Sounds of Faith at the National Museum of American History

What’s ‘Normal’ in Trump’s America? – The Takeaway – WNYC. The demands that Muslims in this country meet certain expectations of “normalcy” are not new. Hussein Rashid, professor of religion at Barnard College and a Truman National Security Fellow, and Jerusha Lamptey, professor at Union Theological Seminary and author of the book “Never Wholly Other,” discuss that sentiment, and how Muslim immigrants meet and adjust to certain expectations of “normalcy” in America.  

Travel ban decision follows the Supremes’ record of racial classification – Religion News Service. Whether viewed in terms of contemporary politics or American history, the Supreme Court’s ruling on President Trump’s travel ban against several Muslim-majority countries is not surprising. The court has safeguards designed to make it apolitical, but it is never immune to its immediate surroundings on Capitol Hill. Historically, as long as the people support its decisions, the court has ruled in favor of discrimination. And when it comes to admitting people to these shores and welcoming them to the American nation, the court almost never acts…

Islam scholar Bernard Lewis left unfair legacy of disdain for Muslims – Religion News ServiceReligion News Service. Lewis’ transformation from scholar to neo-imperialist was not sudden, but there is a hint to be found in “The Assassins.” Originally published in 1967, it is an erudite work that sought to correct the record on the Nizari Isma’ilis, a Shiite Muslim community that had long been maligned as consumers of hashish, known in Arabic as “hashashin,” which transformed into the word “assassin.” The book fascinated me because it was a scholarly book at a time when scholarship was rarely applied to such topics.…