RNS Morning Report - 9/11 SPECIAL EDITION: 25 years later, the attacks still shape faith and public life

This week marks 25 years since the 9/11 attacks. See its lasting impact on faith and public life. Read the stories     Top Stories A chapel near ground zero was a relief center after 9/11. Now, an exhibit honors its victims. NEW YORK (RNS) — A new origami installation strings 2,977 paper cranes: one for each person killed in the attacks. The 'Ever Present' exhibition also features artifacts left there in the months after 9/11.  Some critics cite Mamdani’s Muslim faith in demanding he skip 9/11 anniversary ceremony NEW YORK (RNS) — The mayor — who released 170,000 documents incriminating past city officials for improperly assessing health risks after 9/11 — still plans to attend the ceremony. As 9/11 anniversary falls on Rosh Hashanah, Jews are asked to remember — and move forward NEW YORK (RNS) — As the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks coincides with the Jewish new year, Jewish leaders, rabbis and their interfaith partners reflect on what it means to remember — and how to live with what cannot be forgotten. Mosques have more than doubled since 9/11. But Muslims say opposition is fierce. (RNS) — New mosques often stir up local resistance and anti-Muslim sentiment. Even when they get built, the blowback can be intense. Islamophobia goes back decades, before 9/11, a new book argues (RNS) — Journalist Rozina Ali argues that there has been little reckoning with the War on Terror and the lasting effects of post- 9/11 surveillance policies targeting American Muslims, in 'Seasons of Fury: Four Families and the Rise of Islamophobia in America.'         Opinion I covered religion after the 9/11 attacks. I never imagined the hate would outlast the war. (RNS) — Since 9/11, violence in America has come from within. Hate crimes against Muslims, Sikhs, Jews, Latinos, Black Americans and LGBTQ+ Americans are soaring. RNS CEO/Publisher Deborah Caldwell looks back on how we got here. After 9/11, America lost its way. Twenty-five years later, we still haven’t found it. (RNS) — The nation quickly united in mourning in the days after 9/11. But we've never moved past our country's thirst for vengeance. The post-9/11 infrastructure of Islamophobia (RNS) — For US Muslims, the legacy of Sept. 11 is not confined to a terrible morning. It includes the institutions, organizations and assumptions that took shape afterward. What 9/11 and Rosh Hashanah teach us about remembering forward (RNS) — Memory is as much about the present and the future as it is about the past. 25 years of reporting on the state of American Muslims  (RNS) — During Trump’s second term, we're seeing the emergence of a doggedly stronger and more unapologetic ownership of what it means to be American Muslim. What an Illinois village says about the US 25 years after 9/11 (RNS) — This anniversary finds the United States still unable to defend the American way that the Sept. 11 terrorists attacked. 25 years after 9/11, war is still not the answer (RNS) — It pains me to consider how much harm my government has inflicted abroad and within our own communities since 9/11.       Support Our Work As a nonprofit newsroom that covers all faiths, RNS sits uniquely at the intersection of freedom of the press and freedom of religion. News tips or feedback? Email comments@religionnews.com. Like the Morning Report? Share it with a friend. Forwarded this newsletter? Subscribe here. We rely on reader donations to power our reporting. Donate here. Or send a check to: Religion News Foundation PO Box 1808 Columbia, MO 65205

Copyright © 2026 Religion News Service, All rights reserved.

RNS Morning Report - One year after Charlie Kirk's death, is Turning Point a political rally or a Christian revival?

“I’ve never seen anything like it. It was a revival.”   In the months after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, his organization, Turning Point USA, reported that more than 100,000 students had requested to get involved — a surge in interest they described as both political and spiritual.   One year later, it’s hard to know if that uptick in engagement has had staying power. Some students told RNS the enthusiasm had simply waned. Others pointed to the divisive power of the conspiracies around Kirk’s death, especially those promoted by conservative influencer Candance Owens. (“It’s created this ginormous divide amongst students,” one TPUSA chapter president told RNS.) While still others doubt Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, has the respect needed to lead the organization.   RNS national reporter, Kathryn Post, has kept up with several TPUSA student leaders over the past year and attended milestone events put on by the organization. She reports now on how Turning Point has emphasized Christian messaging in the wake of Kirk’s death, describing its founder as a martyr and its political efforts as part of a spiritual battle between the godly and demonic.   By continuing to cast political alignment as a biblical mandate, Turning Point is testing whether that strategy can unite a splintering movement and sustain the organization’s mission, even without its founder.   Read Post’s full report.         Top Stories One year after Charlie Kirk’s death, can faith hold Turning Point together? (RNS) — ‘All of you in this room are those people who I am so proud to have in my army as I go through this battle against Satan,’ Erika Kirk said to student Turning Point leaders in July. Mosques have more than doubled since 9/11. But Muslims say opposition is fierce. (RNS) — New mosques often stir up local resistance and anti-Muslim sentiment. Even when they get built, the blowback can be intense. A chapel near ground zero was a relief center after 9/11. Now, an exhibit honors its victims. NEW YORK (RNS) — A new origami installation strings 2,977 paper cranes: one for each person killed in the attacks. The 'Ever Present' exhibition also features artifacts left there in the months after 9/11.  In direct appeal to Trump, Catholic bishops’ president urges end of mass deportations of Haitians (RNS) — The letter marks a shift toward a more direct and pointed tone in challenging President Donald Trump’s immigration policy. Photos of the Week: Orthodox Christian youth, Pentecostal pushback on immigration (RNS) — This week’s photo selection includes Orthodox Christian youth gathering, Pentecostal pushback to ICE and more.       Opinion 25 years of reporting on the state of American Muslims  (RNS) — During Trump’s second term, we're seeing the emergence of a doggedly stronger and more unapologetic ownership of what it means to be American Muslim. Howard Jacobson’s ‘Howl’ is a dark meditation on post-Oct. 7 antisemitism (RNS) — An award-winning novelist tells the Jewish story of our time. It isn't pretty, but it is real. What 9/11 and Rosh Hashanah teach us about remembering forward (RNS) — Memory is as much about the present and the future as it is about the past. The RSS’s interfaith photo op tried to hide the truth (RNS) — Oneness is not a word you say but a record you build.     ICYMI As Salvadoran TPS deadline nears, Hispanic Pentecostal leaders urge immigration protections (RNS) — The Hispanic Pentecostals were divided on whether the Trump administration’s immigration policies would impact how they vote in the future.  The hidden Jewish law woven into your clothes (RNS) — During the High Holidays, many observant Jews purchase new clothing and seek out testers to search for ‘shatnez’ — the forbidden mixture of sheep’s wool and linen in a single garment.     Support Our Work As a nonprofit newsroom that covers all faiths, RNS sits uniquely at the intersection of freedom of the press and freedom of religion. News tips or feedback? Email comments@religionnews.com. Like the Morning Report? Share it with a friend. Forwarded this newsletter? Subscribe here. We rely on reader donations to power our reporting. Donate here. Or send a check to: Religion News Foundation PO Box 1808 Columbia, MO 65205

Copyright © 2026 Religion News Service, All rights reserved.