Originally published in the Longview News-Journal Another mass shooting in San Bernardino and far too many this year alone. Our sincere condolences to the families of those who have lost their loved ones and we wish the injured a speedy recovery. Although the perpetrators of mass shootings are of varied background, the actions of those with Muslim names are easily attributed to Islam, which...
Originally published in the Santa Barbara Independent According to them, it is an act of Islamic virtue to fire a pistol or gun at an innocent person. Where are those who will act like the Companions of the Holy Prophet and remain patient while suffering torture? Has God commanded us to capture complete strangers and cut them to pieces or to shoot them without reason or proof of an offence? Can a...
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 on Patheos.com Why didn’t we hear the term “Muslim terrorist” or “Jihadist” before the 1980s? Islam has been around for more than 1400 years but “Islamic” terrorist organizations were not to be found prior to 1980. The first Islamist terrorist attack was the bombing of the Tyre Headquarters in 1982. Was Islam different prior to the 1980s or was there some sort of fundamental...
Originally published on GoErie.com By targeting a soccer game, restaurant and concert hall, Islamic State terrorists tried to upset the normalcy of ordinary Parisians. Places like those targeted are the sort of spots where the ordinary young folks of Paris gather on the weekends to unwind after a week of work. Now the responsible powers of the civilized world should give the terrorists an...
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...
Originally published in The Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette After suffering grueling punishment for 13 long years in Mecca, Prophet Muhammad and his small band of believers had reached their Promised Land, Medina. There, the majority chose the prophet as their ruler. Prophet Muhammad gave them a constitution that would grant freedom of religion and equal rights to all its citizens —...
As an Ahmadi Muslim youth, I wholeheartedly condemn the attack in Garland, for violence has no place in Islam. At the same time, I condemn the disrespectful cartoon drawings of the Prophet Muhammad showed at this event, for hate has no place in civilized society. Islam has never permitted violence in response to blasphemy. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, noted:...
American extremists returned to media coverage this week by descending on Garland. They wasted no time from their last plots of creating disorder, targeting major American cities like San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and New York City. Each attack on American minds went through without failure. Of course, this is a reference to the Islamophobes who came to Texas to hold a contest about drawing...
I was angered to hear about the cowardly attack that occurred in Garland, Texas. I say cowardly because the peaceful religion of Islam was used for the justification of this heinous act. I say angered because I am tired of my religion being hijacked by extremists. Though I may not agree with the American Freedom Defense Initiative, violence towards them is not the answer. The Quran not only...