The Heart of the Mosque; Encounters with Muslim Piety in the Middle East
March 8, 2026
It was one of the most reckless things I’ve ever done overseas. I had read that Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia has one of the world’s best
Promoting Peace in the Middle East through Culture
March 5, 2026
Flying over the Holy Land is dramatic, even at 35,000 feet. You see long stretches of tan with no other colors. No vegetation or clouds,
Why Gilgamesh Still Matters
December 26, 2025
Sumerians created a system of writing that was robust enough for literature more than 5,000 years ago. It was initially used to record inventories and
Traditional China and the Middle East; Two Ways to Relate to Divinity
March 2, 2025
I thought I’d cause a little trouble while I was in Egypt. I knew that this story would mess with my Cairo guide’s head.
Multicultural Blends in a Muslim Village in Yunnan
September 3, 2024
Yunnan’s Erhai Lake has been multicultural for centuries. It was the center of the fabled Nan Chao kingdom, which presided over much of northern
The Message Meets the Way; Islamic Art in China
September 1, 2024
Islam and China have created vastly underappreciated cultural fusions. Islam was introduced to China in the Tang Dynasty through ports of the southeastern coastal
Assumptions about Language and Reality in the Kabbalah
April 20, 2024
The Kabbalah is a very deep spiritual tradition (the word literally means tradition) with fascinating assumptions about language and reality. By the beginning of the
Inner Meanings of Geometry and the Five Pillars of Faith in Islamic Thought
February 23, 2024
In Islamic thought, a lot of things have deep meanings beneath the surface. This child is beginning to learn about the Five Pillars of
The View from the Mosque; A Different Perspective than Gothic Style
February 23, 2024
Mosque architecture emerged in a dramatically different cultural environment than the West’s ancient temples and Christian churches. Things that seem simple have limitless depth there.
Concepts of Space in Mosque Architecture
February 22, 2024
On the surface, nothing could seem simpler than an open courtyard. But even the mosque’s courtyard (the Ibn Tulun Mosque’s in the two above