In our current political discourse, there is a tendency to assume that conflict is bound to ensue whenever people of different races, ethnicities, and religions come into contact with one another. To provide a remedy against this clash, many...
I have a favorite coffee mug that I use every morning for making my own cup of coffee. The ritual pleases me. My own coffee, ground and brewed fresh. The aroma of the coffee that fills my home. My fingers wrapped around the cup. Soft music...
Fifty years ago today, on April 4, 1967, a reluctant Martin Luther King stood in Riverside Church in New York . His voice was somber, the mood serious. He proceeded to make his most controversial speech. This speech, “Beyond Vietnam” is one of...
Media portrayals of Muslims in the United States and United Kingdom are often simplistic, inaccurate and focused on violence, journalists said Tuesday during a panel discussion on the media’s portrayal of Islam and Muslims.
I spend a good bit of time on planes. At best, they are uneventful. Perhaps an unexpected conversation with another fellow traveler. Hopefully, no cancellations or significant delays. There is always the wonder of a child in me, marveling how...
In the last few months, there have been some amazing and beautiful projects of solidarity that have sought to reach out to beleaguered communities, such as Muslims, Hispanics, refugees, Jews, gays/lesbians, and others. One of them that has gotten...
Muhammad’s ascension to see God face-to-face is as key to understanding Islam as Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection are to Christians, or Prince Siddhartha achieving enlightenment by sitting under the Bodhi tree. The narrative of the Ascension...
The Prophet Muhammad was once asked what was the one essential quality for prayers to be valid. Many in the community thought they knew the right answer. Some thought the Prophet would say proper recitation of Arabic. Others thought the answer...
