Muslims are required by their faith to perform prayers five times a day, preceded by a cleansing ritual and followed by physical prostrations facing Mecca. In a society not always understanding or accepting of these practices, how do Muslims navigate this ritualistic obligation? In this book, Rose Aslan seeks to answer this question and explores the complexities of maintaining devout Islamic rituals in post-9/11 America. Drawing on an original survey of 350 Muslims as well as examining literature, poetry, film, TV shows, and social media posts, Muslim Prayer in American Public Life provides an in-depth examination of the lived experiences of Muslim prayer practices in the United States today. It explores the various ways Muslims seek to navigate their ritual obligations within a predominantly secular society and the diverse challenges they confront regarding prayer in public settings such as schools, workplaces, media representations, religious debates, and protest movements. Aslan sho
Many appreciate Richard P. Feynman’s contributions to twentieth-century physics, but few realize how engaged he was with the world around him—how deeply and thoughtfully he considered the religious, political, and social issues of his day. Now, a wonderful book—based on a previously unpublished, three-part public lecture he gave at the University of Washington in 1963—shows us this other side of Feynman, as he expounds on the inherent conflict between science and religion, people’s distrust of politicians, and our universal fascination with flying saucers, faith healing, and mental telepathy. Here we see Feynman in top form: nearly bursting into a Navajo war chant, then pressing for an overhaul of the English language (if you want to know why Johnny can’t read, just look at the spelling of “friend”); and, finally, ruminating on the death of his first wife from tuberculosis. This is quintessential Feynman—reflective, amusing, and ever enlightening.
As a distinguished pastor, educator, and public servant, Samuel DeWitt Proctor made it his mission to serve American life by fighting racism. In The Imposing Preacher, Adam Bond shows how Proctor, as
Harry Jackson and Tony Perkins believe that America stands at a crossroads. As a nation we must choose God's blessings or His destruction of our society. The "Religious Right," as it has been termed,
Based on primary research, this book explores the controversies, policies and practices of 'public faith', questioning perceptions of a fixed divide between religious and secular participants in publi
How far can religion play a part in the public sphere, or should it be only a private matter? Roger Trigg examines this question in the context of today's pluralist societies, where many different be
