Buddhists consider the spiritual needs of prison inmates. A look at some of the holy sites of Hinduism. And how President Trump is attempting to appeal the religious right in America. It's Faithful Friday, our news segment on faiths and religious communities from around the world. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!

As those who've been following our magazines for awhile probably realize, there is a considerable demand for spiritual and religious counseling in prison, which many Pagans have graciously agreed to help out with. But it's not just Pagans who are taking the concerns of prisoners into account. Lion's Roar makes a call out for Buddhist organizations willing to help Buddhist prisoners.

There is a wide impression within the West and the United States specifically that Muslims are predominantly Arab. But in fact, most Muslims aren't. Muslims can belong to any ethnic group, including Latin Americans. Muslim Matters shares information on the first Latino Muslim conference in the United States.

In Western culture when we think of holy sites it's most often places like Rome, Jerusalem, or Mecca, cities of considerable importance to the Abrahamic faiths. But plenty of other religions have holy sites too. Hinduism Today lists some of the most important holy sites for Hinduism in the city of Mathura.

Many celebrated religious thinkers have passed away over the ages, leaving their mark on their faith. At Patheos, Francis Nataf remembers two who were particularly important to modern Judaism: Rosenzweig and Weil.

Most of the talk of President Trump's conflation of religion and politics in recent weeks have focused on his discriminatory attitudes towards Muslims. But there's another side to the story too: Trump's appeasement of the religious right, represented by Vice President Pence. The Huffington Post describes how a new decision by Trump could strengthen their hand and hurt LGBTQ communities.

Top image by Diego Delso