The Maracana Stadium, which hosted the final match in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, can be seen from the hills of a close-by shantytown or “favela,” in Rio de Janeiro, …
Finding Comfort and Countless Other Blessings in Dua
I was listening to National Public Radio a few years ago and the topic of prayer came up. Several random people were asked the question, “When was the last time …
Ferguson Tragedy: Lessons Learned About Race in America
Ferguson, a small suburban town in Missouri, has recently been the focus of global media attention for The August 9 shooting death of a black teenager, Michael Brown, by a …
Caring for the Elderly
Grandparents are undoubtedly the best! Their smiles, tender words of love, storytelling sessions, the joy they get in feeding and playing with their grandchildren, their wise advice, and the list …
Feel Like Complaining? Try Caring for Others
There is a common sentiment that humans feel when a calamity or misfortune strikes -“Why me? Why did this happen to me?” In that moment there is a sudden surge …
The Common Good: Fairness, Equality of Opportunity, and Helping Those in Need
A student at University of North Carolina School of Law, Justice Warren, wrote in 2012 about a trip he and a group of students took while studying the adverse effects …
Book Review: Islam
Author: Caesar Farah Ph.D. Publisher: Barron’s Educational Series, Inc. ISBN#: 0-7641-2226-6 Year of last publication: 2003 Edition: 7th Paperback: 512 pages Caesar Farah, who died in 2009, was a professor …
Gratitude, Journaling, and Gifts that Come from the Soul
Muslims often talk about the importance of being thankful. That’s not surprising since there are many instances of the words “thanks,” “thankful,” “grateful,” and “gratitude” being used in the Qur’an. …
Whistling Past the Graveyard
April 4, 1968 is deeply embedded into the collective conscience of this nation as a watershed moment — the assassination date of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. While demonized by …
Promoting Islamic Fiction: A Worthwhile Struggle
Back when I embraced Islam as a bright-eyed youth twenty-four years ago, there wasn’t much with an Islamic flavor available in the fiction and literature department. At the time, I …