Avatar photo

AuthorSohaib Awan

Sohaib Awan serves as the Chairman of the Muslim Writers Guild of America and as a Vice President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association, USA. He is currently a student at Northeast Ohio Medical University pursuing his medical doctorate. Continue the conversation with Sohaib at chairman@muslimwriters.org or @Muslim_Ink

The Quran is Clear – Jesus (as) has Passed Away

  The majority of Muslims believe that Jesus was raised bodily to heaven and someone made into the likeness of Jesus was crucified in his place. Saved from an accursed death on the cross, Jesus has been waiting over 2000 years to descend back to Earth to defeat the anti-Christ and establish an Islamic dominion. The teachings of the Quran and Prophet Muhammad (saw), however, stand in...

From an Akron hospital to Syria, in the realm of the White Helmets

Originally published in the Cleveland Plain Dealer In the auditorium of Summa Akron City Hospital, amongst dozens of intelligent and aspiring first-year pharmacy and medical students, I pondered the words of Dr. Joseph Zarconi. I was stuck on the significance of the color white as we discussed the responsibilities of the white coat we would now finally be granted after admission into the...

Offensive in Gaza unjust, as is terrorism

Originally published in Lancaster Eagle-Gazette   n 1943, Nazi forces in Poland rounded up roughly 300,000 Jews and packed them into an area of 3.3-square kilometers in central Warsaw. Prisoners endured horrendous conditions and, load-by-load, were taken to Treblinka extermination camp to meet their end. One group among them, however, refused to be defeated. And so ensued the Warsaw Ghetto...

The Significance of the Last 10 Days of Ramadan

Muslims throughout the world are observing Ramadan, also known as the month of fasting. Given the atrocities committed during this month by so-called Muslims, I find it necessary to give my view and understanding of the true obligations and purpose of this holy month. The word Ramadan comes from the Arabic root ramad, which means scorching heat. This root signifies the burning desire of a seeker...

Still not ready to give fasting a try?

Originally published in the Cleveland Plain Dealer In response to the Boston Tea Party, King George III ordered a blockade of Boston Harbor. Concerned by the anticipated economic strain, our Founding Fathers turned, not to arms or protest, but to God. In the summer of 1774, Thomas Jefferson drafted a “Day of Fasting, Humiliation, and Prayer” resolution. And so, on June 1, 1774, among...

A Muslim tradition of good works

Originally published in Akron Beacon Journal   If the Quran says that Muslims are “raised for the good of mankind,” then how are Muslims benefiting the society around them? I cannot speak for the 2.2 billion Muslims throughout the world, but I can tell you that the community I belong to, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, has a 125-year track record of being a peaceful and service-oriented...

Boston bombers not true Muslims

Originally Published in the Cleveland Plain Dealer It is unfortunate that when I first heard about the Boston Marathon bombings, instead of thinking “Oh, God, please have mercy on the victims and their families,” I thought, “Oh, God, please do not let the perpetrators be Muslim.” When I heard the perpetrators were from Chechnya, I made another mistake; I sighed with relief...

Freedom of Speech: The Price Can Be High

Originally Published in The Huffington Post My 10-year-old sister published her first Letter to the Editor in the Columbus Dispatch — with the help of her big brother, of course. She had innocently expressed her dismay at the unbecoming conduct of some Disney Channel stars who were supposed to be her role models. She gazed in awe as I pulled up the letter online and began reading the...

Price of freedom of speech can be high

Originally Published in The Cleveland Plain Dealer My 10-year-old sister published her first Letter to the Editor in The Columbus Dispatch — with the help of her big brother, of course. She had innocently expressed her dismay at the unbecoming conduct of some Disney Channel stars who were supposed to be her role models. She gazed in awe as I pulled up the letter online and began reading the...

Islam Is Not The Enemy

Originally Published in The Cincinnati Enquirer I take pride in the fact that America, in the face of adversity, strives to take the high road; there is a clear distinction between us and our enemies. Our enemies are the ones that spread terror, they are the ones that attack churches, and they are the ones that wish to subjugate the world. Lt. Col. Dooley’s class aimed at educating military...