Whenever possible, this magazine explores the conundrum facing academics when navigating the uncertain terrain of reconciling an unwavering commitment to a divinely inspired Islam with the obligation to uphold scholarly…
Editorials
Is a Good Life (Still) Possible?
Philosophers and religions have offered answers to the question raised in the title of my review article, but the ancient wisdom of an ascetic lifestyle that liberates one to think…
A Spanish Morisco Explains Morocco
His name is Gonzalo Fernández Parrilla, a professor of Arabic, Arab literature, and Islam; he has no Muslim lineage, though, but he is Spanish, and that is enough, as he…
The Tragic Clash of the Semites
The forgotten history of Jews and Muslims needs to be recovered in order to challenge a multitude of dangerous false assumptions that exacerbate the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
The Looming Techno-Apocalypse
Like prophetic times of old, the world is abuzz with talk of the apocalypse. For die-hard believers, the Rapture of the Second Coming promises a long-awaited reunion with the Lord…
Healing America’s Body Politic
Having long been an admirer of the American Revolution as a landmark event in human history, one that awakened the nations of the earth to the priceless promise of freedom,…
The Tragedy of Human Evolution
Can we ever talk about evolution when we know, as the Italian biologist Telmo Pievani tells us in Imperfection: A Natural History, that human beings are shoddily made creatures, reservoirs…
Ron DeSantis’s Declaration of Independence
On February 28, 2023, the print edition of the New York Times published a review of Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis’ book The Courage to Be Free. The Times reviewer, Jennifer…
The Tyranny of Liberalism
At long last, a distinguished professor publishing with a major academic press, has defied the canons of scholarship, with their stale-and-dry tones (the various bloodless styles that pass for the…
Mysteries of the Father
To those who reject the notion that much of our reality is a social construction, welcome to the world of fatherhood. For the strongly democratic minded, fatherhood may feel like…