Originally Published in The Washington Times on March 2nd, 2017 As a Muslim I condemn the cruel recent vandalism on a Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia (“Outpouring of community help for vandalized Jewish cemetery,” Web, Feb. 28). Ahmadi Muslims, of which I am one, are guided by the khalifa of Islam, Hazart Mirza Masroor Ahmad. He reminds us how the Prophet Muhammad was against all forms of anti...
Originally published in the Express Tribune As Christmas is nearing, I am starting to see the occasional anti-Christmas messages on the internet that say that greeting on the occasion of Christmas is haram (forbidden) according to scholarly consensus. Some are claiming that saying “Merry Christmas” is tantamount to committing “shirk” or associating partners with Allah. Of the many clerics that...
Originally published on Philly.com Hostile climate The recent act of throwing a severed pig’s head at the Al Aqsa Islamic Society mosque in North Philadelphia was clearly an act of Islamophobia, signifying grave disrespect toward Muslims. But it is much more than that. The act also reflects a growing climate in this country of intolerance aimed at practitioners of Islam. It represents an...
Originally Published in The Richmond Times-Dispatch The presidential debates are history, leaving us cherishing Big Bird, binders full of women and horses and bayonets. America’s future now rests in the voters’ hands. Yet, about 90 million of us won’t vote this November — a trend that stretches back for decades. Americans have not broken the 60 percent voter turnout barrier for...