Originally published in the Chicago Tribune Pope Francis requested prayers for the 12 nuns abducted Monday by rebel fighters in the Syrian village of Maaloula. As an Ahmadi Muslim, I strongly condemn the kidnappings based on the Charter of Privileges granted to Christians by the Prophet Muhammad. This charter protects Christians’ rights to freedom of worship and movement. It states:...
Originally published in Duluth News Tribune Thanksgiving is a time when we give thanks to God and look to be more grateful for all the things we commonly take for granted. This also is an opportunity to reflect that there are many people in this world who are not as fortunate. For example, millions of people in the world go hungry every day, and every year 1.5 million people die from hunger...
Originally published in the Baltimore Sun American drones have been operating since 2004 in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan, my motherland. But on Nov. 21, a drone fired missiles at a religious seminary in Hangu, a settled area in mainland Pakistan, killing five men in addition to a top leader of the pro-Taliban Haqqani network. Pakistanis are angry. Imran Khan, the chairman...
Originally published in the Sun Opinion Can Muslims celebrate Thanksgiving? Of course they can! Muslims should celebrate Thanksgiving because it’s all about being thankful to God and that is what Islam is all about. As Muslims, we are taught that God blesses us all the time — indeed, every breath we take is a gift from God — and so we should be grateful to God all the time. To this end, Islam...
Originally published in the Orange Country Register In Judaism, the Torah shares the mitzvah of bikkurim, which emphasizes the importance of giving thanks. The New Testament shares instances of Jesus Christ thanking God for His providence. And the Prophet Muhammad taught us that one who is not grateful to man cannot be grateful to God. Similarly, all religions stress the importance of giving...
Originally published in the Orange County Register As we relish our turkeys and cranberry sauce this Thanksgiving, let us also pledge to help the Typhoon Haiyan victims, Syrian refugees who are braving the upcoming harsh weather and millions of our poverty-stricken brethren. Thanking God for all His blessings can be done through words and through actions, by living up to the potential that He has...
Originally published in the Huffington Post There was a rumor that recently made rounds on the Internet about the State of Angola banning the religion of Islam, demoting it to the status of a “cult” and making plans to demolish mosques across the country. This later proved to be a hoax. CAIR USA was one of the Muslim groups that circulated this news widely on social...
Originally published in the Huffington Post There was a rumor that recently made rounds on the Internet about the State of Angola banning the religion of Islam, demoting it to the status of a “cult” and making plans to demolish mosques across the country. This later proved to be a hoax. CAIR USA was one of the Muslim groups that circulated this news widely on social media –...
Originally published in The Sun Opinion and Inland Valley Daily Bulletin Can Muslims celebrate Thanksgiving? Of course they can! Muslims should celebrate Thanksgiving because it’s all about being thankful to God and that is what Islam is all about. As Muslims, we are taught that God blesses us all the time — indeed, every breath we take is a gift from God — and so we should be grateful to God...
Originally published in Orange County Register As we relish our turkeys and cranberry sauce this Thanksgiving, let us also pledge to help the Typhoon Haiyan victims, Syrian refugees who are braving the upcoming harsh weather and millions of our poverty-stricken brethren. Thanking God for all His blessings can be done through words and through actions, by living up to the potential that He has...