As a Muslim, Pakistani-American student growing up on the East Coast, I experienced school with multiple identities that were often ignored, misunderstood, or altogether invisible. I had not yet developed the language to articulate the impact of that. Religious literacy later provided me with a framework for that experience. It validated that my identities were […]
Identity Formation
Monsters and Misunderstanding: Seeing the “Other” in Frankenstein
Post: Tim Hall, Ph.D., Executive Director, Religion Matters When students first meet the creature in Frankenstein, they often see a monster—grotesque, ugly, and violent. But Mary Shelley invites us to look deeper. Her creature begins not as a monster at all, but as a learner: curious, articulate, and yearning to belong. When his outstretched hand [...]
Breaking Cover: What Søren Kierkegaard and Becket Can Teach in Our Classrooms
Post: Tim Hall, Ph.D., Executive Director, Religion Matters When I first encountered Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), it wasn’t in a philosophy seminar but through a story. In one of his many theological texts, Pope Benedict XVI retold Kierkegaard’s famous parable of the clown warning that the theater was on fire. The audience laughed, thinking it was [...]
Persepolis: Protests, Conversing with God, and Growing Up
Guest Blog: Jane Fitzpatrick, Contributing Writer for Religion Matters Review of Persepolis: The Story of Childhood (2004) by Marjane Satrapi Marjane Satrapi has created an unforgettable artifact of the Iranian Revolution through her autobiographical coming-of-age memoir. Formatted as a black-and-white graphic novel, it was listed as one of the top 100 books of the 21st century […]
Beyond Religious Identity: Muslim Youth, the Duality of Consciousness, and Creating a Path in America
Guest Post: Abeer Ramadan-Shinnawi, Founder of Altair Education Consulting Finding one’s identity, in any community, and especially during adolescence, is not a linear path. But this journey is often more fraught when one is a member of a community of color or a community that is negatively perceived. In the case of Muslim youth, such […]