John Rivera | ICJS

Hegseth defends tattoos with alleged connection to extremist groups in confirmation hearing Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, answered questions about misconduct allegations and views on women at his Senate confirmation hearing. Hegseth defended his tat...

I was glad to be interviewed by @ahylton26.bsky.social for
@nbcnews.com regarding the Pete Hegseth confirmation hearings & his far-right tattoos.

At the hearing, he deflected by defending the Jerusalem Cross tattoo, while omitting the more damning "Deus Vult" one.

www.nbcnews.com/now/video/he...

Wow! I know somebody who actually wrote an opera. Congrats @dbuchanan.bsky.social

I grew up Muslim in a Catholic community – and Mary represented common ground | Zeyneb Sayılgan Despite some theological differences, both denominations look to her as an inspiration for cultivating compassion and hope, says scholar Zeyneb Sayılgan

Here's a nice (kind of) holiday story by my @icjsbaltimore.bsky.social colleague Zeyneb Sayilgan: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

I won a free copy of The Bright Ages, but this one I'm buying!

Ordering this now. If it's as good as The Bright Ages (and I know it is), I'm in for a treat!

REPORTABLE: Syrian opposition forces say they have taken the capital Damascus and that President Bashar Al-Assad has fled the country. Assad’s prime minister has issued a video statement that he is ready for the process of handing over power. Reuters and AP are reporting large crowds on the main square of Damascus celebrating. Rebel leaders are expected to make an announcement in the coming hours about the fall of the regime that has ruled Syria with an iron fist for more than 50 years. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor told AP that Assad had left the country for an undisclosed location. The announcement came less than two weeks after rebels launched a series of lightning offensives that first took the northern city of Aleppo, and then the rebels worked their way south toward the regime centers of power, as uprisings broke out in large swaths of the country.

News: Assad flees Syria as rebels say they have taken Damascus

More on NPR and NPR.org

Pete Hegseth’s Crusade to Turn the Military Into a Christian Weapon Trump’s pick to run the Pentagon has embraced an aggressive form of Christianity that is at war with the military’s nonpartisan and pluralistic culture.

My @icjsbaltimore.bsky.social colleague @matthewdtaylor.bsky.social gives his take on Pete #Hegseth's belief in "holy war" in this @politico.com article www.politico.com/news/magazin...

Great news for religion journalism

The Grieving Prophet: How This Muslim Mother Finds Comfort In The Messenger's Sorrow - MuslimMatters.org A Muslim mothers reflects on how our grieving Prophet [saw] taught her how to cope with the loss of her children.

My ICJS colleague Zeyneb Sayilgan wrote this moving meditation on how she finds solace for her own loss in accounts of the grief experienced by the Prophet Muhammad muslimmatters.org/2024/11/13/t...

Yes, please. I've seen a lot of political reporters struggle to understand Christian nationalism and the religious right

YouTube video by Institute for Islamic, Christian, & Jewish Studies Now What? Debriefing the 2024 election

If you missed "Now What? Debriefing the 2024 Election," with @sarahposner.bsky.social and @amandatylerbjc.bsky.social, here's the video. Well worth a watch for their views on how we can respond to the threat of #authoritarianism. With ICJS' @matthewdtaylor.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg5Z...

YouTube video by Institute for Islamic, Christian, & Jewish Studies I and Thou: Martin Buber's Philosophy of Dialogue

What Would Buber Say? Martin Buber's philosophy of dialogue, as expounded in his master work "I and Thou," is exceedingly relevant in this moment. ICJS #Jewish Scholar Ben Sax breaks it down in this 11 1/2-minute video: youtu.be/AT6wEZfotVI?...

One thing I think people talking about the threat of authoritarian creep have gotten, if not exactly wrong, not quite right either is to frame discussion in terms of various European precedents.

Those are relevant to be sure, but we also have an American precedent - namely the South before 1965.

Wormageddon

Great analysis on @npr.org by my ICJS colleague @matthewdtaylor.bsky.social on SecDef nominee Pete #Hegseth and his obsession with the #Crusades www.npr.org/2024/11/14/n...

Book cover for "After Ten Years" -- essay by German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer written in Dec. 1942 about what Germany had become after 10 years of Nazi rule. Intro with historical background by Victoria Barnett.

Not new (pub. in 2017, early in Trump's first presidency) but unfortunately still timely! This is Bonhoeffer's essay about what had happened to his nation after 10 years of Nazism. It's a pointed/poignant analysis of how/why all the guardrails failed. Includes his famous passage on "stupidity."

The Grieving Prophet: How This Muslim Mother Finds Comfort In The Messenger's Sorrow - MuslimMatters.org A Muslim mothers reflects on how our grieving Prophet [saw] taught her how to cope with the loss of her children.

My ICJS colleague Zeyneb Sayilgan wrote this moving meditation on how she finds solace for her own loss in accounts of the grief experienced by the Prophet Muhammad muslimmatters.org/2024/11/13/t...

Pete Hegseth, Trump's declared nominee for Secretary of Defense, is not only a Fox News personality or veterans advocate. He also has deep ties & affinities w/ the Christian far-right, especially the Hyper-Calvinist "theo bros."

My latest thread: threadreaderapp.com/thread/18567...