On May 28th this year, we observed Memorial Day, a day to remember and honor those who have died in service to our nation. But on this year’s Memorial Day, I also reflected on other brave souls who died in another service: to their faith. May 28th has a special significance not just for me and the tens of millions of members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community worldwide. It is also a day of...
Originally Published in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. This 12 year old Muslim-American wants to know why an offensive movie was made against his holy founder the Prophet Muhammad. The film portrayed him as a warmonger, whereas he lived and taught peace and harmony. I belong to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, and we were very hurt by the news of the film. Instead of violent protest, however, we...
Originally published in Duluth News Tribune During a discussion with my 11-year-old daughter on the subject of respect and the status of women in Islam, the conversation turned to the issue of domestic violence. When I told my daughter that critics of Islam allege the Quran encourages men to beat women she looked at me in sheer disbelief. I asked her to read the verse 4:35, which advises men...
Originally Published in The Richmond Times-Dispatch Being the exception is a good thing, right? Maybe not, if you’re Pakistan. Christians have endured persecution for so long in Pakistan that it may rightly be considered commonplace. Therefore, I had little hope for a pending case against Rimsha Masih — a 14-year-old Christian girl, who is also mentally ill, charged with allegedly burning the...
