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 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 Huffington Post Imagine a local bookseller in the United States being arrested by the federal government in his own bookstore and being charged with a federal crime. His crime: the sale of books deemed hurtful or hateful to another religious group’s beliefs. His punishment: eight years in prison. Any American would find this unbelievable and absurd for something...
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 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...
A COUPLE days after the Paris attacks, I found myself in Connecticut praying in a mosque with fresh bullet holes. This mosque is just like one in Lynnwood, it hosts blood drives in honor of the 9/11 victims, donates turkeys to food shelters for Thanksgiving and participates in gift drives during Christmas. There was a chill in the air that day and it wasn’t because the holes in the walls let in...
The attack in San Bernardino, which left 14 dead and many others wounded, was a terrible and tragic incident. As an Ahmadi Muslim and a human being, I must strongly condemn the shooters for this heinous crime which violates humanity and the religious teachings of Islam. Neither this incident nor any incident involving lunatics committing acts of murder should ever be politicized or...
The recent slaughter in San Bernardino by a couple who had apparently pledged allegiance to ISIS was a terrible tragedy. In the aftermath, the American Muslim community has condemned the violence whereas voices on the right target the Islamic faith itself, while most Americans grapple to come to terms with the reality behind this ordeal. For us to do real justice to our fallen brothers and...
Originally published in The Huffington Post I am a Pakistani immigrant to the United States. With the recent rise of Islamophobia here in America, we Pakistanis have suddenly become experts on minority rights. My social media timelines are filled with my friends urging the West to accommodate Syrian refugees escaping persecution, and be more accepting of pluralism. I also see them condemning the...
Originally Published in The Huffington Post In the wake of the recent Paris attacks, new atheist writer Ayaan Hirsi Ali is screaming out at her loudest again. “Islam needs reform,” she insists. But is she right? We must understand that Muslims are not a monolith. They come in all colors and sects. I, for instance, identify with the Ahmadiyya sect of Islam. The Ahmadiyya Muslim...