Originally Published in The Chicago Sun Times and The Daily Herald.
Life is difficult being an American Muslim, but having to deal with the fear of losing my life is even worse — and Abel Daoud allegedly almost made this fear become reality when his attempt to plot a bomb across from my office failed miserably.
As a Muslim, it is not that I deny jihad; in fact, I embrace it because I understand it well. Jihad is not repeatedly emphasized in the Holy Quran so that we can shed blood, spread disorder and disloyalty, or disrupt civil peace in its name. Not even Prophet Muhammad ever raised a sword against his enemies when much wrong was committed against him.
Then how is it that some Muslims feel the need to plot a bomb to demonstrate their anger? Quran, if used properly, would be a much better weapon, even in this day and age, if we could use its beautiful and peaceful teachings to combat our anger; our internal struggle — the jihad we should be fighting — would be in balance.
Kamran Khan, Mount Prospect
