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ISPU report 'Bridges and Barriers' asks interfaith work to confront systemic bias, not just courtesy

ISPU report 'Bridges and Barriers' asks interfaith work to confront systemic bias, not just courtesy

The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding's report Bridges and Barriers, published in July 2026 by Nina M. Fernando and Erum Ikramullah, studies interfaith engagement among American faith communities amid rising Islamophobia. Survey data from the American Muslim Poll shows most Americans in every group are not involved

Over 1,200 interfaith volunteers, including imams, trained as US poll chaplains ahead of 3 November

Over 1,200 interfaith volunteers, including imams, trained as US poll chaplains ahead of 3 November

Reported by the Associated Press and summarised in the Religion Media Centre's bulletin of 21 October, more than 1,200 faith leaders and volunteers are being prepared as poll chaplains and peacekeepers ahead of the US midterm elections on 3 November. The nonpartisan interfaith coalition Faiths United in

Azerbaijan's school dress-code amendment restricts the hijab without naming it

Al Jazeera reports that Azerbaijan approved an amendment in September to its state school uniform rules that does not name the headscarf but bars clothing the government says violates the principle of secularism; clothing reflecting national history may be worn at celebrations with approval from the Pedagogical Council. State media

ICESCO and the King Faisal Center plan joint work on manuscripts and a Transoxiana studies chair

ICESCO and the King Faisal Center plan joint work on manuscripts and a Transoxiana studies chair

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies met at the Center's headquarters in Riyadh on 17 September. ICESCO Director-General Dr Salem bin Mohammed Al Malik and the Center's Secretary-General, Princess Maha bint Mohammed Al

RE Today launches 'Understanding Muslims, Understanding Islam' classroom resources

RE Today launches 'Understanding Muslims, Understanding Islam' classroom resources

RE Today has launched a new set of classroom resources, Understanding Muslims, Understanding Islam, at the British Muslim Heritage Centre in Manchester. Designed for pupils aged 5 to 14, the material draws on theology, history and sociology to help pupils interpret sources, ask well-founded questions and see how different Muslims

Bank Negara Malaysia's Assistant Governor on Islamic finance's next phase at the IFN Asia Forum

Bank Negara Malaysia's Assistant Governor on Islamic finance's next phase at the IFN Asia Forum

Speaking at the Islamic Finance News Asia Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Bank Negara Malaysia Assistant Governor Mohamad Ali Iqbal argued that the question for Islamic finance is no longer whether it can grow but how it serves the real economy. He put global Islamic finance assets at about US$6.

OIC Economic Outlook 2026: Navigating Growth, Transformation and Global Uncertainty

SESRIC's October 2026 outlook reports that OIC economies grew 4.1% in 2025, ahead of the 3.5% world rate, and that aggregate GDP reached about US$10.04 trillion, roughly 8.5% of world output. Growth is projected to ease to 3.1% in 2026 before recovering

India's voter-roll clean-up draws accusations that Muslims were disproportionately removed

The New Arab reports that critics accuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government of disenfranchising millions of Muslims through a clean-up of India's electoral rolls, as protests spread. Authorities have removed more than 130 million names, and voters must now produce documents to prove eligibility. Critics say

Muslim World League chief condemns hate speech at the G20 Interfaith Forum in Salt Lake City

Muslim World League chief condemns hate speech at the G20 Interfaith Forum in Salt Lake City

The 2026 G20 Interfaith Forum opened on 15 October at the Tabernacle on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, welcomed by President Dallin H. Oaks, with a letter from Pope Leo XIV read by the Holy See's ambassador. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, Secretary-General of the Muslim World

MBZUAI and Inception42 unveil Jais 3: six Arabic models and an Arabic speech recogniser

MBZUAI and Inception42 unveil Jais 3: six Arabic models and an Arabic speech recogniser

On 16 October 2026 MBZUAI and Inception42 launched Jais 3, a family of six Arabic language models ranging from roughly 900 million to 375 billion parameters, together with Jais Speech, an Arabic speech recognition model covering Modern Standard Arabic and several regional dialects. The announcement frames the release as a

ICESCO and UNESCO renew their cooperation agreement, adding AI ethics and teacher capacity

