Originally published in The Dallas Morning News Michael Jackson once sang, “It don’t matter if you’re black or white,” but apparently it does matter as is evident by the racial tension across America the past few months, starting with the Ferguson case and the subsequent protests. Then came the brutal murders of two New York City police officers. As a member of the Ahmadi Muslim Youth...
Originally published in Canton Repository As a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association, I am concerned about the number of young Muslims who are being attracted to radical ideologies. News stories continue to circulate about many being inspired by terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State, as we now hear about the hostage situation that took place at a cafe in Sydney, Australia...
Originally published in Houston Chronicles Regarding “Pakistan vows to step up fight after school massacre” (Page A1, Wednesday), as an alumnus of the Army Public School in Peshawar, Pakistan, it grieves me greatly to see the tragedy that took the lives of over 130 children. I was dumbfounded when I saw the hallways of my school that made up my childhood in pictures across the...
Originally published in Statesman Unfortunately, many extremists claiming to act in the name of Islam believe that Islam disallows the education of women. This is in direct contradiction with the Prophet Muhammad’s teachings, which valued the education of daughters so much that he stated: “If a daughter is born to a person and he brings her up, giving her good education and training in...
Originally published in Lancaster Eagle-Gazette n 1943, Nazi forces in Poland rounded up roughly 300,000 Jews and packed them into an area of 3.3-square kilometers in central Warsaw. Prisoners endured horrendous conditions and, load-by-load, were taken to Treblinka extermination camp to meet their end. One group among them, however, refused to be defeated. And so ensued the Warsaw Ghetto...
Originally published in San Antonion Express. The tragic loss of children in Newtown, Conn., is heavy on everyone’s hearts. As the parent of a third-grader, my heart wrenches with pain for the parents who will not get to see their children smile again. As a Muslim, I believe that human life is sacred and should be honored. The Holy Quran teaches that taking a single life is like...
Originally published in OpedNews May peace be upon all my readers. This past weekend was very hot and sunny in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, yet a large number of Muslims gathered for the annual convention. It is the oldest annual convention of its kind in the United States and it is still going very strong. I also was in attendance at the convention, as a member of the community and a guest of the...
The recent discovery of the planet dubbed Kepler-452b or Earth 2.0 by NASA within the habitable region of the Milky Way galaxy has created a lot of excitement and, of course, being touted as headache for religion. According to Dr. Jeff Schweitzer recent article, if God is All-Knowing then somewhere in the book of nature there should be unambiguous proof or hint about His knowledge relating to...
In an article published in the Wall Street Journal entitled Why Islam needs a reformation, Ayaan Hirsi listed five areas of Islam that “require amendment.” Hirsi is pointing out the violent behavior of certain people or groups who call themselves Muslims, attributing it to Islam, and suggesting a man-made reform to solve it. Her five point reformation plan is not the solution to the...
The blessed month of Ramadan concludes with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr. Muslims around the world have continuously prayed, given to charity and tried to attain nearness to their creator during this month. As members of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, we have organized special food drives during Ramadan to help the needy. Also, during Ramadan those who fast are to abstain from using harsh...