Originally published in Patheos Atheists often mock those who believe in the existence of God, saying that such an absurdity is contrary to common sense. They say that though the existence of God cannot be conclusively disproven, neither can the existence of Santa Claus, the tooth fairy, or unicorns. Those who are critical of theism often object on principle, presenting their ideas as...
Originally published in Houston Chronicles Regarding “Pakistan vows to step up fight after school massacre” (Page A1, Wednesday), as an alumnus of the Army Public School in Peshawar, Pakistan, it grieves me greatly to see the tragedy that took the lives of over 130 children. I was dumbfounded when I saw the hallways of my school that made up my childhood in pictures across the...
Originally published in Statesman Unfortunately, many extremists claiming to act in the name of Islam believe that Islam disallows the education of women. This is in direct contradiction with the Prophet Muhammad’s teachings, which valued the education of daughters so much that he stated: “If a daughter is born to a person and he brings her up, giving her good education and training in...
Roughly 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide will be celebrating the end of Ramadan today. After a month of fasting, prayer and self-restraint, Muslims will come together for the festivities of Eid-ul-Fitr. This festival celebrates the spiritual enhancements and nearness to God that was attained during the past month. Muslims, out of love and devotion their fellow man, spent the entire month of Ramadan...
The Islamic holy month of Ramadan, where Muslims from across the globe fast from dusk till dawn, began this month. I will be one of the many proud Muslims enjoying the spiritual and physical blessings of this month. In addition to personal gains, Ramadan is a month of sacrifice and service to our fellow man. “The Holy Prophet (saw) was the most generous of all the people, and he used to...
This Muslim-American is pained, on the one hand, to witness violent extremism perpetrated in the name of Islam, for example, by the Islamic State group or Boko Haram, and on the other hand, to see noxious caricatures that defame the Prophet Muhammad drawn in public demonstrations by Islamophobes. Both entities are completely ignorant of the noble character of the prophet, who defended the rights...
Originally Published in The Daily Caller Here’s a painful reality no one wants to hear. In 2013 Israel forcibly administered birth control injections to Ethiopian Jewish women, and did so without their consent or knowledge. Likewise, more than half of the 135,000 Ethiopian Jews living in Israel live in poverty, and only half even have a high school diploma. The recent police brutality against...
Originally Published in The Austin Chronicle Dear Editor, The shooting outside an event in Garland where people were asked to draw cartoons of Prophet Muhammad should be condemned by all. Islam does not condone any punishment for blasphemy. In fact, during the Prophet Muhammad’s life, people hurled all kinds of abuse at him yet he bore it with patience and forgave them all. Those who act against...
Originally Published in The Press-Enterprise Re: “Gunmen killed at Muhammad cartoon contest” [News, May 4]: The shootings in Garland, Texas, show the ugly sides of extremism on both ends. To promote hateful abuse in the name of free speech is out of bounds, and to counter this with deadly violence is counterproductive and demeaning to the very prophet being defended. As a Muslim, I believe free...
Originally Published in The Beaverton Valley Times – As an American Muslim, I read about the atrocities committed by ISIS and my heart is filled with grief and anguish. To think that someone could commit such heinous crimes against humanity is beyond comprehension for me. As an Ahmadi Muslim, I have been taught that Islam condemns the taking of an innocent life. In fact, the Quran teaches...