Originally Published in The Record Regarding “Atheist billboard draws shrugs from Muslims” (Page A-1, March 8): As the billboard in Paterson says, I have a choice about my religion — and I am an American-Muslim. An atheist group is putting up billboards in Paterson, portraying Islam as not only a religion of myth but also one of compulsion. I have lived in America all my life, and I...
I thought the question was so absurd to begin with, that it would go away on its own. I was wrong. Four years later, that absurd question, “Do you think Barack Obama is a Muslim?” keeps nagging the American psyche in national and regional polls – despite ample data to the contrary. In 2009, a Pew Research Center poll showed that one in ten Americans believed President Obama was a Muslim;...
Originally Published in The Columbus Dispatch On Friday, Governor Christie called the NYPD surveillance of Muslims an “abandonment of the core lesson of 9/11”. I agree. I believe that the NYPD would be better off focusing on making allies within the Muslim community, which is far less costly and far more cost effective, than spending millions in controversial surveillance programs...
Originally Published in The Chicago Sun Times The incident of five American soldiers burning the holy Quran in Afghanistan was deplorable, but still does not justify killing of U.S. soldiers. [“Official: Mistakes led to Afghan Quran burnings, “Saturday]). As a Muslim-American who emigrated from that region, I understand why the Afghans are angry and frustrated with our government. But they must...
Originally Published in The Columbus Dispatch I am a Muslim-American, and the Chardon High School shooting spree last week makes me wonder whether law-enforcement agencies are focusing on the right problem. Authorities such as the New York Police Department have spent millions of dollars on controversial security surveillance programs focused on Muslims, when the underpinnings of youth violence...
Originally Published in The Denver Post English is rapidly changing in our fast-paced media world. Nouns are becoming verbs and sometimes adjectives are becoming nouns. The most recent and popular of these changes surrounds today’s NFL playoff game between the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots. The hype around Denver’s quarterback Tim Tebow has given birth to a new verb — “Tebowing.”...
Monday marks the 26th anniversary of the first observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. While we commemorate the sacrifices this great leader made, Americans, including Muslim Americans, must remember the spirit of change that the civil rights movement embodied. The same spirit is required today to change the false perceptions of Islam in America. According to a 2010 Pew poll, fewer Americans...
Originally Published in The Record The world’s second largest hardware chain, Lowe’s, is ranked among the Top 50 corporations in America. Its website proudly displays the slogan “Let’s Build Something Together.” However, the company’s recent actions suggest that this togetherness might not include Muslim-Americans. The company recently pulled its ads from a...
Originally Published in The Huffington Post Sardar Anees Ahmad remembers exactly where he was when the second plane struck on 9/11: obliviously walking with his professor, going from one class to another at his college in New York. As the tragedy unfolded, and one after another, a Muslim face and name resembling his, started flashing on TV screens worldwide, the 19-year-old Ahmad felt his blood...
Originally Appeared on The Huffington Post “First you bomb us and now you come suck our blood. What are you gonna do with it, drink it?” These were the words of a young man as he passed by me at the Labor Day Fair in Rutherford, N.J. I was passing fliers at the fair, asking people to donate blood at a 9/11 memorial blood drive hosted by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community a couple of...