MSI Press Blog

  This week's editor's choice is  Road to Damascus , by Elaine Imady. The book is part can't-put-it-down love story, part cross-cultural insights, part parenting, and part a personal view of Syrian history. Written by the American wife of a foreign student at Columbia University who returned home to Damascus, American wife in tow, and became a beloved leading figure in the building of the financial world of Syria.  This book provides an intriguing and rare look inside modern day Syria and a cross-cultural marriage that worked when so many others have failed.  Book Description: Recommended by US Review of Books and First Runner-Up in the Eric Hoffer Awards legacy competition, Road to Damascus describes the Middle Eastern journey of an American who meets and falls in love with a Syrian when they are both attending school in New York. Giving up her country and her religion to follow her husband back to Syria, Elaine Imady has made a life that has successfully bridg...

  Cross-cultural marriage is not just a union of two people. It’s a fusion of histories, habits, holidays, and sometimes, wildly different spice tolerances. On Valentine’s Day, we celebrate the kind of love that crosses borders — not just geographic, but emotional and cultural. 💬 The Challenges Communication styles : One partner may say “I love you” daily; the other may express it through acts of service or shared silence. Family expectations : Weddings, parenting, even dinner etiquette can become diplomatic negotiations. Language gaps : Sometimes love means smiling through a conversation you only half understand — and laughing when Google Translate gets it hilariously wrong. Tradition clashes : Christmas vs. Lunar New Year. Diwali vs. Thanksgiving. Whose calendar wins? But these challenges aren’t roadblocks. They’re invitations to grow. 🌺 The Rewards Expanded worldview : You don’t just marry a person — you marry a perspective. Richer rituals : Your home becomes a ...

  In some marriages, the vows extend beyond love and loyalty—they reach into the realm of faith itself. Religious conversion due to marriage is not new, but it remains deeply personal and often controversial. A Christian woman converting to Islam to marry a Muslim man may do so out of love, spiritual resonance, or cultural necessity. In many Islamic traditions, while Muslim men may marry Christian or Jewish women without requiring conversion, Muslim women are generally prohibited from marrying non-Muslim men unless the man converts. But what happens when conversion is less about belief and more about belonging? 🕊️  Examples Across Faiths: A Catholic bride converting to Islam to satisfy family expectations and secure a Nikah ceremony. A Protestant groom joining Iglesia ni Cristo to marry his Filipina fiancée, knowing refusal means automatic expulsion from her church. A Hindu woman embracing Christianity after marrying into a devout Christian family, navigating both spiritual a...

In some marriages, the vows extend beyond love and loyalty—they reach into the realm of faith itself. Religious conversion due to marriage is not new, but it remains deeply personal and often controversial. A Christian woman converting to Islam to marry a Muslim man may do so out of love, spiritual resonance, or cultural necessity. In many Islamic traditions, while Muslim men may marry Christian or Jewish women without requiring conversion, Muslim women are generally prohibited from marrying non-Muslim men unless the man converts. But what happens when conversion is less about belief and more about belonging? 🕊️  Examples Across Faiths: A Catholic bride converting to Islam to satisfy family expectations and secure a Nikah ceremony. A Protestant groom joining Iglesia ni Cristo to marry his Filipina fiancée, knowing refusal means automatic expulsion from her church. A Hindu woman embracing Christianity after marrying into a devout Christian family, navigating both spiritual and poli...