Originally published in The Duluth News Tribune On April 9 a terrible incident occurred at a Pennsylvania high school. A teenage boy wielding two kitchen knives went on a stabbing rampage and injured 21 people, including 20 students and one adult. I would like to extend my sincere condolences to all those who were harmed because of this tragedy. At the same time, I also would like to commend all...
Originally published in The Cap Times The civil war in Syria is in its third year. The war between government loyalists and rebels has claimed some 130,000 lives and displaced millions more. This is in complete discord with the Quran which states: “and create not disorder in the Earth.” Islam teaches us that a peaceful solution can be found in negotiations and in democracy. In the...
Originally published in Santa Barbara Independent As I kicked back in my humble American bungalow, pictures of modern Arabia peppered the television screen; images of immaculate mosques surrounded by dusty homes, desert planes under a beaming sun, and a sea of white robes, indistinguishable of race or gender, in pilgrimage to the holy city of Islam. While these images transported me to a distant...
Originally Published in the Huffington Post Our hospital’s chapel is typically empty. I offer my afternoon prayers there. Yesterday, as I was hopping from one patient room to another, I saw the dreadful slide of “Breaking News” of the Boston Bombings across TV screens. And even before I knew the death count, my Twitter feed was abuzz with various forms of prayer requests and...