Originally posted in Tribliv This Muslim-American believes President Obama deserves praise for separating ISIL from Islam. Unlike some caustic contenders for the Oval Office, Obama advised the nation to “enlist Muslim communities as some of our strongest allies, rather than push them away through suspicion and hate.” The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has been at the forefront of the ideological...
Originally published in Patheos One of the most prominent stories of 2015 has been the circus of the Donald Trump campaign. It seems Donald Trump will say just about anything to be the center of attention and has been more than willing to cross any line when it comes to violating the American ideal of religious freedom. We have seen an escalating pattern of anti-Muslim rhetoric from Trump and...
Originally published on Patheos The year 2015 can be remembered as the year Daesh (ISIS) dominated the news media in the Western world, from beginning to the end. It began with the merciless attack on the French newspaper Charlie Hebdo that drew worldwide condemnation, enslaving of Yazidi women, burning of a Jordanian pilot and ending with a spectacular attack in France and inspiring mass murder...
Originally published in the the Montgomery News I am deeply saddened at the horrific shooting that occurred in San Bernardino. It is a tragedy that so many lives were lost, all in the name of Islam. Farook and Malik were said to be deeply religious. I too consider myself deeply religious. Unlike them I follow Islam. I follow Islam where it states clearly in the Quran “that you slay not the soul...
Originally posted on Daily Progress “Make America Great Again” is a quote used by the GOP front runner Donald Trump repeatedly where he is aiming supposedly to make America great, but so far all we have heard from the candidate is to ban Muslims or remove Muslims from America. I would like to let Mr. Trump know that it is not the Muslims that America is at war with but it’s this radical extremist...
Originally posted in The Daily Caller In his latest — and most provocative — statement, Trump has called for a ban on all Muslim immigration. I was hoping he would backtrack in the recent GOP debate, but he doubled down instead. Other politicians appeasing America’s far right have voiced similar bigotry in the past, but the fact that a presidential candidate is bagging more influence with his...
Originally posted in CS Monitor Regarding the Nov. 19 online article “House defies Obama on Syrian refugees, as larger threat emerges” (CSMonitor.com): I am an American Ahmadi Muslim. Born in Pakistan, I immigrated to America in 1998 and was granted asylum based on religious persecution. When I read that many US governors have refused to settle Syrian refugees in their respective states and the...
Originally published in Worcester Telegram The Syrian crisis is worsening. With around 4 million Syrian refugees and 8 million internally displaced, our fellow human beings are in need of dire support. More than 100,000 Syrian civilians have lost their lives during this crisis. The recent heart-wrenching picture of toddler Aylan Kurdi has come to symbolize this great loss. Syrian refugees...
Originally published in The Sacramento Bee Re “Clock clash gets student invited to White House” (Page 10A, Sept. 17): I remember ninth grade very well. I was called a terrorist practically every day. When Osama bin Laden was killed, two kids gave me their condolences by shouting, “Sorry about your grandpa!” But I cannot imagine those Islamophobic sentiments being acted upon by teachers. Ninth...
Originally published in The Longview News Journal Welcome, Francis Catholics in the United States have awaited the arrival of Pope Francis for his first visit. As a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, I welcome the pontiff. We applaud his efforts to bridge gaps between faiths and ethnicities and this is in line with the true teaching of Islam, which the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community...