Month: August 2018

Muslims in Minnesota are celebrating their version of when Abraham was called by his god to sacrifice his only son Issac. Muslims call their holiday Eid Al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice. This year, however, they are calling it ‘Super Eid 2018’ in reference to holding the gathering at the Vikings Stadium where the Super Bowl was held this year and for bringing more area mosques together to hold one celebration. One promotional video for the event featuring Imams from the different mosques is described by one Imam as the “coming together and showing the unity and the power of our community.” A corporation referred to only as “Super Eid Inc.,” was set up to sponsor the event and although the site indicates that businesses and individual sponsors have contributed to the event, they also remain unidentified. And rather than a simple retelling of the sacrifice commanded by Allah, Muslims re-enact an actual sacrifice as required in the Quran, using live animals, usually a cow, sheep or goat. The Quran also requires celebrants to either participate in or to witness the slaughtering. A group of local residents raised concerns about possible animal slaughter inside the taxpayer supported stadium. It was later publicized…

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by Patience Griswold   I spent the past week at a camp teaching teens about the legislative process. Among other things, the teens learned about American history, government, and worldview, while also role-playing as senators, representatives, and media. The week ended with a final debate on the house floor of the Minnesota Capitol. Here are five interesting things I noticed throughout the week. 1. Students need to learn more than just the legislative process. Knowing how a bill becomes law is important. But it is even more important to equip young people to carefully evaluate and engage the culture. Watching students grapple with questions such as, “What defines personhood?” or “What makes something a right as opposed to a privilege?” and “What does legislation accomplish and what are its limitations?” really pushed me to realize that simply learning the legislative process is not enough. In order to really engage with the workings of government, students need to be able to identify the underlying questions and assumptions that drive policy change. 2. It is possible to survive without a phone. Students were expected to follow a simple rule: If you’re in a teaching session, breakout session, or meeting with your caucus group, we don’t…

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