Book Review: Between Allah and Jesus

By Kristen Adams

 

It’s not often that you come across a small title on a dusty bookshelf in the back corner of a library that really speaks to you. Yet those infrequent times that this does happen are really golden moments in one’s education. I recently had the opportunity to find a book about interfaith dialogue called “Between Allah and Jesus: What Christians can Learn from Muslims.” Written by Boston College Professor of Philosophy Peter J. Kreeft, the book is small, light in the hand, and despite the title that may startle some, full of wisdom.

 

How Religious Organizations Balance Community Service & Proselytizing

Source: Houston Matters

Houston Matters discusses how religious organizations throughout Greater Houston often find themselves engaged on two fronts: supporting their own congregants with services and events based on their particular religious beliefs, and providing services to the community at large, based on the moral convictions of the congregation, regardless of whether those served hold similar religious views.

Along the way, those two fronts – which are often not mutually exclusive – can become intermingled. It creates a challenge for churches, synagogues and mosques – they want to represent and grow their congregations. They also want to provide needed services of all kinds for all Houstonians. How much can they accomplish? How much of work like food, clothing, medical care, and job training should religious organizations be expected to engage in? Does the city of Houston or state of Texas assume too much from them? Do some of those religious organizations, in turn, feel compelled to use the opportunity to proselytize while providing these services? (Different religions – and even sects of the same religion – look on proselytization very differently).

 

Peace Through the Hijab

By Saadia Faruqi

Source: Tikkun Daily

 

Stereotypes are hurtful, no doubt about it. They assume things about an entire group of people by those who have less than an iota of knowledge about the group. It shrinks each individual in the group to the lowest common denominator, or even to something unrelated entirely to the group. And it’s doubly sad when stereotypes are perpetuated not just externally but internally as well. Today, perhaps no other group faces more stereotypes than the Muslim woman. The adjectives – I call them labels – used to define her range from the inaccurate to the offensive and even sometimes laughable. Submissive. Oppressed. Quiet. Homemaker. Religious. Devout. Covered.

An Explanation of Forgiveness

By Dr. Sulekh C. Jain

 

Every religion discusses the concept of forgiveness in some shape or form. The question arises, then, what is forgiveness? I believe that it is the intentional and voluntary process by which a victim undergoes a change in feelings and attitude regarding an offense and lets go of negative emotions such as revenge, with an increased ability to wish the offender well.

Muslim Women's Dress: The New Sensationalism

By Saadia Faruqi
Source: Religion Dispatches

Muslim + women + dress. Just type the three words into Google Images and you’ll get a mosaic of scary images – women covered in black from head to toe, and screaming headlines of violence and hate. Despite the fact that a significant number of Muslim women around the world don’t cover themselves in that particular way, or don’t cover at all, we have become attuned by our media to consider those restrictive images as representative of more than a billion people. So when we put Muslim + women + dress together, we refuse to see anything other than what we want to see.  

Religious Freedom, Anyone?

By Saadia Faruqi

Today is religious freedom day in the United States, a day celebrating the anniversary of the passage of the Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom by President Thomas Jefferson in 1786. This piece of legislation effectively accomplished two things: it prohibited taxing people to pay for the local clergy, and it protected the rights of the public to express their religious beliefs without suffering discrimination. While two centuries ago most Americans were of the same faith, mostly Christian, in today’s America this concept of freedom of religious speech on an individual level becomes even more important.

Eat, Pray, Love... and Wonder

By Felicia Woodard

Eat. Pray. Love. The 2010 movie starring Julia Roberts adapted from the best-selling book by author Elizabeth Gilbert became a high grossing movie based on the author’s life. She went on a quest to what many would call “find herself.” Or “find God". She went to Italy, Indonesia, & India and each place took her on a different journey.  To not spoil it for those who haven’t seen the movie, I won’t go into it. But I will say that the movie’s response raises questions for me.

A Concert Celebrating Devotional Music From Houston’s Diverse Faith Communities

Source: Houston Asia Society

 

Houston is a remarkably diverse city — and in no domain of city life is that diversity more apparent than in its faith communities. Many communities in the city have created a sense of home for themselves through membership in churches, mosques, temples and the like. It is not surprising, then, that most of these communities have fostered rich sacred music traditions.

Roads of Arabia Exhibit Opens in Houston

Source: SUSRIS

 

Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), opened a major heritage show at the Museum of Fine arts in Houston on Wednesday (Dec 18) and highlighted the significant role played by Islam in bolstering security and stability in Arabia.“ Islam also enriched the Arab culture and civilization,” the SCTA chief said in his speech at a dinner banquet after the opening, which included several US officials, academics and former Secretary of State James Baker.

