Originally published in News & Observer Many differences, but linked by a Nobel Prize”: Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi won the 2014 Noble Peace Prize for championing the importance of education. Along with billions of Muslims around the world, I congratulate this incredible achievement. In light of all the violence and discord that has arisen in the Middle East, it is beautiful to see...
Originally published in the Las Vegas Sun he Islamic State has been making headlines since last year. The group is known for coercion, kidnapping and ruthless public beheadings of innocent civilians, all in the name of creating a caliphate across Iraq and Syria. Furthermore, the Islamic State generates revenue to achieve its vicious goals through extortion and robbery. As a practicing Muslim, I...
Originally published in the Tulsa World My Sept. 19 morning started off most joyfully as my wife was granted citizenship in a beautiful ceremony at the U.S. District Court in Muskogee. I hardly had a chance to appreciate this great privilege, when I saw the disturbing headline about a man in Moore, said to have been a Muslim convert, committing a most horrific act. My heart aches on hearing the...
Originally published in Dallas News Today Muslims will be celebrating Eid al-Adha. This holiday marks prophet Abraham’s symbolic sacrifice and the close of the hajj or the pilgrimage to Mecca. Muslims are enjoined to sacrifice animals, and the meat is divided equally among the poor, neighbors and family members. The Quran emphasizes the feeding of the needy when it states, “Feed, for love of Him...
Originally published in NewsOK Regarding “Both sides due criticism in Oklahoma-Islam flap” (Your Views, Sept. 21): State Rep. John Bennett’s wholesale condemnation of Islam paints a negative picture of Oklahoma. That’s why I appreciated that The Oklahoman repudiated Bennett’s remarks. But I must take exception to one statement in the editorial: “CAIR and other Islamic groups should be more...
Originally published in The Huffington Post I was in high school when my parents bought a goat in 1984, Pakistan. I named it, fed it, walked it, and then within a week, witnessed it getting slaughtered. It was a heart-wrenching experience at Eid-ul-Adha, a major Islamic holiday which honors Prophet Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his only son for God. The incident taught me a lesson: Be...
Originally published in OnFaith A horrifying tragedy in Oklahoma has been hijacked to become a tool of partisan politics, and lost is the practice of an intelligent discourse. Last Thursday, 30-year-old Alton Nolen brutally attacked co-workers at a food processing plant, killing and decapitating 54-year-old Colleen Hufford and attempting to kill 43-year-old Traci Johnson. Let’s get some facts...
Originally published in The Oregonian President Obama has presented his strategy for dealing with the menace known as ISIS, which has continued to perpetrate some of the most heinous acts imaginable – disregarding all international laws and even the dictates of human decency. As much as I commend the United States for stepping up to confront ISIS, I am befuddled at the Muslim world’s...
Originally published in the Huffington Post Religious clerics in Pakistan celebrate September 7th as a day of victory for Islam and Pakistan. Officially dubbed the “Khatme Nubuwwat Day” or “Finality of Prophethood Day,” many mosques come alive with celebrations this day, sweets are distributed andintense speeches are made in large religious gatherings. Forty years ago this...
Originally published in the Huffington Post My name is Kashif Chaudhry. I am a Pakistani immigrant to the United States. Currently, I am completing a Cardiology fellowship in Boston. While speaking at Yale a few days back, Ayaan Hirsi Ali declared war on me. But why? To provide some perspective, I am a Muslim who belongs to the Ahmadiyya sect of Islam. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the single...