Originally Published in The Huffington Post As this brown, bearded Muslim was getting ready to pick up his Thanksgiving turkey order from a local Boston Market, news broke of racist graffiti in New York city. Gap had recently launched a holiday ad campaign featuring diverse models. One such ad showcasing the famous designer and actor Waris Ahluwalia, a Sikh American, had been vandalized, its...
Originally published in The Huffington Post As this brown, bearded Muslim was getting ready to pick up his Thanksgiving turkey order from a local Boston Market, news broke of racist graffiti in New York city. Gap had recently launched a holiday ad campaign featuring diverse models. One such ad showcasing the famous designer and actor Waris Ahluwalia, a Sikh American, had been vandalized, its...
Originally published in the Indiana Gazette On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, World War I, the “war to end all wars,” ended. From then on, every Nov. 11 to come was to be dedicated as Armistice Day. President Dwight Eisenhower changed the name to Veterans Day. Now, the nation comes together, once again, in joint honor of veterans. As a young...
Originally published in the Chicago Sun Times One might think that being American and being a Muslim are diverging paths that never cross. The reality is that my faith and my loyalty to my country repeatedly converge paths. I find the basis of this claim in the words of Prophet Muhammad, who stated, “Love of one’s homeland is a part of faith.” Thus, it is my duty as both an...
Originally published in the Columbus Dispatch Freedom is a wonderful concept; one that is taken for granted but rarely reflected upon in our society. As Veteran’s Day approaches, we as Americans should remind ourselves the price that our veterans have paid for our freedom. As a Muslim American, I salute our nation’s veterans for the great service they have done for this nation. Surprising? What...
Originally published in Chicago Sun-Times One might think that being American and being a Muslim are diverging paths that never cross. The reality is that my faith and my loyalty to my country repeatedly converge paths. I find the basis of this claim in the words of Prophet Muhammad, who stated, “Love of one’s homeland is a part of faith.” Thus, it is my duty as both an American and Muslim to...
Originally published in Journal Inquirer This Muslim-American was appalled to read that Buddhist monks in Burma led by Ashin Wirathu, a priest who calls himself “the Burmese bin Laden,” are bent on exterminating the Rohingya ethnic minority explicitly because they are Muslims. It is well-known that the founder of Buddhism, Gautama Buddha, was a peacemaker. Little known, though, is that...
Originally published in Chicago Tribune Today, unfortunately, the words Islam and terrorism seem synonymous. This, however, cannot be the case because the Holy Quran clearly states, “Whosoever kills a person, it is as if he has killed all of mankind” (5:32). Terrorism has no religion, race or color. It is simply a treacherous evil. With the Boston Marathon bombings, there has...
Originally published in Philly Enquirer The Boston bombings gave me a double whammy. As an American, I am deeply saddened by the deaths of three people and the dozens wounded. My heart goes out to the victims’ families. As a Muslim, though, I am disturbed by headlines saying Islam might have played a secondary role. Violence and evil has no religion. Boston bombings are as evil as the...
Originally published in The Courant This Muslim American was outraged to hear that the Iranian government sentenced Christian Pastor Saeed Abedini to prison for eight years merely for preaching Christianity. The Quran condemns this action. In a remarkable verse, it states that “there is no compulsion in matters of faith, because right is distinct from wrong (2:257).” If the Iranian...