Originally Published in The Everett Herald Muslims – the riots must drain out. In case you haven’t noticed the vicious cycle, let me illustrate. On one hand, you have the anti-Islam propagandist who time and again in the guise of freedom of speech create and promote baseless shameless materials. On the other, you have fanatics who react to such propaganda and wreak havoc resulting in loss...
Originally Published in The Dallas Morning News It is hardly a fair and accurate assessment to say Islam — a religion of over 1 billion followers — has “a penchant for murder.” While an extremely vocal minority commits violent and inexcusable acts, they do not reflect the beliefs of the overwhelming majority of Muslims – nor of Islam. Their actions find prohibition both in the Quran and the...
Originally Published in The Star Ledger What was the aim of the movie “Innocence of Muslims” if not to hurt the feelings of more than 1 billion Muslims across the globe? The moviemaker not only succeeded in achieving this objective, he was indirectly responsible for the loss of innocent lives, including that of the U.S. ambassador to Libya. That said, responding with violence...
Originally Published in The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Picture a wartime scenario of a family attempting to flee its home near Damascus, once considered the safest place in Syria. Picture a young girl hunkering down in her basement all day long because of incessant shelling. These tragic stories are becoming a typical part of an average Syrian’s life. But Syria can build internal and...
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...
Originally Published in The Cleveland Plain Dealer One year after Osama bin Laden’s death, terrorism even within our country has not ceased to operate. Just this Tuesday, five young men were arrested in an FBI sting for attempting to bomb a busy commercial bridge outside Cleveland. If successful, the act could have led to death, destruction and fear. Sounds like terror to me. The irony...
Originally Published in The Cincinnati Enquirer May 2nd marks the end of the longest manhunt in American history. Bin Laden is gone but his followers still remain, his ideology – “Bin Ladenism” – still persists. How can we defeat this ideology of hate? An ideology can be suppressed by force but can only be defeated by an alternate more appealing ideology. There are many in the Muslim world...
Originally Published in The Philadelphia Inquirer The death of Osama bin Laden was a major milestone in the war on terrorism (“Where al-Qaeda is, minus its leader,” Monday). However, we must realize that this war is not over yet. Bin Laden is dead, but “Bin Ladenism” — an ideology based on hatred and violence — is still alive in many parts of the Muslim world. As Muslim Americans, our...
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...