Originally published in The Santa Clarita Valley Signal As a Muslim-immigrant to the United States of America, I find special meaning in the Fourth of July, an occasion symbolizing the struggle for freedom. As testimony to our nation’s commitment to freedom, I often reflect upon how Americans have upheld freedoms for Muslims in the aftermath of 9-11 — despite the negative stereotypes. Such...
Originally published in The Asbury Park Press I was born in Pakistan but immigrated to the United States in 1998. The primary reason that I left Pakistan was the persecution that I faced because of my religious beliefs. In fact, an amendment to the Pakistani constitution in 1974 declared my sect, the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, “non-Muslim,” thereby opening the door to state-sponsored persecution...
Pakistan ambassador to America Sherry Rehman’s Twitter bio declares, “Will take a bullet for the motherland but hope our children don’t have to.” But what is an ambassador to do when that bullet comes from Pakistan and strikes her in the back? Last month, Pakistan took the unprecedented step and charged their own ambassador with blasphemy — a crime that carries the...