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 Montgomery Media, Philadelphia Inquirer and The Washington Times Ramadan is a time for prayer and self-reflection for Muslims around the world. However, as I end my second week of Ramadan, looking at the news stories I can’t help but ask, “Where are the real Muslims?” There is a Muslim who is claiming to be the Caliph of Islam, but his followers will kill anyone who does...
Originally published in NewsDay Sept. 11 changed everything — for America and its Muslims. Thousands were killed in the attack — nearly 500 from Long Island — leaving scores of families and friends with gaping wounds. And for Muslims, who were average Americans a day earlier, public scrutiny bore down like never before. In the 13 years since the terror attacks, Muslims: have...
Originally published in Dallas News Mother’s Day is a special time to reflect what our mothers have done for us. My mother sacrificed her career so she can stay home to raise me, help me with my education, and teach me the rights and wrongs of the world. The prophet Muhammad once stated, “I know of no other deed that brings people closer to Allah than kind treatment and respect towards one’s...
Originally published in Pittsburgh Gazette As a Muslim, I was shocked to read that a so-called Muslim group in Nigeria, Boko Haram, which literally translates to “Western education [is a] sin,” recently committed the heinous act of abducting more than 200 schoolgirls in the Chibok region. Compare the group’s radical message to the actual teachings of Islam’s founder, the Prophet Muhammad, who...
Originally published in CantonRep Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev are the alleged perpetrators behind the Boston Marathon tragedy that took place last year, causing the deaths of three people and injuring 264 others. Dzhokhar claimed his brother said that these bombings were done to protect Islam from attack. I disagree. These attacks are completely opposite the teachings of Islam and are what...
Originally published in The Cap Times During Black History Month, we remembered the efforts that have been and are still being made toward racial harmony. One of the greatest civil rights leaders, Malcolm X, stated, “America needs to understand Islam because this is the one religion that erases from its society the race problem.” He said this because the Holy Quran states that the only criteria...
Originally published in Zion-Benton News As Americans, this Jan. 20th we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We dedicate the day to his achievements and his successes. Dr. King was a legend who combated racial inequality through nonviolence. Dr. King organised the 1963 march on Washington, D.C. calling it, “the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.” As...
Originally published in The Daily Caller Some 1400 years ago the unjust Meccan government criminalized the Qur’an. They arrested, beat, and murdered those who insisted on reading it. Today, another unjust government has criminalized the Qur’an and once again, those who insist on reading it are arrested, beaten, and murdered. Today, as Dr. Masood Ahmad sits in prison for the crime of reading the...
Originally published in Cincinnati Enquirer Last year, the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy left Americans in great distress as New York City, one of the world’s largest cities, suffered greatly. This gave me an opportunity to travel to the disaster site and offer my aid to those in need. More importantly, being a Muslim American, I was able to show the true Islam – to serve humanity as a part of our...