On the Sunday morning after their church was attacked, forcing their pastor, his injured wife and their daughter to flee, a handful of the curious and devout shuffled through the ring of police outside, through the smoke-stained entrance and gingerly around shards of glass to take seats inside.

Beer sales in Africa are surging because of economic and population growth, a trend rubbing against the grain of another demographic factor defining the region: intense religiosity.

In the wake of the torching of churches in Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa and grenade attacks on other churches around the country, Protestant leaders are trying a new tack to get more help from the government: they're suing.

In troubled times, many people turn to their faith, which may explain why faith-based travel has been gaining momentum in recent years.

Its leaders call themselves devout Christians and say life is sacred. But its supporters march with spears, machetes and clubs and anoint themselves with magic potions to ward off police bullets.

Americans cheered when Aly Raisman of Needham, Mass., won a gold medal on Tuesday (July 31) in the women's all-around gymnastics competition, but at least some American Jews likely cheered a little louder.

Christians and Muslims have clashed for years in central Nigeria, a conflict that took an unexpected turn when Islamist insurgents based in the northeast claimed responsibility for deadly weekend raids on Christian villages.

In Kenya, attacks on Christian churches in the Muslim-majority town of Garissa killed 17 people July 1. Now, local Muslim leaders are patrolling to help protect the churches.

Islamists who have taken control of one of Africa's most historic cities, Timbuktu, smashed the wooden door of an old mosque on Monday, continuing a campaign of destruction of religious monuments that has drawn condemnation from the United Nations and the International Criminal Court.

IT was dusk when the gunmen came to Rouki's village in northern Mali and killed her eight-year-old son, Bashir.