Originally published in Salon In his recent anti-Muslim crusade, Ben Carson promoted a disturbing form of religious segregation, claiming that a Muslim should only be president if he or she “renounces the tenets of Islam.” Sadly, just as racial segregationists long garnered votes by promoting fear of black Americans, religious segregationists such as Carson today garner votes by promoting fear...
Originally published in the Orange County Register As an American Muslim, I was surprised to read presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson’s recent remarks that a Muslim should never be U.S. president. Perhaps Dr. Carson overlooked the fact that the Constitution (Article VI, Clause 3) states that religion should not be a determinant in any public office in the United States. Perhaps he should be...
Originally published in the New York Post I am confused by Republican candidate Ben Carson regarding his comments while he was on NBC’s “Meet the Press” during Sunday’s show. When asked about a Muslim being president, he stated, “I absolutely would not agree with that.” Expressing that a religion cannot be inconsistent with the American principles and values, he further said that Islam is not...
Originally published in OpEd News Presidential hopeful Dr. Ben Carson recently said in a television interview that no Muslim should become the president of the United States. His remarks stem from the Islamophobia many have due to the horrible depiction of Islam by extremist groups like ISIS. Sharia law appears to be at the root of this fear. Polls show that most Americans have not met a Muslim...
Originally published in Twin Cities Daily Planet As part of this great nation’s foreign policy, when injustice takes place in any part of the world, America usually takes a stand. We saw this in the case of Russian atrocities in Ukraine, in America’s unity with the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN). However when it comes to Palestine, America turns a blind eye with the EU and the UN...
Originally published in The Times Herald What is the best way to achieve world peace? With President Obama’s inaugural ceremony just taken place, scholars will propose what the president should do, indirectly answering the question above. As a Muslim-American, I want to first congratulate the president on his re-election and pray that he will lead the nation effectively during his second term. I...
Originally published in the Northwestern What do Ted Cruz, Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich, Oprah Winfrey, Chris Rock, and Bono all have in common? They all supported the late Mr. Nelson Mandela in one way or another sometime during their life. It’s strange to know that such a motley crew would appreciate Mandela but to me his biggest ideals were equal rights irrespective of race, sex, religious...
Originally Published in The Huffington Post As the freezing winds pierced through Washington DC this past weekend, Tehran warmed up to a nuclear peace deal. Since you may have gotten an earful about the three decades of US-Iranian diplomatic quagmire, the two decades of Israeli-Iranian mien of ancient warriors, and a decade old label of “Axis of evil,” I won’t dwell over it...
Originally Posted in The Baltimore Sun Mr. President, you and I having a similar challenge: selling a military strike against Syria as a “moral imperative.” But we have different audiences. Your constituents come from all parts of the country; mine from different parts of the world. Yours are driven by myriad interests; mine are simply seeking justice. Yours are young and old; mine...
Originally Published in The Washington Post This is the story of two Washington Iftar dinners. First, the Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren invited Muslim leaders to a diplomatic Iftardinner last week and Imam Antepli of Duke University wondered aloud if the event was meaningful. And then the Obama administration invited Muslim leaders to the White House Iftar dinner and Omid Saifi, the Islamic...