Originally Posted on The Hartford FAVS We live in search of truth Yet distract ourselves with lies We blindly shop every bazaar in vain And never hearken to our inner cry What ugliness you haply invite What beauty you let slip away You give up immortality tomorrow Foolishly to satisfy your lust today The answer you seek is tightly enclosed Beyond a gate of icy darkness and fiery light Kindle...
Originally Published in The New Haven Register I was shocked to learn that 15-year-old Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai was recently shot in the head by a Taliban gunman just because she advocated for a woman’s right to an education. Did these trigger-happy extremists know or care that the Prophet Muhammad had said that educating your daughters will earn you paradise? Based on this advice, my...
Originally Published in The New Jersey Record. Regarding “Man held in N.Y.C. bombing scheme” (Page A-1, Oct. 18): As an American Muslim, I strongly condemn Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis’ attempt to blow up the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. He claims that he was inspired by Osama bin Laden’s teachings. While the Quran instructs Muslims not to create disorder in...
Originally Published in The Wisconsin State Journal My first exposure to voting was in 11th grade when my teacher gave us voting registration forms in our government class. She wanted to let us know voting allowed everyone to have a say in who and how this country runs. It is time Muslim-Americans join other groups in America to elect individuals who can better represent all citizens equally and...
Originally Published in The Oshkosh NorthWestern Every time I read to my three year old daughter, I am trying to increase her passion for education. I pray that one day she will use her education to make a real difference in the world by helping humanity achieve peace. I am pretty sure that the father of Malala Yousefzai – Pakistani teen activist – probably wanted the same for his...
Originally Published in The Santa Clarita Valley Signal On Oct. 9, a teenage girl in Pakistan’s Swat Valley, which has been under Taliban rule for years, was brutally shot in a school bus. Malala Yusufzai was an outspoken girls’ education-rights activist and had been a persistent thorn in the side of the marauding Taliban. As reviling and abominable as this act is, far greater is young Malala’s...
Originally published in The BaltimoreSun.com Originally published in The BaltimoreSun.com As a Muslim, I am appalled by the Taliban’s recent attack on the Pakistani teenager Malala Yousefzai, a blogger and female education rights activist (“Outspoken teen shot,” Oct. 10). Islam is not only opposed to such senseless violence but obligates all believers to acquire knowledge. The...
Originally Published in The Cleveland Plain Dealer Although some may find it hard to believe, education and rights for women are championed in Islam. Fourteen-year-old nominee for the 2011 Children’s Nobel Peace Prize, Malala Yousafzai, is in serious condition from gunshot wounds and receiving medical treatment in the United Kingdom. Malala is known for her activism in promoting...
Originally Published in The New York Post I am pleasantly surprised that the Pakistani police have taken a step forward by arresting suspects allegedly responsible for shooting the 14-year-old girl who courageously stood up to the Taliban in defense of her right to an education. The Pakistani police’s willingness to target the Taliban today is refreshing and is a step in the right direction. Saad...
Originally Published in The Washington Post and The Huffington Post Someone is missing from this picture. Because just when I was wondering if extremists could do anymore damage to Islam’s image, they committed yet another despicable act. As if flogging the adulterers, executing the civilians, and selling the women were not enough, on Oct. 8, the Taliban attempted to assassinate a 14-year...