Originally published on Philly.com Hostile climate The recent act of throwing a severed pig’s head at the Al Aqsa Islamic Society mosque in North Philadelphia was clearly an act of Islamophobia, signifying grave disrespect toward Muslims. But it is much more than that. The act also reflects a growing climate in this country of intolerance aimed at practitioners of Islam. It represents an...
Originally published in The Daily Caller Last night, those vying for the Republican nomination spent two hours arguing why they would make this nation more safe and secure than anyone else on the stage. Aside from the false or gray statements that are already being debunked by fact checkers, I was amazed by the general solution being proposed to stop the growth and terror of Daesh (otherwise...
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...
Originally posted in The Huffington Post The spate of violent crimes being committed by mentally deranged, religious hypocrites is very concerning, and could not have been ordered by God the Almighty. Thus crime and terrorism such as San Bernadino, Paris massacre, Charlie Hebdo shooting and other violent acts perpetrated by terrorist groups like Boko Haram, Al- Qaeda and ISIS have no connection...
Originally posted in The News & Observer The shocking massacre at San Bernardino that killed 14 innocent souls and wounded 21 people unfortunately adds to the tally of the mass shooting epidemic in the country and must be condemned under no uncertain terms. This time around, the perpetrators were Muslims with links to an ISIS terror group and thus have inflamed the already volatile...
Originally posted in The New York Times As a Muslim-American, I completely agree with President Obama’s comments that Muslim leaders must speak out against not just acts of violence, but also those interpretations of Islam that are incompatible with the values of religious tolerance. Muslim leaders have a major role to play in the war against terrorism. Perverse interpretations of Islam are the...
Originally published on Time.com I’m a Muslim American. On Nov. 15, two days after the Paris attacks, I boarded a plane from Newark to Houston. I had just returned from a formal event, so I was wearing a plain white “shalwar,” a shirt that stops at the knees and is commonly worn by South Asians. As is my routine, I purchased in-flight WiFi to catch up on emails. But the WiFi was out on the plane...
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 posted in Mercury News Just five weeks earlier we were laughing and arguing as mother and son often do. But on Oct. 22, 2015 I hugged my mother, Amatul Karim Nusrat Chaudhry, for the last time. On Sept. 14 all appeared well. On Sept. 17 we discovered end stage cancer in her liver, rapidly spreading throughout her abdomen. By Oct. 22, my mother’s vitals began to fade, and I...