On March 13, a new pope, Pope Francis I, was elected. The head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad, also known as the Khalifa of Islam, congratulated the new pope. “I hope and pray that in the forthcoming era, the pope uses his influence to develop peace and harmony in the world,” he said. Fourteen hundred years ago, Prophet Muhammad taught to respect all religions...
As an American Muslim, I do not celebrate Easter. However, I look forward to it every year. After Easter, Easter chocolate and candy are very cheap. However, that is not the only reason I enjoy Easter time. March 23, 1889, is the day the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was established. Around the same time every year that Christians believe Jesus Christ spiritually rose, Ahmadi Muslims believe Mirza...
Three months after the shocking Newtown tragedy, America’s top lawmakers remain unable to take action on gun-control legislation. Instead, a fierce fight between President Obama and the gun lobby is on the rise. The gun lobby portrays Obama as an elite hypocrite who wants to abolish the Second Amendment by taking away Americans’ right to self-defense. Since the ratification of the Bill of Rights...
Originally published in Hartford Courant Prayers and congratulations emanated from Muslims to Catholics as Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio ascended the papacy after Pope Benedict’s resignation. The previous pope had insulted Islam and its holy founder Muhammad in his Regensburg Lecture, whereas Cardinal Bergoglio devoted a large portion of his efforts to strengthening Catholic-Islamic ties...
Billa was his nickname. A poor, uneducated Christian boy who cleaned sewer lines, removed garbage and, on a good day, played cricket with us on the streets of Lahore. I fondly remember how he could hit the ball out of the park and make the team proud. But life in Pakistan was rife with contradictions. In the afternoon, the team heard sermons narrating Muslim stories of equal treatment of non...
Originally published in SFGate As an American Muslim, I am saddened by the anti-Islamic bus ads in San Francisco by the American Freedom Defense Initiative. Regarding similar ads on the New York City transit system, Pamela Geller, executive director of the initiative, last year described her campaign as a triumph of the First Amendment. And she gave a simple reason to embark on this campaign:...
Originally published in Star Tribune
In his first remarks after being elected, Pope Francis said: “Let there be brotherhood among us.” I hope that we as Muslims and Christians can unite and establish the brotherhood to which the pope alluded.
Pakistan ambassador to America Sherry Rehman’s Twitter bio declares, “Will take a bullet for the motherland but hope our children don’t have to.” But what is an ambassador to do when that bullet comes from Pakistan and strikes her in the back? Last month, Pakistan took the unprecedented step and charged their own ambassador with blasphemy — a crime that carries the...
Originally published in Detroit Free Press Pope Benedict’s resignation came as a shock to the entire world. As a Muslim, I was taken aback when I heard the news. I remember the day that Pope John Paul II left his post to approach the heavens. I shed many tears that day. Now I look on with admiration to see a man resign the authority of the papacy for the betterment of his faith and his...
More than 30 years ago, when my parents enrolled me in St. Anthony’s, a Catholic school in Pakistan, our neighbors expressed a concern: Will my faith be at risk because of attending a Catholic school? But I experienced no conflict. I noted how the nuns wore a black head cover with a long dress — just like my mother. I observed how the priests were kind — just like my father. I...