Originally Published in Patheos Someone recently emailed asking if I could explain certain teachings of Islam. I googled what he wrote and found that he had entirely copy pasted his objections from the following website: . Obviously basing your understanding of Islam on an anti-Islamic website is not an academically honest way to approach any subject, but he seemed confident that this was an...
Originally published in TIME (Nov 10, 2016) One of the high marks of Islam that Prophet Muhammad taught is that loyalty to your country is part of your faith. I can sympathize with the anger and fear that many have about a Donald Trump presidency: I’m a person of color; I’m a Muslim; I have young children. But these are the cards we’ve been dealt, and we need to find ways to continue working to...
Originally published on Dec 29, 2016 in “The Huffington Post“ By Amer Aziz I wasn’t all that surprised. Even before election night, I had come across the odd Muslim boldly declaring their intention to vote for Donald Trump. And so, I thought, given Trump’s anti-Muslim image, for every openly pro-Trump Muslim there must be several hidden ones. President-elect Donald Trump earned Muslim...
Originally published in The Huffington Post The long, taxing, and often uncomfortable 2016 Presidential race has finally concluded. And although the majority of voters (52.5%) did not get the result they wanted, we now have a President-elect in Donald J. Trump who will be sworn into the office of the Presidency in just two months. The aggressive and divisive nature of this election cycle...
Originally published in Patheos My dear son, Assalaamo Alaikum With all that’s going on, it’s time for a father-son talk. A lot of people are saying Muslims are bad. I want you to know you’ve done nothing wrong and have no reason to be ashamed. You see, sometimes we adults forget what it’s like to be a child. Mark Twain once wrote “Nothing that troubles us can be called little. A child’s loss...
Originally Published in The Michigan Daily January 31st, 2017 Shortly after the inaugural address, the Obamas and the Trumps descended the steps of the Capitol building in a beautiful display of peaceful transitioning. Chills came over me as I remembered descending those very steps in the summer of 2012 as a part of another display of peace. I walked down the steps of the Capitol building in the...
Originally Published in The Hill © Getty Images President Trump has vowed to accomplish what the previous two administrations since 9/11 have not been able to: “eradicate” radicalism and terrorism “from the face of the earth.” If he is sincere, he would need to discover what the previous administrations may have overlooked: a strategy addressing the radical ideologies and regimes that suppress...
Originally Published in The Huffington Post Like many other Americans, I am struck with disbelief over the new executive order by President Trump restricting Muslim refugees. I have a personal reason to be outraged. I am a Muslim refugee myself. I was born in Pakistan and raised by devout Muslim parents. In 1974 and 1984, through a constitutional amendment and presidential ordinance...
Originally Published in The Baltimore Sun On Friday, our nation stood united to inaugurate Donald Trump (“Donald Trump sworn in as 45th president of the United States of America,” Jan. 20). As an American and Ahmadi Muslim, I value the democratic transition of power and appreciate the fact that we live in a country that gives us our inalienable rights of religious freedom and...
Originally published in The Ambler Gazette Regarding vandalism of religious building To the Editor: As a Muslim I condemn the senseless vandalism at a Jewish religious building in Northeast Philadelphia. My faith tells me that it is my duty to respect all religions and to protect all places of worship. In the Quran it clearly states “…And if Allah had not repelled some people by means of others...