Originally Published in The Cincinnati Enquirer I take pride in the fact that America, in the face of adversity, strives to take the high road; there is a clear distinction between us and our enemies. Our enemies are the ones that spread terror, they are the ones that attack churches, and they are the ones that wish to subjugate the world. Lt. Col. Dooley’s class aimed at educating military...
Originally Published in The Cleveland Plain Dealer One year after Osama bin Laden’s death, terrorism even within our country has not ceased to operate. Just this Tuesday, five young men were arrested in an FBI sting for attempting to bomb a busy commercial bridge outside Cleveland. If successful, the act could have led to death, destruction and fear. Sounds like terror to me. The irony...
Originally Published in The Orange County Register FULLERTON, Ahsan M. Khan: I was pleased to learn that the World Evangelical Alliance condemned the recent burning of the Quran by Pastor Terry Jones. Jones burned the Quran to protest the recent death sentence imposed by the Iranian government on a pastor accused of preaching to Muslims. He claimed that this was his way of protesting. Afghanistan...
Originally Published in The Cincinnati Enquirer May 2nd marks the end of the longest manhunt in American history. Bin Laden is gone but his followers still remain, his ideology – “Bin Ladenism” – still persists. How can we defeat this ideology of hate? An ideology can be suppressed by force but can only be defeated by an alternate more appealing ideology. There are many in the Muslim world...
Originally Published in The Philadelphia Inquirer The death of Osama bin Laden was a major milestone in the war on terrorism (“Where al-Qaeda is, minus its leader,” Monday). However, we must realize that this war is not over yet. Bin Laden is dead, but “Bin Ladenism” — an ideology based on hatred and violence — is still alive in many parts of the Muslim world. As Muslim Americans, our...
Originally Published in The The Democrat and Chronicle Pastor Terry Jones recently voiced his concern that Islam’s only goal was world domination, and that “We must take back America.” If Pastor Jones was to look at the true teachings of Islam, he would find no reason to worry. Islam supports the separation of religion and state, and forbids the imposition of Islam on those who do not want to...
Originally Published in The Record Regarding “Atheist billboard draws shrugs from Muslims” (Page A-1, March 8): As the billboard in Paterson says, I have a choice about my religion — and I am an American-Muslim. An atheist group is putting up billboards in Paterson, portraying Islam as not only a religion of myth but also one of compulsion. I have lived in America all my life, and I...
Originally Published in The Chicago Sun Times The Saudi Arabian grand mufti’s desire to eradicate all churches in the Arabian Peninsula indicates religious coercion — an act the Holy Quran wholly rejects [“Saudi grand mufti calls for ‘destruction of all churches in region’ ”]. The Quran promotes universal religious freedom, even commanding to protect the “churches and synagogues and mosques...
Originally Published in The Concord Journal The recent school shootings in Chardon, Ohio, may prove instructive for the NYPD its controversial surveillance of mosques. The Ohio teenage shooter was described as a loaner, an outcast and a victim of bullying —qualities studies have shown are typical of such people. Such incidents are often avoided simply by reporting what was about to happen. But...
Originally Published in The Columbus Dispatch On Friday, Governor Christie called the NYPD surveillance of Muslims an “abandonment of the core lesson of 9/11”. I agree. I believe that the NYPD would be better off focusing on making allies within the Muslim community, which is far less costly and far more cost effective, than spending millions in controversial surveillance programs...