Originally published on Patheos This is a challenging time for all Muslims in America as the despicable actions of a few put Islam in a terrible light. This situation is not made any easier when there is blatant hate being spread by educated members of society. Recently Joe Walsh, a former US Congressman of Illinois, put a video on his Facebook page where he says, “I think Islam has a real...
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 the the Montgomery News I am deeply saddened at the horrific shooting that occurred in San Bernardino. It is a tragedy that so many lives were lost, all in the name of Islam. Farook and Malik were said to be deeply religious. I too consider myself deeply religious. Unlike them I follow Islam. I follow Islam where it states clearly in the Quran “that you slay not the soul...
Originally published in Patheos Over the past few years, ISIS has emerged from the shadows of a failed Arab Spring in Syria and sectarian violence in Iraq to become a dominant player in global terrorism. The brutalities, that took the form of beheadings of foreign journalists and aid workers and enslavement of women and children often concentrated in the Middle East, have recently escalated onto...
Originally published in The Duluth News Tribune On Nov. 13, the Islamic State terrorist group, also known as ISIS, killed 130 innocent civilians in horrific attacks in Paris. President Francois Hollande of France called it “an act of war” and committed to “destroy ISIS.” Expressing solidarity with France, President Barack Obama said, “It is an attack on the civilized world.” <a...
Originally published in The New York Post King Abdullah of Jordan called it right when he said the Muslim faith is at war against radical Islam. This is something our president fails to mention. What can moderate Muslims do to defeat radical Islamists? They should banish radical Islamists from their religion. They should speak out against the nonsense of killing innocent Muslims and nonMuslims...
Originally published in The Daily Times Sir: Once again, a minority community in Pakistan is under siege. Be it Shia, Christian, Hindu or Ahmedi, the jahils (illiterates) keep doing what they do best: exert violence for no reason. We are fighting a war against terrorism and the Pakistan army is making every attempt to defeat extremism but the mindset of the common people in Pakistan is not...
Originally published in The Cleveland The attacks perpetrated on Paris were done by Muslims, not followers of Islam. Doesn’t make sense? Of course, the literal definition of a Muslim is a follower of Islam. But anybody can claim to be Muslim, even if they have never read the Koran. If my holy scripture tells me not to kill others, am I following that book? Obviously, not. So when a person...
Originally published In Pennsylvania Live Your attacks in Paris (and around the world) sicken me. My immense sadness at the innocent loss of life is rivaled only by the extreme anger I feel towards you. I don’t know where your funding is coming from that allows you to still function. But as a Muslim, I do know this – Your hatred and your violence is prohibited by the religion that you...
Originally Published in Huffington Post As I left my mosque in Philadelphia Friday afternoon my phone lit up with texts and tweets about attacks in Paris. Muslims have been conditioned on how to respond to these attacks. First, we feel pain for the loss of life. And most certainly my heart sank as I saw the horrific aftermath of the Paris attacks. Then, almost as quickly we hope the attackers...