Originally published in the Huffington Post With last week’s release of Charlie Hebdo’s newest edition, marking the one-year anniversary of the infamous terrorist attack on its offices that killed 12 people, once again the debate about free speech has been ignited. In its recent publication, the editors at the magazine decided to take aim at all religion and blame God for terrorism...
Originally posted in Tribliv This Muslim-American believes President Obama deserves praise for separating ISIL from Islam. Unlike some caustic contenders for the Oval Office, Obama advised the nation to “enlist Muslim communities as some of our strongest allies, rather than push them away through suspicion and hate.” The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has been at the forefront of the ideological...
Originally published on Patheos The year 2015 can be remembered as the year Daesh (ISIS) dominated the news media in the Western world, from beginning to the end. It began with the merciless attack on the French newspaper Charlie Hebdo that drew worldwide condemnation, enslaving of Yazidi women, burning of a Jordanian pilot and ending with a spectacular attack in France and inspiring mass murder...
Originally Published in Patheos There are millions of Syrian refugees who are longing for a glimmer of hope to breathe freely, to live a respectable life and to be able to give their children a better future than the dismal situation they find themselves in. A single act of insanity like the French attack may jeopardize the chances of millions of legitimate refugees who are searching for a better...
Originally Published in Faith Street We’ve all heard the story of Pakistan’s most courageous teen—Aitzaz Hasan—who stopped a suicide bomber before he killed hundreds. Aitzaz could have run and saved his own life. He could have pretended it wasn’t his responsibility. He could have been selfish. But instead Aitzaz gave his life to save countless more. And as a result, Pakistan and Muslims worldwide...
Originally Published in The Northwestern Imagine going on a 12-hour flight not knowing that one of your tweets has gone viral, and when you reach your destination, you find out you have lost your high-profile job because of it. This actually happened to a PR executive of the IAC Media Company who had tweeted a very casual, racist remark. People not being careful of what they say and recognizing...
Originally published in The Courant Jazz legend Yusef Lateef, who passed away this week, truly lived up to his title of the “Gentle Giant.” He was tall and yet soft-spoken. Although a grand musician and a composer — having received a Grammy and named an American Jazz Master — he was unassuming. He had no special pose or signature rap, other than a soft smile when he met...
Originally Published in the Star Tribune Generally, everything that happens to us for the first time becomes a lasting memory. On a recent weekend, having spent only a couple of months in the United States, I was still in discovery mode. The beautiful time my husband and I spent with friends in Duluth came to an end on our way home when our car’s exhaust pipe began dragging on the ground. Just...
Originally Published in the Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel One of my favorite lines from Edwin Starr’s 1970 song “War” is “War, huh, yeah. What is it good for? Absolutely nothing.” It resonated with the people of the time because no war is ever a good war and it is not good for anyone who experiences it. Recently, I have been hearing a lot of buzz that there is...
Originally Published in the Chicago Tribune Pope Francis requested prayers for the 12 nuns abducted Monday by rebel fighters in the Syrian village of Maaloula. As an Ahmadi Muslim, I strongly condemn the kidnappings based on the Charter of Privileges granted to Christians by the Prophet Muhammad. This charter protects Christians’ rights to freedom of worship and...