Reading Time: 10 minutes I was raised Muslim in the United States with refugee parents from Bosnia and Iraq. Before entering our mosque, I washed my hands, feet, and face, removed my shoes, grabbed a prayer rug, and bowed in submission to Allah. The croons of the sheikh singing sacred Arabic syllables vibrated off of the walls in tandem with the quiet […]
Secular Symphony
Posted inSecular Symphony
What book changed your life or worldview?
Reading Time: 6 minutes The title caught my eye between blurs of harried travelers: Going Home: Jesus and Buddha as Brothers. Sacrilege! I thought. Mustn’t look. But the red and gold cover tempted me like the devil himself. Loudspeakers announced flight numbers in monotone stability while my heart committed vertigo. I stepped closer to the display table. Blasphemy! I […]
Posted inSecular Symphony
Why are we here?
Reading Time: 8 minutes A couple of months ago, I asked my dad if he thought COVID-19 came from a lab. We were sitting across from each other in a coffee shop several blocks away from my childhood home. It had closed down within the first weeks of lockdown. Seven months later, it was open again, under new management. […]
Posted inSecular Symphony
What does it mean to be secular?
Reading Time: 7 minutes Three prominent nonreligious voices share their thoughts on what it means to be secular today.