Houstonians Mark the Holy Month of Ramadan

Source: Houston Matters

 

Book Excerpt: The Whispers of Water

By Magi Flow

Source: Amazon

 

The Whispers of Water is a compilation of spoken word derived from the author's point of view. It unfolds truth told by the Spirit, and confirms the revelation of life through biblical reference, praise, poetry, and theology. According to the book description on Amazon, this book serves as evidence to the world that spiritual freedom is created through the lessons learned from carnal captivity, as well as allowing God’s word to reside within our hearts. Although written from a Christian perspective, the lessons may be beneficial for all faiths.

Fasting for Peace

By Saadia Faruqi

Source: Tikkun Daily

 

If you live in a major U.S. city chances are that you’ve heard of Ramadan, the sacred Islamic month in which Muslims fast from dawn to dusk. Ramadan used to be a strange and unknown religious celebration in the United States a few decades ago. Now, thanks to the negative and positive publicity American Muslims have received in recent years, everybody knows when and why we are fasting. Everyone from the White House to the local church and synagogue is holding interfaith iftar events (breaking of the fast) for their Muslim friends and neighbors. I should be proud and happy that my esoteric religious ritual is no longer looked upon as an undue hardship forced upon me by my religion. That finally the American public is ready and willing to accept me, with my five daily prayers and my fasting and my hijab, as one of them. I should be attending those interfaith iftar events with happiness and fervor. But I’m not.

Mayor's Interfaith Ramadan

Source: Newswire Houston

 

Mayor of Houston Annise Parker has said that Houston was a city harboring hardworking individuals and that the exemplary harmony amongst the people belonging to different religions and cultures distinguished it from other cities of the USA.

Happy Birthday America!

By Saadia Faruqi

Source: Tikkun Daily

 

 

July 4, 2014. My dear adopted country, I am so happy to be a part of yet another celebration of independence, another anniversary of your birth! For the last fifteen years I have celebrated with you, and with each passing year I have realized how special you are to me. Many people, especially the talking heads on certain cable news networks, think that the scarf on my head diminishes in me the ability to feel loyalty and pride, but they are wrong. I can wear whatever I want, pray however I wish, and still wave the American flag high on the fourth of July. Despite, or perhaps because of, the fact that I am American Muslim I have a deep appreciation of what those two things mean in that combination.

Things A Christian Can Learn During Ramadan

By Rev. Nell Green
Source: ABP Blog

 

Ramadan begins on June 28th. Ramadan is the month when people who follow Islam fast from the time the sun comes up until it goes down. They do this for 30 days. Sometimes my Muslim friends laugh at me because they say I keep up more than they do about when Ramadan starts and ends. I admit, I pay attention to it. I think this month when Muslims fast from sun up to sun down is pregnant with possibilities not only for them but for me. Why?