Displaying Format: Editorial
Commentary on today’s most pressing issues in the U.S. and around the world.
20 May 2026 | Law Enforcement
From Rhetoric to Violence: Statement on the attack against the Islamic Center of San Diego
We are deeply saddened and outraged by the horrific hate crime attack targeting the Islamic Center of San Diego, a place of worship and a school where children were present. This attack did not occur in a vacuum. It has taken place against a backdrop of escalating, anti-Muslim rhetoric, in which influential opinion leaders and elected officials across the country have repeatedly and deliberately demonized Muslim communities through racist and bigoted language. read the complete article
25 Apr 2025 | Politics
Bridging Worlds: Reflections on Teaching, Dialogue, and the University’s Role
As a historian of the Middle East and a historian of religions, my scholarship and teaching for over two decades have focused on the history of interfaith and interreligious relations, pluralism, and identity. Over this… read the complete article
25 Mar 2025 | Organizations
Abraham’s Bridge: A Documentary Review of Interfaith Connection in America’s Heartland
In a world marked by conflict, division, and religious tension, "Abraham's Bridge" offers a compelling narrative of collaboration across faith traditions. This short documentary, running just under 40 minutes, produced and directed by Elinor J. Pierce, Research Director of the Harvard Pluralism Project (pluralism.org), chronicles the remarkable Tri-Faith Initiative in Omaha, Nebraska – an ambitious project to build a mosque, synagogue, church, and interfaith center side-by-side, connected by a circular wooden bridge. read the complete article
09 Jan 2025 | Politics
Reflections on Interfaith Relations: A Decade After My Time as Allianz Visiting Professor at LMU: A Journey of Cultural Exchange
In the fall of 2013, I arrived in Germany as the Allianz Visiting Professor for Islamic Studies at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), a role that marked a significant milestone in my academic career. This position, endowed by Allianz AG, was part of a continuing guest professorship for Jewish and Islamic Studies, aimed at bringing internationally renowned scholars to Munich to foster intercultural and inter-religious understanding. (Allianz Gastprofessur | Freunde islamischer Kunst) read the complete article
08 Sep 2023 | Law Enforcement
Canada is Experiencing a Rise in Anti-Muslim Attacks
There are nearly 2 million Muslims across Canada- constituting nearly 5% of the country’s total population- who call the Great White North their homes today. At the same time, we are also witnessing a recent… read the complete article
11 Aug 2023 | Policy/Law
Burning the Quran is not free speech
Over the past several weeks a number of individuals in Sweden and Denmark have desecrated and burned copies of the Quran, the holy book of nearly 2 billion Muslims worldwide. While these acts have rapidly increased in the past few weeks, they’re sadly not new as such displays of hatred have taken place throughout Europe for decades. read the complete article
02 Feb 2023
U.S. Should Appoint Islamophobia Envoy Like Canada
In January 2023, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that he would appoint Amira Elghawaby to become Canada’s first special representative for combating Islamophobia to tackle racism, discrimination and religious intolerance faced by millions of… read the complete article
12 Dec 2022 | Terms/Tropes
Western Double Standards & 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup
The recent controversies surrounding the 2022 FIFA World Cup revolve around an ongoing orientalist lens where Western pundits still continue to view the greater Muslim world laced in condescension and double standards not given to other non-Muslim countries, (like China or Russia) who get to host global sporting events without much controversy at all. read the complete article
04 Nov 2022 | Politics
Please Don’t Let Islamophobia Co-Opt Hijab Protests
In my nearly two decades as an international human rights lawyer, I have rarely seen stranger political bedfellows than watching anti-Muslim forces cheering pro-democracy Iranians in the wake of the horrific murder of 22-year-old Mahsa… read the complete article
11 Jan 2022 | Law Enforcement
20 years of Guantánamo: a symbol of injustice, abuse, and disregard for the rule of law
On January 11, 2002, the first individuals arrived at the Guantánamo Bay Military Prison. In the twenty years since the establishment of the prison, a total of 780 Muslim men and boys have passed through the prison, with over 98% never being charged with a crime. In the two decades since its founding, only two prisoners have ever been convicted. read the complete article