Originally published in the Huffington Post Earlier this month Islamic scholar Dr. Tariq Ramadan publicized his impassioned decision to boycott the ISNA conference. As an Ahmadi Muslim, I disagreed with his decision. In fact, even if I agreed with every complaint he made, I still would not boycott ISNA for one simple reason — I can’t rationalize Prophet Muhammad’s pluralistic...
Originally published in the Cleveland Plain Dealer In response to the Boston Tea Party, King George III ordered a blockade of Boston Harbor. Concerned by the anticipated economic strain, our Founding Fathers turned, not to arms or protest, but to God. In the summer of 1774, Thomas Jefferson drafted a “Day of Fasting, Humiliation, and Prayer” resolution. And so, on June 1, 1774, among...
Originally published in the Daily Herald I would like to take my time to remember the millions of fallen soldiers who have served humanity 24/7, 365 days a year, throughout our country’s history. These powerful men and women sacrificed their lives, their wealth and their time for the sake of their country and nation. As a Muslim-American, I feel as though it is my duty to honor and salute...
Originally published in Fox News I was invited to appear alongside Dinesh D’Souza as a guest on Fox News’ “The Kelly File” on Tuesday night, May 13, to answer the question of why many Muslims and non-Muslims have taken issue with the film “Rise of Al Qaeda,” which is set to air within the new National September 11 Memorial Museum in New York City. Museum officials screened the...
Originally published in The Press Enterprise April 15, 2013, was a day like any other, until I saw a notification that a bombing had occurred in Boston. I read the depressing details and realized how close to the heart this disaster had occurred. The Boston Marathon bombing tragedy hit rather close to home due to the fact that the bombers claimed they were Muslim and it occurred in my native...
Originally published in Austin News It has been a year since the horrific Boston Marathon bombing, but the wounds are still fresh for all Americans. I would like to extend my condolences to the city of Boston and anyone with loved ones affected by these deplorable acts. Though the Tsarnevs claim to have acted for Islam, I must remind everyone that their actions went against everything for which...
Originally published in The St. Louis Dispatch As we reflect on the tragic events that unfolded at the Boston Marathon a year ago and try to understand what brought the perpetrators to this dark place, let us not blame the Islamic faith. There is no place in a true Islamic conversion experience that allows for the wanton killing of other people. The Holy Quran, the main sourcebook of Islam...
Originally published in Religion New Service (RNS) Back in kindergarten, two of my classmates fought over who could call their mother “Mom.” To them, only one had rights to that word. The teacher separated them, told them that everyone called their own mother “Mom” and instructed them to shake hands and behave. The children learned common sense, stopped fighting and went on to recess. This type...
Originally published in The Huffington Post March 8 is International Women’s Day. One crime against women that continues to plague humanity is FGM, i.e female genital mutilation. Experts estimate that some 3 million women suffer through FGM annually. The following is an excerpt from my upcoming book titled EXTREMIST. This excerpt specifically repudiates the barbaric myth that Islam in any...
Originally published in Delaware County Daily Times As I look around, I see our youth deteriorating day by day and wonder what the future will be like. School shootings are increasing, teenagers are having babies, teenage violence is rising, the amount of drugs used by our kids is increasing and test scores are falling. What has happened to our youth? Why do our kids look up to Kobe Bryant and...