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Tag Archives: Bediüzzaman-Said-Nursi
Invisible Heroes: Muslim Immigrants And Refugees In Our Community
Zeyneb Sayilgan, Ph.D. Maymuna is originally from Ghana and immigrated to the United States ten years ago. Her family had to remain behind. We first met when Maymuna knocked on my door one day. She had seen my name on … Continue reading
Posted in Islam
Tagged Bediüzzaman-Said-Nursi, bediuzzama-said-nursi, Community, Faith, Family, God, Hadith, Immigration, Islam, life, Prophet-Muhammad, Quran, Refugees, Religion
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Teaching about 9/11 – A Muslim Mother’s Plea to Educators
Zeyneb Sayilgan, Ph.D. Last year on 9/11, my then 5th grade daughter returned home from school visibly distressed. I became worried. “What happened?”- I asked. She urged me to sit down and watch a video with her. Her social studies … Continue reading
Posted in Bediüzzaman-Said-Nursi, Community, Death, God, Interreligious Education, Islam, Prophet-Muhammad, Quran, Ramadan, Risale-i Nur
Tagged Bediüzzaman-Said-Nursi, Death, Faith, God, Grief, History, Islam, Prophet-Muhammad, Quran, Religion
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Welcoming Ramadan 2026: Five Songs on My Playlist Capturing this Holy Month
Zeyneb Sayılgan, Ph.D. Every year, Ramadan arrives in my home before the crescent moon is officially announced. It arrives in sound. A few days before the month begins, my daughter presses play. The first notes drift through the house, and … Continue reading
Posted in Bediüzzaman-Said-Nursi, Community, God, Islam, Prophet-Muhammad, Quran, Ramadan, Risale-i Nur
Tagged Bediüzzaman-Said-Nursi, Faith, Fasting, God, Hadith, Islam, Prophet-Muhammad, Quran, Ramadan, Religion, Risale-i Nur
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Mary to the Rescue – How the Mother of Jesus saved the first Muslim Refugees
Zeyneb Sayılgan, Ph.D. I return often to an important event from the very beginning of Islamic history, because it refuses to let me give in to despair. At a time when Muslim immigrants and refugees are routinely dehumanized and demonized … Continue reading
Posted in Bediüzzaman-Said-Nursi, Community, God, Immigration, Interreligious Education, Islam, Jesus, Mary, Prophet-Muhammad, Quran, Risale-i Nur
Tagged Bediüzzaman-Said-Nursi, Christianity, Faith, God, Islam, Jesus, Mary, Migration, Prophet-Muhammad, Quran, Religion, Risale-i Nur
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Islamophobia in the Classroom: Memories of a Muslim Student
by Zeyneb Sayılgan, Ph.D. Being bullied in school is a painful experience. When this injury is inflicted by teachers, though, it reaches another level. Your trust in adults who are supposed to nurture, guide and protect you is fundamentally shaken. … Continue reading
Posted in Bediüzzaman-Said-Nursi, Community, God, Islam, Prophet-Muhammad, Quran, Risale-i Nur
Tagged Bediüzzaman-Said-Nursi, God, Hadith, History, Islam, Islamophobia, Malcolm X, politics, Prophet-Muhammad, Quran, Religion, Risale-i Nur
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World Happiness Report 2025: A Muslim Reflection
Zeyneb Sayılgan, PhD My young daughter often asks me at bedtime about my favorite childhood memories. As I share them with her, I have come to realize they often involve other people. Playing outside in nature with the neighborhood children … Continue reading
Posted in Bediüzzaman-Said-Nursi, Community, God, Islam, Quran
Tagged Bediüzzaman-Said-Nursi, Community, Faith, God, Happiness, Islam, Prophet-Muhammad, Quran, Religion
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Death The Greatest Teacher: Three Life-Lessons From The Child I Lost
If you want advice – death is sufficient, says Muslim scholar Bediüzzaman Said Nursi. True. Every time I visit the gravesite of my sweet three-year-old Meryem, I am painfully awakened in new ways. Her love and light continue to sustain and strengthen … Continue reading
Imam Ali (ra) and His Wisdom for the Interreligious Life
This past July Muslims around the world entered the new Islamic year of 1446. The first Islamic month of Muharram is a moment in which Muslims not only observe the important fast of Ashura but also commemorate the martyrdom of … Continue reading
The Grieving Prophet – How this Muslim Mother finds Comfort in Muhammad’s Sorrow
He buried his own six children. Three of them died in infancy and three others in young adulthood. His only surviving child – daughter Fatima – died six months after him. Prophet Muhammad was no stranger to death. His father … Continue reading
Posted in Death
Tagged Bediüzzaman-Said-Nursi, Death, God, Grief, Hadith, Islam, Prophet-Muhammad, Quran
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Three Qur’anic Concepts that Guide my Interreligious Life
My Muslim upbringing has deeply influenced my personal and academic life. Through my journey, I’ve discovered that while my values are rooted in my faith, engaging with other traditions has significantly broadened my perspective. This mutual learning process not only … Continue reading
Posted in Community, God, Islam
Tagged Bediüzzaman-Said-Nursi, God, Hadith, Islam, Prophet-Muhammad, Quran, Religion
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