As a member of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, I condemn the attack on the event hosted by American Freedom Defense Initiative in Garland, Texas, where the cartoons of Prophet Muhammad were displayed. As a Muslim living in the U.S., I also bring to question the intent of the organization hosting this event. If the intent was to dishonor Prophet Muhammad, then I ask, how does one dishonor a man with...
Roughly 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide will be celebrating the end of Ramadan today. After a month of fasting, prayer and self-restraint, Muslims will come together for the festivities of Eid-ul-Fitr. This festival celebrates the spiritual enhancements and nearness to God that was attained during the past month. Muslims, out of love and devotion their fellow man, spent the entire month of Ramadan...
The Islamic holy month of Ramadan, where Muslims from across the globe fast from dusk till dawn, began this month. I will be one of the many proud Muslims enjoying the spiritual and physical blessings of this month. In addition to personal gains, Ramadan is a month of sacrifice and service to our fellow man. “The Holy Prophet (saw) was the most generous of all the people, and he used to...
The Islamic holy month of Ramadan, during which Muslims from across the globe fast from dusk till dawn, began last week. I will be one of the many proud Muslims enjoying the spiritual and physical blessings of this month. In addition to personal gains, Ramadan is a month of sacrifice and service to our fellow man. “The Holy Prophet (saw) was the most generous of all the people, and he used to...
Originally published in The Press Enterprise The horrific killing of at least 132 schoolchildren and nine adults by the Taliban in Pakistan saddens me tremendously as a parent, a Muslim and a son of Pakistani immigrants. There is no place for this senseless violence. It must be condemned in the strongest terms. The Pakistani government must come down hard on these cowards who are an embarrassment...
Originally published on Syraquse.com With the holidays around the corner, how must one feel when one moment they’re happily purchasing gourmet chocolate for their families, and the next they’re taken hostage and forced to hold up what is believed to be an ISIS flag. Because of such militant groups, there is an ongoing trend towards radicalization of youth around the world. As members...
This Muslim-American is pained, on the one hand, to witness violent extremism perpetrated in the name of Islam, for example, by the Islamic State group or Boko Haram, and on the other hand, to see noxious caricatures that defame the Prophet Muhammad drawn in public demonstrations by Islamophobes. Both entities are completely ignorant of the noble character of the prophet, who defended the rights...
To the Times: I applaud the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in favor of Samantha Elauf and the right for Muslim women to have equal opportunity and be free from discrimination in the work place due to their choice of wearing the hijab. I believe this ruling upholds the American value of freedom of religion not just for Muslims but for adherents of all religions such as Jews who choose to wear...
Another “Draw the Prophet Muhammad” cartoon contest took place recently outside of a Phoenix mosque, followed by anti-Islam protests. The event organizer called for participants to wear T-shirts that cursed Islam and to bring firearms. I think freedom of speech is a beautiful thing in America, which should be given to all humans of the world. However, I do not understand why Islamaphobes continue...
I am an American, a graduate of Girls Preparatory School and I am also a Muslim. Today I pray for peace. The shooting that shook our town recently devastated us all. Regardless of our faith preferences, we are hurt by the pain of those killed for dedicating themselves to our country. The perpetrator of such a heinous crime had no religion — how could he, when he had no basic regard for humanity...