In the aftermath of the terror attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand moved swiftly to enact gun control laws. Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau gave a heartfelt speech at the parliament, calling this a terror attack motivated by Islamophobia. Therein lie two lessons for our great country, America. I urge you to watch the short video of the speech by Justin Trudeau embedded at the end. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the day after the shootings... Read more
As we move past the initial shock and horror of the terror attack on the two mosques in Christchurch, it’s exposing what was already known to many of us- the rising threat of the white supremacist extreme right wing. It also appears that these extremists are gaining the inspiration from none other but our president Trump. When asked at the White House yesterday whether white nationalists were a growing threat around the world, Donald Trump replied: “I don’t really. I... Read more
The details are still emerging but there has been an apparent terror attack on two mosques in Christchurch in New Zealand during the congregational Friday prayers. The attacks were pre-planned and were live streamed from the body cameras the attackers were wearing . We are certainly living in troubled times and even the places of worship are not safe- and in fact are the prime target for the haters. The city of Christchurch is on a lockdown. The citizens are... Read more
Humility is an attribute that is frequently emphasized in the Qur’an and the Bible, while the opposite trait, arrogance, is widely condemned. Secular research on humility shows humility to be a great trait to have. Arrogance can be occult, even to arrogant people, so how do you determine if you are arrogant? Humility is derived from the word humus, meaning earth or ground. Humility is a state of being ‘grounded’. Arrogance is the opposite of being grounded. Here are 7... Read more
Ever since I was a child, I used to hear the sermons trying to instill the ‘fear of God’ in me, whereby the Imams will warn us to be straight or else! Decades later, as I started to study the Qur’an myself, the kind and forgiving nature of God became so apparent making me wonder why the focus of the clerics was so much on the wrath of God. I would hear multiple times ‘the correct way’ to greet, the... Read more
My family was involved in a very difficult decision making process last week, when after days of going back and forth, we decided to remove life support from my youngest sister’s husband. This was probably the hardest decision making process I was ever a part of. I knew it would be tough, I just didn’t realize how much. I have avoided sharing my personal or family life on my blog. I will make some references to the medical and religious... Read more
What does it mean to be a Muslim? Sometimes Muslims themselves ask the same question among themselves. You may know about the 5 pillars of Islam but what does it really mean to be a Muslim from a practical point of view? And what does it mean to be a “good” Muslim? The image of a “good” Muslim is often one of a bearded man or a Hijabi woman praying 5 times a day and fasting all month during Ramadan.... Read more
Earlier today, 4 young men were charged in Greece, upstate New York in a plot to kill a Muslim community named Islamberg. The NY police seized 23 guns and homemade hand grenades from them who hail from the Rochester area. No terrorism charges have been filed, which is to be expected. After all the alleged criminals were Non Muslims white males plotting to kill a Muslim community, not the other way around. And so far there is not much news... Read more
As we prepare for the Martin Luther King Day in a couple of days, the Muslims need to use this as an opportunity to reflect upon Dr. King’s legacy as well as Islam’s teachings on race and diversity. Even though Dr. King was an ordained Christian minister, his views and teachings on love, race, justice and diversity are practically the same as Islamic teachings, as I explained below. Dr. Martin Luther King not only fought for racial equality, he also... Read more
Following my last post, I had a brief chat via text messaging with Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, which I will share below. My last post on Rashida Tlaib using the MF word drew sharp reaction, both positive and negative. Ironically the harshest criticism came from folks who I consider “friends”, calling me misogynist and Trump supporter among other things. As a Muslim blogger, I get sharp criticism from time to time, mostly from the extreme right wing. I have come to... Read more
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