Progressive Christian on Islam and -ophobia

9/11 Walks | A Simple Act of Hope and Courage. Honor the countless victims of 9/11 and its aftermath with a simple act of hope and courage: Walk and talk kindly with neighbors and strangers, in celebration of our common humanity and in defiance of fear, misunderstanding and hatred.  Wouldn’t it be great if 9/11 became a day to reach over boundaries to connect with ‘the other’, the way Martin Luther King Day has become a day for community service?  It only takes a few people from one group or congregation to join a few from another to create a…

My friend Eboo writes a piece for NPR on how to reach out to Jews during this most recent Eid al-Adha. I appreciate the sentiment, my daughter and his son are about the same age, and I think it is an important way to bridge the gap. Where I disagree is that this is an opportunity for inter-faith dialogue. In so far as religions share certain basic principles we can reach out, but the loss and horror of Mumbai is far more primal. His story highlights the more basic, human losses we share and support we need. It’s not about…

Stunning piece of art. Click through the links. Voices: 99 Most Beautiful Names – A sculptural presentation of the Names for God from the Qur’an « Simerg « Ismailimail. Andrew Kosorok is an LDS Christian whose upbringing was rather non-traditional. Taught that God expected him to learn as much as he could, the events following 9/11 made his determination to learn about Islam even stronger and he turned to the Holy Qur’an. His goal as an artist was to seek constructive resolution and not confrontation.