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 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 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...
Originally Published in The Express Tribune I was putting my shoes on, leaving for my evening prayers, when my phone buzzed with a text: “Saw a CNN byline linking ‘Night of Power’ to the recent terror alert. Talk of sensationalism.” You know how it goes. The story was largely accurate – prompted by fears of a terrorist attack, in an unprecedented move on Sunday; the US closed 21 embassies across...
Originally Published in The Philadelphia Inquirer At Thanksgiving, I reflect on being a Muslim American and that for which I am thankful. I am thankful that I have a roof over my head and food to fill my stomach, thankful to my parents for raising me up with love, thankful to practice my religion freely, inasmuch as my forefathers were persecuted in Pakistan for their beliefs, thankful for living...
Originally published in The Sun Opinion and Inland Valley Daily Bulletin 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...
Originally published in Orange County Register As we relish our turkeys and cranberry sauce this Thanksgiving, let us also pledge to help the Typhoon Haiyan victims, Syrian refugees who are braving the upcoming harsh weather and millions of our poverty-stricken brethren. Thanking God for all His blessings can be done through words and through actions, by living up to the potential that He has...
Originally published in the Indiana Gazette On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, World War I, the “war to end all wars,” ended. From then on, every Nov. 11 to come was to be dedicated as Armistice Day. President Dwight Eisenhower changed the name to Veterans Day. Now, the nation comes together, once again, in joint honor of veterans. As a young...
Originally published in Oklahoma News “Love for one’s homeland is a part of faith.” Many of us may be surprised that this is a saying of Muhammad, a man whose words I use as personal guiding principles in life. These words have been an inspiration for me over the course of the past year while working as a physician in the Veteran’s Administration. Seeing these men and women who chose...