An advocacy organization for persecuted Christians has asked the 2012 presidential candidates to sign a pledge stating they would make religious freedom a priority in the United States and overseas if they win the White House. Open Doors USA joined with religious freedom activist Tom Farr of Georgetown University to draft the pledge, which was…
By: Alia Yunis: “The Night Counter” In her novel The Night Counter, Alia Yunis tells the story of a Lebanese-American family in the USA that has cut its ties with its Arab origins. In Yunis’s book, Scheherazade, the great literary teller of tales, does not relate stories, but listens to them instead. A review by…
Rima Fakih knew she had won the 2010 Miss USA title when she saw the look on Donald Trump’s face: It was the same one she’d seen him flash at the winners of “The Apprentice.” The 24-year-old Lebanese immigrant — Miss Michigan USA to the judges — beat out 50 other women to take the…
Rima Fakih, the Lebanese-American, ‘liberal Muslim’ Miss USA from Michigan, has a fascinating interview at the religion site Patheos revealing that she is — surprise surprise — pretty much like most 24-year-olds on the spiritual front. She’s a mash-up and she’s proud of it: “I’m Miss USA, not Miss Religion USA.”
By JOY SEWING As the first Muslim to be crowned Miss USA, Rima Fakih isn’t bothered by criticism that wearing bikinis and revealing clothing goes against the teachings of her religion. During a brief stop in Houston this week, the newly crowned Miss USA said she hopes her new profile will help expand the notion…
