Originally Published in Oklahoma News “Love for one’s homeland is a part of faith.” Many of us may be surprised that this is a saying of Muhammad, a man whose words I use as personal guiding principles in life. These words have been an inspiration for me over the course of the past year while working as a physician in the Veteran’s Administration. Seeing these men and women who chose...
Originally published in Oklahoma News “Love for one’s homeland is a part of faith.” Many of us may be surprised that this is a saying of Muhammad, a man whose words I use as personal guiding principles in life. These words have been an inspiration for me over the course of the past year while working as a physician in the Veteran’s Administration. Seeing these men and women who chose...
Originally published in Columbus Dispatch Muslims around the world will celebrate Eid ul Adha today. This day reminds us that Christians, Jews and Muslims share one thing in common — a religious forefather. The Prophet Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. The prophet Muhammad came from Ishmael’s lineage while Moses and Jesus came from Isaac’s lineage. Despite our religious...
Originally published in Santa Barbara Independent As I kicked back in my humble American bungalow, pictures of modern Arabia peppered the television screen; images of immaculate mosques surrounded by dusty homes, desert planes under a beaming sun, and a sea of white robes, indistinguishable of race or gender, in pilgrimage to the holy city of Islam. While these images transported me to a distant...
Originally published in Northwest Herald Saturday marks the 39th anniversary of the death of what could have been a great nation. Exactly 39 years ago, humanity, freedom of religion, and freedom of expression suffered a tragic death when Pakistan introduced and passed a constitutional amendment deciding who is a “real” Muslim. Under this amendment, Ahamdi Muslims are forbidden from calling...
Originally published in The Daily Herald Just last week, some of my Christian and Muslim friends got together to feed the homeless at a neighboring church. This incredible feeling reminded me of how lucky we are to live in a country that believes in religious freedom and security. I wish this was the case in Pakistan, where I was born and raised, but it isn’t. In 1974, Pakistan passed its...
Originally published in The Huffington Post As Syrian President Bashar al-Assad uses chemical weapons at the outskirts of Damascus and President Obama mulls a U.S. military response, some theologians hope for an alarming endgame to the 30-month-long Syrian conflict. For these Christians and Muslim, the civil war in Syria is a prelude to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Before you label...
Originally published in Religion News Service (RNS) As Syrian President Bashar al-Assad uses chemical weapons at the outskirts of Damascus and President Obama mulls a U.S. military response, some theologians hope for an alarming endgame to the 30-month-long Syrian conflict. For these Christians and Muslim, the civil war in Syria heralds nothing less than the Second Coming of Jesus Christ...
Originally published in Santa Barbara Independent “While we should be thankful of being able to fast during the month of Ramadan, we should be particularly thankful of the freedom that we have as American Muslims,” Imam Shamshad Nasir related to a packed congregation in the Bait ul Hameed mosque in Chino, California, during Eid-ul-Fitr. Often shorted to Eid, this celebration is at the end...
Originally published in The Star-Telegram & Dallas Morning News According to former Gov. Mike Huckabee, Islam promotes “murderous mayhem” and rioting on its holiest days. As an American Muslim, I am not shocked that he did not cite a verse from the Quran. I mean, after all, it is tough to cite such an accusation from a religion which literally is defined as “religion of peace.” If Gov...