The Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California is purposefully a place where all Muslim worshippers can meet.

In the past decade, there’s been an influx of Copts — the original Christians of Egypt and Sudan. In the diaspora, the church becomes more than a place of worship – it’s a crucial part of preserving the Coptic heritage.

The human voice is a demanding instrument. Handling it requires precision and skill. But for composer and musician Silvia Nakkach, it’s more than a tool to make pretty sounds. She sees it as a gateway to spiritual growth.

A Pew Research Center report from several years ago captured an identity crisis among American Jews. It found more people who, though born Jewish, are not identified with the religion. There’s also a reverse trend—people who are turning back toward their religious roots. In Berkeley, Wilderness Torah is one such organization, bringing Judaism’s ancient teachings to life.

Islamic tradition says to end the Ramadan fast once the new moon is seen. But some Muslims have recently been using a different method to calculate the end of Ramadan: technology. Not everyone agrees that it’s okay. This conflict plays out not only in places like Indonesia, Pakistan, or Morocco, but also right here in the Bay Area.