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Of Free Speech, Islamophobia and New Atheism

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Originally published in the Huffington Post Ayaan Hirsi Ali is an extreme anti-Islam critic, well known for her bigoted views and dishonest generalizations of the Muslim faith. When she was invited to speak at Yale’s Buckley program recently, some student groups — including the Yale Humanist Community — issued a statement criticizing the invitation. In their statement, thegroup...

Muslim community embraces free worship, duties of citizenship

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Originally published in The Northwestern “I solemnly pledge that I shall always be ready to sacrifice my life, wealth, time and honor for the sake of my faith, country and nation.” These are the monumental words that Ahmadi Muslim youth, whether male or female, profess as part of their pledge to their faith all across the United States of America. There are thousands of Ahmadi Muslim youth that...

Former execs tweet reminder to use free speech responsibly

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Originally Published in The Northwestern Imagine going on a 12-hour flight not knowing that one of your tweets has gone viral, and when you reach your destination, you find out you have lost your high-profile job because of it. This actually happened to a PR executive of the IAC Media Company who had tweeted a very casual, racist remark. People not being careful of what they say and recognizing...

Free speech for peace

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Originally published in SFGate As an American Muslim, I am saddened by the anti-Islamic bus ads in San Francisco by the American Freedom Defense Initiative. Regarding similar ads on the New York City transit system, Pamela Geller, executive director of the initiative, last year described her campaign as a triumph of the First Amendment. And she gave a simple reason to embark on this campaign:...