By Junaid M. Afeef Many people ask American Muslims why they do not condemn ISIS or do more to counter the political violence committed by their co-religionists. My rejoinder would be, “Why don’t more Americans outside of the Muslim community speak out against the double standards in law enforcement and against the rampant anti-Muslim bigotry that thrives in America?” A lot has been said about what American Muslims should be doing. We need to have a conversation about how other... Read more
Zainab Chaudry, outreach manager for CAIR-Maryland, spoke on May 19, 2015 at a tribute event for civil rights leader Malcolm X. Here, she shares her words with Altmuslim. Today — not just Annapolis, not only America, but the entire world – is marking 90 years since the birth of a man whose ideas and contributions helped shaped the course of history for generations to come. Today — decades after the civil rights movement and more than 50 years since legislation was finally passed... Read more
Editors’ Note: This article is part of the Patheos Public Square on Rites of Passage. Read other perspectives here. By Anonymous How did you come to Islam? When did you convert? Will you tell me your story? Mashallah, you are such an inspiration to us! There’s a term used to describe stories of people who have overcome great odds. Those who have experienced cancer, disability or private tragedy, and then learned to push past and move forward, providing motivation for others around them. It’s known... Read more
(Detroit, Michigan 4/30/2015) The Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative (MuslimARC) has closely watched the tragic events and uprising unfold in Baltimore and stands in solidarity with victims of police brutality in cities across America, as well as with protestors and activists calling for justice. While the expressions of solidarity have rippled across social media, MuslimARC is deeply concerned about a problematic statement released by The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) on April 28, 2015, in which the organization states it is “disturbed... Read more
By Hesham A. Hassaballa Editor’s Note: This post was written as part of a Patheos symposium in response to the following prompt: “We all know the media mantra, ‘What bleeds, leads.’ Bad news sells, and there’s nothing like a juicy religious scandal to drive traffic. Yet, for every sordid religious story, there are any number of quiet stories of charity, compassion, self-sacrifice, and service. In our obsession with bad news, are we missing of the GOOD of religion? How is your... Read more
By Maha Elgenaidi On April 7, congregants of Shaare Torah in Gaithersburg, Maryland, found their synagogue defaced with swastikas and profanity. The incident devastated congregants like Michael Weisel, who said, “When my wife called me and told me what happened, I was speechless. I started to cry.” Given the long history of anti-Semitism, this attack would have been alarming even if it were merely an isolated incident. But it wasn’t. Anti-Semitism is now coming from sources that cannot be passed... Read more
By Madiha Waris Qureshi Some analysts insist ISIS is a natural and unavoidable product of Islam. They couldn’t be more off-base. Since the alarming rise of the Islamic State, many political analysts and pundits across the world, especially in the West, have taken it upon themselves to inform more than 1.5 billion Muslims of the world that most of them – millions of them – are wrong about Islam. These analysts argue that ISIS is the only entity that’s truly... Read more
By Saira Siddiqui My heart is heavy tonight as I write this. It grieves because I am an American, a parent, a community member… But most importantly, it grieves because I am an educator. Before I go further, I want to tell you a story. The year was 1994, and I was a freshman at a high school in Houston. I was new to the campus and the only student who wore hijab (the head covering worn by many Muslim women). I... Read more
By Zainab Chaudry Authors who publish books generally want to sell them. Well, what sells better then timely, dramatized sensationalism with a personal angle, which reinforces readers’ latent fears and beliefs? After reading Somali-born author and anti-Islam activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s disturbingly deceptive new book, Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now, I can confidently vouch that this read is exactly that: Dramatized sensationalism with a personal angle that reinforces the larger audience’s fears and suspicions. The book’s abject flaws... Read more
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Change of Mind: Sole Palestinian Participant in MLI Program Withdraws His Support
The Muslim Leadership Initiative, sponsored by the Shalom Hartman Institute, has been a topic of great controversy in the American Muslim community and beyond. Altmuslim published a few perspectives in late January/early February, for and against the program. The third cohort is readying to leave for Jerusalem this summer. With the recent withdrawl of support from the program’s sole Palestinian participant (thus far), Altmuslim felt it was important to include his essay as part of this series, albeit four months later.... Read more