May 2017 - Monthly Archive

01 May

Issue 117 (May - June 2017)

The Fountain

14539

Editorial: The Rise and Fall of Civilizations

Many past civilizations believed – and in fact many still believe – that a solar eclipse was an omen of a great event, be it for evil or good.Some believed the eclipse happened because a deity swallow... read more..

01 May

Issue 117 (May - June 2017)

M. Fethullah Gulen

16454

Another Eclipse Is Over

Never despair, keep your willpower alive If you can, be a source of hope for all Our society is currently being challenged by a spiral of problems – problems of a rare kind. We are troubled by co read more..

01 May

Issue 117 (May - June 2017)

Daniel Hummel

13546

Religious Values and Public Service

Religion has been an important part of human civilization. Anthropologists have theorized that after hunter-gatherers settled down and began farming and forming communities the need to reduce tensions... read more..

01 May

Issue 117 (May - June 2017)

Osman Senkaya

17339

Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter, and Umami

We are taught that there are four basic tastes. But what taste best describes chicken soup, mushrooms, or pastrami? An NPR story recently explored how the line between specific tastes is actually quit... read more..

01 May

Issue 117 (May - June 2017)

Thomas Michel

16471

The Gülen Community: Who to Believe – Politicians or Actions?

On July 15, 2016, while President Erdoğan was vacationing in the Mediterranean coastal town of Marmaris, Istanbul and Ankara were shaken by an attempted coup d’état carried out by certain members of t... read more..

01 May

Issue 117 (May - June 2017)

Adam Penale

23395

Timbuktu: A Lost Center of Education and Trade

Located in the modern-day West African nation of Mali, the city of Timbuktu was once a bustling Islamic metropolitan center well known to traders and academics throughout Africa and the Middle East. W... read more..

01 May

Issue 117 (May - June 2017)

Atif Yorulmaz

16422

Healing through Animals: Zootherapy

We have a good deal of literature on herbal medicine, which is even recognized, within a certain frame, in Western medicine. However, most people thinking of herbal medicine think of herbs – perhaps l... read more..

01 May

Issue 117 (May - June 2017)

M. Fethullah Gulen

16059

Ghurba (Separation)

Literally meaning the state of being a foreigner, homelessness, loneliness, separation, and being a stranger in one’s own land, ghurba (separation) has been defined in the language of Sufism as renoun... read more..

01 May

Issue 117 (May - June 2017)

Madelaine Landry

14611

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

The Biblical book of Exodus tells of being a stranger in a strange land. It has universal resonance. To fully grasp the experience of terra incognita, recall a time you entered a place you’d never bef... read more..

01 May

Issue 117 (May - June 2017)

Dilara Guvercin

15986

The Ethics of Human Experimentation

Taking risks is an inevitable necessity when trying to achieve a breakthrough in modern science, technology, or human understanding. A moral dilemma, however, emerges when the risks threaten human liv... read more..

01 May

Issue 117 (May - June 2017)

Alice Bolton

29874

Ibn Khaldun on Luxury and the Destruction of Civilizations

“At the beginning of the empire, the tax rates were low and the revenues were high. At the end of the empire, the tax rates were high and the revenues were low.” Former US President Ronald Reagan read more..

01 May

Issue 117 (May - June 2017)

Mary Lahaj

16726

Praying with God-consciousness

At the acute-care, big city hospital where I trained as a Muslim chaplain, I was called to support a family who had been visiting their loved one, when he suddenly died. To personalize the patient, I ... read more..

01 May

Issue 117 (May - June 2017)

Ted Keene

15091

Slender But Strong Dragonflies

Many scientists have been conducting studies examining the natural world for clues that will hopefully improve human flight engineering. One of the studies they launched explored the miraculous design... read more..

01 May

Issue 117 (May - June 2017)

Sam Plat

15506

Technology Inspired by Wheat Stems

Human beings have made significant developments in technology. Better designs are emerging by the day. The dizzying speed of development hasn’t just brought serious technological progress, but serious... read more..

01 May

Issue 117 (May - June 2017)

M. Fethullah Gulen

15225

Love and Obedience

Question: “Love should be learned from Satan and obedience from Adam.” What does this statement, which is originally attributed to Hallaj al-Mansur, mean? Hallaj al-Mansur was inspired by the philoso... read more..

01 May

Issue 117 (May - June 2017)

The Fountain

14174

Stem cells as an arthritis vaccine

Stem cells as an arthritis vaccine Brunger JM et al. Genome Engineering of Stem Cells for Autonomously Regulated, Closed-Loop Delivery of Biologic Drugs. Stem Cell Reports, April 2017. Arthritis is ... read more..