Why does the Iranian government continue to criticize the United States after signing the nuclear accord that would unfreeze their assets? In short, it’s because of centuries of European and American exploitation. According to Annie Tracy Samuel in the current issue of Origins, Current Events in Historical Perspective, “the past is very much part of the present in Iran.” Called “Viewpoint Iran: The Past and Present of the U.S.-Iran Standoff”, the essay is one of the best and most readable... Read more

Teaching Hinduism? Here’s a great clip showing a Hindu religious coming-of-age ceremony called Upanayanam. The coming-of-age cermony is for boys between 8 and 16. Acccording to PBS Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, it “marks the start of formal education.” Read more

Here’s a great review from CNN of the discovery in Britain of Quran fragments that date to the time of the Prophet. Read more

Teaching indigenous religions? Here’s a fascinating 20 minute documentary about Native Americans on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Datkota. The Tribeca documentary tells the story of two entrepreneurs “who use tradition and ingenuity to bring opportunity and hope” to their people. They do it with Tanka energy bars made from buffalo. According to Mark Tilsen, President, Native American Natural Foods, “A lot of people believe that the buffalo have returned in order to help heal the people because they... Read more

Is the the Middle East becoming more secular? That’s what historian, Juan Cole, author of the New Arabs, suggests in this fascinating short interview for Lip TV. He argues that most Arabs are becoming increasingly secular. The current generation, born in the 1980’s, is different from their parent’s generation. It is more literate, more urban, more wired, and less religiously observant. Cole notes that in Lebanon and Tunisia, the younger generation is starkly more secular. In Egypt, he sees a... Read more

What is Eid al-Fitr? How is it celebrated? Time Magazine explains in the short clip above. And in the second clip, “Imam Johari Abdul-Malik of the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia describes the rituals and spiritual significance” of Eid al-Fitr for PBS Religion & Ethics Newsweekly. Finally, BBC News has some great photographs showing Eid across Africa and The Guardian has more photos showing preparations for Eid in Muslim-majority coutnries. Read more

Use Face to Faith to help your students bridge cultural and religious divides. Using videochats, Face to Faith brings together students from different cutlures and religions to facilitate better understanding on a wide range of topics including religious freedom, human rights, and religious festivals. Voice of America recently visited my class during a videochat with a school in Indonesia. Their feature story explains how the videochats work. Read more

Did St. Thomas found a chuch in India? That’s exactly what the India historian, William Dalrymple, suggests in this fascinating essay for The Guardian. According to the legend, St. Thomas came to Kerala in India in 52 CE. Stories say that he came “from Palestine by boat; that he had travelled down the Red Sea and across the Persian Gulf, and that he landed at the great Keralan port of Cranganore.” And there, according to stories handed down from generation to... Read more