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AuthorQasim Rashid

Qasim Rashid is a best-selling and critically acclaimed author, practicing attorney, visiting fellow at Harvard University's Prince AlWaleed bin Talal School of Islamic Studies, and national spokesperson for Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA. Qasim’s new book #TalkToMe: Changing the Narrative on Race, Religion, & Education is due out in December 2015. #TalkToMe is a non-fiction memoir on how the power of dialogue can overcome racism, xenophobia, intolerance, and violence. Previously, Qasim published EXTREMIST: A Response to Geert Wilders & Terrorists Everywhere (2014), which became an Amazon #1 Best Seller on Islam. Qasim’s first solo-authored work is the critically acclaimed book, The Wrong Kind of Muslim: An Untold Story of Persecution & Perseverance (2013). Qasim regularly publishes on TIME, The Huffington Post, Washington Post, Daily Caller, and CNN. His work has additionally appeared in USA Today, The Daily Beast, National Public Radio, Virginia Pilot, among various other national and international outlets. He also regularly speaks at a variety of universities and houses of worship, and interviews in a variety of media including the New York Times, FOX News, Pittsburg Post-Gazette, Muslim Television Ahmadiyya International, Huff Post Live, Al Jazeera, NBC, CBS, Voice of America, among several other national and international outlets.
September 8, 2015

Kim Davis May Be Wrong, But So Is Demonizing Her For Her Convictions

By Qasim Rashid
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08September

Originally published in The Daily Caller   It is difficult to carry a dialogue with a person who attacks your character. This came to light again last week as my social media feed spiked with memes, tweets, and posts mocking Kim Davis’ appearance, looks, weight, and marriage history. Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who has stated that she is willing to go to jail for the sake of her religious...

November 17, 2014

Why Won’t Major Media Report on Muslims Combatting Terrorism?

By Qasim Rashid
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17November

Originally published in the Huffington Post There exist two scenarios where no one can hear you scream. The first is of course, in space because there’s no oxygen. And the second is on Earth, but only if you’re a global Muslim leader condemning ISIS and promoting universal religious freedom. Such was the result of the landmark address His Holiness the Khalifa of Islam, Mirza Masroor...

September 24, 2014

10 Fabrications Muslim Leaders Need to Stop Making About Ahmadi Muslims

By Qasim Rashid
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24September

Originally published in the Huffington Post It is no secret I’ve been critical of Muslim leadership for their deafening apathy and silence over the 125-year worldwide persecution of Ahmadi Muslims. To add insult to injury, every time a new atrocity emerges I’m bombarded with standard anti-Ahmadi talking points in a shameless attempt to justify the violence. Just recently in...

September 15, 2014

The Key to Defeating ISIS

By Qasim Rashid
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15September

Originally published in the Huffington Post While President Obama reveals his plan to obliterate ISIS with force, and Bill Maher continues his ignorant rant to tie ISIS to Islam, New York Times journalist David Brooks provides the correct counter to ISIS in his September 4 column, “But, ultimately, [ISIS is] a spiritual movement that will have to be surmounted by a superior version of Islam...

September 5, 2014

Why I Did Not Boycott the ISNA Convention

By Qasim Rashid
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05September

Originally published in the Huffington Post Earlier this month Islamic scholar Dr. Tariq Ramadan publicized his impassioned decision to boycott the ISNA conference. As an Ahmadi Muslim, I disagreed with his decision. In fact, even if I agreed with every complaint he made, I still would not boycott ISNA for one simple reason — I can’t rationalize Prophet Muhammad’s pluralistic...

July 29, 2014

Muslim Leadership Must Act for World Peace

By Qasim Rashid
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29July

Originally published in The Huffignton Post The ISIS menace, the atrocities of Syria, the chronic violence between Palestine and Israel, and the current siege on Gaza are a sign of spiritual entropy and political immorality. The political immorality is clear from ongoing civilian casualties. ISIS is killing innocent Christians, 700 Syrians have died in just the past few days, and some 75 percent...

July 23, 2014

A Muslim’s Ramadan Message to ISIS: You Don’t Speak for Islam

By Qasim Rashid
12 Min read
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23July

Originally published in the Huffington Post The terrorist organization ISIS has set a new low standard of barbarity and inhumanity. Their most recent act of terrorism is a demand that Christians either convert, pay the jizya, leave their homes, or be killed. Their destruction of an 1800-year-old church in Mosul is painful, condemnable without exception, and wholly in violation of every...

July 21, 2014

A Ramadan Message to ISIS: You Don’t Speak For Islam

By Qasim Rashid
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21July

Originally published in A Hotchpotch Hijabi in Italy The terrorist organization ISIS has set a new low standard of barbarity and inhumanity. Their most recent act of terrorism is a demand that Christians either convert, pay the jizya, leave their homes, or be killed.      Nothing in Islam or Prophet Muhammad’s example supports ISIS’s barbarity. The below modified excerpt from my...

July 20, 2014

Ramadan, Lunar and Solar Eclipses and Ahmadi Muslims

By Qasim Rashid
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20July

Originally published in Patheos Despite the divisions and sectarianism in the Muslim world today, certain beliefs are still universal. For example, all Muslims believe that Prophet Muhammad is Khaatam un Nabiyyin. All Muslims believe the Quran is the perfect and final book, revealed by Allah to Prophet Muhammad. And all Muslims believe that the Quran was first revealed in the blessed month of...