Originally published in The Gazette Intermittent fasting is hailed by many as the new ‘cool’ fad diet of this decade. Experts ranging from medical physicians to health nutritionists have described at length the health, mental, social, and financial benefits that come with this type of lifestyle. But there is another source that made intermittent fasting cool before anyone else. Islam and its...
Originally published in Canton Rep on April 30th, 2019 What happened Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka was nothing short of horrific. As an Ahmadi Muslim, I strongly condemn the attacks perpetrated against peaceful worshipers whose only crime was celebrating a momentous occasion of their faith. My deepest prayers are with the victims and families of all those affected. In Islam, killing any innocent...
Originally published in The Arizona Republic on May 20th, 2019 To all my neighbors, We have just entered the last week of Ramadan. The month of Ramadan is a fast in which Muslims take an oath of refraining from food and drink (including water) from sunup to sundown. But more than that it is a time of reflection and self-reformation. While many may know this is a time in which Muslims fast, it is...
Originally published in Los Angeles Sentinel on February 27th, 2019 For me as an Ahmadi Muslim, Black History Month is a time to reflect on the beautiful origins of my faith, Islam. Among the first Muslim converts was an Abyssian slave named Bilal, who was befriended and then liberated by the holy prophet Muhammad. Bilal was a very pious and wise companion, and he was blessed with a deep...
For many years critics have portrayed the Qur’an in a negative light. They’ve dubbed its verses as violent, barbaric, and backwards. Some view it as a fabrication of the Prophet Muhammad, and as an antithesis to Western civilization. Perhaps they’d prefer it never existed. Interestingly, millions of Muslims throughout history — of all walks of life, backgrounds, and nations — have viewed it...
Originally Published in the Sky Valley Chronicle on March 4th, 2018 America needs to change the way we respond to tragedy and increase our dialogue. We have become far too cynical and it has become a roadblock to any type of progress. There was a strong reaction last week when National Rifle Association spokesperson Dana Loesch commented at the conservative CPAC conference saying, “many in legacy...
Originally Published in Patheos on February 26th, 2018 There was an article recently by a friend on how a representative of the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR) supported a hate rally in Virginia recently; a reader commented that American Muslims need a better mainstream representative. The problem is that despite most American Muslims being good people, there’s no real unity between...
Originally Published in the Huffington Post on December 6th, 2017 Victims hid under dead bodies, attackers ambushed ambulances, and over 305 people were killed. Nearly forty gunmen unleashed a vicious attack upon the al-Rawda mosque, utilizing multiple bombs, rocket-propelled grenades, and strategic ambush locations against first responders. The victims were Muslims, coming to the mosque for...
Originally Published in The Middletown Press on February 6th, 2018 As an Ahmadiyya Muslim, I joined Muslims the world over recently in observing a special prayer called Khusoof as a rare phenomenon occurred in the heavens. A lunar eclipse took place. It was also a super blue blood moon, which is when the moon is closest to the Earth, the brightest, the second full moon of the month, and when it...
Originally Published in Arkansas Democrat Gazette on February 10th, 2018 by Hameed Naseem It is widely believed in the West that Islam stands in opposition to women’s rights. However, even a cursory study of the Holy Quran leaves a strong impression that Islam treats women just the same as men, with love and respect, grants them equal rights and places a very high expectation on both in...