Tagextremism

When free speech costs human life

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Originally Published in The Washington Post As with many of you, my Twitter feed spiked Wednesday with tweets about an anti-Islam film and ensuing murder of U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens. Moments later and likewise, posts demanding an unequivocal condemnation from American Muslims flooded my Facebook. Though it astounds me that some hold Muslim Americans accountable on behalf of...

Defeating the ideology of hate

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  Originally Published in The Cincinnati Enquirer May 2nd marks the end of the longest manhunt in American history. Bin Laden is gone but his followers still remain, his ideology – “Bin Ladenism” – still persists. How can we defeat this ideology of hate? An ideology can be suppressed by force but can only be defeated by an alternate more appealing ideology. There are many in the Muslim world...

Milestone in war on terror

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  Originally Published in The Philadelphia Inquirer The death of Osama bin Laden was a major milestone in the war on terrorism (“Where al-Qaeda is, minus its leader,” Monday). However, we must realize that this war is not over yet. Bin Laden is dead, but “Bin Ladenism” — an ideology based on hatred and violence — is still alive in many parts of the Muslim world. As Muslim Americans, our...

Considering the real meaning of Jihad

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Originally Published in the New Jersey Record THE WORD jihad is perhaps one of the top 10 most feared words in the West. The same word also perhaps makes it to the top 10 most ill-understood concepts among Muslims and others alike. It is well known that Muslims, Christians and Jews coexisted in Jerusalem for ages. With the spread of a theocratic interpretation of religion and with widespread...