United States

Questioning Religious Freedom at Ground Zero

bcicirel Islam, United States

—

This article was written by Leena Saleh, the editor of UMMA INK, DePaul University’s Muslim Student Association newspaper.

—

Approaching the anniversary of the September 11th attacks, a Mosque is proposed to be built where the Twin Towers in New York City once stood. A heated debate over the appropriateness of the Mosque’s location has elicited a toxic mixture of fear and hate.

“I think the controversy is absurd. Just because extremists of one religion commit terrorist acts doesn’t mean they represent all of the people of that faith,” said Sarah Ewing a senior majoring in journalism. Relating to her own faith, Ewing said, “I don’t want to be held accountable for actions of extremist Jews. They don’t represent me.” Continue reading →

The Future of Interfaith

bcicirel Global Interfaith Movement, United States

I have become increasingly involved in interfaith work and during that progression I have found myself asking: Where is this work leading? When I was younger, I was under the impression that interfaith only meant dialogue between religious groups, and usually between Christians, Muslims, and Jews at that. I thought it to be important, but never really understood its purpose. Now with my work as a DePaul Interfaith Scholar and my increased involvement in the interfaith movement, I have come to a greater understanding of why such work is necessary. I learned that dialogue is not the only form of interfaith, that interfaith is not just found in the US, and that this movement can and will be crucial in constructing the framework for which the world will resolve its conflicts. Continue reading →

Religion: It’s So Hot Right Now

bcicirel United States

When Religion Meets Pop Culture

At lunch a week ago, sitting with friends who share my religion, one of them brought up something I never noticed before. She said that the interfaith movement is growing-which is a great thing, we all agreed. She also said that one of her fears about it has partially come true. The movement was not just a movement anymore-it was a fad. We asked her to explain; she mentioned as an example the summer interns at a Chicago-based organization called the Interfaith Youth Core, which we were all actively involved with. These were students who spent one summer out of their college lives lightly dabbling into interfaith, she said, and then bragging about it to their friends that they had found some cool, underground cause. Continue reading →

Respect Religious Diversity Through The Separation of Church and State

bcicirel United States

Two public high schools in Enfield, CT, hold their graduation ceremonies in The First Cathedral. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State have requested that they change to a secular location, especially since apparently there are several that are less expensive and closer to the school. Enfield High School and Enrico Fermi High School, along with several other local public high schools, have been holding graduation at the church for several years. According to the article on the ACLU website, a large number of parents and students have protested, including 90 percent of Enfield’s high school graduating class voting against holding commencement there. Continue reading →