Mecca Diaries

David Campbell and Robert Putnam: Islam and American Tolerance – WSJ.com. Consider the experience of two groups that are perceived positively by Americans today: Jews and Catholics. Americans rate Jews and Catholics more warmly than they do mainline Protestants, historically America’s religious establishment, and evangelical Protestants, the single largest religious group in the country. At the end of the scale opposite Jews and Catholics are Muslims, Mormons and Buddhists.

Neither an Ashkenazim nor Sephardim be. Here’s an interesting article about the first South Asian to head a US synagogue. A short introduction to South Asian Jews as well. The Revealer has a good post called “Who’s a Jew?” It’s about a Muslim. My wife is a big fan of Ali and Nino and has been trying to get me to read it for a while. The question of authenticity is hard enough within a religious tradition, especially as different interpretations of the same faith come into contact. Then you throw in inter-faith issues and have people from outside any…

Having spent the last six weeks at an Episcopal seminary, I admire what the Deacon is trying to do, and think it can offer insight into one’s own tradition. I’m sorry the Bishop didn’t meet with him before threatening to remove him from the church. Episcopal cleric tries Islamic rituals for Lent. Speaking to a reporter that afternoon, he had no problem reconciling his Episcopalian views with those of Islam and explained that he hoped to test a concept that has been attributed to Mahatma Gandhi and is discussed in John Dunne’s book, “The Way of All the Earth.” According…