Tag Archives: Islam
A Time To Dance
The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas continues to dominate the headlines. Prospects of peace seem slim to non-existent.Conflict seems to be a way of life in the Middle East – but it doesn’t have to be so. So often it seems peace is humanly impossible, as neither side is willing to make concessions unless […]
That’s A Wrap
The driver took a detour to get to our destination. Apparently there were road closures. It was December 26 and I wasn’t thinking about Christmas, but it wasn’t going to be Christmas in Egypt until January 7, as most Christians there follow the Julian calendar. Most church holy days happen a couple of weeks after […]
The Dance
Another one from 2016. Refections on a trip to Turkey taken in 2011. I had mixed feelings about attending – but I am glad I did. Whirling dervishes are part of an obscure branch of Islam, an ecstatic dance performed only in a few places. I won’t go into details, you can look it up. I […]
Turkish Politics and You
With the world concentrating on COVID-19, you may have missed Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s latest not so subtle move to reshape his country. He wants to turn a museum into a mosque. Not just any museum though, but a UNESCO world heritage building, the Hagia Sophia. This is a popular move in a country where […]
Messiah
I don’t have time to binge-watch television. That explains why it took my wife and I almost two weeks to get through the ten episodes in the first season of the new Netflix series Messiah, which was released in January. It is a compelling drama that touches on so many aspects of contemporary society. A […]
Testament of Time
I understand why this piece, originally published in February 2015, was popular in 2019. There has been a movement in Turkey for a number of years to convert the Hagia Sophia from a museum into a mosque and it seemed there was increased talk of that this past year. This was the second-most read post […]
Time To Dance!
I was at an event at a local church recently when dancing broke out. For those who are shocked at the concept of dancing in a church, I should point out it wasn’t during a worship service. It was at an afternoon café, a drop-in for members of the local refugee community. It is held […]
Terror Too Close To Home
When they are far away, they are just news items we may or may not pay attention to. It is different when they happen in your neighbourhood. Throughout the day Wednesday, people in Canada were forwarding me news stories about the terror attack at the Christmas market in Strasbourg, France. It is only an hour’s […]
The Apostates
Life is an unending series of choices. Some are rather trivial: should I have cereal or toast for breakfast? Why not both? Others have more impact: should I take this job? Should I marry this person? None though is more important than the choice involved in religious belief. The question of God and our relationship […]
A Drinking Problem?
At first glance the news story could be seen as weird example of persecution of Christians in the Middle East. The Iraqi Parliament has prohibited the importation, production and sale of alcohol. The booze sellers are all Christians. And with this move the Iraqi government has attacked the livelihoods of a significant number of people. […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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