A Jain writer expresses what it's like to live and work as one in the West. Pew Research rates the most racially diverse religious groups in America. And Alaa Murabit carries the fight forward for Muslim women in Libya and other parts of North Africa and the Middle East. It's Faithful Friday, our weekly segment on world religion. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!

Jains belong to one of the oldest religious traditions in the world, stretching back to at least the 3rd century BC and quite possibly further. Although small in number compared to Hindus or Buddhists, members of the Indian religious tradition have made their way to the West, including the United States. You can learn more about their experience here from Brianne Donaldson, a Jain writer for Patheos.

Do you believe in interfaith communication and outreach? That's the question that Karl E. H. Siegfried asks in this piece describing the value of interfaith interactions and the need to expand them beyond just the Abrahamic faiths.

How many American Catholics are black? How many Buddhists are white? Pew Research takes a look at the statistics and determines which American religious groups are the most racially diverse and which are the least.

Sometimes religion drives us apart. And sometimes it brings us together. In Israel and the U.S. several Jewish groups have come together to help repair and restore an Israeli church that was the victim of arson at the hands of Zionist extremists, hoping to remind both Jews and Christians of how important interfaith tolerance and cooperation are.

What's the real root cause of sexism and misogyny in the Middle East and North Africa? Is it Islam? Or is it cultural? Alaa Murabit, a Libyan-Canadian activist and the founder of The Voice of Libyan Women offers her perspective.


Top image by Art Poskanzer