Originally published in The Daily Caller With Ayaan Hirsi Ali in an uproar over her unvitation from Brandeis University, and Richard Dawkins beginning his American tour, what better time to invite them to work together to promote pluralism and tolerance? And just for kicks, my invite includes Sam Harris — who is likewise no stranger to demonizing Islam. The ongoing debate stems from these new...
Originally published in The Columbus Dispatch Last April, the Boston Marathon was interrupted by two bombs that killed three people and injured 264. The perpetrators claimed that the bombings were done to protect Islam from the United States. Islam condemns the bombing in every way. In fact, the Holy Quran states: “Whosoever killed a person … it shall be as if he killed all mankind.” The...
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 NorthWestern If you look at the headlines of any newspaper today, you will notice at least one of them being about Russia. President Putin – current Russian incumbent – has become the center of western vilification because of his approval and decision to allow for the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine into Russia without any legal recourse. But no one, neither from the...
Originally published in New Haven Register World War I. When was that? We are so caught up with the problems in the world today that it is hard to believe that the first global war started 100 years ago, in 1914. Put aside present concerns, or better yet, put them in view, and let’s look a century back. I think you’ll be surprised to see major parallels. There aren’t any WWI veterans alive...
Originally published in The Cap Times Progress is marvelous, especially when it is in regard to extending basic human rights such as religious freedom and tolerance for all. On Feb. 28 the Ahmadiyya Muslim Caucus was launched with the purpose of fighting religious persecution of not only Ahmadi Muslims, but people around the world. The bipartisan leadership of Virginia Republican Frank Wolf and...
Originally published in Religion New Service (RNS) Back in kindergarten, two of my classmates fought over who could call their mother “Mom.” To them, only one had rights to that word. The teacher separated them, told them that everyone called their own mother “Mom” and instructed them to shake hands and behave. The children learned common sense, stopped fighting and went on to recess. This type...
Originally published in Tulsa World My heartfelt sympathy is with those suffering from the great tragedy that is occurring in Syria. Recently, 90 people, many of them women and children, were killed during air raids in Aleppo, Syria. It is my sincere hope that the two sides look toward the true nature of the Islamic religion as a way of building bridges of peace. True to this spirit, the prophet...
Originally published in The Santa Barbara Independent The impetus of the United States was but a handful of pilgrims fleeing from religious persecution. Since the founding of this great nation in 1776, freedom of religion has been etched into the fabric of our Constitution and impressed by our leaders. George Washington once said, “Every man … ought to be protected in worshiping the Deity...
Originally published in FaithStreet In his recent Washington Times article about the way Islamic law has shaped how Muslims live, Daniel Pipes reveals several surprising “facts” about Islam. For example, I was surprised to learn that Muslims not eating pork has resulted in “catastrophic deforestation” — even though United Nations studies have shown that South America and southern parts of Africa...