Originally Published in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette As we prepare to re-inaugurate President Barack Obama, let us remember that the majority voted back into office a Nobel Peace laureate who worked in the last four years to bring together members of all faiths on common grounds. For example, as a Muslim-American, I was heartened to see that in 2009 the president, a devout Christian, spoke to the...
In wake of the Taliban’s attempt on Malala Yusufzai, Pakistani journalist Kunwar Khuldune Shahid wrote an article in Pakistan Today. It was nothing short of a diatribe on ideology and conduct propagated against religion but Islam in particular. Mr. Shahid’s reaction is immature and underwritten by emotion. It is thus important to take a measured perspective. No doubt people have waged wars...
Originally Published in The Washington Post Conflict became inevitable when the United Nations approved the 1947 Israel/Palestine partition. Over six decades later, the region’s health continues to suffer and the world hangs precariously close to global conflict. While Palestine’s 2012 upgrade to “permanent observer” is a much-needed step forward, it alone is not enough. In the conflict over...
Originally Published in Hartfordfavs.com The recent film “Innocence of Muslims” which sparked riots and protests around the Muslim world was not the worst or last deranged attempt to ignite unjust hatred. Indeed, since Prophet Muhammad’s birth to a beautiful couple named Aminah and Abdullah, the meek, poor, unlettered orphan of Arabia’s desert has tearfully been the target of...
Originally Published in The Daily Beast. As the volatility between Israel and Gaza continues to transform, one constant remains: rising “collateral damage.” Unrest in Israel traces back six decades but the concept of collateral damage stretches back several millennia. And while in modern times we are allegedly “more civilized,” 11-month-old Omar Masharawi’s funeral, three dead Israelis, and a...
Originally Posted on The Hartford FAVS We live in search of truth Yet distract ourselves with lies We blindly shop every bazaar in vain And never hearken to our inner cry What ugliness you haply invite What beauty you let slip away You give up immortality tomorrow Foolishly to satisfy your lust today The answer you seek is tightly enclosed Beyond a gate of icy darkness and fiery light Kindle...
Originally Published in The Duluth News Tribune Let me begin with a history lesson. About 1,400 years ago, Prophet Muhammad was sitting in his Mosque with his companions. A nomadic non-Muslim entered the Mosque and urinated in the place of worship. Companions of the prophet rushed to beat the intruder for his grave offense of blasphemy. Prophet Muhammad stopped them. Instead, he let the nomadic...
Originally Published in The Huffington Post “Over the past three weeks, violence and protests have spread from Libya and Egypt to more than two dozen countries, leaving dozens dead, including a U.S. Ambassador and other U.S. diplomats. The film that allegedly spurred these events has been the centerpiece of a raging debate about the use of free speech and the response from people targeted...
Originally Published in The New Haven Register Violent reactions are bad moves for Muslims HAVE you ever played chess with a novice? You could not only predict his next move, you could force it to happen. Or, are you the novice, who feels like your every move is in response to the control of your experienced opponent? Most of us can relate to being on one side or the other. On a figurative level...
Originally Published in The Eagle. I am an American, born and raised in Texas. I have grown up singing The Star Spangled Banner, Texas Our Texas and pledging allegiance to the flag I am also a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the oldest Islamic organization in the U.S.A., and the only Muslim group unified by a single leader, the Khalifa. I write in regards to the most recent addition to...