Originally published in The Oshkosh Northwestern Every time I hear of an atrocity in the name of Islam, I feel the ever growing need as a Muslim to speak to the entire Muslim population. My intent in doing so is to unite all Muslims everywhere to join together and eradicate extremist and fundamentalist elements. I would begin by mentioning that protecting life, liberty, and property (i.e. houses...
How ironic. I stayed up all night writing a rejoinder to an anti-Islam politician who insists that Islam is a violent faith. Instead, I’m met by Al-Shabab who brutally murder 59 non-Muslims in Nairobi, Kenya, the Taliban who blow up a church and kill 85 Christians in Peshawar, Pakistan, and the Pakistan police who deface and destroy three Ahmadi Muslim prayer places in Sialkot, Pakistan. Each of...
Originally Published in USA Today As a Muslim American, I am saddened to hear the news of the terrorist attack in Nairobi, Kenya. An al-Qaeda affiliated-group, al-Shabab, has claimed responsibility. In addition to the loss of innocent life, I am saddened that the terrorists are attributing their act to Islam. According to eyewitnesses, they killed only non-Muslims. They must deeply reflect on the...
Originally published in Oshkosh Northwestern A Muslim will never find a major difference between the words “Night of Power” and “Night of Destiny” because both describe a night of spiritual empowerment. The way to attain it is through an arduous effort of prayer and meditation during the last ten days of Ramadan. Recently, CNN changed this whole context by the story on the recent worldwide terror...
Originally published on CNN Saeed Abedini, with his 4-year-old son, was sentenced to eight years in an Iranian prison. When will Iran’s government and clerics stop running from the truth that their religion – which they call Islam – would be unrecognizable to the Prophet Mohammed? On the mere allegation that American pastor Saeed Abedini...
Originally published in Post-Crescent Media By winning another term, President Barack Obama must uphold the responsibility to further the democratic process, which Islam supports. As a Muslim American, I believe that justice is best served when we use democracy. Many countries exist where people want democracy but can’t enjoy it because of a lack of justice. For example, in Pakistan, the...
Originally Published in the Duluth News Tribune We talked about Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Ordean East Middle School. Half a century ago, Dr. King devoted his life to one dream. He wanted black people to live equally with white people. In his time, white people were considered superior to blacks, and he wanted to change that. As an American Muslim, I think this is an example of the true Jihad...
Originally Published in The Huffington Post and The Washington Post Pakistan went through a Rosa Parks moment on Jan. 10 when twin bombings killed more than 100 members of the persecuted Shiite Muslim sect. The families refused to bury their kin. They protested — in subfreezing temperatures — by sitting next to the dead bodies for four days, demanding the ouster of the provincial...
Originally Published in The Patriot News As I walked into the New York subway, I read an ad on the wall that quoted the Quran “Soon shall We cast terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers” with a picture of the Twin Towers burning beside it. Had the Al-Qaeda taken over? No, rather, this was an Islamophobic hate ad. America was founded on religious freedom for all, yet recently in a...
Originally Published in The WashingtonPost.com As a Muslim American, #MyJihad begins every night—get to bed on time so I can wake for pre-dawn prayer and nourish my soul. #MyJihad is not skipping a healthy breakfast—as our Starbucks society is prone to tempt—and thus properly nourish my body. #MyJihad ensures I spend time daily in service to humanity—charity, volunteer work, and mentoring—to...