Out of the silent night, two men moved swiftly through the mosque’s front gate. Magazines loaded and safeties off, one stopped at the front door, the other proceeded through. All that separated a fully loaded Kalashnikov in the hands of a madman from 50 innocent worshippers was a straw curtain that hung helplessly in the doorway. “In the end, they killed eight of my brothers, and shot...
Originally Published in The New Haven Register What society would tolerate a doctor who lies to his patient about his newly developed cancer, telling him it’s something else? Such a doctor would be stripped of his license to practice and might do jail time. Why? Because cancer ranks as the second-leading cause of death in the U.S., and it’s often curable if caught early. In medicine, gross...
Though I was born in Pakistan, I was still a baby when my dad had to move to The Gambia in West Africa. The Gambia is a small peaceful country. Here, I remember my mother teaching me the Urdu Qaida and telling me interesting stories about Pakistan. I could see she missed Pakistan a great deal. She would sometimes break down in tears, relating stories of the persecution she had witnessed growing...
During his 1960 Presidential campaign, then Senator John F. Kennedy said that if a conflict arose between his Presidency and his loyalty to the Pope, he would give up his Presidency. A few weeks ago, Reverend Gregory, while referencing my monthly column, essentially questioned whether being a Muslim and American was possible. His reasons, however, left me scratching my head. The Reverend...
Originally Published in The Daily Herald Sami Hassoun’s anger at the world, perhaps even at the Cubs, could have been overturned had he only followed his daily prescription — face east and prostrate into prayer. This is how Muslims should reconcile their anger, by praying for the salvation of their nation — not by setting plots to destroy the very cities in which we live. This is the oath I have...
Originally Published in The Philadelphia Inquirer As an Ahmadi Muslim, I oppose the president’s position on gay marriage. Islam teaches us to be kind to other human beings. Therefore, discriminating against a gay person would be a violation of my faith. However, the Quran also reminds us of the people of prophet Lot, who practiced homosexuality. After countless warnings, Lot’s people were...
Originally Published in The Cincinnati Enquirer I take pride in the fact that America, in the face of adversity, strives to take the high road; there is a clear distinction between us and our enemies. Our enemies are the ones that spread terror, they are the ones that attack churches, and they are the ones that wish to subjugate the world. Lt. Col. Dooley’s class aimed at educating military...
Originally Published in The Orange County Register FULLERTON, Ahsan M. Khan: I was pleased to learn that the World Evangelical Alliance condemned the recent burning of the Quran by Pastor Terry Jones. Jones burned the Quran to protest the recent death sentence imposed by the Iranian government on a pastor accused of preaching to Muslims. He claimed that this was his way of protesting. Afghanistan...
Originally Published in The Cincinnati Enquirer May 2nd marks the end of the longest manhunt in American history. Bin Laden is gone but his followers still remain, his ideology – “Bin Ladenism” – still persists. How can we defeat this ideology of hate? An ideology can be suppressed by force but can only be defeated by an alternate more appealing ideology. There are many in the Muslim world...
Waqar Hasan was a Pakistani Muslim immigrant who had come to New Jersey to live the American dream. Leaving his family in Milltown, NJ, he went to Dallas, TX, to open a grocery store. Four days after 9/11, a gunman came to his store and shot him in the face. The killer went on to shoot two more Muslims that same week, avenging the 9/11 attacks. 9/11 unleashed the most intense manhunt in American...