CategoryOp-eds

The Right Way To Approach Hate And Discrimination

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Originally Published in The Daily Caller  Here’s a painful reality no one wants to hear. In 2013 Israel forcibly administered birth control injections to Ethiopian Jewish women, and did so without their consent or knowledge. Likewise, more than half of the 135,000 Ethiopian Jews living in Israel live in poverty, and only half even have a high school diploma. The recent police brutality against...

Youth beware: ISIS is a political, not Islamic, group

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Originally Published in The Charlotte Observer – The rate at which some vulnerable youth are becoming brain-washed into believing ISIS propaganda calls for a serious dialogue on the issue. Any youth contemplating joining ISIS should bear in mind that the barbaric killings of Christians, destruction of ancient artifacts and murder of innocent people in the region under the control of ISIS...

Kim Davis May Be Wrong, But So Is Demonizing Her For Her Convictions

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Originally published in The Daily Caller   It is difficult to carry a dialogue with a person who attacks your character. This came to light again last week as my social media feed spiked with memes, tweets, and posts mocking Kim Davis’ appearance, looks, weight, and marriage history. Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who has stated that she is willing to go to jail for the sake of her religious...

Pakistan’s Dark Days

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Originally published in Foreign Affairs Last week’s massacre of 132 schoolchildren in Peshawar by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was horrific. It sparked a wave of sympathy—world leaders expressed their solidarity with the country—and also criticism—for years, Pakistan has given safe haven to terrorist groups. TTP’s ghastly attack in Peshawar was hardly surprising. In the spring of 2010...

Teaching tolerance through Islam

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Originally published in The Tulsa World   Each time I see a news headline with a link between Islam and terrorism my heart sinks. These past few hours as I watch and read about the hostage situation in Sydney I have had the same sinking feeling as I see yet another shocking story of possible terrorism. These acts of terrorism are becoming more and more prevalent with many of the perpetrators...

Why Won’t Major Media Report on Muslims Combatting Terrorism?

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Originally published in the Huffington Post There exist two scenarios where no one can hear you scream. The first is of course, in space because there’s no oxygen. And the second is on Earth, but only if you’re a global Muslim leader condemning ISIS and promoting universal religious freedom. Such was the result of the landmark address His Holiness the Khalifa of Islam, Mirza Masroor...

Islam is under attack by the Islamic State

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Originally published in the Duluth News Tribune While American lawmakers are assessing whether the initial stages of bombings in Syria helped contain the Islamic State, a fresh wave of homeland terrorist attacks has aggravated the fear of a growing influence of Islamic State over America. On Oct. 24, a New York man attacked a group of police officers by wielding a hatchet, critically injuring one...

Of Free Speech, Islamophobia and New Atheism

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Originally published in the Huffington Post Ayaan Hirsi Ali is an extreme anti-Islam critic, well known for her bigoted views and dishonest generalizations of the Muslim faith. When she was invited to speak at Yale’s Buckley program recently, some student groups — including the Yale Humanist Community — issued a statement criticizing the invitation. In their statement, thegroup...

I disagree with Sam Harris and Bill Maher

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Originally published in the Express Tribune I read a fellow blogger’s post on why she agrees with Sam Harris and Bill Maher. I am sure the writer has her heart in the right place and I completely agree with her principal argument – that the Muslim world needs serious introspection and reform. Except this is not the argument Maher and Harris put forth. They believe that the Islamic faith, not...

Why a Muslim and an Atheist Are Fighting Side by Side

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Originally published in the Huffington Post I was born in Pakistan, completed my medical school there and then moved to the United States for higher medical training. I also moved to escape the horrid persecution my Islamic sect — the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community — faces back home. In America, I could enjoy all the freedoms I was denied under Pakistan’s law, most importantly the...