Originally published in Time ‘Wars cannot end terrorism, but personal sacrifice and education can’ This year, Eid ul Adha—Islam’s holiest holiday—falls just one day after the 15-year anniversary of 9/11. Perhaps serendipitous, just one day after the anniversary of when extremists violently took so much, the Eid of Sacrifice asks Muslims to reflect over all we’ve willingly given up in...
Originally published in Beliefnet My story with non-violence starts with my ancestors who joined the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Among what inspired my ancestors to join this community was the strong condemnation of violence in the name of Islam by the community’s founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. Ahmad believed that unnecessary violence was not only prohibited in Islam but was a great misfortune for...
Originally published in Patheos As a Muslim-American, I am attracted to both Islam and America because of the idea inherent in both that all people are created equal. Both Islam and America have been stained by people who subvert them for their own political agendas and in America’s case, it was subverted right from the beginning. America became what it is at the expense of African Americans who...
Originally published in The Columbus Dispatch By Abdul-Muizz Kamal-Muili ISIS gained relevance on the international scene in the last decade. Prior to this time, Saddam Husain, though admittedly an oppressive ruler, kept relative law and order. However the situation in Iraq changed after the western world invaded the country on flawed and over-exaggerated evidences of Iraq creating a nuclear...
Originally published in Muftah After intense international pressure, France’s highest court overturned the “Burkini” ban on Friday, August 26, 2016. Before the move, over a dozen French cities had banned the burkini. Most recently, armed officers forced a Muslim woman to dress down under threat of pepper spray and arrest, essentially criminalizing modesty. That this act of forced uncovering...
Originally published in Montgomery News I feel so much shame being a resident of Pennsylvania, because this past week I learned my attorney general is a criminal. This is shocking to me because her message during her campaign was, “I am not a politician, I am a prosecutor.” I can’t help but think of the example of leadership of the Prophet Muhammad. Muhammad is considered by Muslims as the best...
Originally published in The Davidsonian If any Church or other place of worship stands in need of protection, they will find us standing shoulder to shoulder with them.” (Message to Pope Benedict XVI, 6 December 2011) Who wrote this to Pope Benedict XVI? His Holiness, Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the spiritual successor or “Khalifa” in Arabic of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. His Holiness is the leader...
Originally published in The Mooresville Tribune Although most Muslims believe that defensive wars are permissible in Islam, this man realized that the only way to really defend Islam in this day and age is simply through dialogue and that this was the “Jihad of the age.” This man’s name is Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian and he was recognized as the Messiah by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Many...
Originally published in The Beliefnet Roaming the streets of Istanbul during this past Thanksgiving break with my camera and tripod was a dream come true. As a photographer, I loved staring at the beautiful scenes of the cosmopolitan city and capturing every detail with my DSLR camera. As an Arabic calligrapher, I sat in a mosque entranced by the beautiful twisting of Arabic letters decorating...
Originally published in The Roanoke Times “Make America Great Again!” a quote used by the GOP front runner Donald Trump repeatedly where he is aiming supposedly to make America great but so far all we have heard from the candidate is to ban Muslims or remove Muslims from America. I would like to let Trump know that it is not the Muslims that America is at war with but it’s this radical extremist...