Originally Published in The Duluth News Tribune and The Star Tribune. At a time characterized by an alleged increase in the radicalization of Muslim youth, I attended a national Muslim youth convention with the theme, “Love and loyalty for one’s homeland.” The national convention — organized by America’s leading Muslim youth organization, MKA USA — sought to educate and cultivate loyalty...
Originally Published in The Contra Costa Times Probably more than any other community, July 4 gives Muslim-Americans a strong reason to celebrate. July 4 marks the independence of the American colonies from Great Britain — an independence spurred by the need for freedom of religion. Similarly, many Muslims come to the United States to flee persecution they face in their lands. Such is the...
Originally Published in The Huffington Post “We’ve been waiting for you.” People say this all the time when I teach coursesabout Islam and peace at colleges, universities and places of worship. With the Muslim world erupting in chaos from the Libyan shores of Bin Ghazi to the tribal areas of Pakistan, this yearning for peace is becoming a global phenomenon. But name a Muslim...
The inside back-cover of Geert Wilders’ anti-Islam book, “Marked for Death,” says it all: “Expelled from Britain, banned from Indonesia, denounced by the UN Secretary General … Wilders is unbowed and unapologetic.” After having read his book, another word to describe Wilders comes to mind: uninformed. Wilders promises many things in his book, above all that...
Originally Published in The Concord Journal The recent school shootings in Chardon, Ohio, may prove instructive for the NYPD its controversial surveillance of mosques. The Ohio teenage shooter was described as a loaner, an outcast and a victim of bullying —qualities studies have shown are typical of such people. Such incidents are often avoided simply by reporting what was about to happen. But...
Originally Published in The Columbus Dispatch On Friday, Governor Christie called the NYPD surveillance of Muslims an “abandonment of the core lesson of 9/11”. I agree. I believe that the NYPD would be better off focusing on making allies within the Muslim community, which is far less costly and far more cost effective, than spending millions in controversial surveillance programs...
Originally Published in The Columbus Dispatch I am a Muslim-American, and the Chardon High School shooting spree last week makes me wonder whether law-enforcement agencies are focusing on the right problem. Authorities such as the New York Police Department have spent millions of dollars on controversial security surveillance programs focused on Muslims, when the underpinnings of youth violence...
Originally Published in The Record The world’s second largest hardware chain, Lowe’s, is ranked among the Top 50 corporations in America. Its website proudly displays the slogan “Let’s Build Something Together.” However, the company’s recent actions suggest that this togetherness might not include Muslim-Americans. The company recently pulled its ads from a...
Originally Published in The Huffington Post Sardar Anees Ahmad remembers exactly where he was when the second plane struck on 9/11: obliviously walking with his professor, going from one class to another at his college in New York. As the tragedy unfolded, and one after another, a Muslim face and name resembling his, started flashing on TV screens worldwide, the 19-year-old Ahmad felt his blood...
Originally Published in The Santa Clarita Valley Signal The insane and cold-blooded attack murdering 21 innocent Christians at a church in Alexandria, Egypt is a horrific beginning to 2011. As an American Muslim, this attack is completely nonsensical, in addition to being utterly disgusting and sickening. The Quran: specifically sanctions Muslims to protect churches, not to blow them up...