Originally Published in The Baltimore Sun American drones have been operating since 2004 in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan, my motherland. But on Nov. 21, a drone fired missiles at a religious seminary in Hangu, a settled area in mainland Pakistan, killing five men in addition to a top leader of the pro-Taliban Haqqani network. Pakistanis are angry. Imran Khan...
Originally published in the Huffington Post There was a rumor that recently made rounds on the Internet about the State of Angola banning the religion of Islam, demoting it to the status of a “cult” and making plans to demolish mosques across the country. This later proved to be a hoax. CAIR USA was one of the Muslim groups that circulated this news widely on social...
Originally Published in the Express Tribune Blog Though Malala survived the Taliban’s bullets last year, she is now again under attack in Pakistan by the very same ideology. They attacked her physically then, and now they are out to get her soul. Right-wing anchors and self-proclaimed intellectuals have taken to disrepute her book by claiming that it reeks of a...
Originally published in The Oshkosh Northwestern Every time I hear of an atrocity in the name of Islam, I feel the ever growing need as a Muslim to speak to the entire Muslim population. My intent in doing so is to unite all Muslims everywhere to join together and eradicate extremist and fundamentalist elements. I would begin by mentioning that protecting life, liberty, and property (i.e. houses...
How ironic. I stayed up all night writing a rejoinder to an anti-Islam politician who insists that Islam is a violent faith. Instead, I’m met by Al-Shabab who brutally murder 59 non-Muslims in Nairobi, Kenya, the Taliban who blow up a church and kill 85 Christians in Peshawar, Pakistan, and the Pakistan police who deface and destroy three Ahmadi Muslim prayer places in Sialkot, Pakistan. Each of...
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 Washington Post On May 11th, the world’s second most populous Muslim country, Pakistan, will mark a historic election. The country’s 66-year history is marred by the presence of martial laws and never before has one elected government replaced another. As Pakistanis rush to the polling stations to cast their vote, over 4 million people will sit home, separated and...
Billa was his nickname. A poor, uneducated Christian boy who cleaned sewer lines, removed garbage and, on a good day, played cricket with us on the streets of Lahore. I fondly remember how he could hit the ball out of the park and make the team proud. But life in Pakistan was rife with contradictions. In the afternoon, the team heard sermons narrating Muslim stories of equal treatment of non...
Originally published in the Northwest Herald The democratic process is an amazing process, one that is able to promote its first African American president. As I congratulate President Barack Obama on his re-election and wish him success, I also encourage him to keep justice in mind while in office, both here and abroad. This is not a liberty all nations afford their citizens. In Pakistan, for...
Originally published in Post-Crescent Media By winning another term, President Barack Obama must uphold the responsibility to further the democratic process, which Islam supports. As a Muslim American, I believe that justice is best served when we use democracy. Many countries exist where people want democracy but can’t enjoy it because of a lack of justice. For example, in Pakistan, the...