I haven’t been around much lately because I was studying for the GRE (Graduate Record Exam®) I had to take for grad school. I took it on September 26th and now I’m trying to get back into my writing. I’m also trying to get back into my faith. Because the truth is, while I was focusing on the GRE, I lost my focus on everything else. I have trouble switching from one activity to another, [...]
While I can understand using Arabic terms and phrases if you speak Arabic, I don’t think Muslims who do this around American converts realize how alienating this can be. Not only do we not know what is being said, which makes us feel like outsiders, but we feel strange using the words ourselves, especially at first. I’m always torn between wanting to express myself in my own language and feeling like I should use the [...]
On one crucial point, Judaism, Islam and Christianity are in agreement. All insist that faith in God is the first requirement. But then that’s the prerequisite of any religion, isn’t it? The differences lie in the what each religion teaches about the nature of God. Let’s take Christians. They teach that God is love. You hear that over and over again. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son …” [...]
Lesley Hazelton describes her experience of reading the Qur’an for real, for the first time:
CNN’s Soledad O’Brien sits down with Harvard Law professor Noah Feldman, who describes the basics of Sharia Law. (3/28/11)
One of the greatest challenges for the Western convert to Islam is learning Arabic. I only know my basic prayers (and I have no idea if I’m saying them right) and a few phrases. Plus I’m somewhat familiar with the alphabet. I was blessed with a wonderful teacher for awhile, but we didn’t meet consistently and I’m not the best student in the world. I keep thinking there ought to be an easier way to [...]
Congressman Keith Ellison wrote an interesting article for the “On Faith” section of The Washington Post. He raises the question, “Is it fair to expect Muslims to explain or condemn the actions of Islamic terrorists just because they’re Muslim?” He makes his point by comparing media depictions of black people with that of Muslims: No serious journalist would ask a random black guy with a briefcase on the street to explain the pathology of an [...]
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