Writing on Muslim-Christian Relations, Interreligious Dialogue, & Islamophobia
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"
Written October 4, 2014. This year’s Eid al-Adha, the Islamic feast of sacrifice[i], comes at a challenging time. Debates over Islam’s true nature rage like the battles fought in the deserts of Iraq and Syria. For many, the only images of Islam today are slender knives, black flags, and hooded faces. For me, these are …
Continue reading "Reflecting on Rahmah: Thoughts for Eid al-Adha"
“Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap.”
I don’t know what exactly brought tears to my eyes, but the combination of the beautiful culture and its tragic loss; the foreign sound of bombs and the familiar sound of Shami Arabic; and the human goodness that somehow persists in the midst of evil made a lump rise in my throat. I looked over and noticed that my teacher was fighting back tears, too.
You shouldn’t read this blog post. At least not until you see the film, “Of Gods and Men.” Really, stop now if you intend to watch it and don’t want me to spoil it for you. The movie tells the true story of French monks living in the hills of Algeria during the civil war …
Continue reading "Christus Paradox: Reflections on “Of Gods and Men”"
JORDAN DENARI DUFFNER 