Originally Published in Daily Bulletin My column last month entitled “Focus on God should not be split” generated a few letters in response. You can read my Dec. column here. One letter came from Mr. George C. in Ontario and another from Mr. Tom V. in Chino Hills. Thank you both for your letters — I always welcome them. And while Tom wrote a polite two-page letter quoting many Bible verses to...
Originally Published in the Chicago Tribune Pope Francis requested prayers for the 12 nuns abducted Monday by rebel fighters in the Syrian village of Maaloula. As an Ahmadi Muslim, I strongly condemn the kidnappings based on the Charter of Privileges granted to Christians by the Prophet Muhammad. This charter protects Christians’ rights to freedom of worship and...
Originally published in the Oshkosh Northwestern As Thanksgiving comes around, many of us will become pre-occupied with food, family, shopping and football – this is Packer nation after all. It would be nice if we were also thankful for all the blessings we enjoy. Thanksgiving should be about tradition and food but it should also include thinking and caring for the less...
Originally published in The NorthWestern As Thanksgiving comes around, many of us will become pre-occupied with food, family, shopping and football – this is Packer nation after all. It would be nice if we were also thankful for all the blessings we enjoy. Thanksgiving should be about tradition and food but it should also include thinking and caring for the less fortunate amongst us. Near...
Originally Publish on The Santa Clarita Valley Signal This eleventh of November, our nation will commemorate Veterans Day in tribute to the members of the armed forces who made great sacrifices defending our liberties. This day has great context, spanning wars over a hundred years fought to defend the very ideology of freedom and conscience against mortal threats. As a Muslim, I believe all...
Originally Published on The Miami Herald Prior to 1954, many schools were segregated because of fear and a lack of understanding. Nearly 60 years after the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision we find ourselves in a similar situation with the parents in the Volusia County School District who are pushing to remove chapters on Islam from a history book because, as they see it, Islam...
Originally published in the Macomb Daily, Oakland Press, and the Daily Tribune As an American, I take many things for granted — freedom being the most important. As an Ahmadi Muslim, it is my duty to honor, respect, and be grateful to those veterans that have sacrificed so much so that I may enjoy the freedoms they protect. This is my duty because the Prophet Muhammad teaches Muslims that...
Originally published in the Chicago Sun Times One might think that being American and being a Muslim are diverging paths that never cross. The reality is that my faith and my loyalty to my country repeatedly converge paths. I find the basis of this claim in the words of Prophet Muhammad, who stated, “Love of one’s homeland is a part of faith.” Thus, it is my duty as both an...
Originally published in the Columbus Dispatch Freedom is a wonderful concept; one that is taken for granted but rarely reflected upon in our society. As Veteran’s Day approaches, we as Americans should remind ourselves the price that our veterans have paid for our freedom. As a Muslim American, I salute our nation’s veterans for the great service they have done for this nation. Surprising? What...
Originally published in The Santa Clarita Valley Signal This eleventh of November, our nation will commemorate Veterans Day in tribute to the members of the armed forces who made great sacrifices defending our liberties. This day has great context, spanning wars over a hundred years fought to defend the very ideology of freedom and conscience against mortal threats. As a Muslim, I believe all...