All Saints

Embrace Muslim neighbors; they are not the enemy – San Antonio Express-News. If we do not befriend Muslims for the sake of loving them, then why not at least for the sake of enjoying the experience of learning about someone who might come from an ancient and fascinating culture? Why not befriend a Muslim for the sake of enjoying the company of someone who might prepare food in delicious and unique ways, who views God through a different lens, and who exhibits hospitality, genuine friendship and loyalty in ways that might surprise you?  We have nothing to fear from the vast…

my final word on Park51 – City of Brass. When you combine the emotional impact of 9-11, the undercurrent of prejudice against Islam borne of fear of the unknown/centuries of Orientalism marking it as the quintessential Other, and then layer onto that the background signal of racial intolerance that is America’s original sin and persists to this day, then you are basically confronted with a pretty skewed playing field, against which the idealized rhetoric of universal rights and freedoms has a disadvantage. It’s to the credit of our national character however that we are actually having a debate. That suggests…