Letter to the editor published in the Richmond Times Dispatch on May 31st: As Ahmadi Muslim, I extend my heartfelt prayers to the British people. In response to the attack in Manchester, an imam of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association UK went to Manchester to pay tribute to the victims. He was accompanied by 50 other members. Terrorism has no religion and the Quran strongly opposes such actions...
Originally Published on Cleveland.com (June 6, 2017) The Khalifa of Islam, His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad, is the worldwide spiritual and administrative head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Under his leadership, our community has been at the forefront of combatting all radical (false) interpretations of the Qur’an. Through our bookstalls, flier distributions, peace symposia...
Originally Published: Portland Tribune (Tuesday, 06 June 2017 ) The horrific attack on May 26 that resulted in the death of two people and injuries for another as they tried to protect two young women from a man’s racist tirade is shocking. In today’s divisive political climate, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes, each of which is both saddening as a human...
Originally Published in Beliefnet on June 8th, 2017 by Nayyar Ahmad Almost all major religions and cultures around the world believe in fasting; Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism etc. Likewise, Islam also enjoins its followers to fast during the month of Ramadhan. Now a week into Ramadhan, Muslims are observing fast from sunup to sundown for 30 days. Apart from abstaining from food and water...
Originally Published in Patheos on June 2nd, 2017 Yesterday, I attended a seminar by Professor Mahzarin Banaji of Harvard University on the topic of unconscious bias. It was an incredibly mind-opening seminar that brought many biases I hold to the surface. But it also enabled me, in a way, to see the biases that other people hold, specifically towards the Muslim community. Last week, 22 people...
Guest Opinion Published on Oregonlive website on May 27th, 2017 On Friday, Portland was shaken by an attack on a train that targeted two teenage girls and led to the deaths of two bystanders. As the details emerge, we discover that the suspect, 35-year-old Jeremy Joseph Christian, allegedly set his sights on the teenagers — one of whom was wearing the Muslim hijab — and began shouting...
Originally Published in Patheos on May 29th, 2017 There is no doubt that in every institution be it religious or secular, leadership plays a vital role in its progress. That is why every town, city or nation has to have people who lead. Even in the animal kingdom, there is a well observed role of leadership. When camels move in the desert, it is observed that a dominant male leads and the rest...
Originally Published on BeliefNet on May 29th, 2017 On Monday, ISIL claimed responsibility for another terrorist attack, this time in the great city of Manchester, England. We do not know for sure if so called Muslims committed this terrorist attack but we should condemn all terrorist attacks no matter who orchestrates them and those who believe in the power of prayer should pray for peace and...
Originally Published in OnFaith on May 29th, 2017 The week following September 11th was a sad and tense time for us at the Portland Rizwan Mosque. Not only had we experienced the same shock and horror from the attacks as any other American, but we also had the fear of retaliatory attacks that might occur at our mosque or against community members. The initial response wasn’t nearly as bad as...
Originally published at Cleveland.com Mother’s Day is coming up on Sunday, May 14,. As an American Ahmadi Muslim who has seen some of the many prevailing stereotypes regarding the status of women in Islam, I would like to highlight the status Islam confers upon mothers. The Holy Quran states, “Worship God and join not any partners with Him; and be kind to your parents…”...