Though many support theocratic regime, mandatory hijab, some residents say anti-government protesters treated too harshly, women who flout dress code should be warned, not arrested

Security forces struggle to prevent periodic assaults by Sunni terror group while authorities strive to prevent violence boiling into conflict between Sunni and Shiite communities

Several of terror group's opponents get death threats after denouncing author's stabbing; assailant was radicalized during visit to his father in southern Lebanon, his mother says

Festival marks the 7th-century death of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson Hussein; Shiites to hold mourning ceremonies across the region, including mass self-flagellations

Visit to discuss Christian minority is one of the highlights of pontiff's four-day trip to Iraq, where Sistani has played a key role in tamping down tensions in recent decades

Pontiff's talks with Ali al-Sistani will implicitly recognize him as Shiite Islam's chief interlocutor over his rival, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei

Operation reportedly targeted organized crime; area is also where a Sunni separatist group affiliated with al-Qaeda often operates

Naser Makarem Shirazi, 93, a Holocaust-denying hardliner and one of the highest religious authorities in Iran, says using vaccine made by 'Zionists' okay if 'there's no substitute'

Tweeting against Jewish state, Moqtada Sadr urges millions of worshipers taking part in Shiite Islam's largest pilgrimage to join demonstrations

Over 100 others injured as hundreds of thousands of pilgrims converge on city of Karbala to mark solemn Muslim holy day