Originally Published in The New Haven Register I was shocked to learn that 15-year-old Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai was recently shot in the head by a Taliban gunman just because she advocated for a woman’s right to an education. Did these trigger-happy extremists know or care that the Prophet Muhammad had said that educating your daughters will earn you paradise? Based on this advice, my...
Originally Published in The Cleveland Plain Dealer Although some may find it hard to believe, education and rights for women are championed in Islam. Fourteen-year-old nominee for the 2011 Children’s Nobel Peace Prize, Malala Yousafzai, is in serious condition from gunshot wounds and receiving medical treatment in the United Kingdom. Malala is known for her activism in promoting...
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 Express Tribune and The Huffington Post Sir, it was 1995, North Medical Ward of Pakistan’s Mayo Hospital, where you famously said in your English-Punjabi accent, “Putter ji, batti uthay balo, jithay hanaira howay” (Son, light a candle where it’s dark). You didn’t want your students to go abroad after completing medical school. You wondered...
Originally Published in The Chicago Sun Times and The Daily Herald. Life is difficult being an American Muslim, but having to deal with the fear of losing my life is even worse — and Abel Daoud allegedly almost made this fear become reality when his attempt to plot a bomb across from my office failed miserably. As a Muslim, it is not that I deny jihad; in fact, I embrace it because I...
Originally Published in The Star Ledger What was the aim of the movie “Innocence of Muslims” if not to hurt the feelings of more than 1 billion Muslims across the globe? The moviemaker not only succeeded in achieving this objective, he was indirectly responsible for the loss of innocent lives, including that of the U.S. ambassador to Libya. That said, responding with violence...
Originally Posted on The Huffington Post Hindus worldwide will soon observe Krishna Janmashtami, a celebration of Lord Krishna’s birth. While many recognize the differences between Islam and Hinduism, few may appreciate that according to Islamic principles and Prophet Muhammad, Lord Krishna was a true Prophet of God. The obvious question that emerges is that if the same God sent Lord...
On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of appearing as a guest on “The O’Reilly Factor” to address accusations Ms. Wafa Sultan had levied against Islam on “The Factor” one day earlier. (Video at the bottom of this post.) Ms. Sultan commented on Muammar Qaddafi’s henchmen abducting and raping a Libyan woman. In her commentary, Ms. Sultan made the mistake of conflating...