Archive
Swami Agnivesh: One of His Final Interviews in Caravan Magazine
This interview was originally published in The Caravan, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. It has been edited and condensed. *** On 11 September, Agnivesh, a swami in the Arya …
Imam Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye: From Enemies to Friends Building Peace
This article was originally published in Ripples Nigeria, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. Of its 60 years of existence as an independent state, Africa’s most populous country, …
Imam Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye: Bringing Peace to Warring Nigerian Communities
This article was originally published in Premium Times, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. For the greater part of May 2, 2004, 40-year-old Amina Abubakar endured nine-month-old pregnancy …
Jacques Mourad: The Syrian Catholic Priest Who Stayed
This article was originally published as the cover story of the March 2, 2020 issue of America Magazine, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. It became clear that …
Ahmed Toufiq: The Quiet Sufi Behinds Morocco’s Islamic Affairs
This article was originally published in Religion Unplugged, with the support of CRCC’s global project on engaged spirituality. In the cavernous dining room of an artist-friend, Ahmed Toufiq quickly eats a fresh …
The Invisible Muslims: Reporting about Islam in America
This piece originally appeared on Nieman Reports. Days after last year’s terrorist attack on a public services center in San Bernardino, California, Kristen Stangas was standing amid a cluster of reporters outside …
Doing It All For Her: A Lesbian Muslim Hip-Hop Singer on Art and Activism
This article originally appeared on The Huffington Post. “I could’ve been like the dude in Orlando,” said Jaheda Choudhury-Potter, a self-described “geeky dark-skinned lesbian Muslim” who fronts a queer hip-hop band in …
A Time for Moral Reflection – The Silver Lining After the Orlando Shooting
In the horror of the Orlando massacre, there may be a silver lining. This event, as well as the killings at Emanuel Church in Charleston one year ago and other national atrocities, …
From Louisville to Orlando: Muslim Americans in a Time of Hope and Crisis
Many of my American Muslim friends from all across the U.S. traveled to Louisville a few weekends ago to pay their respects and to reflect on the life of Muhammad Ali. They …
Loskota at USC Roundtable on Security with Clinton
Los Angeles is a model for how to engage communities in the fight against extremism, Secretary Hillary Clinton said at a roundtable on homeland security hosted by Mayor Eric Garcetti at the …
How Young Muslim Activists in Sweden Fight Radicalization
This article originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times. When Salahuddin Barakat founded the Islam Academy in 2013, he located it on the edge of Rosengard, a predominantly Muslim neighborhood that has …
Why Terrorists Can’t Win in World’s Largest Muslim City
A few minutes after newswires began to buzz with reports of a terrorist attack in Indonesia, I received a text from a friend at the Los Angeles Times. “My Starbucks in Jakarta …
Celebrating Christmas in an Age of Religious Extremism
This article was originally published on The Conversation. From the recent attack on Planned Parenthood to the shooting in San Bernardino, extremists of all stripes are revealing the ugly side of religion. …
Los Angeles Rallies Around Muslim Americans After Terrorist Attacks
Japanese and Muslim American groups, as well as other supporters, gathered for a candlelight vigil in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo neighborhood to remember the victims of recent terrorist attacks and stand up …
9/11 and Pope Francis: Bringing New York City’s Faith Communities Together
Timothy Cardinal Dolan welcomed Pope Francis to “A Witness to Peace,” a multi-religious gathering at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, by telling him, “We in New York are sinners.” “But,” …
My Clock Story: How Accusations Against Muslim Americans Do Harm
A few weeks before I graduated as an undergrad from USC, a false complaint was lodged against me with the dean of my school. A fellow student claimed that I was plotting …
A New Generation Becomes Civic Leaders in Africa
Post courtesy of the United States Institute of Peace. CRCC & USIP partner to run the Generation Change Fellowship Program. By Fred Strasser The road to leadership for Imrana, a Nigerian activist, …
The City of Los Angeles Celebrates Religious Pluralism Day
The city of Los Angeles celebrated its first ever Religious Pluralism Day on April 21, 2015. City Council member Mitch O’Farrell introduced the formal resolution for the day, and Mitchell Englander seconded …
Competitive Religious Philanthropy in the Wake of the Nepali Earthquake
This post originally appeared at Religion Dispatches. The death toll in Nepal has surpassed 8,500, Reuters reported this week, making it the country’s deadliest earthquake on record. In the aftermath of the disaster, …
Ayaan Hirsi Ali Is Not the Reformer Islam Needs. Here Are the Real Reformers
To the chagrin of many Muslims, Ayaan Hirsi Ali is back on the talk show circuit, promoting her new book, Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now. And, for the first time, …