Originally Published in The Wisconsin State Journal My first exposure to voting was in 11th grade when my teacher gave us voting registration forms in our government class. She wanted to let us know voting allowed everyone to have a say in who and how this country runs. It is time Muslim-Americans join other groups in America to elect individuals who can better represent all citizens equally and...
Originally Published in The Oshkosh NorthWestern Every time I read to my three year old daughter, I am trying to increase her passion for education. I pray that one day she will use her education to make a real difference in the world by helping humanity achieve peace. I am pretty sure that the father of Malala Yousefzai – Pakistani teen activist – probably wanted the same for his...
Originally Published in The Santa Clarita Valley Signal On Oct. 9, a teenage girl in Pakistan’s Swat Valley, which has been under Taliban rule for years, was brutally shot in a school bus. Malala Yusufzai was an outspoken girls’ education-rights activist and had been a persistent thorn in the side of the marauding Taliban. As reviling and abominable as this act is, far greater is young Malala’s...
Originally Published in The Washington Post and The Huffington Post Someone is missing from this picture. Because just when I was wondering if extremists could do anymore damage to Islam’s image, they committed yet another despicable act. As if flogging the adulterers, executing the civilians, and selling the women were not enough, on Oct. 8, the Taliban attempted to assassinate a 14-year...
Originally Published in The Duluth News Tribune Let me begin with a history lesson. About 1,400 years ago, Prophet Muhammad was sitting in his Mosque with his companions. A nomadic non-Muslim entered the Mosque and urinated in the place of worship. Companions of the prophet rushed to beat the intruder for his grave offense of blasphemy. Prophet Muhammad stopped them. Instead, he let the nomadic...
Originally Published in The Huffington Post My 10-year-old sister published her first Letter to the Editor in the Columbus Dispatch — with the help of her big brother, of course. She had innocently expressed her dismay at the unbecoming conduct of some Disney Channel stars who were supposed to be her role models. She gazed in awe as I pulled up the letter online and began reading the...
Originally Published in The New Haven Register Violent reactions are bad moves for Muslims HAVE you ever played chess with a novice? You could not only predict his next move, you could force it to happen. Or, are you the novice, who feels like your every move is in response to the control of your experienced opponent? Most of us can relate to being on one side or the other. On a figurative level...
Originally Published in The Eagle. I am an American, born and raised in Texas. I have grown up singing The Star Spangled Banner, Texas Our Texas and pledging allegiance to the flag I am also a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the oldest Islamic organization in the U.S.A., and the only Muslim group unified by a single leader, the Khalifa. I write in regards to the most recent addition to...
Originally Published in The Cleveland Plain Dealer My 10-year-old sister published her first Letter to the Editor in The Columbus Dispatch — with the help of her big brother, of course. She had innocently expressed her dismay at the unbecoming conduct of some Disney Channel stars who were supposed to be her role models. She gazed in awe as I pulled up the letter online and began reading the...
Originally Published in The Everett Herald Muslims – the riots must drain out. In case you haven’t noticed the vicious cycle, let me illustrate. On one hand, you have the anti-Islam propagandist who time and again in the guise of freedom of speech create and promote baseless shameless materials. On the other, you have fanatics who react to such propaganda and wreak havoc resulting in loss...