by Suneed Ahmad Originally Published in Belleville News Democrat on August 25th, 2017 Recently there were protests and violence Charlottesville. As an Ahmadi Muslim in America, I have the benefit of cherishing the American values of acceptance, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and tolerance. I condemn actions that would try to take away from these rights and values. I condemn the murder of...
Originally Published in The Times Tribune Another deadly terror attack has occurred, this one in Barcelona, Spain, claiming 13 lives. As an Ahmadi Muslim I condemn this attack and stand in solidarity with the people of Spain. The Quran unequivocally states that “the killing of one soul is equal to killing all of mankind” and these acts are anything but Islamic. The danger is that Muslims and...
Originally Published in Goerie.com Against the heavy curtain of Islamophobia, I applaud Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton for unequivocally speaking out against the recent bombing of a mosque in his home state. Most media outlets somehow felt the need to wrap into quotes his statement that the attack on the house of worship was a “criminal act of terrorism.” A little-known fact is that, according to the...
There are no words to describe the senseless and barbaric act of violence committed in Charlotesville, Va., on Saturday. Such loss of innocent life is always tragic. I am reminded of a quote coined by the Third Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, “Love for all, hatred for none.” We in the Ahmadiyya community condemn the perpertrators of this violence in the strongest terms, and show our...
Originally published in Observer Reporter 07/15/2017 Muslims all around the world celebrated Eid last month. The festival of Eid marks the end of Ramadan, a month of fasting, and is celebrated with the sighting of the moon crescent. Eid is an opportunity to celebrate and reflect upon all the spiritual progress made by Muslims in the last month. Apart from abstaining from food and water, Muslims...
Originally Published in Heartland Now on June 25th, 2017 The billboard on Indianapolis’ I-465 titled “The Perfect Man” which mocked and disparaged Prophet Muhammad, accusing him of rape, beheading, and several other allegations saddened me to the core as a practicing Muslim. The sight, however, did not surprise me because of the current wave of extremism rampant across the globe. With terrorists...
Originally Published in Patheos on June 2nd, 2017 Yesterday, I attended a seminar by Professor Mahzarin Banaji of Harvard University on the topic of unconscious bias. It was an incredibly mind-opening seminar that brought many biases I hold to the surface. But it also enabled me, in a way, to see the biases that other people hold, specifically towards the Muslim community. Last week, 22 people...
Originally Published in Tucson.com by Aamir Quraishy Living in America I am very thankful to all our armed men and women in the forces who work tirelessly to defend our country and freedom. As an Ahmadi Muslim, My family came here to flee the religious persecution we faced in Pakistan. My family was able to move here to America because of my great uncle who served as an anesthesiologist during...
Originally Published in OnFaith on May 29th, 2017 The week following September 11th was a sad and tense time for us at the Portland Rizwan Mosque. Not only had we experienced the same shock and horror from the attacks as any other American, but we also had the fear of retaliatory attacks that might occur at our mosque or against community members. The initial response wasn’t nearly as bad as...
Originally Published in Beliefnet With Mother’s Day here, we can use this opportunity to remind ourselves of the respect that is due to to all mothers. Mother’s Day isn’t just meant to celebrate our mothers once a year, but rather it reminds us of the respect due to our mothers every day. We live in a fast-paced society where it’s sometimes very easy to get consumed in our own lives and forget to...