Engaging the religious “Other” is only a matter of life or death.
In the interests of full disclosure, a few points as preface to the following: As a freshman in college, I gave serious thought to converting to Islam. While I’d like to think that I was stopped mainly by my concern for the status of women in some Middle Eastern nations, the facts are that I [...]
Reflections from a Subway Platform: Sunando Sen and The Fight To End Discrimination
I can’t stop thinking about Sunando Sen. Two weeks before Mr. Sen was pushed into the elevated tracks at 40th-Lowery St, I stood on that platform, fresh from an evening with a good friend. I love the rhythm and rhyme of that part of Sunnyside. Perhaps Mr. Sen also walked past the Sunnyside mural and [...]
What Every Muslim Does When Visiting Barnes and Noble
On a recent visit to Barnes & Noble I did what every Muslim does when they pay a visit. I rearranged the bookshelf. Well, the shelf on Islam to be exact. OK, it was more like the half a shelf we were allotted. But no worries, we’re only .6% of the American population so perhaps that [...]
Building a Sikh Paradigm for Interfaith Work: Part 2
“…I prefer to think about how Sikhs can contribute to, and renew a paradigm for, thinking about interfaith work. At the same time, we should also rethink our Abrahamic commitments, and move towards dialogue that is more inclusive.”
A Unique Perspective on Hate-Crimes: The Story of a Convicted Killer
Following my recent article on “Islamophobia, Sikhophobia, and Media Profiling,” I received a number of questions from people about hate-speech and hate-crimes. Some people denied that they occur in modern America, while others asked how we could be so certain that acts of violence were motivated by hate. The purpose of the narrative below is [...]
Islamophobia, Sikhophobia, and Media Profiling
In fact, the first casualty of a hate crime in post-9/11 America was a Sikh-American named Balbir Singh Sodhi. According to official reports, his murderer said he killed Sodhi because “he was dark-skinned, bearded, and wore a turban.”
Purim: A Serious Misunderstanding Of The Festival’s Mirth
Purim’s cathartic effect is remarkable, providing an opportunity for Jewish communities to parody themselves and their own hierarchies and imbue often-serious religious practices with music and merriment (and traditionally, copious amounts of alcohol and silly costumes). It is in many respects a self-conscious parody of the ancient Persian culture in which one of Judaism’s most [...]
CEO of Home Depot: Purchase Advertising on All-American Muslim to replace Lowe’s
These views are my own. I co-wrote this petition with Frank Fredericks of Religious Freedom USA. State of Formation is in no capacity co-sponsoring this petition, nor is the Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue. Lowe’s recently pulled its advertising from the popular television show “All-American Muslim,” bowing to the pressure of Isalmophobes. It is unworthy of [...]
The Firebombing of Charlie Hebdo: Free Speech vs Islam?
The firebombing of Charlie Hebdo offices following its decision to run an edition featuring Prophet Mohamed as “guest editor,” is a sad reflection of France’s uneasy relationship to Islam and religion more generally. Sadly, there are some who do not believe that Charlie Hebdo should have the right to publish a satirical issue, in which [...]
Mooz-lum
Article first published as Mooz-lum on Blogcritics. In the film Mooz-lum (2010) a family shares a moment of grief. Tightly embracing with bowed heads pressed together while their bodies shake with sobs, it’s an image appropriate for the anniversary of 9/11. It is a metaphor for an American moment of national grieving. Given the state [...]
Contributing Scholars
Stephanie Varnon-HughesStephanie Varnon-Hughes is a Founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue™ and a graduate of Union Theological Seminary, where she earned her Master's in Church History in 2008 and her STM in 2009. A schoolteacher, Stephanie received the Most Promising New Teacher of the Year Award of 2005 in St. Louis, Missouri and has taught English and Performing Arts in public schools in St. Louis and the Bronx. She is a PhD student at Claremont Lincoln University, focusing on building and piloting a multi-religious curriculum for public secondary school students. Follow her on Twitter @SVarnonHughes.
Honna EichlerHonna is the Managing Director at State of Formation. She has a Master of Divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary and works in Chicago, IL.
Sarah J. Blake LaRoseSarah J. Blake LaRose is an ordained minister with the Church of God (Anderson, IN) whose special areas of interest are biblical languages, ministry with seekers, and equipping the church to include people with special needs. Sarah is the author of two chapters in Discipleship that Transforms: An Introduction to Christian Education from a Wesleyan/Holiness Perspective, published in 2011 by Warner Press. She presented a paper with Lauren Tuchman entitled "Using Technology to Meet the Needs of Biblical Language Scholars Who Are Blind" at the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in San Francisco in 2011.