Originally posted in The Daily Caller In his latest — and most provocative — statement, Trump has called for a ban on all Muslim immigration. I was hoping he would backtrack in the recent GOP debate, but he doubled down instead. Other politicians appeasing America’s far right have voiced similar bigotry in the past, but the fact that a presidential candidate is bagging more influence with his...
Originally posted on New York Daily News As an American Muslim, I agree with GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump that “we are at war.” However, he must realize that we are at war not with Islam, but with inhumane ideologies that neither The Koran nor Prophet Muhammad’s life support. I also agree with Trump that extremism exists within some parts of the Muslim world. However, he must...
Originally posted in CS Monitor Regarding the Nov. 19 online article “House defies Obama on Syrian refugees, as larger threat emerges” (CSMonitor.com): I am an American Ahmadi Muslim. Born in Pakistan, I immigrated to America in 1998 and was granted asylum based on religious persecution. When I read that many US governors have refused to settle Syrian refugees in their respective states and the...
Originally posted in The Huffington Post The spate of violent crimes being committed by mentally deranged, religious hypocrites is very concerning, and could not have been ordered by God the Almighty. Thus crime and terrorism such as San Bernadino, Paris massacre, Charlie Hebdo shooting and other violent acts perpetrated by terrorist groups like Boko Haram, Al- Qaeda and ISIS have no connection...
Originally published in The Huffington Post I am a Pakistani immigrant to the United States. With the recent rise of Islamophobia here in America, we Pakistanis have suddenly become experts on minority rights. My social media timelines are filled with my friends urging the West to accommodate Syrian refugees escaping persecution, and be more accepting of pluralism. I also see them condemning the...
Originally published in Patheos Dr. Stephen M. Kirby is a noted bigot whose mission is only to spread hatred of Muslims. He makes no bones about his hatred for Islam or Muslims. His stated goal is to prove that the violence committed by the likes of ISIS is inspired by the “true” Islam. The problem for him, and others like him, is that when groups like the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (AMC)...
Originally published in The Daily Times Extremist clerics and their ignorant followers — and Islamophobes alike — allege that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the early caliphs of Islam killed people for mere difference in belief. Such clerics have long taught masses in Pakistan that Islam ordered Muslims to take up the sword against anyone who claimed to be a prophet or decided to follow one...
Originally published in Patheos Over the past few years, ISIS has emerged from the shadows of a failed Arab Spring in Syria and sectarian violence in Iraq to become a dominant player in global terrorism. The brutalities, that took the form of beheadings of foreign journalists and aid workers and enslavement of women and children often concentrated in the Middle East, have recently escalated onto...
Originally published in The Cleveland The attacks perpetrated on Paris were done by Muslims, not followers of Islam. Doesn’t make sense? Of course, the literal definition of a Muslim is a follower of Islam. But anybody can claim to be Muslim, even if they have never read the Koran. If my holy scripture tells me not to kill others, am I following that book? Obviously, not. So when a person...
Originally Published in The Hartford Courant Amid our heightened prayers, solidarity and speaking out against terrorism, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community CT discovered bullet holes piercing our House of Peace Mosque in Meriden last week. We won’t let this cowardly act of terror scare or stop us in any way, and we thank God no one was injured. As humanitarian Muslims for peace who believe in...