Recently, The Islamic Monthly Magazine had a contest for people to describe what a Mosque, 50 years in the Future (in North America) would be like. I submitted a piece called “The Silicon Valley Mosque” which was one of the winning entries, although the judges thought my description was more for a mosque 20 years in the future, rather than 50. I don’t have any spaceships or flying cars in my piece, so I guess they are right!:) Anyways, here... Read more
As many of us heard via social media, President Obama made a statement at the 2014 White House Iftaar in support of Israel’s right to defend itself against Rocket Fire from Hamas. I, like many American Muslims, was very upset after hearing this and wondered how and why the President, who I supported and voted for in 2008 and 2012, would say something so disrespectful to an audience of mainly American Muslims at a White House Iftaar. But after thinking... Read more
March 19th, 2014 – It’s been 6 years since you passed away. A lot has changed since 2008. You have 3 grand children now: Zunaira, Mustafa and Inaya. They are all healthy and happy, Alhamdulillah. Mustafa has some of your personality – very friendly and likes talking to people, unlike me, which is good, Mash’Allah. Your daughter Sana also got married last year, but I think you know that already. Imam Tahir did the Nikkah and made a nice dua... Read more
As most people know, California is going through one of the worst droughts in it’s history. 2013 was the driest weather in California in the last 400 years! Many of the world’s religions have special supplications (“Duas” in arabic) and prayers for rain. In fact many Christian Churches across California as well as many of the Western States of the United States have been asking their congregations to pray and fast in hopes that God will give us much needed... Read more
It’s that time of the year again: The Super Bowl. And Super Bowl Parties. A day when most people prefer to watch the commercials than the game itself and when snack foods are better than the actual meal. Luckily, there are more and more Halal Snack Food options out there nowadays (usually frozen), but sometimes you need something new and fresh. So here is a unique and tasty take on the traditional football snack of chicken wings. How about some... Read more
Usually I don’t watch the CBS program “NCIS” (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) because I don’t like being bombarded by blatant propaganda which promotes US & Israeli Military aggression (see the image to the left and tell me if I’m wrong), but I happened to see some trailer’s for the new season’s first episode called “Kill Chain” and it peaked my interest. The 11th season opens with a US Navy Petty officer being killed; by get this, a US Drone! Now... Read more
Recently, I conducted an interview with ILLUME Magazine about the Halal Fest event, which was held one month ago on August 17th. Although a lot of the “noise” online was negative, most people who attended the event, even if they did not get to eat any of the food, thought the event itself was a big success. With over 10 articles about the event (some of which are featured here on the HalalFest website), and approximately 10,000 people in attendance,... Read more
12 years ago, my friend Javaid Malik and I started on this documentary video called, “The Aftermath: American-Muslims After September 11th.” It took us 14 months to complete as we did all the pre-production, research, script writing, shooting, editing, post-production, marketing, and promotion ourselves (although we did get help from a few people along the way). At the time it was a somewhat controversial video since it was rare for American Muslim leaders and activists to come on camera and... Read more
Avoiding ‘Fat-Rebound’ After Ramadan by Guest Blogger Yusuf Clack of “Clack Fit” *** Consult your doctor before changing your diet or exercise program*** For some us, we lose 4-10 lbs in Ramadan, but… put it ALL back by the end of Shawwal! We get our hopes up every year. This time will be different. It’s a new chapter. We’ve changed! Until… gravity takes over. Fail. Part of the perceived rapid weight loss is often due to faulty weighing practices. If... Read more
Recently I watched Man of Steel, the latest Superman flick, and although it was a pretty good movie (way better than the last 3 Superman films); I still rank 1980’s Superman II as my all time favorite. But here is my take on all that was good and bad about this latest one made for a 2013 audience (Warning : There are some Spoilers Below): The Good: The Kryptonians have all this futuristic technology and are expert scientists and explorers.... Read more
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