Originally published in the Baltimore Sun American drones have been operating since 2004 in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan, my motherland. But on Nov. 21, a drone fired missiles at a religious seminary in Hangu, a settled area in mainland Pakistan, killing five men in addition to a top leader of the pro-Taliban Haqqani network. Pakistanis are angry. Imran Khan, the chairman...
Originally published in the Sun Opinion Can Muslims celebrate Thanksgiving? Of course they can! Muslims should celebrate Thanksgiving because it’s all about being thankful to God and that is what Islam is all about. As Muslims, we are taught that God blesses us all the time — indeed, every breath we take is a gift from God — and so we should be grateful to God all the time. To this end, Islam...
Originally published in the Huffington Post There was a rumor that recently made rounds on the Internet about the State of Angola banning the religion of Islam, demoting it to the status of a “cult” and making plans to demolish mosques across the country. This later proved to be a hoax. CAIR USA was one of the Muslim groups that circulated this news widely on social...
Originally published in the Huffington Post There was a rumor that recently made rounds on the Internet about the State of Angola banning the religion of Islam, demoting it to the status of a “cult” and making plans to demolish mosques across the country. This later proved to be a hoax. CAIR USA was one of the Muslim groups that circulated this news widely on social media –...
Originally published in Santa Barbara Independent This Thanksgiving, we all will have many reasons to be thankful. I, for one, am thankful for all the women in my life, which at the moment include my mother and sister-in-law. It goes without saying that women are superheroes. It is then rather fitting that Marvel’s newest character, Ms. Marvel, is portrayed as a teenage female Muslim. While we’d...
Originally Published in the Santa Barbara Independant This Thanksgiving, we all will have many reasons to be thankful. I, for one, am thankful for all the women in my life, which at the moment include my mother and sister-in-law. It goes without saying that women are superheroes. It is then rather fitting that Marvel’s newest character, Ms. Marvel, is portrayed as a teenage female Muslim. While...
Originally Published in The Huffington Post As this brown, bearded Muslim was getting ready to pick up his Thanksgiving turkey order from a local Boston Market, news broke of racist graffiti in New York city. Gap had recently launched a holiday ad campaign featuring diverse models. One such ad showcasing the famous designer and actor Waris Ahluwalia, a Sikh American, had been vandalized, its...
Originally Published in The Huffington Post As the freezing winds pierced through Washington DC this past weekend, Tehran warmed up to a nuclear peace deal. Since you may have gotten an earful about the three decades of US-Iranian diplomatic quagmire, the two decades of Israeli-Iranian mien of ancient warriors, and a decade old label of “Axis of evil,” I won’t dwell over it...
Originally Published in The Huffington Post There is never a dispute about the “what” and “who” of mass shootings. For instance, take the recent attack on September 16. What: Thirteen killed and over a dozen injured in a rampage at the Washington D.C. naval yard. Who: A 34-year-old African American male, Aaron Alexis with security access to the building. But mention the...
Originally Posted in The Baltimore Sun Mr. President, you and I having a similar challenge: selling a military strike against Syria as a “moral imperative.” But we have different audiences. Your constituents come from all parts of the country; mine from different parts of the world. Yours are driven by myriad interests; mine are simply seeking justice. Yours are young and old; mine...