By Saud Inam Recently nationwide rallies were held called the Global Rally for Humanity. These rallies, despite the misleading name, were actually blatantly Islamophobic rallies aimed at the Muslim American community. Most, if not all, of the rallies proved to be an utter failure with low attendance, which was a wonderful indication of how little interest there was to perpetuate hate in this manner. But, the failure of the rallies is not an indicator that all is well in America... Read more
By Zainab F. Chaudary I spent Thursday night glued to my phone, refreshing Google News every five minutes. News of an active shooter on the Umpqua Community College campus in Oregon had hit Thursday afternoon, and by early evening, the shooter’s identity was still unclear. At the end of the workday, I shifted from monitoring Google News on my laptop to monitoring it on my phone. Tap, refresh. Tap, refresh. My work – creating communications capacity on key issue areas, including combatting... Read more
By Ziyad Motala Washington, D.C. played host to Pope Francis and the China’s Premier Xi Jinping last week. Commentators made comparisons of the symbolism and the lessons to be drawn from the visits of the contrasting leaders. But here is another comparison, perhaps more worthy of consideration. A few weeks ago, the Saudi monarch King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud visited Washington D.C. The Pope is the spiritual leader of a billion Catholics. King Salman claims to be the “custodian... Read more
By Malika MacDonald Given the refugee crisis that is gripping Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, and Turkey and spilling into Europe after years of bloodshed in Syria, the pressure is on the Obama Administration to accept more refugees into the United States. But aside from the debates and questions about how best to help refugees and how many to accept, what does it mean to be a refugee in America? This is a question that isn’t getting the attention it deserves. Besides... Read more
By Ali Asadullah Editor’s Note: This op-ed is part of our Hajj 2015 series. Tragedy striking during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca is not a new phenomenon. As news reports continue to trickle in about the 2015 stampede that claimed some 717 souls, one immediately recalls previous incidents where stampedes, fires and other causes led to a mass loss of life. Each time such unfortunate deaths of pilgrims takes place, to a certain extent that Hajj itself dies with... Read more
Editor’s Note: This essay is part of Altmuslim’s Hajj 2015 reflection series. By Wadud Hassan By the mercy of Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He), my family and I were fortunate to perform our Hajj pilgrimage to Makkah last year. We had a very pleasant journey and a great experience to remember for the rest of our lives. When I started writing about my experience, I realized that much of my feelings about Hajj are difficult to express and... Read more
By Lisha Azaa Editor’s Note: This essay is part of our Hajj 2015 series. Al Hamdulillah, I got a chance to attempt Hajj when I accompanied my parents several years ago at the tender age of 17. Even though I was barely out of my teens, the experience of spending 21 days in the desert completing the time-honored rituals was thrilling, to say the least. But as I grew up and moved on in life, I longed to perform my Hajj... Read more
By Zainab Chaudry It’s not easy being a genius in America. Especially if you’re a young, black male who also happens to be Muslim. Just ask fourteen-year-old Ahmed Mohamed. The story about the egregious treatment of the bright, high school freshman who assembles radios and understands circuit boards and power supplies better than most adults has gone viral. In case you somehow missed it, Ahmed assembled a homemade digital clock. He was excited to show off his talents to his... Read more
By Saud Inam Pope Francis, in recent times, has gained the admiration, love and respect of people of all faiths, including Muslims. In many ways Pope Francis embodies the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). It is in the example of the Pope that we see the example of one who of another faith becoming successful in his or her life in spirituality, character and leadership. And, I believe as Muslims we can learn from the Pope’s successes by seeing... Read more
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Giving a Name to the Asexual Muslim Experience
By Laura P. I spend an awful lot of my time online, for work, for volunteering, for fun. But even I didn’t expect that one of the most profound realizations in my life would come from the internet. One evening in 2004, browsing news online after work, I happened upon an article called Coming out, loud and proud: Meet the people who say sex is an alien concept. What’s that? I’d never understood the point of sex, myself, never had... Read more