An Introduction to Jainism

By Dr. Sulekh Jain

 

Jainism, an ancient religion originating from India- with Hinduism and Buddhism- is an integral part of India. The Jain tradition, which enthroned the philosophy of ecological harmony and non-violence as its lodestar, flourished for centuries side-by-side with other schools of thought in ancient India. It formed a vital part of the mainstream of ancient Indian life, contributing greatly to its philosophical, artistic and political heritage. During certain periods of Indian history, many ruling elites as well as large sections of the population were Jains.

The Holy Ghost Inspires Us All

By Ramona Siddoway

For anyone curious about the basic principles followed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), the Articles of Faith provide an overarching framework of our beliefs. While the Articles of Faith are not complete in explaining all of our beliefs they are a good summary of LDS scripture and principles that are taught and understood by the members of our faith. This is an ongoing series about basic beliefs of Latter-day Saints and how they fit into an interfaith community; this particular post discussed the concept of the Holy Ghost.

 

I Do... Take You and Your God?

By Felicia Woodard

 

In the world we live in today, we have crossed social boundaries and norms when it comes to living, schooling, employment, and yes, dating. TLC’s All American Muslim 2011 reality series about a young Muslim woman marrying an Irish-Catholic man was highly talked about. Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of former POTUS Bill Clinton, had a highly publicized interfaith marriage as she, raised Methodist, married fiancé Marc Mezvinsky, who was Jewish.

An American Muslim Thanksgiving

By Saadia Faruqi

Source: Tikkun Daily

 

This year will be the first time my family officially participates in the tradition of Thanksgiving, despite having lived in the United States for the last 15 years. That’s not to say I’m against American holidays, but being an American Muslim often implies conflict in terms of national and international observances. So while other immigrants are quick to participate in the celebrations of their adopted countries, American Muslims like me, who identify strongly with their religion, find it difficult to tread this path lightly. Here’s why. 

The Vocal (Christian) Minority

By Felicia Woodard

We all say the same thing. Not all Christians are alike. Not all religious people are alike. I believe it and I know it. There are wonderful people in my life that prescribe to various religions and they are kind and selfless - warm, giving, individuals, as well as progressive thinkers. Yet, why is it that rhetoric such as those in the image to the left are so prevalent when defining Christians and Christianity today?
 

Sikh Religious Rights Versus the IRS

Source: Houston Chronicle

 

A Houston woman who carries a ceremonial dagger as a part of her religious garb has been fighting for her right to carry the dull blade into a downtown Houston federal building for nearly nine years and it appears now that the law may be on her side. The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the Sikh woman's religious rights may have been violated by the IRS, leaving the door open for Kawaljeet Kaur Tagore and her counsel to continue pursuing litigation. 

Why Religious Charities in Houston Wish More People Were in Church

Source: Houston Matters

Back in the early 1980s, about six or seven percent of Houstonians did not affiliate themselves with any religion. Today, that number has nearly doubled. Houston Matters (88.7 KUHF) considers what this trend means for established religious institutions in Houston, and the services they provide, now and in the future. Click on the audio clip below to hear from Dr. Lynn Mitchell, Director of Religious Studies at the University of Houston, and Lauren Santerre, Director of Interfaith Relations at Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston.

Some Useful Commandments For Inter-Religious Dialogue

By Dr. Sulekh Jain

 

Before commencing with interfaith dialogue, it is important to establish some ground rules, or rather some golden rules for behavior. Here are some excellent recommendations for inter-religious or interfaith dialogue, written by a very dear friend Professor Cromwell Crawford, Professor Emeritus, University of Hawaii, Honolulu.

 

The Consequences of Public Prayer

By Ramona Siddoway 

I read with interest about the Supreme Court deciding the fate of prayers in New York public meetings. This case centers on a suit brought in Greece, NY and the overtly Christian prayers offered at the beginning of the Town Hall meetings. At first an informal complaint was registered and as a result 4 of 12 meetings were opened with prayers from other faiths. But the feeling of being on the outside still persisted with those who were in the minority of this dominant Christian group.

 

Worship and Sexuality: the Sacred and the Profane

By Felicia Woodard                                                     

 

To say sexuality and worship in the same sentence would raise some eyebrows. In context of the west, we are socially  taught that these things do not, should not, and cannot coexist. on the contrary, I feel that we as a western nation/culture of people, must be understood that various cultures, religions, and people of different regions and philosophies do not share this same sentiment. 

Semitic Brothers - Israeli And Palestinian

By Rabbi Howard Siegel

Source: Faith and Reason

 

In 1996, Bill Moyers, then host of the new MSNBC program Insight, convened a group of Jewish and Christian theologians, authors, poets, and philosophers to discuss the Book of Genesis in a television series called Genesis: A Living Conversation.  The result was a 21st century understanding of the ancient underpinnings of monotheism, the belief in the One God.