Archive for August, 2008|Monthly archive page
March In Solidarity with the People of Palestine.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Events, Guest bloggers, Uncategorized
Leave a Comment Coalition for Palestinian Rights, Engage Minnesota
On September 1, the Republican Party will be in St. Paul, Minnesota for the Republican National Convention (RNC). More than 45,000 people, including 15,000 media employees, are expected to attend the 2008 convention.
Counting the days to the End Times
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: apocalypse, Elias Karmi, end times, evangelical, hagee, Islam, Israel, jesus, judgement day, Muslims, prophecies, prophecy, second coming, Uncategorized
Comments (2) A Quick guide to the Islamic attitude toward prophecies
By Elias Karmi, Engage Minnesota
For some religions/denominations, notably Evangelical Christians, the subject of the End Times constitutes a formidable chunk of faith. Many of Pastor John Hagee’s books, from the fictional “Left Behind” series to “Jerusalem Countdown: A Warning to the World,” attempt to predict the future according to interpretations of the Bible and have enjoyed tremendous popularity among Evangelical Christians. “Left Behind” was even made into a movie.
Spanning the differences
By Johanna Osman, Engage Minnesota
Today I attended the Interfaith Memorial Service at the Basilica St. Mary in Minneapolis, commemorating the anniversary of the 35W Bridge Collapse. My intention was to document, as a scholar, the cooperation between peoples of many faiths. This was to be another example of Minnesota’s interfaith activities to include in my study. Read more »
Appealing Ideals, Troubling Practices
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Guest bloggers, Turkey;Coexistence;Peacemaking;Middle East
Comments (2) By Onder Uluyol, Engage Minnesota
Last summer I went to Turkey to visit my birthplace and my relatives who live there. During a family gathering, I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard two of my relatives agreeing on what the U.S. is doing in the Middle East and what is best for Turkey. You see, one of those relatives is a die-hard socialist who believes in extensive state control in economy, education and healthcare and sees religion as an impediment to the society. The other one is a fiery Muslim activist who sees a supporting role for the government in providing the basic needs, values the role of the religion in shaping the moral fabric of the community and abhors that the government is interfering with the free exercise of belief. For many internal ills of the society they blame each other. Yet this time, they agreed that the U.S., with its imperialistic policies, is the cause of many problems, Turkey would be the next target after Iraq, and the best way forward for Turkey would be to isolate itself from the West.
The view articulated by my two relatives of opposing backgrounds, although still the minority view, has been gaining support recently in the region. I believe the increasing popularity of this anti-Americanism is not ideological but represents a defensive posturing by the people as a result of the confusion and the fear created by the horrible destruction they see in neighboring Iraq.
