The brutal ‘reign’ of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of IS, self-proclaimed caliph, and the world’s most wanted man, has ended, write Ahmed Rasheed and Ahmed Aboulenein.

A tear-inducing tribute to the human trafficking victims was among the highlights of Sinead O'Connor's magnificent gig in Cork, writes Aine Bonner.

Looking for a weekend break with a difference? Try Istanbul, says Suzanne Harrington. It’s a treasure trove of palaces, mosques, museums and markets.

A mosque in Tralee has been targeted in a graffiti attack with the words “Islamic State out” as gardaí in Cork confirmed they are treating the appearance of a Nazi slogan over a social welfare office as a potential incitement of hatred incident.

Where is Rakaya, a two-year-old Irish girl displaced in North East Syria since Monday?

Is Ireland tolerant? The week just past, and a few preceding it, provide mixed results.

The respected Muslim lecturer who received a sinister voicemail calling for his execution says he takes huge encouragement from all the messages of support which include a phone call from Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan and a strong statement from the President of UCC.

The President of University College Cork (UCC) says the university stands against “ignorant shameful hate” after a respected Muslim lecturer received a sinister voicemail calling for his execution.

The United Nations has marked today as the first day of observation to commemorate those who suffer religious persecution.

A Muslim lecturer in UCC has said he will not be intimidated after receiving a threatening voicemail labelling him a “terrorist” and calling for him to be “executed”.

We take a trip down memory lane and check out what happened on this day in years gone by by looking back at some Irish Examiner front pages and highlighting other events which went down in history across the world.

The channel also broadcast a programme in November 2017 with a scholar discussing execution for those who practice magic, or sahir.

Sinead O’Connor has said that she is feeling "really really good" and is looking forward to getting back to work.

The sacking of rugby star Israel Folau for expressing his religious beliefs could end up in the Supreme Court and could have wide-ranging implications, writes TP O’Mahony.

The principle of religious tolerance or liberty has only been acknowledged by the Catholic Church since 1965. It is not even an aspiration outside the West, says TP O’Mahony

Islamists in Sudan long allied with ousted president Omar al-Bashir's regime have called for a rally to support military-backed Islamic rule in the face of alleged attempts by protesters to abolish it.

This year is the 40th anniversary of the release of Monty Python’s Life of Brian. The film met with instant controversy in 1979 and was banned in Ireland, Norway and parts of Britain. In the US, protesters gathered outside cinemas where it aired.

President Xi’s repression of Muslim minorities is redolent of the Soviet Union’s gulag and will foster a new generation of Islamist domestic terrorists, says Brahma Chellaney

All the main parties in Israel’s election are playing a game of hawkish one-upmanship that spells trouble for any hope for a peace in the divided country says Daoud Kuttab.

Efforts to repatriate so-called Isis brides could be fast-tracked, including former Defence Forces recruit Lisa Smith.

Former justice minister Dermot Ahern has said he is surprised that the radicalisation of Irish Islamic State bride Lisa Smith did not ring alarm bells, given that she began the process while serving in the army.

Former justice minister Dermot Ahern has said he is surprised that the radicalisation of Irish Islamic State bride Lisa Smith did not ring alarm bells given that she began the process while serving in the army.

New Zealanders didn’t think they were a target, either. Our gun control is better.

Engaging and kind, vulnerable and gullible, extreme and dangerous - the varied descriptions are given by people who knew, or thought they knew, Lisa Smith.

Aasia Bibi is now free to leave the country after the resolution of the blasphemy case.

"We will not send anyone to die," said immigration police chief Major General Surachate Hakparn

Well Christmas is well and truly over for another year.

Freedom to express an opinion is one of the rights guaranteed in the Constitution. Courts have interpreted that right to include statements that may be disagreeable, disturbing, and even offensive to others. Up to last week’s referendum, that right, or liberty, was tempered by a provision that declared blasphemy an exception.

It is a pity that Pope Francis' radical message is drowned out by repeating ad nauseam the mantra, “clerical sex abuse”, suggests Victoria White

A dedicated Garda internet unit would allow it to refer greater volumes of takedown requests to companies concerning online terrorist material, according to the EU’s counter-terrorism chief.

Austria has never been a liberal society, so it is not surprising that it is to close seven mosques and expel up to 40 imams, in a move against Islamist ideology and foreign funding of religious groups.

The Eighth Amendment was never about Catholicism. The Catholic Church did not insert it, the political system did, writes Victoria White.

The deputy leader of Britain First, Jayda Fransen, has been filmed on the seat of the Lord Mayor in Belfast City Hall saying she intends to fight the charges over comments made at a rally in the city last year.

Four decades ago Iran’s then-leader, the western-orientated Mohammad Reza Pahlavi — the Shah of Iran, the self-styled King of Kings — began the last year of his corrupt monarchy.

The deputy leader of far-right group Britain First has been released on bail after appearing in court in Belfast charged over comments about Islam made in a social media posting.

Donald Trump undermined Theresa May last week, showing again his narcissism and unpredictability threatens us all, says John Lloyd

Dutch officials have issued a statement correcting one of the anti-Muslim tweets from Britain First deputy leader Jayda Fransen which US President Donald Trump shared with his 44 million followers on Twitter.

The EU is caught between Brexit Britain and a disenchanted group of Middle Europeans whose political sentiment is antithetical to the liberal ideals of the EU, says John Lloyd.

Andrej Babis and his ANO movement decisively won the Czech Republic's election today in a vote that shifted the country to the right.

Donald Trump’s blistering attack on the Iran nuclear deal has emboldened extremists in the Middle Eastern country, writes Abbas Milani.

The party of Austria's 31-year old foreign minister came first in a national election Sunday, putting him on course to become Europe's youngest head of government, forecasts suggested.

British IS recruiter Sally-Anne Jones, dubbed the White Widow, is understood to have been killed in a US drone strike.

Ukip's new leader Henry Bolton has said the party has avoided becoming the "UK Nazi Party" with his election at the expense of a candidate who described Islam as "evil".

The horrors of Nazism and a consistently robust economy have inoculated the country from extremism, but undercurrents of discontent should not be ignored, says Michael Bröning