Uxt Mary, Incomparable Middle Eastern Woman

  On International Women’s Day it occurred to me that I should write a story about a Middle Eastern woman, a story that would be a tribute to the brave and noble women of our world.  Then I become indecisive, knowing so many women— smart women, strong women, abused and used women, courageous, creative, happy […]

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Our Debt to Mustapha, a Lebanese Neighbor

  One of the advantages of living at Mafraq Sharooq in Musaitbeh, Beirut, was the presence of Mustapha’s grocery just around the corner. It was not a modern supermarket, not the brightest, cleanest, most organized store in West Beirut, which is exactly what was so nice about it. Mustapha Kais, the owner and manager and […]

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A Lebanese Picture of the World

There had been a furious battle in the area of Beirut called Ain ar-Rommaneh. As I recall, it lasted several weeks. The population of the area had been paralyzed and the death toll had mounted while two “Christian” militias shot at one another from building to building and up and down the streets. I no […]

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In One American Man, the Diversity of the Middle East

Adam Shoemaker, born Muslim and Jewish, is a Christian. In his own person he has struggled with problems that tear the Middle East, America and the world, giving him a unique and instructive view of religious diversity.  His wisdom offers all of us a spiritual path toward peace.  I am grateful for the opportunity to […]

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Trading Our Biases for Peace in the Middle East

Today I posted on Amazon a review of a new book, actually an updated and enriched version of Whose Promised Land? by Colin Chapman.  I called it “the most complete, the most objective and the most practical” of my whole shelf-full of books on this subject. My review includes a brief summary of the book […]

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A Lebanese Returns to the Beirut Home He Lost

Last week I shared with you my own story, “Meditation on My Home in Lebanon.”  As I did so, I kept thinking about the many thousands of Lebanese who lost their homes during the Lebanese civil war.  In response to my sadness about the little house in Beit Meri, many people including Lebanese, sent me […]

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Meditation on My Home in Lebanon

Watercolor painting a gift to me from Tara Dunn   I made a mistake in my book. Let’s just say that I was wrong. In the epilogue of In Borrowed Houses I said that the little stone house around which my whole story revolves would outlive all of us. My actual words were: “It will […]

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