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Sharp Response to his Bigotry is Heartening

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Originally Published in the Star Tribune The inflammatory comments made by Big Stone County Republican Party chairman Jack Whitley, and the subsequent developments, made me, as an American Muslim, appreciate how fortunate I am to reside in this country (“FB posts cost GOP boss day job,” Nov. 25). From the action taken by business owners Bob and Sue Kulbeik to stand up against bigotry, to the...

Islam is under attack by the Islamic State

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Originally published in the Duluth News Tribune While American lawmakers are assessing whether the initial stages of bombings in Syria helped contain the Islamic State, a fresh wave of homeland terrorist attacks has aggravated the fear of a growing influence of Islamic State over America. On Oct. 24, a New York man attacked a group of police officers by wielding a hatchet, critically injuring one...

Imran Khan is no Jinnah

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Originally published in Pakistan Daily Times I was living in New Jersey in the summer of 2011 when Governor Chris Christie appointed Sohail Muhammed to the bench of the Superior Court of New Jersey. Almost immediately, the governor faced a serious backlash from the conservative right, which attacked his move to appoint a US Muslim judge to high office. Governor Christie was unmoved. With the...

Pakistan’s Second Amendment is Root Cause of Sectarianism

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Originally published in the Huffington Post Religious clerics in Pakistan celebrate September 7th as a day of victory for Islam and Pakistan. Officially dubbed the “Khatme Nubuwwat Day” or “Finality of Prophethood Day,” many mosques come alive with celebrations this day, sweets are distributed andintense speeches are made in large religious gatherings. Forty years ago this...

ISIS is un-Islamic

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Originally published in The Morning Call e peaceful religion of Islam is yet again being dishonored by the barbaric acts of the militant group ISIS (“Chaos in Baghdad,” Aug. 12). It has taken over key parts of Northern Iraq, demolished several holy sites and has targeted many minority groups. The group’s members have also threatened the Christians living in the cities they have...

4 reasons why Ramadan is a great time to talk to a Muslim

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Originally published in the New Haven Register   Have you ever passed by a Muslim woman with a headscarf and wanted to ask her what motivates her to live out her faith?     Have you ever thought to strike up a conversation with a Muslim colleague over his views on Muslim extremists in the news?     But were you too afraid to ask? Or maybe the moment wasn’t right.  ...

Fasting is good for body, soul

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Originally published in The Daily Bulletin June 29th will be the first day of the fast in Ramadhan this year for all healthy Muslim men and women. The fast, which starts an hour and 20-minutes before sunrise and ends after sunset, will run for 30 days, concluding with the sighting of the new moon on July 28. The following day, July 29, will be Eid-ul Fitr, the festival commemorating the end of...

Why Is It So Easy To Arrest a Person For Blasphemy In Pakistan?

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Originally published in Foreign Policy On May 13, 2014, police in the province of Punjab announced that they had registered a complaint of blasphemy against sixty-eight lawyers who had been involved in a protest against a police officer. The protest started after a senior officer allegedly detained and beat one of the lawyer’s colleagues. During the protests, the lawyers had called out the...

The Khalifa Of Islam Is The Cure For The ISIS Crisis

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Originally published in The Daily Caller We’ve all heard the old adage – those who don’t learn from the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it. With the rise of ISIS, the world is at such a crossroads once again, except this time the stakes are much higher and the situation much more dire. In response to ISIS, His Holiness the Khalifa of Islam, Mirza Masroor Ahmad has unequivocally declared...