Writing on Muslim-Christian Relations, Interreligious Dialogue, & Islamophobia
April 7th, 2015 marks the one-year anniversary of the death of Father Frans van der Lugt, a Dutch Jesuit priest who was murdered during Syria’s civil war after living there for over fifty years. I’ve already written much about Frans in the year since his death, but on this occasion, I’d like to reflect on …
Continue reading "Participating in the Passion: Reflections on Frans and Easter"
In a world full of suffering and violence, we are given this truth at Easter: Al-Masihu qama min bain al-amwat, Wa wati al-mouta bil-mout, Wa wahab al-hayata lil-lethina fil qubour. Christ has risen from the dead. In dying, he trampled death, And gifted life to those who were in the tomb. We still do feel …
19 years ago today, in the Atlas mountains of Algeria, seven Trappist monks where kidnapped from their rural monastery. Eventually murdered along with many thousands of Algerians and foreigners in the mid-1990s, the French monks had decided to stay in their African home despite the country's civil war. The story of these men, and the two …
Continue reading "“The Father of us both”: Fr. Christian’s last testament"
Today's Gospel reading in the Catholic Church--about Jesus' transfiguration--reminded me that for some time I've been wanting to share the following poem by Marie Howe. Like the Gospel reading, which describes the apostles' brief glimpse into the transcendent, Marie's poem, "Annunciation," describes the joy and solace of moments of seeming communion with God. In different …
Continue reading "“Even if I don’t see it again”: Marie Howe on mysticism"
Earlier this week, I published my first piece for Huffington Post Religion. I'm grateful it's received wide circulation: 4.5 thousand 'likes' on Facebook and over 200 shares. Here's the link to the piece on HuffPost's website. It is reproduced below. Why We Need the Islamic Call to Prayer at American Universities The average college student spends eight …
Continue reading "Why American Colleges Need The Islamic Call to Prayer"
JORDAN DENARI DUFFNER 