Every year during Advent, the four-week season leading up to Christmas, Catholics hear passages from Scripture that remind us to be watchful and ready for the coming of Christ. These passages explain that we are not only awaiting the celebration of Jesus’ birth, but also for his second coming at the end of time. Gabriel …
9/11/11: A new American anniversary
In my most recent posts, I’ve discussed the terrorist attacks in Norway, offering quite a depressing analysis of their causes and implications, many of which are related to Islamophobia in America. Fear of Muslims existed in the American psyche before September 11, 2001, but the terrorist attacks ten years ago only amplified and cemented those …
The Oslo Opportunity, Part 3: ‘Counter-jihad’ crusaders
The terror attacks in Norway occurred on foreign soil, but they have a disturbing connection to our own country and those who perpetuate fear of Islam here. To understand the link, we need to look no further than Anders Behring Breivik’s anti-Muslim 1,500 page manifesto, which cites a number of leaders active in the Islamophobia …
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Happy holidays!
To all of my fellow Catholics, Happy Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola! "Every good Christian ought to be more disposed to put a good interpretation on a neighbor's statement than to condemn it." –St. Ignatius To all of my Muslim friends, Ramadan Karim! “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek …
Reflections on 9/11, Part 1
This weekend is a unique one. Today, Muslims are celebrating Eid al-Fitr, the end of the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, Ramadan. Tomorrow, Americans of all faiths will mourn the ninth anniversary of the attacks on New York and the Pentagon. It seems quite ironic that these two days--arguably the most significant days for …