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The first revelation to Prophet Mohammed was the Angel Gabriel’s command to read: Iqraa!

This is not surprising. Education is central to who we are—each of us—lifting us from ignorance (jahiliyah) to ability (qidrah) and making it possible for us to make our world so much better than it is. Each of you have contributed in some way as good-change agents, bettering our world—the planet we share–because you’re educated and able.

And now, thank you to all who contributed to our 2025 campaign, Running for a brighter Palestine!—we have so many contributors who deserve thanks!

Our mission—and our most tangible contribution to brightness—is fundraising for UPA’s Mahmoud Darwish scholarship fund, and we raised $36,162, providing 36 scholarships.

So for that, thank you to our runner-fundraisers and our many donors who made it happen!

Let’s start with our runners, the heart of the Iqraa team, and thank you–to Basma, Basel and Sami, Bilal, Bill, Cathy, Imad, Jeannie, Jorge, Mazen, Peter. Reza, Sahar, Shobi, and me—for putting your trust in Iqraa, and our partnerships with MCC and UPA to register and join our team.

I earnestly hope those who signed up in 2025 but couldn’t make it are able to join in 2026.
And special thanks to the Iqraa friends who did the bulk of our fundraising, including Basma, Bilal, Bill, Cathy, Jorge, Peter, and me. And to our mystery fundraiser, Areej—alf shukr lik!
From me, thanks to many wonderful friends who contributed to the scholarship fund–calling out my Mom first for her amazing generosity every year. In addition, thank you to Anne-Marie and Larry, Andrea, Andrew, Carolyn and Carolyn, Lynn and Greg (twice!), Mary and Mary, Bill (twice!), Margaret, Lori, Chithra, Ray, Zohra, Lisa, Bob, Ginny, Lorraine, Jay, Arun, Raja, Chirag, Abba, Jai (and a matching donation!), Nancy, Barbara, Basil and Mike, Clay, and Shelby

Two NGO partners make the teamwork happen, and we’re so blessed and very grateful to have the same partners since we started Iqraa with in 2008: Marathon Charity Cooperation and United Palestinian Appeal. These are the institutions; their people who we work with are all beloved friends, some of them for 20+ years (pre-Iqraa days).

For the running and training program, that’s the MCC. Thank you to President Nick, Executive Officer Subhash, and Summer Training Program Coordinator Vandana, and Webmaster Doug, and the MCC Board, including Jay, Mazen, Seetharaman, and Shobi.
On the scholarship implementation and fundraising side, UPA works closely with us. So thank you to Executive Director Saleem, Outreach Associate Tabitha, and Donor Relations Coordinator Daniah, as well as UPA staffers Craig, Frances, Ian, Jackie, Jack, Jennifer, and Rana

Inside Iqraa, the main challenge during the year is providing the food–and Gatorade and water–to support eight training runs during the May-October training season.

Thank you to these Iqraa runners and volunteers who stepped up—more than once in most cases–to bring food on our host days or by volunteering their time: Basma, Basel, Bill, Cathy, Shobi, Siva, and me. Thanks to each of you for making it possible to feed the multitudes after the run. Extra kudos to Basma for making zaatar and manaeesh jibna when she hosted!
Thanks too to my partner coach, Cathy, who shares the seminars and for helping mark the W&OD trail for 7 runs at Reston.

Friends, we’re running for a brighter Palestine again in 2026—no surprise, and it’s our 19^th year!

Our goal is a university scholarship—annual tuition—for every Palestinian student in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jordan who can’t or don’t want to leave home for their university studies.
You can help by telling your friends and family—anyone who may be interested in this noble cause, which comes with many benefits of health and friendship in addition to being a good-change agent.
For your 2026 calendar: an April 5K fun run (date TBD) and May 2, MCC’s first training run.

Let’s make 2026 a better year by Running for a brighter Palestine—and everything that represents.

I lift up my eyes to the hills;

from where is my help to come?

Though appropriate for our times, these lines from Psalm 121 were read Tuesday morning at the memorial service for a friend who died suddenly. Tracy Dieter had a good life of 70 years but deserved much more; she gladly gave so much of her life to service.

Although the answer to the Psalm’s question is “the Lord,” it’s the social justice activists here on earth, like Tracy, who make prophecy into reality through their right action, to paraphrase my priest, Sari Ateek.

Tracy Chapman Dieter wasn’t a celebrity, nor a person of extraordinary affluence or talent. In a city characterized by power, she was the girl next door, who I knew only because we served together on a diocesan Holy Land Committee that met at the Washington National Cathedral, and via Zoom.

Tracy served the National Cathedral in various roles for more than 20 years, but it still was extraordinary to see this national jewel of the Episcopal Church—host to 22,500 visitors a month—closed for the funeral of a layperson.

It was also extraordinary that Tracy helped the Episcopal Church organize four Christian-Muslim summits, hosted in Washington, Beirut, Rome, and Tehran, with clerics from Sunni, Shia, Catholic, Episcopalian, and other denominations. Extraordinary in the breadth of religion and spirituality—the inclusiveness—this encompasses.

As Tracy often said, “Love to you all. No exceptions.”

For those who knew Tracy, the homily was apt, highlighting her extraordinary dedication to the cause of Palestine and the wellbeing of Palestinians. Why Palestine, it’s fair to ask. There seem to be 3 key factors.

The physical connection may’ve come through pilgrimage, as Tracy helped organize several pilgrimages to Palestine. Being in the land and with the people is often life changing.
An additional dynamic comes with the radical insistence—“radical” in a Zionist world where Israeli Jewish lives are thought more precious—that Palestinians must be included if everyone is equal. Radical equality is extraordinary because it’s less often practiced than preached.
And omnipresent in every discussion on Palestine-Israel is the battle to speak the truth in a Zionist world. If this sounds like conspiracy theorism, try insisting throughout your day that all people are equal, and that policies must reflect that Palestinians are equal to Jews.

Staying the course in the face of these obstacles is part of what made Tracy extraordinary.

The memorial also featured a hymn that reflected another extraordinary aspect of Tracy, her joy in service:

Jerusalem, my happy home, when shall I come to thee?

When shall my sorrows have an end? Thy joys when shall I see?

…Our Lady sings Magnificat with tune surpassing sweet,

and blessed martyrs’ harmony doth ring in every street.

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, God grant that I may see

thine endless joy, and of the same partaker ever be!

Not surprisingly, the First Lesson read at Tracy’s memorial was Isaiah’s call to lift the oppressed and marginalized:

“…the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners…”

The thing that makes social justice activism at the grassroots level extraordinary is its ease of replication and magnification. That’s the power of the dedicated ordinary, the girl next door. This is our call…Let’s Go!

Episcopal funerals close with a note of humility accompanied by hope—reminiscent of the Islamic phrase, “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un” (from Allah we come, to Allah we return).

“So did you ordain when you created me, saying ‘You are dust, and to dust you shall return.’…yet even at the grave we make our song: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.“

Alleluia for the girl next door; let us be so inspired by her right actions that we too act.

Iqraa 34: HNY and Thank you for 2025!

Iqraa 28: The Girl Next Door

The Parks Half Marathon

The Parks Half Marathon

Marine Corps Marathon and 10K