Tip-Off #52 - Love is Strange

The Prophet said, "Islam began as something strange, and it will return to being strange, so blessed are the strangers... they are those who depart from the tribes." - Muslim Hadith (*)

Image by RosZie via Pixabay

(Notes and reading at the end.)

Xenophobia, a fear of strangers, has experienced a recent resurgence in populist politics worldwide. The history of the word is instructive. In ancient Greek, "xénos" was used to connote not only strangers but also guests and to describe the code of hospitality between hosts and guests. "Xénos" w…