ‘The Blue Caftan,’ Moroccan film director tackles LGBTQ+ love and celebrates embroidery craft

In her latest film, “The Blue Caftan,” Moroccan director Maryam Touzani delicately weaves overlapping tales, both traditional and largely taboo in her country and its region.

Muslims around the world consider climate during Ramadan

“Green Ramadan” initiatives in Indonesia and around the world promote an array of changes during the Muslim holy month, which has fasting and, in many cases, feasting elements as people gather around food to break their fasts.

Lanterns and crescents: more retailers court Ramadan buyers

For this year’s Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Target rolled out its first dedicated Ramadan and Eid, or feast, collection, including decorations.

Why the religious fast for Ramadan, Lent and other holy days

Fasting across religions is practiced for a wide range of reasons that include spiritual purification and self-discipline.

‘Stranger at the Gate,’ an Oscar nominee on love after hate

Angry and filled with hate for Muslims, Richard McKinney once wanted to plant an explosive device outside the Islamic Center of Muncie in Indiana.

Seattle Opera puts story of Afghan women center stage

An opera based on the popular novel “A Thousand Splendid Suns,” which is set in Afghanistan, is making its world debut in Seattle.

After their genitals were cut, some women search for healing

A global target aims to eradicate the deeply entrenched practice of female genital cutting by 2030. Meanwhile, some women living with the consequences of a practice many activists call “mutilation” have been embarking on deeply personal journeys to heal.

At ‘Church City,’ a taste of Catholic life in Qatar

In many ways, the service at the Catholic Church of Our lady of the Rosary feels like a standard Sunday Mass.

For World Cup visitors, a peek into Islamic art, heritage

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — An emerald inscribed for a Mughal emperor. A Safavid-period knotted wool carpet. An Ottoman-era curtain, intricately embroidered with metal threads, which was part of the covering of the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure in Mecca that Muslims consider the metaphorical “house of God

Across vast Muslim world, LGBTQ people remain marginalized

Here and there, across the far-flung Muslim and Arab world, LGBTQ people see glimmers of progress — but those are rare exceptions.

Bagels and challah for Jews keeping kosher at World Cup

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Rabbi Eli Chitrik’s phone buzzes. A woman is about to show up at his Doha hotel to pick up her lunch: two bagel sandwiches.

Rainbow struggle playing out on sidelines of World Cup

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Aside from the competition for the World Cup title, one of the most hotly contested issues in the tournament in Qatar is over rainbow colors.

Islam’s ban on alcohol and how it’s applied

The last-minute decision to ban the sale of beer at World Cup stadiums in Qatar is the latest example of some of the tensions that have played out ahead of the tournament.

Some LGBTQ fans skip Qatar World Cup, fearing hostility

At first, Saskia Niño de Rivera was excited about going to Qatar for a World Cup that would mark a significant professional event for her partner, a sports agent for Mexico soccer players.