Walking my way through the virtual avenue of coronavirus blogs, vlogs, videos, and guides on how to create a productive, growth-focused quarantine time, I found myself split directly in two. One part of me found a…
In memory of Maged Atiya. At times in life, you may find yourself changed by a single person that has very little in common with you, very little do to with you, and has most likely…
I have an Arab nose. I’ve always hated my nose and was really insecure about it. I had a habit of joking about it so it would be harder for people to either vocally or silently…
Elmahaba Center’s story is larger than what can be captured, but let me start with two moments:First is a moment of a priest named Abouna Mikhail Attiya. He’d come from Egypt—with no lick of English—to “solve…
Democracy and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions are constantly discussed. The debate centers on whether democracy is possible, or if it is doomed to authoritarian and dictatorial regimes. As we reflect on the…
It’s no surprise that diaspora communities achieve greater success in education, career, and quality of life than they would have access to in their country of origin. While we are accustomed to seeing our fellow diasporans…
What is Coptic Orthodox Christian Identity?We often hear that “we are the descendants of the pharaohs” in Coptic communities and this is often the way we begin to characterize our identities. But if one reads into…
A reflection on Matthew 1-3 with Christ's death and resurrection demonstrating a joyful end to the poem. By Matthew, I first learned justice,Privately putting away the one who seemed trustless.By Matthew, Mother Mary was, revealed with…
In the 21st century, we face a unique task in defending the faith, although this is not the first time that, as Christians, we’re called to protect our beliefs. St. Peter says in his first epistle,…
I grew up in Savannah, Georgia. My parents were the founders of the first Coptic Orthodox church in the city, having successfully gathered the handful of local Copts in 2002– an effort to ground these immigrant…