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...
Letter to the editor published on June 20th in the Orange County Register: Re: “Van veers into pedestrians outside mosque, 1 killed, 10 hurt” [News, June 17]: In the tragic Finsbury Mosque attack yesterday, the local Imam reportedly shielded the captured assailant from an angry mob until the police arrived, so he would not be harmed. In Portland last month, bystanders lost their lives coming to...
Letter to the editor published in the Richmond Times Dispatch on May 31st: As Ahmadi Muslim, I extend my heartfelt prayers to the British people. In response to the attack in Manchester, an imam of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association UK went to Manchester to pay tribute to the victims. He was accompanied by 50 other members. Terrorism has no religion and the Quran strongly opposes such actions...
Guest Opinion Published on Oregonlive website on May 27th, 2017 On Friday, Portland was shaken by an attack on a train that targeted two teenage girls and led to the deaths of two bystanders. As the details emerge, we discover that the suspect, 35-year-old Jeremy Joseph Christian, allegedly set his sights on the teenagers — one of whom was wearing the Muslim hijab — and began shouting...
Originally Published on the Seattle Times website on May 26th, 2017 I am writing in regards to the sad and cowardly act of terrorism in Manchester, England. This act of brutality and barbarism is an act of violence against the entire fabric of humanity. This act of violence has nothing to do with Islam. As a member of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, I condemn all forms of terrorism and extremism in...
Originally published in the Loudoun Times I am writing this piece in light of the recent shooting in San Bernardino. As an American Muslim, I am providing my perspective on ISIS and the kind of leadership Muslims need in these troubled times. Muslim leaders need to advocate the true Islamic teachings of peace and tolerance. The horrific incident at San Bernardino last week sent a shock wave...
Originally Published in Hartfordfavs.com The recent film “Innocence of Muslims” which sparked riots and protests around the Muslim world was not the worst or last deranged attempt to ignite unjust hatred. Indeed, since Prophet Muhammad’s birth to a beautiful couple named Aminah and Abdullah, the meek, poor, unlettered orphan of Arabia’s desert has tearfully been the target of...
Originally Published in The Asbury Park Press I am an Ahmadi Muslim of Pakistani origin. Now 41 years old and a recent naturalized U.S. citizen, I shall, for the first time in my life, exercise my right to vote. I consider this civil right to be of utmost importance, but could not freely vote in my native Pakistan. To vote in Pakistan, the Pakistani constitution requires that I first declare...
Originally Published in The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and The Oshkosh Northwestern I read with much sadness the account of the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin shooting in Oak Creek. It is particularly distressing when a sacred place of worship becomes the site of merciless killings. As an Ahmadi Muslim, the Sikh Temple shooting brings back haunting memories of the May 2010 barbaric attacks on Ahmadiyya...