Turning the Unknown and the Different Into the Familiar and the Friendly
December 2, 2015. A mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, following a devastating attack in Paris, France. Anti-Muslim…
Arts And Culture
56 articles
Sin and the Feeling of Guilt
O you who believe! Turn to God in true, sincere repentance. (66:8) Philosophers and scientists have long mulled…
Are We Ready to Swim with Crocodiles in the River and Dance with Lions in the Jungle?
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” African proverb…
Mirage of Life
Life is over, only its silent voice remains, Entrusted to the next, its breath remains; I know not…
Religion: More Than Life or Life Itself?
Respect for life is more than a religious value; it is a constituent dimension of faith found in…
The Ride of My Life
When you ride a rollercoaster for the first time you feel a surge of emotions that grab, terrify,…
The Great Wave: The Aftermath
“It’s my fault, all my fault; I should’ve tried harder,” he said. A quintessential characteristic of his –…
Divine Humor
Quite obviously, divine humor is not by me, as the title and byline may imply. I also sense…
The Mountain Climb
What if somebody came up to you and said the words, “you can’t do it?” What if…
Two-Way Street
As I sit and wait for my day of judgment, I ponder the future. Can I continue to…
Hizmet Is a Social Movement
Hizmet Movement (aka Gülen Movement) has always been given different names, which rely on and point to divergent…
Jesus: One Man, Two Faiths: A Response to 9/11/01
The September 11th terrorist attack was traumatic for many people. At that point in my life, I had…
Nature and Environment in Contemporary Religious Contexts
It’s no secret – or at least it shouldn’t be – that climate change is one of the…
Demise of Academia: A Sad Case Which Should Not Have Been in the 21st Century
Being an academic is not an easy thing. In many countries, it seems you are always between a…
Love and Suicide
The day my husband died, my work for a newspaper had taken me out of the office to…