Religion
Religious Liberty for Some
This year, Texas introduced a $1 billion school voucher program that gives parents thousands of dollars toward tuition at private and religious schools. But families choosing Islamic schools are facing obstacles, in a case that recalls a long history of debate over faith and freedom.
‘AmericaIsrael’ Is a Political Religion
What makes the relationship between the U.S. and Israel unique, one that can’t be captured by ordinary frameworks? It’s as if the two states were a single entity — “AmericaIsrael” — functioning like an article of faith and producing its own heretics.
Sufism Endures in Lebanon’s Marginalized North
While Sufi practices in Lebanon’s cities have dwindled under pressure from Salafists, rural Akkar remains a bastion of mysticism. Across its villages, Sufi congregations host centuries-old “zikr” prayer ceremonies that center on music, dance and joy.
How the Rise of Bureaucracy Reshaped Religion
The ways that today’s states deal with the sacred are not determined by how “secular” they are or the lingering effects of ancient traditions. Variations in how religion relates to public life around the world were rather set by the evolution of modern bureaucracies.
Syria Needs a Strong Society, Not a Strongman
The world is worried about the jihadism of Syria’s new leaders, but the world may be missing the point. Whether the state is religious or secular, Syria needs a strong society, not a strongman.
Why Some People of Faith Refrain From Voting in the US
The motivations among those who abstain from voting for religious reasons are varied. But as the election looms ever closer and the rhetoric around it remains supercharged, systematically excluded communities and other religious actors with objections to American policies form a distinctive, if diverse, coalition.
Christian Nationalism in the United States — with Andrew Whitehead
Riada Asimovic Akyol speaks with Andrew Whitehead, one of the foremost scholars of Christian nationalism in the United States. They discuss the perceptions of Christianity’s relationship to American identity and civic life as well as the findings of Whitehead’s research about “Christian nationalists” among different ideological adherents and traditions.