What We’re Reading

 

Every week, especially with the ongoing issues in Turkey, a flurry of links travels through our office, being passed around from person to person, commented on and debated. We’re trying a new weekly feature of the things we found on the internet most interesting to those of us in the office lately. Here goes:

The Muslim Martin Luther? By Victor Gaetan “Gulen and Erdogan have been described in the West as political rivals, but there has always been more at stake in their clash than earthly affairs. Whereas Erdogan may frequently indulge in Islamist political rhetoric, it is Gulen that has tried to make actual contributions as an Islamic intellectual and develop a genuinely modern school of Islam that reconciles the religion with liberal democracy, scientific rationalism, ecumenism, and free enterprise. Regardless of who wins the battle for Turkey’s political future, it is vital that Gulen’s religious legacy be preserved.”

Nice Try, Venezuela, But Your Censorship Backfired. By Daniel Landsberg-Rodriguez – One of our interns has family in Venezuela and we’re currently attempting to put together a forum on the unrest there. This is a great look at how the government media blackout and censorship has actually fueled international attention in Venezuela.

Trump to Put His Name on It – Our new-ish office looks out directly onto Trump Tower so this story has started a hot debate in our office. What do you think about Trump’s decision?

Niebuhrian Irony and Drones by Martin Marty – We can’t get enough of Professor Emeritus Martin Marty’s weekly column, Sightings. His wit, charm, and inevitable good points make for a delightful reading experience, “The word “irony” appears in the title of at least one book, one article, one chapter, one column, and one review that I’ve written through the years. They all take off from reflection on a concept fostered by Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971), the last century’s foremost public theologian.”

While Sochi Shines, Ukraine Burns by John Kass – We’ve been devouring writings on Ukraine and an opinion piece by John Kass sums up the juxtaposition of Russia’s games and Ukraine’s revolution well, “And those amazing photographs — I ache to use the word “iconic” — of brave Ukrainian Orthodox priests holding crosses, standing between the riot police and the protesters, the fires and smoke from burning tires around them.”

The views and opinions expressed on The Falls are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Niagara Foundation, its staff, other authors, members, partners, or sponsors.