Here you’ll find things I’ve made all over the internet.
You can also click Politics, Religion, and Middle East for all posts on my most popular topics.
Is Iraq moving beyond corruption?
Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi dismissed 24 top Interior Ministry officials on Monday, following a revelation Sunday that the country’s army had been paying salaries to 50,000 non-existent “ghost soldiers.”
Read MoreAfter fighting with the Islamic State terror group in Iraq for nearly six months, 23-year-old Areeb Majeed returned to his homeland of India last week, complaining of poor treatment by other ISIS fighters.
Read MoreU.S.-based NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) first reported Monday that the government of Jordan sent Syrian refugees back to their war-torn homeland, including unaccompanied minors and wounded civilians.
Read MoreAs Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced he would step down on Monday, social media erupted with supporters of the Islamic State terror group claiming the resignation as a victory for ISIS.
Read MoreIn the run-up to the Monday deadline for a U.S.-led nuclear deal with Iran, Washington has speculated about the outcome.
Read MoreLeaders of Iraq’s Ninawa Province, home to many of the Christians displaced by ISIS earlier this year, have announced plans for early next year to reclaim the provincial capital of Mosul, in an offensive which may draw support from the U.S. military.
Read MoreRégis Debray, a French philosopher and political activist, has demanded that the United Nations General Assembly vote to move the organization’s headquarters to Jerusalem, “the cradle of the world’s civilizations,” calling New York a seat of Western economic and military hegemony.
Read MoreA U.S.-sponsored agreement on Iran’s use of nuclear energy may be near, but that hasn’t stopped Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei from assailing Israel and the United States on Twitter.
Read MoreAs a harsh winter approaches in Iraq, several Christian groups have announced projects to assist the millions displaced by ISIS, which includes tens of thousands of Christians and other religious minorities fleeing for their lives.
Read MoreThree years ago or so I received a Facebook message from a thoughtful young friend-of-a-friend. After studying Christian history, she concluded that she knew too little about the Orthodox Church, so I answered her questions as best I could.
I also admonished her to discover the Church through its liturgical and communal life, not the abundant resources available about Orthodoxy online. In North America, where Orthodoxy is a tiny minority, it is often easier to learn about the faith through the Internet than from the nearest Orthodox priest, who may be a long drive away, speak poor English, or be baffled by the very existence of a “regular American” interested in the Church.
Read MoreHeader photo: inscription in the Alhambra, Spain. Taken by me; all rights reserved.
@ivanplis | ivan.i.plis [at] gmail [dot] com
