Originally published in Santa Barbara Independent It is difficult to believe that September 11, 2001 was some twelve years ago. It really did seem like another seemingly innocent day in September. A light blue sky conspicuously cloaked the horrors in a New York City skyline. I remember I was in sixth grade at May Grisham Elementary in Santa Maria. It was early in the morning and my...
Originally published in Santa Barbara News-Press As a Muslim, I am saddened and condemn the terrorism in the Boston Marathon bombing. The worldwide head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, His Holiness and Khalifa of Islam Mirza Masroor Ahmad, condemned the bombings in a recent sermon. Moreover, His Holiness was saddened that Muslims were the first to be targeted as the culprits of this...
Originally Published in The Santa Barbara Independent & Santa Maria Times As a 23-year-old Ahmadi Muslim American, I condemn the actions of the so-called Muslim youth in California arrested for planning to join a terrorist organization. Their belief that Islam advocates violence goes against Islam’s teaching. Prophet Muhammad taught that loyalty to one’s country is part of one’s faith. A...
Originally Published in The Contra Costa Times Probably more than any other community, July 4 gives Muslim-Americans a strong reason to celebrate. July 4 marks the independence of the American colonies from Great Britain — an independence spurred by the need for freedom of religion. Similarly, many Muslims come to the United States to flee persecution they face in their lands. Such is the...
Originally Published in Al-Bayan: The Muslim Student Publication At The University Of California, Berkeley What if I told you the American Bar Association banned Pepsi from court vendors because it is produced by Christians. You’d probably be dismayed by the irony of injustice perpetrated by an institution of justice, right? Well so was I, friends, when I heard the Lahore Bar Association in...
Originally Published in Al-Bayan Some may disagree with this article’s title. As non-Muslims face religious persecution in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Iran, some rightly ask whether Islam can cultivate interfaith inclusion. Just recently, Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti called for the destruction of all churches in the Arabian Peninsula. If this heinous act is carried out, it would...