Originally Published: The Press-Enterprise 08/02/2018 Re: “Riverside imam accused of anti-Semitic sermon that called Jews ‘tyrants’” [News, Aug. 1]: As an Ahmadi Muslim, I was dismayed to learn of the anti-Semitic remarks made by a local Imam at a Riverside mosque. Such divisive language is toxic to our social climate today and we need to build bridges, rather than burn them, to make our nation...
As Published In Daily Times To the Times: Right now Muslims around the world are observing Ramadan, the holy month of fasting and prayer that began on May 27 and ends in late June. The national rhetoric concerning people who are Muslim has been heated and too often hateful. There is always a danger of stereotyping people, especially those we don’t know much about. In an effort to dispel...
Just two weeks after a white supremacist went on an anti-Muslim tirade in Portland that ended with him stabbing three men in the neck, anti-Muslim hate rallies are being organized in over 25 cities across the country this Saturday, June 10th. All are organized by ACT for America, an organization designated as both a hate group and an extremist group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. At a time...
By Zohaib Zafar This past week, another terrorist attack happened, this time in London. When an innocent person is killed, this is an attack on all of humanity. Terrorist attacks should never be taken lightly. As a Muslim, this terrorist attack is especially horrific because it seems likely that the perpetrator of the Westminster attack was motivated by his interpretation of Islam. Every Muslim...
Originally published in CantonRep On Saturday, March 11, I and hundreds of other Muslims participated in a nationwide campaign known as “Meet A Muslim”. Recently, the Pew Research Center conducted a poll and found (to all of our amazement) that 62 percent of Americans had never met a Muslim! Our goal for this campaign can be summed in one quote by the famous polish physicist Marie...
Originally posted by The Columbus Dispatch. Just hearing the word Islam or Muslim brings emotions like fear and anxiety to many Americans. Thoughts of uncertainty regarding the future of the world and safety of the United States always becomes a topic when discussing Islam. As a Muslim, I was appalled when someone asked me if I shared the same beliefs as the so-called Muslim terrorists that...
Originally published in “The Citizens’ Voice” By Arsalan Ahmad Khan Hate crimes in the U.S. have seen an increase in the recent months following the election of President Trump. A hate crime is defined as abuse against a group or individual based on religious views or racial ethnic background. This increase includes heinous acts against people belonging to Jewish communities and...
Originally published in the Huffington Post With last week’s release of Charlie Hebdo’s newest edition, marking the one-year anniversary of the infamous terrorist attack on its offices that killed 12 people, once again the debate about free speech has been ignited. In its recent publication, the editors at the magazine decided to take aim at all religion and blame God for terrorism...
Originally published in the Hufington Post You’re seven times more likely to be shot by a right wing extremist in the United States than you are to be shot by a Muslim extremist. But I guess facts don’t stop many Americans from being deathly afraid of all Muslims. I know it’s crazy to think that just because a few radical extremists do something horrifying, the faith of Islam is...
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...