Originally Published in The Chicago Sun Times The incident of five American soldiers burning the holy Quran in Afghanistan was deplorable, but still does not justify killing of U.S. soldiers. [“Official: Mistakes led to Afghan Quran burnings, “Saturday]). As a Muslim-American who emigrated from that region, I understand why the Afghans are angry and frustrated with our government. But they must...
Originally Published in The Columbus Dispatch Boko Haram, a Nigerian militant group that claims to be Muslim claimed responsibility for several church bombings around the time of Christmas. This is the same extremist group that killed dozens of innocent Christians on the New Years bombings last year. Such inhumane acts cannot be justified in the name of Islam. The Holy Quran states that...
Originally Published in The Huffington Post Sardar Anees Ahmad remembers exactly where he was when the second plane struck on 9/11: obliviously walking with his professor, going from one class to another at his college in New York. As the tragedy unfolded, and one after another, a Muslim face and name resembling his, started flashing on TV screens worldwide, the 19-year-old Ahmad felt his blood...
Originally Published in the New Jersey Record THE WORD jihad is perhaps one of the top 10 most feared words in the West. The same word also perhaps makes it to the top 10 most ill-understood concepts among Muslims and others alike. It is well known that Muslims, Christians and Jews coexisted in Jerusalem for ages. With the spread of a theocratic interpretation of religion and with widespread...