Originally published in the Huffington Post I was born in Pakistan, completed my medical school there and then moved to the United States for higher medical training. I also moved to escape the horrid persecution my Islamic sect — the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community — faces back home. In America, I could enjoy all the freedoms I was denied under Pakistan’s law, most importantly the...
Originally published in Dallas News It is my belief that we come to respect other people and their traditions if we accept that there are good things to be learned from them. As the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins, Muslims are encouraged to be frequent in giving charity, practice self-discipline, refrain from anger, and reflect on their moral state. These are the values that Muslims are...
Originally published in The Express Tribune Ashir is just two-years-old. Yesterday, he was witness to the most horrific tragedy anyone can imagine. His father – a 50-year-old doctor – was brutally murdered in Pakistan. His crime: He belonged to the Ahmadiyya community. Dr Mehdi Ali was a US-trained cardiologist on a medical mission to Pakistan. He was visiting Tahir Heart Institute; a state-of...
Originally published in The Hartford Courant There is a dire need to stand up against religious persecution. Last Monday, after paying tribute to our men and women in uniform on Memorial Day, my religious community, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, commemorated another recent American hero, who made the ultimate sacrifice for his service. Dr. Mehdi Qamar, a cardiologist practicing near...
Originally published in Pakistan Daily News Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a Somali-born US citizen who is known — among other things — for her radical views on Islam. Her supporters consider her a leading critic, while many others believe she is guilty of Islamophobia and bigotry. I think she is a perfect case to educate people on the difference between the two. Hirsi Ali immigrated to the Netherlands in...
Originally published in The Huffington Post March 8 is International Women’s Day. One crime against women that continues to plague humanity is FGM, i.e female genital mutilation. Experts estimate that some 3 million women suffer through FGM annually. The following is an excerpt from my upcoming book titled EXTREMIST. This excerpt specifically repudiates the barbaric myth that Islam in any...
Originally published in Rochester Hills Patch Why must everyone continue to take one side, and ignore the innocent lives that are lost on the other? Blood has long stained the land of Palestine. But at home, we see something different. Sympathy for the Palestinian people is rare—the bias cannot be overlooked. A recent poll done by CNN shows that only one out of every four Americans gives support...
More than 30 years ago, when my parents enrolled me in St. Anthony’s, a Catholic school in Pakistan, our neighbors expressed a concern: Will my faith be at risk because of attending a Catholic school? But I experienced no conflict. I noted how the nuns wore a black head cover with a long dress — just like my mother. I observed how the priests were kind — just like my father. I...