Originally Published in The Delco Times As I walk through the mall during this time of the year, I see people with numerous bags in their hands, rushing from store to store desperate to find those last minute deals. My email is overflowing with advertisements of items I will probably never buy. As an American Muslim, I wonder if the true spirit of Christmas has been drowned out by all this focus...
Originally published in New Jersey Local News Christmastime is here — a time when Christians come together, exchange gifts and spread joy. People from all walks of life participate in this event, if not by the ideology then just by having some good old fun such as, for example, playing Secret Santa with co-workers. Similarly, as a Muslim-American, I think about Jesus more than usual around this...
Originally Published in The State Journal-Register As an Ahmadi Muslim, I condemn the bus bombing near Tel Aviv last Sunday. Islam categorically rejects violence and the taking of innocent lives. The Quran states, “… if any one killed an innocent person … it would be as if he killed all of mankind.” Furthermore, there is no place for vigilante justice in Islam...
Originally Published in The Telegraph As an Ahmadi Muslim, I revere and love Jesus just as my Christian brothers and sisters do. This is because the Quran states, “Oh Mary, God gives thee glad tidings of a word from him; his name shall be the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, honored in this world and in the next and of those who are granted nearness to God. (3:46). ...
Originally published in the Orange County Register Most people are often surprised to hear that Jesus is a highly esteemed figure in Islam. My friend once asked, “Is this a new idea within Islam?” thinking that, perhaps, Muslims recently concocted this notion. In reality, Jesus is not only considered a prophet in Islam (a fact many Christians are familiar with). In fact, Jesus is...
Originally Published in the New Haven Register My name is “Sohail.” Based on my Indian ancestry, my name is pronounced just the way it’s spelled. But because I’m a Muslim and my name is derived from Arabic, it’s technically pronounced “Su-hayl.” Try explaining that to someone on the other line when you’re trying to phone in a rushed order for Chinese takeout. So out of convenience, I will...
Originally Published in the Star Tribune Generally, everything that happens to us for the first time becomes a lasting memory. On a recent weekend, having spent only a couple of months in the United States, I was still in discovery mode. The beautiful time my husband and I spent with friends in Duluth came to an end on our way home when our car’s exhaust pipe began dragging on the ground. Just...
Originally Published in the Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel One of my favorite lines from Edwin Starr’s 1970 song “War” is “War, huh, yeah. What is it good for? Absolutely nothing.” It resonated with the people of the time because no war is ever a good war and it is not good for anyone who experiences it. Recently, I have been hearing a lot of buzz that there is...
Originally Published in the Akron Beacon Journal We should all join Pope Francis in his prayers for the nuns in Syria who were kidnapped by rebel troops. It is claimed that these nuns were taken for safety, but this is very unlikely, as minorities such as Christians throughout the two-and-a-half-year war have been caught in this huge mess, and many of their...
Originally published in the Liberty Magezine Religious blasphemy laws can be a touchy subject, especially in Pakistan, where just bringing up the subject of the blasphemy laws and whether they are right or wrong is considered, well …blasphemous. This wasn’t always the case. The sentiment behind most blasphemy laws is easy to understand. No person or group should insult another religion’s beliefs...