The tragedy in Tuscon has deeply wounded our country (and Sarah Palin, in particular) but there is an opportunity for our country to be made stronger as a result of what has happened if we remember the words of Barack Obama and not “use this tragedy as one more occasion to turn on each other” as American Muslims have experienced.

There is no substitute for local engagement when it comes to changing American perceptions about Islam and Muslims. Even though much damage has been done to our reputations, there is still time and hope to set the record straight.

You can fake prayer: you can pray in front of other people so that they can say you pray. You can fake giving alms; you can fake going to Mecca. But you can’t fake fasting. And that is how we can show our love for God.

Recent admissions by some clerics in Saudi Arabia that the monarchy’s strict gender segregation may have been the result of Qur’anic misinterpretations could help align that country more towards its moderate peers. But it also raises questions about the infallibility of past Islamic rulings.

Politicians in Europe should understand that freedom works both ways. If cartoonists are free to draw or insult the Prophet Muhammad, then Muslim women should be free to wear niqab if they choose to do so.

It is much easier to see the “other” as being depraved enough to become a terrorist. With the arrest of nine Hutaree militiamen last week, we know that it is much more difficult to see it in white, Christian America.

Aminah Assilmi, who passed away last week in a tragic automobile accident, was a tireless advocate for Muslim women’s rights and equality within the framework of Islam itself. She was also a renown scholar, prolific writer, and well-known speaker who will be sadly missed.

I am very happy to wish my Christian friends and neighbors a hearty “Merry Christmas”, for, even though we see Jesus through different religious lenses, our love for Jesus is one.

Two contrasting examples in America’s November elections show that Muslims can either overcome fear and prejudice against them to win elected office, or they can use fear and prejudice against their opponents and lose.