In this episode I welcome Lena Elimam to the studio to talk about what it is like to be Muslim women at UNF. We talk about the difference between practicing Islam in America verses Egypt, where Lena is from, and why she wears a hijab. We find out what people asker about Islam, and what she wishes people would ask.

Hannah Meiner and Areej Khokar join me in the booth to discuss the role of faith in their life at UNF. Upending the insider/outsider dynamic that is often associated with belonging to a religious community, Hannah, a Christian, and Areej, a Muslim, found common ground in their commitments of faith at the UNF Interfaith Center. In this episode these witty and intelligent women talk about how they challenge themselves to meet people of different beliefs and seek understanding through dialogue and shared practice. To my utter delight Hannah tells us how a Shiek turban actually ruined a birthday dinner.

In this episode we talked with Matt Hartley, the Associate Director of UNF’s Interfaith Center, about his background and what it is the Interfaith Center does. While this talk isn’t specifically in line with our theme, we still thought it would be interesting talking about a place many studentsI come to to find answers about their religion, different religions, and religion in general.

In this episode we talk with Laura McNiel, graduate student here at UNF in the History Department, about her Christian background, her lack of attachment to religiosity, and why she chooses to keep her very religious mother somewhat in the dark on her lack of faith

In this episode we talk to UNF student Zachary Feton. Zach is an international relations major here at UNF who Dr. Treyz and I both knew from having had him previously in some of her religious studies classes. It was interesting talking to Zach about his journey from secular Catholicism to Nazarene Judaism.

In the first episode of the second season of How to Ruin Dinner, we open up the series again by talking to Dr. Ingersoll from the UNF Religious Studies Department about what sacred texts are, what focusing on them can and can’t tell us about religion, and discuss the different ways in which sacred texts are used.

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