Benjamin Corey, Progressive Christian Blogger, Asks Me 4 Questions on Islam, Christmas, Jesus and Mary

December 15, 2017 By Ejaz Naqvi, MD

Benjamin Corey and I have agreed to ask each other questions related to our respective faiths, and specifically the common views on Islam, Christmas, Jesus and Mary. We hope this will help promote cross channel understanding, and promote Christian-Muslim dialogue. Ben is the managing editor, and a blogger on the Progressive Christian Patheos channel. You can read his blog on Patheos here. Ben went first and asked me 4 questions. Here are his questions and my responses. Ben: During my time studying... Read more

Roy Moore defeat in Alabama, Conor Lamb Victory in PA and My Hot Take

December 13, 2017 By Ejaz Naqvi, MD

This is an update to the post on my hot take on Roy Jones defeat in Alabama, given the latest setback to the Republicans where Democrat Conor Lamb and Republican Rick Saccone ran neck and neck in the 18th District special election in Pennsylvania. Conor Lamb and the Democrats have declared victory, albeit by a razor thin margin. In December last year, Patheos Muslim Channel bloggers were expressing their take on the hot takes –a sort of rapid action response... Read more

Why The Golden Rule Is So Golden in Current Times

December 9, 2017 By Ejaz Naqvi, MD

Is the Golden rule not applicable in our daily lives anymore? Is it specific to any one religion for a specific time period towards a specific group? I would argue the golden rule is as relevant to the current environment than any other time, if not more so. The Golden Rule of conduct was coined in Britain in the seventeenth century. However, many variations have been known in ancient Egypt, India, China and other civilizations as well. The Declaration Toward... Read more

Jerusalem: Who Needs Enemies When You Have Friends Like Trump

December 7, 2017 By Ejaz Naqvi, MD

I stay away from the “politics” in my posts and focus more on faith and how our faith traditions can help bring us closer together. President Trump’s announcement yesterday to recognize Jerusalem, as the capital of Israel was a blow to the faith and secular peacemakers’ efforts to bring peace among our communities. This is a huge setback for peace process in the Middle East, and the world. We all know the unrest in the Middle East has repercussions for... Read more

Same God of Abraham With 99 Names?

December 4, 2017 By Ejaz Naqvi, MD

Muslims often refer to the “99 names of God” mentioned in the Qur’an and Hadith. The Bible mentions numerous names. But do we worship the same God? The “99 names of God” should not be confused to mean, “God has 99 names”. These ‘names’ are indeed God’s attributes. God is also infinite and therefore assigning a certain number puts limit to the infinite. The scholars of the three major Abrahamic faiths, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, concur that God is way... Read more

4 Reasons why Mawlid Celebration Of Prophet Muhammad is Very Islamic

November 30, 2017 By Ejaz Naqvi, MD

Bidah (innovation) has been one of the most commonly used words in the Muslim world and communities lately. Bidah referring here to innovation in religion. It appears that some among us label everything Bidah that they don’t like. Celebrating the birth of Prophet Muhammad is no exception. The ‘Bidah-minded’ Muslims have hijacked the Mawlid celebrations. Mawlid means birth, referring to the birth of Prophet Muhammad. (Mawlid un Nabiyy means the birth of Prophet) Tomorrow, the 12th of Rabi’ al Awwal (the third month on Islamic... Read more

#MeToo: Sexual Abuse In Muslim Communities-Fact or Fiction?

November 28, 2017 By Ejaz Naqvi, MD

Are the allegations of sexual abuse and harassment against prominent men such as Bill O’Reilly, Roy Moore, Senator Al Franken, and Harvey Weinstein just the tip of the iceberg in our society? President Trump himself has been accused of at least misogynistic behavior. According to Washington Post, during the presidential campaign, at least a dozen women accused him of some sort of sexual misconduct or abuse.[1] The focus of my last post was on domestic violence, which may include sexual... Read more

#MeToo And #Domestic Violence In The Muslim Communities

November 26, 2017 By Ejaz Naqvi, MD

#MeToo should prompt Muslims to ask whether the Muslim communities in the Unites States (and Muslim countries) are immune from domestic violence and sexual abuse. Does it exist in your community? Alyssa Milano’s call to women to use #MeToo tweets to publicize the widespread misogynistic behavior became viral. This has primarily involved cases of sexual misconduct- varying from sexual harassment to sexual assaults. Domestic violence against women has typically not been brought up. Domestic violence (DV) against women, sexual harassment... Read more

Did You Celebrate Thanksgiving Day?

November 22, 2017 By Ejaz Naqvi, MD

Is Thanksgiving a religious holiday or a secular one. Should Muslims be celebrating the holiday? The fourth Thursday of November was fixed as the official Thanksgiving Day by U.S. congress in 1941. However the tradition dates back three centuries earlier. The first official Thanksgiving is believed to be celebrated after the harvest in Plymouth, New England in 1621 by the pilgrims. Even prior to that, it was customary for many of the pilgrims to give thanks, mostly after the harvest... Read more

3 Major Myths About Hijab Even Among The Muslims

November 19, 2017 By Ejaz Naqvi, MD

Jihad and Hijab are probably the two most talked about conversations about Islam and Muslims. They are also the two most misunderstood or poorly understood. Jihad was addressed on one of my prior posts. This post will focus on the myths around hijab. I would state at the outset that I am not a Muslim jurist. Many Muslim jurists have different interpretations of “hijab” and more specifically on the extent of what body part/s should be covered. In its extreme form, it... Read more