This past week Rachel Freier became the first Hasidic Jewish woman to hold elected office in America. An attorney, an activist and a devout Hasidic Jew, Freier took the bench as a civil court judge in Brooklyn one week ago, and in doing so forged a path never before taken…
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With all the stories on the Internet it can be difficult to always stay in the know. To help, we’ve searched the web for interesting pieces of news, videos and tips to help you start off your week on the right foot. 1. Your underwhelming New Year’s Eve photos “As…
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On Saturday nights, a man stands on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica yelling false and insulting words against my religion and its followers. I am Muslim; I wear a headscarf, so this feels personal. And while I’ve become somewhat desensitized to it, it is still awful to listen…
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The “Ramadan Sharing Fridge” initiative has gone viral in Dubai, and the group’s webpage has gone from a handful of people in the beginning of June to nearly 18,000 people within two weeks. The idea is simple – for residents to set up a fridge outside their house or in…
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altM’s Founder, Editor-in-Chief, and religious liberties lawyer Asma Uddin reviews the Marrakesh Declaration, and what it means for religious freedom. In the 13th century, when the Mongols conquered Baghdad, their ruler Hulagu Khan gathered the religious scholars in the city and asked them: According to spiritual law, which option is…
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[tweetthis] What happens when you give up the love of your life for your love of God?[/tweetthis] This is not a question I ever expected I’d have to answer. As a young girl, I always assumed that I would not need to sacrifice one for the other, but rather my…
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LETTER 1 of 2 As-Salaam-Alaikum: I don’t mean to bother you but this is disturbing my mind and I need an educated explanation. I was at a Muslim Sister’s Fashion Show (predominately African American sisters) when during casual conversation a young sister (mid 20s) stated that her husband is Christian….
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On many occasions and in many spaces, interfaith work has gotten a bad rap. “It’s all kumbaya and touchy feely stuff,” one friend told me. Another lamented, “People talk and talk, but nothing ever gets accomplished.” And my favorite dismissal of interfaith work is that it preaches to those already…
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A recent cartoon showed Pope Francis calling for America to take action on social justice, immigration and climate change. Standing next to him, a somber adviser reads a piece of paper and comments to the pontiff, “43% of Republicans now say you’re a Muslim.” Political satire aside, Pope Francis’ message is resonating…
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The idea grew out of the tragedy of the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris. A dear friend of mine of Jewish faith, horrified at the growing intolerance and hate in the world and the comments she was hearing that the Paris attacks somehow represented the values of Islam, approached me to…
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