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Issue 87 (May - June 2012)

Issue 87 (May - June 2012)

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Articles

Universality of Diversity

30 April 2012 | The Fountain | Issue 87 (May - June 2012)

One good thing about having a smart phone is that they have this fascinating application that locates where you take pictures on the world map. My map is dotted with locations I have recently visited in the Far East, South-East Asia, Asia Minor, Europe, and the US. Well, yes, I have been traveling…

Food Safety and Preventing Food Terrorism

30 April 2012 | Hayriye Cetin Karaca | Issue 87 (May - June 2012)

Foodborne illnesses are more common than we realize. There are approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths every year due to naturally occurring foodborne illnesses in the United States (CDC 2007). When we consider the fact that many people do not visit a doctor u…

What It Means to Be Human

30 April 2012 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 87 (May - June 2012)

My friend, shut the doors of your feelings, thoughts, and heart against every kind of evil as long as you exist. Always seek the best, the most beautiful, and the most right as prescribed by the Most Truthful. Brush away all of the grudges, hatred, and egoism with the back of your hand and open you…

Poor Memory and Its Causes

30 April 2012 | Hakan Coruh | Issue 87 (May - June 2012)

Memory is one of the purposes of the brain, and it is described as the ability to protect acquired information consciously and connect it with the past (Mayda, 2010). Having a good memory is a crucial ability in everyone's life. We all know of individuals and scholars who have strong memory, so rem…

Abdyl

30 April 2012 | Mirkena Ozer | Issue 87 (May - June 2012)

His name was Abdyl. Everybody I knew called him Dyli. The only other Dyli in our small town worked as a porter, who rode his horse-led carriage in dirty clothes and an unshaved face. On the other hand Abdyl was an elegant teacher, his clothes pressed and spotless, and his face always shaved. We, hi…

Is the World Turning for Nothing?

30 April 2012 | Cendel Tuna | Issue 87 (May - June 2012)

In old times, ships that set out for long journeys could not reach their exact destination in spite of keeping a steady course. It was because the captains who did their best to reach the correct destination, were making a then-unknown mistake in their calculations. Imagine two men sitting on a rot…

Gifted Education: A Dilemma

30 April 2012 | Zekeriya Ozsoy | Issue 87 (May - June 2012)

The education of gifted individuals has long been ignored, for several reasons. Some have argued that gifted individuals are already faring well even without receiving specialized services. While others have objected to the idea of differentiated education, citing egalitarian concerns. Interestingl…

Love in Sufi Poetry

30 April 2012 | Matthew Kelly | Issue 87 (May - June 2012)

The enduring resonance of the poetry of thirteenth-century Islamic poet, Mevlana Jalal al-Din Rumi, extends across cultures and through the centuries of time. Perhaps, the popularity of Rumi could be attributed to the profusion of descriptions of love in his poetry, for as Rumi, himself, remarked…

Everything Has a Sacred Quality

30 April 2012 | Mustafa Tabanli | Issue 87 (May - June 2012)

Heidi Hadsell, Ph.D., is President of Hartford Seminary and Professor of Social Ethics. She has a deep commitment to interfaith dialogue and engagement, believing that in today's religiously plural world, it is essential to understand and work with religions beyond one's own. She has published on a…

Captain Bell's Rescue

30 April 2012 | Ha-Thanh Nguyen | Issue 87 (May - June 2012)

"Captain Bell, there's something burning in the distance...take a look." "Lieutenant, they're stranded Vietnamese boat people and there are some dead bodies in the water around them." "Captain, we've been given strict orders not to pick em' up- you know we're supposed to only give them food and wat…

Irada, Murid, and Murad (Will, the Willing One, and the Willed One)

30 April 2012 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 87 (May - June 2012)

Irada (will) is the mental power by which a person can direct his or her thoughts and actions and makes a choice between alternatives. Will has been defined by those living a spiritual life as overcoming carnal desires, resisting animal appetites, and always preferring, in complete submission to Hi…

Beauty in the Sky

30 April 2012 | Seth Mette | Issue 87 (May - June 2012)

It was a shiny, blue sky when I heard the sound that cut through my head, and nailed me in place. I looked at where it was coming from, but I could not see anything. No matter how much I tried to follow it, it constantly escaped my look, as if hiding from me. My gaze was frozen looking at the direc…

The Golden Ones

30 April 2012 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 87 (May - June 2012)

Overflowing with eternal inspirations In company of al Khadr, plunging into secrets Brilliant young people with countenances of gold Surrounded by descending sparkling lights Enraptured with the heavenly potion imbibed With eyes revealing the secret attained Their stormy vigor never exhausted…

The Suitability of Food to the Digestion System

30 April 2012 | Muhammed Emin | Issue 87 (May - June 2012)

Nourishment lies at the center of the lives of animate creatures. The continuation of life is bound to sustenance and then the healthy functioning of digestion organs that turn food into a usable state for living creatures. Different foods like grass, meat and grains each require particular enzymes…

Faith, Worship, and Social Responsibility: The Ideal Person in the Qur'an

30 April 2012 | Halim Calis | Issue 87 (May - June 2012)

As with other sacred texts, one of the most important subjects regarding the Qur'an concerns its interpretation or tafsir. As a matter of fact, its language and communicative style require interpretation even for legalistic verses. The fact that the Qur'an is the absolute authority for the Islamic…

Perfection in the Physique of Birds

30 April 2012 | Muhammet Mertek | Issue 87 (May - June 2012)

With bodies heavy for flying and light for diving into the water, birds push the limits of their physique. Let's take a close look at the artistry displayed in birds, which amaze thinking people with their wonderful flying techniques. Able to dive into the water at a speed approaching 90 km, the k…

Did al-Ghazali Kill the Science in Islam?

30 April 2012 | Nuh Aydin | Issue 87 (May - June 2012)

It is a widespread belief among orientalists that one of the major factors, if not the single most important reason, for the decline of science in the Islamic world after its golden age is al-Ghazali's (1058-1111) attack on philosophers that was culminated in his famous book Tahafut al-Falasifah (T…

The Means of Detecting Potential Errors and Sins

30 April 2012 | Hikmet Isik | Issue 87 (May - June 2012)

Question: If a person's self recognition of errors or sins is the first step to the path of perfection, how do you advise us to actually detect these mistakes? All the errors, offences and sins committed by humans vary greatly in nature, form, and severity. A majority of these mistakes and sins ha…

Science Square (Issue 87)

30 April 2012 | The Fountain | Issue 87 (May - June 2012)

1- Early exposure to microbes shows benefit that is life long Original article: Olzsak T. et al, Science (2012, epub ahead of print) It has been known by epidemiologists that people who grew up in farms are less likely to acquire immune diseases such as asthma, allergies, inflammatory bowel disea…

Will You Hold My Hand Please?

30 April 2012 | Hasan Cucuk | Issue 87 (May - June 2012)

Anne-Mette Harder is a Danish Nurse. There is one important thing which makes her different from her other colleagues: She keeps company with the old people who are waiting to die. Most of the old people waiting for their death at the hospitals in Denmark wish to be at home during their final hours…

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