A Tale of Two Muslim Generations
by Ismail RoyerSome have described Hamline as representing a contemporary case of blasphemy. But now, we see blasphemy as a crime against our new god: the self. Continue Reading »
Letters from Rome: #4
by George WeigelJoseph Ratzinger’s accomplishments as biblical expositor and theologian have been gratifyingly acknowledged over the past six days. Yet his insights into the drama of modern social and political life have rarely been mentioned. Continue Reading »
From Mecca to Rome
by Samuel SweeneyJoseph Fadelle was born in Iraq in the 1960s. During his mandatory service in the Iraqi army, he was assigned a Christian roommate. Initially distraught to be rooming with an infidel, he came to understand that God had given him the mission of converting this man to Islam. In challenging the man’s . . . . Continue Reading »
The G20 Gets Religion
by Mary Ann GlendonThe two days of discussions began with a frank acknowledgment that religion has all too often been a source of, or a pretext for, conflict in today’s increasingly interdependent world. Continue Reading »
Islamism and Modernity: A Follow Up
by Shadi HamidShadi Hamid, author of “How Modernity Swallowed Islamism,” re-examines the development of Arab political movements and what lessons they can offer to present American political debates about liberalism and the role of religion and politics. Continue Reading »
How Modernity Swallowed Islamism
by Shadi HamidThe Middle East was ahead of its time—and certainly ahead of the West—on at least one thing: existential debates over culture, identity, and religion. During the heady, sometimes frightening days of the Arab Spring, the region was struggling over some of the same questions Americans are . . . . Continue Reading »
Salman Rushdie and the Social Media Fatwa
by Carl R. TruemanThe desire to paralyze public discourse by threats, nastiness, and all-round verbal thuggery is the preferred approach of radicals of all shades of opinion on social media, be it Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Continue Reading »
The Girls Who Resisted Boko Haram
by Jonathon Van MarenWhile the world demanded their return, the captive girls were under relentless pressure to convert to Islam and marry militants chosen for them. They were threatened with beheading or brutal slavery if they refused. Continue Reading »
Houellebecq's Omelette
by Theodore DalrympleAs Chekhov conveyed boredom without being boring, so Michel Houellebecq conveys meaninglessness without being meaningless. Indeed, his particular subject is the spiritual, intellectual, and political vacuity of life in a modern consumer society—France in this case, but it could be any . . . . Continue Reading »
Letters
by VariousForgotten Islam Gabriel Said Reynold’s review of Mustafa Akyol’s book, Reopening Muslim Minds, makes fascinating reading (“Liberal Islam,” March). Instead of focusing on what is wrong with Islam, Akyol calls Muslims back to forgotten graces and truths in the Islamic tradition. Akyol . . . . Continue Reading »
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