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Issue 120 (November - December 2017)

Issue 120 (November - December 2017)

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Editorial: Is There an American Muslim Song?

31 October 2017 | The Fountain | Issue 120 (November - December 2017)

This question, posed by Dr. Ingrid Mattson during her address at the conference “Islam in America: Civic and Religious Youth Identities,” stresses the need for Islam to start feeling at home in the so-called “new world.” Despite its universal claim, many still view Islam as a religion of the Middle…

Perhaps One Day We, Too, Will Be Revived

31 October 2017 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 120 (November - December 2017)

In our gloomy lands, we have waited years for a breeze of revival, expecting the momentous sound of a resurrecting trumpet. Though we hope God will not make us wait any longer, we are determined to actively wait until the day we find our lost values. But I wonder, are we qualified for such an expec…

Water Management and the Qur’an

31 October 2017 | Harun Avci | Issue 120 (November - December 2017)

Water is a unique blessing, given to all living beings. It needs to be used with balance, harmony, economy, and justice. Agriculture, industry, and ecology depend on our water sources. What happens in one country may affect another. The Nile river and its branches pass through nearly 10 countries…

Ethics: A Principle in Islamic Epistemology

31 October 2017 | Ali Gomaa | Issue 120 (November - December 2017)

Islam has been ordained for higher objectives designed to refine the conduct of those who endeavor to follow its guidance. The hope is to yield benefits both for society and individuals. These honorable objectives aim at providing safety and peace by ensuring the security of one’s life, freedom to…

In A Different Light

31 October 2017 | Lawrence Brazier | Issue 120 (November - December 2017)

Our cause is not the acceptance or rejection of religion, or the debate of Faith against Reason. We wish to make faith a matter of reason because, if the mystics are right, reason is not necessarily a matter of thought. We are concerned with the claim of the mystic, who would negate mood, which can…

Awesome Inspirations from Shark Skin

31 October 2017 | Adam Allison | Issue 120 (November - December 2017)

There are more than 500 species of sharks that have been identified. They can live both in the sea and in fresh water. According to the fossil records obtained to date, sharks have been around for about 400 million years. The average life span of sharks is 20-30 years, although there are species li…

Saadi Shirazi’s Influence on Ralph Waldo Emerson

31 October 2017 | Mubina Muftic | Issue 120 (November - December 2017)

“To Baron von Hammer Purgstall, who died in Vienna in 1856, we owe our best knowledge of the Persians,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson (d. 1882) in his essay “Persian Poetry.” Thus, it was an Austrian Orientalist who introduced Saadi (d. 1292) and his poetry to Emerson in the mid-1840s. Although Emerso…

Ghayba (Absence)

31 October 2017 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 120 (November - December 2017)

Literally meaning disappearance and no longer being existent, ghayba (absence) denotes that the heart has cut its relationship with the corporeal world in order to give itself to exclusive devotion to God. Although derived from the word ghayb, which means being not present, ghayba (absence) signifi…

Stem Cell Treatments A Breakthrough in Medical Science

31 October 2017 | Rafiq Ebrahim | Issue 120 (November - December 2017)

There have been certain moments in human history that have stunned humanity and changed the way we thought. Some have even altered the very course of civilization. The late twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century have seen the realization of the fantastic dreams of scientist…

Arteries and Veins – How and Why Are They Different?

31 October 2017 | Omer Yildiz | Issue 120 (November - December 2017)

The human body is an ideal example of the perfect harmony between structure and function; every part serves a purpose. Arteries and veins differ in many ways, including diameter, strength, durability, and valves. Arteries have thick walls that can withstand high pressure. When the heart pumps bloo…

Is There an American Muslim Song?

31 October 2017 | Zara Khan | Issue 120 (November - December 2017)

Islam in America presents a growing field of research for social scientists who explore Muslim societies and the contentions that arise around them, given the current political and cultural context in the United States. Only around 10% of the new immigrants to the US are Muslims; thus a great major…

On Bodies

31 October 2017 | Justin Pahl | Issue 120 (November - December 2017)

1. Having a body is a strange thing – stranger, still, when you think about how rarely we consider our bodies and what goes on inside of them. When was the last time you stopped while taking the stairs two at a time and thought, How remarkable? When did you last give thanks for ease with which you…

Teenagers and Eating Disorders

31 October 2017 | Gunel Mehraliyeva | Issue 120 (November - December 2017)

“You look great. Have you lost weight?” Most of us enjoy such compliments. Our culture’s messages maintain the importance of being slim. Dieting, exercising, skipping meals, body dissatisfaction, and a desire to lose weight are the norm for 70 percent of teenagers (Siegel and et al. 5). When these…

Prejudice and Ways to Avoid It in Education

31 October 2017 | Esra Akdogan | Issue 120 (November - December 2017)

Prejudices are attitudes that may lead to the stereotyping of and discrimination against certain groups, usually minorities. Psychologists have conducted detailed studies on prejudice. In this article, we’ll approach prejudice, especially in education, from a psychological perspective. What is psyc…

I See No Difference

31 October 2017 | Zuleyha B. Ozturk | Issue 120 (November - December 2017)

“I do not see color, or culture, or any sort of difference about anyone because that leads to discrimination; everyone is the same anyways.” My ears picked up on this conversation right before a crowded organic chemistry lecture. Why students in the organic chemistry section ended up discussin…

System Blindness and the Lifespan of a Society

31 October 2017 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 120 (November - December 2017)

Question: It usually is inevitable to lose motivation in good works, which, like other things, may become ordinary and monotonous in time. Is this a consequence of system blindness? What can be done to prevent such blindness?

Hidden Oceans in Frozen Worlds

31 October 2017 | The Fountain | Issue 120 (November - December 2017)

Hidden Oceans in Frozen Worlds Saxena P. et al. Relevance of tidal heating on large TNOs. Icarus, December 2017. Searching for alien life, a new study from NASA suggests that some icy worlds in our outer solar system, including Pluto, Eris and other trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) may harbor liqui…

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