When I arrived back to my apartment late on Tuesday night, the eleventh anniversary of September 11, 2001, I opened my laptop to find a burning, bright orange image of a man stoking fire and a New York Times headline reading, “Anger Over a Film Fuels Anti-American Attacks in Libya and Egypt.” As I read …
My commentary in The Indianapolis Star
I was invited to write the following commentary for The Indianapolis Star's Faith Forum column on Saturday, August 11, 2012. The positive feedback has been tremendous; I've already been told that it was discussed at length at a local Quaker meeting, and a professor at the Christian Theological Seminary in Indy will use it as required …
Hassan Al-Deeyafeh (“Peeling Oranges” Series)
The green, stone-strewn hills beckoned us out of the city and welcomed us into their fields, bursting with yellow flowers and fed by a gushing stream. As two friends and I descended into the valley, passing homes and shops, children waved hello while washing their goats, and men took long strides to catch up with …
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Me and Mary Magdalene
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him. (Mark 16:1) I press my face against the pink, veined marble slab, smeared with a fragrant oil that lingers on my neck and hands. As I push myself from the …
Midnight in Jerusalem (“Peeling Oranges” Series)
Jerusalem: Good Friday, and the first day of Passover. Just before midnight, beneath a full moon and the shadow of the Western Wall, pigeons and crumpled prayers snuggle between cracks in bricks. I sit nearly alone in the women’s section, except for a few Jewish ladies whose covered heads rest against the wall, their eyes …
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JORDAN DENARI DUFFNER 