Originally published on Patheos This is a challenging time for all Muslims in America as the despicable actions of a few put Islam in a terrible light. This situation is not made any easier when there is blatant hate being spread by educated members of society. Recently Joe Walsh, a former US Congressman of Illinois, put a video on his Facebook page where he says, “I think Islam has a real...
Originally posted Middle Town Press As Ahmadi Muslim Americans, we extend heartfelt wishes of peace, blessings, and merriment to our compatriots of all faiths amid the New Year. Who are we? We’re your friendly neighborhood Muslims for peace, life, loyalty and love who believe the Promised Messiah has come in the person of his holiness Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian. We believe God sent Ahmad, like...
Originally uploaded in Dawn A month ago, an 81-year-old Muslim bookseller in New York was caught with a copy of the Holy Quran. The FBI arrested him promptly, and just two days back, an anti-terrorism court in Washington DC sentenced him to eight years in prison with a hefty fine. Christian leaders across the US are congratulating the government for protecting the soul of Christianity by...
Originally posted in Tribliv This Muslim-American believes President Obama deserves praise for separating ISIL from Islam. Unlike some caustic contenders for the Oval Office, Obama advised the nation to “enlist Muslim communities as some of our strongest allies, rather than push them away through suspicion and hate.” The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has been at the forefront of the ideological...
Originally Published in The Cleveland I was deeply saddened by the recent Paris terror attacks, and shootings in San Bernardino. Since then I have been praying that America is able to stop ISIS and defeat terrorism motivated by a perversion of Islamic teachings. In the face of these terror attacks, we have a responsibility as Americans to think over how and why such terrorist attacks happen. In...
Originally published on Patheos The year 2015 can be remembered as the year Daesh (ISIS) dominated the news media in the Western world, from beginning to the end. It began with the merciless attack on the French newspaper Charlie Hebdo that drew worldwide condemnation, enslaving of Yazidi women, burning of a Jordanian pilot and ending with a spectacular attack in France and inspiring mass murder...
Originally published in the the Montgomery News I am deeply saddened at the horrific shooting that occurred in San Bernardino. It is a tragedy that so many lives were lost, all in the name of Islam. Farook and Malik were said to be deeply religious. I too consider myself deeply religious. Unlike them I follow Islam. I follow Islam where it states clearly in the Quran “that you slay not the soul...
Originally published in the Express Tribune As Christmas is nearing, I am starting to see the occasional anti-Christmas messages on the internet that say that greeting on the occasion of Christmas is haram (forbidden) according to scholarly consensus. Some are claiming that saying “Merry Christmas” is tantamount to committing “shirk” or associating partners with Allah. Of the many clerics that...
Originally published on Philly.com Hostile climate The recent act of throwing a severed pig’s head at the Al Aqsa Islamic Society mosque in North Philadelphia was clearly an act of Islamophobia, signifying grave disrespect toward Muslims. But it is much more than that. The act also reflects a growing climate in this country of intolerance aimed at practitioners of Islam. It represents an...
Originally posted in Dawn IMAGINE sending your child to school in uniform in the morning, and finding him in a casket in the afternoon. Imagine having your child’s blood-stained clothes brought back to you, the dreams that you had for them shattered. Instead of your child arranging for your burial one day you have to pick up the greatest load in your life — the casket of your child. More than...