Category: Social Issues
The Kaleidoscope of Activism (Part 2)
(Continued from Part 1) Below is a catalogue of activist methodologies, defined and listed according to aims, vulnerabilities, recommendations, and real-world examples. This categorization may help y... Read More
The Kaleidoscope of Activism (Part 1)
Google dictionary defines activism as “the policy or action of using vigorous campaigning to bring about political or social change.” But activism isn’t always vigorous and doesn’t always enga... Read More
An Audience with Pope Francis—Dispatch from Rome
We were on our way to meet Pope Francis. We—the participants in the 50th anniversary meeting of the Pontifical Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies—departed together from the Urbaniana campus a... Read More
Tipping the Scales
It was a cold January afternoon as I pulled into the parking lot of the Noor Islamic Center; the temperature gauge in my car was hovering at around 29-30 degrees. The moment I stepped outside, it felt... Read More
What Nourishes Your Activism? Reflections on Interfaith Sustenance for Social Change
I stood in the pouring rain, my numb fingers frantically pressing the buttons on the intercom box of the brick building where my spiritual director has her office. Sloshing my way through that Saturda... Read More
In Praise of Slow Medicine
I’m one of the biggest consumers of the new faddish approach to medicine – the idea that what will “fix” medicine is right around the corner. Last month, I was mindfully eating raisins and sit... Read More
Marketing vs. Mission: On a Racist Ad Campaign Published, then Pulled, by the Presbyterian Mission Agency
In a time when denominations and the Church are having an identity crisis, there are moments when I can pin-point the situations that continue to cause trouble for the stability of mainline denominat... Read More
Suis-je Charlie? France, Islamophobia, and the Power of the Pen
I love Paris in the springtime I love Paris in the fall I love Paris in the winter when it drizzles I love Paris in the summer when it sizzles. (“I Love Paris,” lyrics by Cole Porter, 1953) I love... Read More