Originally Published in The Duluth News Tribune Let me begin with a history lesson. About 1,400 years ago, Prophet Muhammad was sitting in his Mosque with his companions. A nomadic non-Muslim entered the Mosque and urinated in the place of worship. Companions of the prophet rushed to beat the intruder for his grave offense of blasphemy. Prophet Muhammad stopped them. Instead, he let the nomadic...
Originally Published in The Huffington Post “Over the past three weeks, violence and protests have spread from Libya and Egypt to more than two dozen countries, leaving dozens dead, including a U.S. Ambassador and other U.S. diplomats. The film that allegedly spurred these events has been the centerpiece of a raging debate about the use of free speech and the response from people targeted...
Originally Published in The Columbus Dispatch Recently, an anti-Islam film named Innocence of Muslims sparked violence in Muslim-dominated Libya, which led to the death of the U.S. ambassador to Libya. The intention of this film is strictly to provoke Muslims and incite rage. Muslims should not take the bait and should respond with civility. They should learn from the example of the Prophet...
Originally Published in The Oshkosh Northwestern. Freedom of speech is understood to be a fundamental right and mutual respect of religious beliefs and figures is also a trait of civilized societies. One should not come at the expense of the other. A French newspaper’s crass attempt to highlight their freedom of speech seriously undermines interfaith relations. While violent protests in Islamic...
Originally Published in The Minnesota Daily. As a Muslim in the West, the killing of U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and attacks on U.S. embassies in Northern Africa in response to a YouTube video points to a glaring lack of leadership in the Muslim world. Rather than teaching Muslim youth the true principles of Islam, religious clerics are increasingly quiet and unresponsive...
Originally Published in The New Haven Register Violent reactions are bad moves for Muslims HAVE you ever played chess with a novice? You could not only predict his next move, you could force it to happen. Or, are you the novice, who feels like your every move is in response to the control of your experienced opponent? Most of us can relate to being on one side or the other. On a figurative level...
Originally Published in The Eagle. I am an American, born and raised in Texas. I have grown up singing The Star Spangled Banner, Texas Our Texas and pledging allegiance to the flag I am also a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the oldest Islamic organization in the U.S.A., and the only Muslim group unified by a single leader, the Khalifa. I write in regards to the most recent addition to...
Originally Published in The Cleveland Plain Dealer Muslims around the world continue to protest violently in response to an anti-Islamic movie on YouTube. The movie sparked a series of protests, including the one that led to the killing of U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. As a Muslim, I am appalled by the crude ways that my brothers have chosen to respond. Islam...
Originally Published in The Cleveland Plain Dealer My 10-year-old sister published her first Letter to the Editor in The Columbus Dispatch — with the help of her big brother, of course. She had innocently expressed her dismay at the unbecoming conduct of some Disney Channel stars who were supposed to be her role models. She gazed in awe as I pulled up the letter online and began reading the...
Originally Published in The Everett Herald Muslims – the riots must drain out. In case you haven’t noticed the vicious cycle, let me illustrate. On one hand, you have the anti-Islam propagandist who time and again in the guise of freedom of speech create and promote baseless shameless materials. On the other, you have fanatics who react to such propaganda and wreak havoc resulting in loss...