ICESCO Director-General Dr. Salim M. AlMalik and UNESCO Director-General Dr. Khaled El-Enany signed a memorandum of understanding in Paris on 7 October 2026, under the general ICESCO-UNESCO agreement first signed in July 1985 and renewed in 2010, 2015 and 2019. It covers education and higher education (including faculty capacity building,

Anti-Muslim hate crime in England and Wales rises 15% to a record-era high

Anti-Muslim hate crime in England and Wales rises 15% to a record-era high

Home Office figures reported by The Guardian show police-recorded anti-Muslim offences in England and Wales rising from 4,479 to 5,132 in the year to March 2026, an increase of about 15 percent. Religious hate crime overall reached its highest total since consistent records began in 2012. Recorded figures

IsDB Group and IFSB sign a framework tying standard-setting to development finance

IsDB Group and IFSB sign a framework tying standard-setting to development finance

The Islamic Development Bank Group and the Islamic Financial Services Board formalised a Strategic Collaboration Framework in Bangkok on 13 October 2026, on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank Group Annual Meetings. It was signed by IsDB Vice President of Operations Dr. Rami Ahmad and IFSB Secretary-General Dr.

Pakistan's AI ambitions meet power, GPU and talent-retention limits

Pakistan's AI ambitions meet power, GPU and talent-retention limits

Writing for the LSE South Asia Centre, M. Faizan Fakhar of the Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies argues that Pakistan is falling behind in AI and risks becoming a consumer of foreign systems. He notes that Stanford's Global AI Vibrancy Tool, which ranks 36 countries, does not

ICESCO and Al Akhawayn open an Ibn Battuta Center for Science Diplomacy

ICESCO and Al Akhawayn open an Ibn Battuta Center for Science Diplomacy

On 28 September 2026 Al Akhawayn University in Morocco and ICESCO announced the ICESCO Ibn Battuta Center for Science Diplomacy, to be based on the university's campus in Ifrane. The stated aim is to make science a bridge for cooperation and dialogue between Africa, the Arab world and

Nigeria's Ummah Zakat Foundation launches EasyZakat to calculate, collect and track zakat

Nigeria's Ummah Zakat Foundation launches EasyZakat to calculate, collect and track zakat

Nigeria's Ummah Zakat Foundation announced that it would inaugurate its Board of Trustees and unveil its EasyZakat digital platform at the National Mosque auditorium in Abuja, with the Sultan of Sokoto as special guest of honour. The foundation describes itself as a faith-inspired non-profit that uses zakat, sadaqah

Islamic educators in Mindanao and Makassar compare notes on generative AI in the classroom

Islamic educators in Mindanao and Makassar compare notes on generative AI in the classroom

Ateneo de Davao University hosted an international learning session on 8 September 2026 with visiting scholars from Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar, Indonesia. Dr Muhammad Ali Bakri presented the Ma'had Al-Birr model, which combines residential Islamic formation with the university curriculum so students pursue both together. Rosmalina Kemala spoke on

Bahrain licenses a stablecoin issuer and writes a standard for it

Bahrain licenses a stablecoin issuer and writes a standard for it

The Central Bank of Bahrain has introduced regulations for stablecoin issuers that build in Sharia compliance requirements. Fitch Ratings called the framework pioneering, citing explicit references to AAOIFI standards and mandatory independent Sharia advisers. The rules cover fiat-backed tokens in dinar, dollars and other currencies, and require transparent treatment of

Indonesia is about to issue binding AI rules, and the drafts leave state use largely unchecked

Indonesia is about to issue binding AI rules, and the drafts leave state use largely unchecked

Indonesia is due to issue two presidential regulations on artificial intelligence in 2026, covering ethics and a national AI roadmap, aimed at promoting ethics, transparency and accountability. The East Asia Forum analysis argues they lean on existing laws that have been selectively enforced and lack independent oversight. It says the

Bangladesh signs a billion-dollar IsDB facility to rebuild its only oil refinery

Bangladesh signs a billion-dollar IsDB facility to rebuild its only oil refinery

On 3 September 2026 Bangladesh and the Islamic Development Bank signed a US$1 billion financing agreement for the modernisation and expansion of the Eastern Refinery. The total project is US$2.5 billion, with the IsDB loan matched by US$1.5 billion from Bangladesh through taxes and duties.