By Qasim Rashid*
DOWNLOAD FULL ARTICLE HERE: America’s Muslim Problem: Anti4Shariah Laws and the Threat to American Civil Rights
America’s Muslim Problem: Anti4Shariah Laws and the Threat to American Civil Rights
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Does the Koran Endorse Apostasy Laws?
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Originally published in The Huffington Post We have all heard of Sudan’s death penalty for the “crime” of leaving Islam. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan (since 2007), Yemen and Afghanistan have similar rulings for apostasy. Do these punishments have any basis in the Islamic faith? Does Islam really punish freedom of conscience? I was discussing this on social media when a friend...
Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws
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Originally published in the Liberty Magezine Religious blasphemy laws can be a touchy subject, especially in Pakistan, where just bringing up the subject of the blasphemy laws and whether they are right or wrong is considered, well …blasphemous. This wasn’t always the case. The sentiment behind most blasphemy laws is easy to understand. No person or group should insult another religion’s beliefs...
Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws
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Originally published in Liberty Magazine Religious blasphemy laws can be a touchy subject, especially in Pakistan, where just bringing up the subject of the blasphemy laws and whether they are right or wrong is considered, well …blasphemous. This wasn’t always the case. The sentiment behind most blasphemy laws is easy to understand. No person or group should insult another religion’s beliefs or...
Lawmakers must rise above politics and craft sensible gun control laws
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Three months after the shocking Newtown tragedy, America’s top lawmakers remain unable to take action on gun-control legislation. Instead, a fierce fight between President Obama and the gun lobby is on the rise. The gun lobby portrays Obama as an elite hypocrite who wants to abolish the Second Amendment by taking away Americans’ right to self-defense. Since the ratification of the Bill of Rights...
Blasphemy Laws and Pakistan: Whose Islam Is It Anyway?
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Billa was his nickname. A poor, uneducated Christian boy who cleaned sewer lines, removed garbage and, on a good day, played cricket with us on the streets of Lahore. I fondly remember how he could hit the ball out of the park and make the team proud. But life in Pakistan was rife with contradictions. In the afternoon, the team heard sermons narrating Muslim stories of equal treatment of non...
Enact Saner Gun Laws
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Originally published in statesman.com When it comes to gun laws, why do the laws of our constitution supersede the laws of humanity? As an American, I love the freedom and democracy of this great country, but as an American, I too, like many, take for granted the sovereignty this country gives us. Mothers of Sandy Hook victims are rightfully protesting today, wearing stickers reading: “We Demand...