islam doesn't speak, muslims do | "the ink of the scholar is worth more than the blood of the martyr" – Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
Sacred Matters | “Islam” is Not a Person. There is an idea of “Islam,” as a signifier of something foreign and threatening, that continues to plague American discussion of the religion. It is part of the shooting in Chattanooga, and it part of the debate around the Iran nuclear deal.
It is time for the McGinley Lecture at Fordham. This term, I will be giving a response to the theme of “Poverty: The Curse and The Blessing.” The event will be Tuesday, April 14 at 6PM at the Lincoln Center campus, and repeated on Wednesday, April 15, at 6PM at the Rose Hill campus. Details on this event can be found here. Previous topics I have been a respondent to include: Usury: A Moral Concern for Jews, Christians and Muslims (Video | text of my response) Life After Death: Hopes and Fears for Jews, Christians and Muslims (Video | text…
State of Formation – The World is on Fire, so I rode The Ark. On Sunday, September 21, I was blessed to be asked to join The Ark, organized by Auburn Seminary and Groundswell (with help from lots of named and unnamed supporters) for the People's Climate March. The New York Times found it an “odd juxtaposition," that so many faith groups were next to one another, missing the point that we all share one planet. More importantly, the NYT is in the business of showing us in conflict, not the billions of ways we get along with one another…
Traditionally, Muslims read the Qur'an in its entirety over this time, in a section a day. The Qur'an is split into thirty sections, called juz', and one section is read each night. This year is the 6th year I am inviting people to tweet the Qur’an for Ramadan. To see how the call has (not) evolved, here are the first five call outs: 2009 Windsor Star Article 2010 (despite the title, which says 2011) 2011 USA Today Article 2012 2013 Storify (including press stories) The Background [from the 2009 post] This year, I have been thinking it would be fun…
Ramadan is back and it snuck up on me this year. It has already started for some folk. Time to talk about tweeting the Qur'an again. Previous years' thoughts and rules: Traditionally, Muslims read the Qur'an in its entirety over this time, in a section a day. The Qur'an is split into thirty sections, called juz', and one section is read each night. This year, I have been thinking it would be fun to tweet the Qur'an for Ramadan. Coincidentally, Shavuot came, and several people I follow on Twitter tweeted the Torah. Since that experience seemed to be successful, it further cemented my…
Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajiun. (We are from God and we return to God.) I did not have the privilege of knowing Shaira, but I do know her mother. May God give them all peace during this difficult time. Ustad Omid, as always, finds power in the pen, when there is pain in the heart. Omid Safi – What Would Muhammad Do? | First words since…..burying a 16-year old angel. So I sit here today, with the first words I have written since. First words since trusting this child of God to God’s earth, and hoping and praying to…
Religion News Service | Blogs | Omid Safi – What Would Muhammad Do? | Nature as Scripture. This absolutely touches my soul. This tree was alive when the Prophet Muhammad walked on the Earth. This tree was probably alive when Christ walked on the Earth. This tree might have been alive during the time of Moses.
Dilshad’s writing is just painfully beautiful in this piece. The (unexpected) struggles we all have can so easily shake our faith. Bursting My Daughter’s Belief Bubble | Muslimah Next Door. Part of me never wants her to give up on her beliefs for what she hopes and prays for herself, for her brother, for her family. I don’t want her to be like me – praying, but always struggling to buttress that prayer with belief. But another part of me wants her understand the reality of our life.
The Idea Of Church – The Dish | By Andrew Sullivan – The Daily Beast. Kevin Sessums has a beautiful mediation on the many forms that church can take. He took his godson Kennedy, who recently came out, to the musical Godspell