Originally posted in Dawn IMAGINE sending your child to school in uniform in the morning, and finding him in a casket in the afternoon. Imagine having your child’s blood-stained clothes brought back to you, the dreams that you had for them shattered. Instead of your child arranging for your burial one day you have to pick up the greatest load in your life — the casket of your child. More than...
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 published in the Dallas Morning News Thanksgiving is a time to remember the blessings bestowed upon us, but we shouldn’t just keep one day aside, remembering all we have been given. In Islam like many other religions, I was taught that we should be thankful every single day. In the Holy Quran, it is stated, “Surely, Allah (God) is gracious towards mankind, but most of them are not...
Originally published in the Longview News-Journal Muslims all over the world each year celebrate Eid ul Adha (the feast of sacrifice) to remember when the patriarch Abraham symbolically sacrificed a ram instead of his son to fulfill the commandment of his Creator. Muslims are commanded to remember this day by sacrificing animals and sharing the meat with family, neighbors, and the poor. God...
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 Orange County Register This weekend, Muslims around the world will be celebrating the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha, which concludes the ritual of Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) and celebrates events during the time of the patriarch prophet Abraham. During Eid, Muslims are enjoined to sacrifice animals in which one-third of the portion of meat is given to neighbors, one...
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 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...