This post should be of relevance to both decision-making public officials as well as members of the general public who are concerned about the safety of American service personnel. I usually would not have weighed in so soon after an earlier post, but the gravity of what is at stake as well as the relative absence of this perspective in the most widely accessible media coverage (as far as I can tell) pushes me to make an exception. The fact that the Senate and the House both voted (for the most part) along party lines when there was an opportunity to express bipartisan objection (or at least reservation) regarding needlessly putting American armed forces in harm’s way is another cause for urgency. As a footnote, although such votes arguably do not precisely represent the electorate that brought them to power, the members of congress who have failed to lived up to their moral and civic duties are becoming complicit to the extent that they are unexcused in enabling the crimes being committed (try justifying that to the American people and the international community though ––come November, we remember). Back to the point of this post: if the Iranian military has been so severely damaged by American tax-payer military might, why don’t they just “unconditionally surrender” already, as the current President has been hoping? Is this a matter of time? Or is there a deeper analysis of what is going on here? I specialize in understanding the ideological foundations for the religiously-trained personnel in question ––it is more complicated than you might assume.

Deciding on America’s interests should not be at the whim of a gut feeling at a late hour of the night, running on too little sleep and probably an upset stomach (Luckily, it is the month of Ramadan, not only Lent, and fasting has been prescribed for physical health, among many other benefits to wellness). This is not about “terrorism” or “weapons of mass destruction” (headline excuses for the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and then Iraq in 2003; read: “nuclear weapon or ballistic missiles that can reach the U.S.” for the current 2025-2026 Iran war(s)). Make no mistake, there can be silver linings even when the worst decisions in history are made, but that should not cause a rational individual to become delusional about how things should have been decided to begin with, let alone going forward. It should not be about allowing a minority voice within Iran, however amplified by the Iranian diaspora, to “take over their government.” For God’s sake, prioritize the issues Americans want prioritized (e.g. affordability, safety, healthcare, education, etc.) and solve world hunger before trying to overthrow foreign governments. By all means, continue waging the war on drugs––for the benefit of humanity at large––but get the authorization of congress after consulting widely.

Just another casualty, right? Add 3 children, or their dismembered body parts, and their dad to the thousands already buried under the rubble “in that part of the world.” Good news: their mother managed to survive the strike and attended their funeral on a stretcher. And their sister? Still fighting to survive.

It feels too soon to be writing a reflection on Mr. Brehm’s life. Perhaps I assumed he would be around to see additionally significant ripple effects of his generosity first. At least a few more updates that he used to encourage my colleagues and me to share.

How could research comparing two manuals on learning etiquette be relevant to our day-to-day concerns in the “real” world?! Why would I write about this on a public blog? Why not just keep such news confined to the academic circles that would be interested in reading the article themselves?

I take this opportunity to draw the reader’s attention to a line of children’s books that I highly recommend (hint: I am closely familiar with the creators, their vision, and work). The most recent release of “Dr. Heussane” is meant to celebrate personalities that are widely regarded as the pride of humanity, a “spirit of Christmas” ethos in celebrations of various faiths and humane traditions (i.e. not limited to Christianity and Islam).

“Would you like sugar and cream with your coffee?”

“Yes, thank you, but hold the genocidal war please.”

So you have a college degree now, so what?! What value does that bring to the table?

Regardless what else the court is saying, keep in mind whose narrative is being privileged as the assumed “matrix” for the proceedings, blind spot or not.

Back your brother or sister even if he or she is an oppressor? How does that make sense?…

This is apparently what Obi-Wan was forced to do…

I have a confession to make…

Elon Musk is likely more of an exception, no matter how inspiring…

If you came away from the last post (the one about Saint Mary) with the idea that the early history of Islam is arguably intertwined with the ripple effects of debates in early Christianity, then you would be quite right…

But…

By 2050, Christians and Muslims will make up nearly equal shares of the world’s population (assuming current trends continue, according to the Pew Research Center).

No, I don’t mean the late American boxing icon, Muhammad Ali (d. 2016). But the ethics I am about to describe are apparently in line with what he would have subscribed to.

The title of this post reminds me of a satirical exchange, the gist of which has two individuals debating over what the nature of a