TagStop the CrISIS

Three Steps Toward Defeating ISIS That Are Better Than Those Heard At Last Night’s Debate

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Originally published in The Daily Caller Last night, those vying for the Republican nomination spent two hours arguing why they would make this nation more safe and secure than anyone else on the stage. Aside from the false or gray statements that are already being debunked by fact checkers, I was amazed by the general solution being proposed to stop the growth and terror of Daesh (otherwise...

The Double Standard

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Originally published in the Longview News-Journal Another mass shooting in San Bernardino and far too many this year alone. Our sincere condolences to the families of those who have lost their loved ones and we wish the injured a speedy recovery. Although the perpetrators of mass shootings are of varied background, the actions of those with Muslim names are easily attributed to Islam, which...

Raja:On being Muslim

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Originally published in the Loudoun Times I am writing this piece in light of the recent shooting in San Bernardino. As an American Muslim, I am providing my perspective on ISIS and the kind of leadership Muslims need in these troubled times. Muslim leaders need to advocate the true Islamic teachings of peace and tolerance. The horrific incident at San Bernardino last week sent a shock wave...

Muslim Detained on a Flight: I’m Your Biggest Ally

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Originally published on Time.com I’m a Muslim American. On Nov. 15, two days after the Paris attacks, I boarded a plane from Newark to Houston. I had just returned from a formal event, so I was wearing a plain white “shalwar,” a shirt that stops at the knees and is commonly worn by South Asians. As is my routine, I purchased in-flight WiFi to catch up on emails. But the WiFi was out on the plane...

The Origins of Terrorism are Geopolitical, Not Religious

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Originally published on Patheos.com Why didn’t we hear the term “Muslim terrorist” or “Jihadist” before the 1980s? Islam has been around for more than 1400 years but “Islamic” terrorist organizations were not to be found prior to 1980. The first Islamist terrorist attack was the bombing of the Tyre Headquarters in 1982. Was Islam different prior to the 1980s or was there some sort of fundamental...

Offering Prayers

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Originally published in San Antonio Express The violence continues and more blood has been shed; ISIS has beheaded two Japanese hostages, Huruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto, and released a video of the Jordanian pilot, Muath Kaseasbeh, being burned alive. This self-proclaimed “Islamic State” continues to show the world its cruel and violent ways through these continuous villainous acts. As a member of...

Offering Prayers

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Originally published in The Houston Chronicle The violence continues and more blood has been shed; ISIS has beheaded two Japanese hostages, Huruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto, and released a video of the Jordanian pilot, Muath Kaseasbeh, being burned alive. This self-proclaimed “Islamic State” continues to show the world its cruel and violent ways through these continuous villainous acts. As a member...

UN-led Arab troops should combat ISIS

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Originally published in High Point Enterprise  The so-called Islamic State in Syria and Iraq continues to shock the world with its acts of hatred and barbarity. Not only have they beheaded two Japanese men they recently also burned alive the Jordanian pilot Moaz Kasasbeh. For a demonic organization to perpetuate these acts in the name of Islam is disgusting and hurtful. As a Muslim American and...

ISIS Really Wants Power—Not Islam

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Originally published in Patheos Recently The Atlantic published a piece titled, “What ISIS Really Wants.” The lengthy piece makes numerous fallacious claims about ISIS and its relation to Islam and Islamic doctrine. Accordingly, and significantly, it misses the strategy necessary to counter and overcome ISIS terrorism. Perhaps most frustrating about the article is it offers no new insights...

Stop the ‘CrISIS’

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Originally posted in Rochester Media Why are our Christian brothers and sisters being murdered so brutally? It sickens me that ISIS executed 30 Ethiopian Christians the other day. And while grieving for my fellow human beings, I am both angered and puzzled. The terrorist organization known as ISIS are sociopaths. I have accepted the logic behind that. What I cannot accept is their inhumane...