MSI Press Blog

  Bahrain Imagine standing at the edge of a burial mound field at dusk. Behind you, the towers of the capital city shimmer like glass lanterns. Before you, the desert breathes with ancient memory. And all around, the sea whispers the stories of traders, poets, and pilgrims who once called this island home. That is Bahrain. The name means “two seas” ( bahr = sea, ain = dual grammatical ending). Bahrain is a shimmering archipelago in the Persian Gulf, where ancient burial mounds rise from desert plains and the sleek skyline of Manama glints across the water. It’s a place where Bronze Age silence and 21st-century ambition coexist—sometimes in the same breath. It is also hot. By mid‑summer, Bahrain feels like it has been placed under a glass dome. Temperatures climb well above 40°C (104°F), and the humidity rolls in from the Gulf like a warm, wet curtain. On the hottest days, the air itself feels heavy—almost tactile. It’s the kind of heat that doesn’t just sit on the skin; ...

  Some friendships are forged in shared doctrine. Others are born in shared longing. The bond between a Sufi Muslim and a Christian Mystic is not built on identical beliefs—it’s built on a mutual reverence for mystery, for love, and for the divine presence that pulses beneath all things. These two paths, though distinct in language and lineage, often meet in the heart’s deepest chamber. 🌌 What They Share Sufis and Christian Mystics both seek union with the Divine—not through dogma, but through devotion. Their practices may differ, but their orientation is strikingly similar: Silence and solitude as sacred ground. Poetry and metaphor as spiritual language. Surrender, not certainty. Love as the highest truth. Both traditions speak of the soul’s journey as one of burning away illusion, of becoming transparent to grace. They honor paradox, embrace suffering as teacher, and trust that the Beloved is always near—even when hidden. 🕊️ A Friendship Beyond Boundaries When a Sufi...

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 po...

  Well, we missed an absolutely fantastic book review of  Road to Damascus  (Elaine Imady) by Kirsten Bardwell, writing in Beloved Syria , a beautiful journal. While it is an older review, coming out in 2017, it is still very worthwhile reading, not just for the review, but for the greater setting described by Bardwell and the relevant photos. Well done, Kirsten! You can read the full review, preserved along with its beautiful photographs HERE . Book Award First Runner-up, Eric Hoffer Award For more posts about Elaine and her book, click  HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow  MSI Press  on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on  how to submit a proposal . Planning on self-publishing and don't know where to start? Our  author au pair  services will mentor you through the process. Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI...