Originally published on “The Jewish Chronicle” Since Donald J. Trump has been sworn in as the 45th president of the United States, skepticism and uncertainty have enshrouded many Americans, especially American Muslims, for what to expect next. Executive orders to prevent refugees from seven Muslim majority countries have resulted in outrage from the American public and human rights...
Originally Published in “The Middletown Press” By Miyan Zahir Muhammad Mannan As an Ahmadiyya Muslim American, I wholeheartedly extend my prayers, condolences, solidarity and support to my Jewish brothers and sisters amid rising anti-Semitism and another condemnable attack. The despicable onslaught on the Jewish community has this time come in the heartbreaking form of destruction and...
Originally published in “The Citizens’ Voice” By Arsalan Ahmad Khan Hate crimes in the U.S. have seen an increase in the recent months following the election of President Trump. A hate crime is defined as abuse against a group or individual based on religious views or racial ethnic background. This increase includes heinous acts against people belonging to Jewish communities and...
Originally published by The Jerusalem Post Our nation faces a real crisis of neighbors becoming strangers. We know more about world events but less about each other. Jewish cemetery vandalized in St. Louis, swastikas show up in a New York City subway, over 100 tombstones damaged at a Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia. This, unfortunately, is my America. But over $100,000 was raised for the St...
Originally Published on Beliefnet by Zahir Mannan A Lesson for President Trump from Prophet Muhammad & Islamic History What’s it like being Ahmadi Muslim Americans amid divisive Executive Orders in the month dedicated to Black History? Simply put, it’s a calling! Islam’s spiritual father, the immaculate Prophet Muhammad, Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, “sent as the mercy unto all the...
Originally published in TIME (Nov 10, 2016) One of the high marks of Islam that Prophet Muhammad taught is that loyalty to your country is part of your faith. I can sympathize with the anger and fear that many have about a Donald Trump presidency: I’m a person of color; I’m a Muslim; I have young children. But these are the cards we’ve been dealt, and we need to find ways to continue working to...
Originally published on Dec 29, 2016 in “The Huffington Post“ By Amer Aziz I wasn’t all that surprised. Even before election night, I had come across the odd Muslim boldly declaring their intention to vote for Donald Trump. And so, I thought, given Trump’s anti-Muslim image, for every openly pro-Trump Muslim there must be several hidden ones. President-elect Donald Trump earned Muslim...
Originally published in The Huffington Post The long, taxing, and often uncomfortable 2016 Presidential race has finally concluded. And although the majority of voters (52.5%) did not get the result they wanted, we now have a President-elect in Donald J. Trump who will be sworn into the office of the Presidency in just two months. The aggressive and divisive nature of this election cycle...
Originally Published in the Australian Broadcasting Corportation by Tayyib Rashid In 1987, 30 years ago, I emigrated to the United States from Pakistan, the land of my birth. A short time later, I became a naturalized citizen. In January 1997, almost 20 years ago to the day, I left for boot camp. I spent the next twelve weeks fully immersed in the training to become a United States Marine. Known...
Originally Published in The Baltimore Sun On Friday, our nation stood united to inaugurate Donald Trump (“Donald Trump sworn in as 45th president of the United States of America,” Jan. 20). As an American and Ahmadi Muslim, I value the democratic transition of power and appreciate the fact that we live in a country that gives us our inalienable rights of religious freedom and...