Originally Published in The Duluth News Tribune Let me begin with a history lesson. About 1,400 years ago, Prophet Muhammad was sitting in his Mosque with his companions. A nomadic non-Muslim entered the Mosque and urinated in the place of worship. Companions of the prophet rushed to beat the intruder for his grave offense of blasphemy. Prophet Muhammad stopped them. Instead, he let the nomadic...
Originally Published in The Huffington Post My 10-year-old sister published her first Letter to the Editor in the Columbus Dispatch — with the help of her big brother, of course. She had innocently expressed her dismay at the unbecoming conduct of some Disney Channel stars who were supposed to be her role models. She gazed in awe as I pulled up the letter online and began reading the...
Originally Published in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. This 12 year old Muslim-American wants to know why an offensive movie was made against his holy founder the Prophet Muhammad. The film portrayed him as a warmonger, whereas he lived and taught peace and harmony. I belong to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, and we were very hurt by the news of the film. Instead of violent protest, however, we...
Originally Published in The New Haven Register Violent reactions are bad moves for Muslims HAVE you ever played chess with a novice? You could not only predict his next move, you could force it to happen. Or, are you the novice, who feels like your every move is in response to the control of your experienced opponent? Most of us can relate to being on one side or the other. On a figurative level...
Originally Published in The Eagle. I am an American, born and raised in Texas. I have grown up singing The Star Spangled Banner, Texas Our Texas and pledging allegiance to the flag I am also a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the oldest Islamic organization in the U.S.A., and the only Muslim group unified by a single leader, the Khalifa. I write in regards to the most recent addition to...
Originally Published in The Cleveland Plain Dealer My 10-year-old sister published her first Letter to the Editor in The Columbus Dispatch — with the help of her big brother, of course. She had innocently expressed her dismay at the unbecoming conduct of some Disney Channel stars who were supposed to be her role models. She gazed in awe as I pulled up the letter online and began reading the...
Originally Published in The Philadelphia Inquirer The recent violence in Libya and other Muslim nations has a message for both sides. Muslims must learn to deal with the freedom of expression. Resorting to violence can never be the answer to an opinion – no matter how offensive. As a member of Ahmadiyya Muslim community, I strongly condemn any acts of violence committed in the name of...
Originally Published in The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel I have a favorite line from a poem, Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” Our nation needs to work together to fight intolerance regardless of how difficult it is because it will make the difference to...
Originally Published in The Oshkosh Northwestern Last week a despicable movie was released on youtube as a cheap publicity stunt. Following that we saw an array of wonderful trailers of the movie from around the world. We saw trailers of the movie in Egypt, Pakistan, Yemen, Afghanistan, India, Australia, and Libya. In Libya the promoters of the movie really outdid themselves where they killed the...
Originally Published in The Oshkosh Northwestern Pakistan recently arrested an 11 year old Christian girl with Down Syndrome for allegedly burning the Quran. Seen by religious zealots as justified, this heinous act is nothing more than an evil attack on humanity. Pakistan’s stance on Islamic principles is antithetical to the character of Prophet Muhammad. The Quran has given him the...