As I feathered through the pages of Mary Oliver’s House of Light, I noted that I was not the first to do so. My library copy nears the age of 43; an old-fashioned due date table indicates that the first reader visited the poetry collection on August 16, 1990. And people say time machines don’t […]
Sami Al-Asady
A child of Bosnian and Iraqi war refugees and a first-generation college student at Arizona State University Barrett, The Honors College, Sami embraces his diverse academic and multicultural background in his contributions to public service. He is a board member of Secular AZ and a former intern of Congressman Ruben Gallego. Sami's writing has appeared in the Blog for Arizona, The State Press, and the Arizona Capitol Times, and he has been featured in the Glendale Star, Freethought Today, KQED Forum, and the Arizona Republic. Sami is eager to continue making meaningful contributions with profound, sustainable, and long-lasting community impacts.
Posted inCulture
Delays, dichotomies, and dilemmas: The civics of American air travel
Airports are a great place to people-watch. After you check in, pass through security, and purchase an overpriced water bottle, there is ample opportunity to turn your attention away from boarding and into the heads of other people. Become an astute observer, and suddenly you notice the sound of foreign language consuming the air; the […]
Posted inGen Z Rising, The Secular
Less grey, less white: How to reach younger, more diverse seculars
We are a social species, and we do our best work together. But without a church, synagogue, or mosque in which to congregate, secular people must depend on local, state, and national organizations to create opportunities to network. National conferences occupy an especially large role in fostering engagement. I attended the 2021 Freedom From Religion […]
Posted inSecular Symphony
What do you miss (and not miss) about religion?
I was raised Muslim in the United States with refugee parents from Bosnia and Iraq. Before entering our mosque, I washed my hands, feet, and face, removed my shoes, grabbed a prayer rug, and bowed in submission to Allah. The croons of the sheikh singing sacred Arabic syllables vibrated off of the walls in tandem with the quiet […]