If you ask an average American to name 5 Muslim terrorists or terror groups, they will have no problem naming them. Ask the same people to name 5 Muslim Nobel Peace prize winners, and you will hear crickets. Everyone would easily recall Al-Qaida, ISIS, Boko Haram, Osama Bin laden and Al Baghdadi among others. The sad part is that if you ask American Muslims to name 5 Muslim Nobel Prize winners, you will hear crickets and/or see puzzled looks on... Read more
Did we really mean “Never Again” after the holocaust? After the World War II, the civilized nations made a commitment to never allow another genocide to happen again. Unfortunately, we have been witnessing another genocide against the Rohingyan people. Yet the world is mostly silent, specially the world leaders, barring a few. Updated on February 3, 2018, based on email communication by Burma Task Force. (Rest of the original article starts after the red headline below) Action Alert: Sign-up For... Read more
Do the Muslims revere Mary, the mother of Jesus? The references in the Qur’an may surprise you. I got some flack from some of my Christian cousins a few months ago when I published a post on my blog titled, Do Muslims revere Jesus more than the Christians? How could you possibly revere Jesus more than we do, they asked me. Others opined that the title pits Muslims vs Christians (who loves who more scenario), and therefore may cause friction... Read more
First of all my thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families and friends of this terror attack on a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas yesterday. There are so many angles to look at this terror attack. It is being called a “gun shooting”, “gun violence” and “massacre”. I have yet to hear the T-word- terrorism to describe it. President Trump has called it “an act of evil”, but has yet to call this a hate crime,... Read more
Here are 10 reasons as to why Muslims believe Moses preached ‘Islam’ but not the way ‘Islam’ is viewed traditionally. The Ten Commandments are considered cornerstone of the Jewish law that govern ethics and belief in God. They are derived from the two books of Torah- Exodus and Deuteronomy. Christians equally revere them. Jesus himself stated that he came NOT to abolish the laws of Moses but to actually implement them. “Do not think that I came to destroy the... Read more
Muslims believe Jesus Christ was a holy Prophet from the same God who sent Abraham, Moses and Muhammad. Here are 10 reasons as to why Muslims believe Jesus preached Islam that are guaranteed to change your perception. The “five pillars of Islam” are the foundation of faith for the Muslims. But are they confined to Muslims? Did Moses and Jesus preach separate religions? Here are the 10 reasons (The first 5 are the five pillars of Islam) #1. One God (And... Read more
The reported persecution of Christians in Muslim-majority countries, especially in the land ruled by Daesh, or ISIS, as it is known in the west is troublesome. It is often claimed that their actions are in accordance with the Sharia. But is it really guided by Islamic principles, or the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad? If the Muslims claim to be the followers of Prophet Muhammad, they need to ask themselves a simple question in line with our Christian cousins. When dealt... Read more
In order to promote cross channel understanding, Matthew Facciani, a Patheos blogger, and I have agreed to ask each other questions related to our respective beliefs and practices. Matthew is a sociology PhD student, science communicator, and gender equality activist. Matthew went first and asked me 4 questions. Here are his questions and my responses. You can read his blog on Patheos at: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/accordingtomatthew/ Matthew: I have to be honest. I was very unfamiliar with “Born Again Muslims!” How would you describe... Read more
I was asked by my friend and the executive director of our Interfaith Council, Rev. Will McGarvey to speak at a vigil in Concord, California to honor the memories of the victims of Las Vegas shooting that took place on Sunday October 01, 2017. He asked me to reflect on it from a Muslim perspective. As I started to think about what I was going to say, I started thinking: Is there really a Muslim perspective? I quickly realized the... Read more
I have been working to promote interfaith dialogue for many years, as there is a great need for people from various faith traditions to get to know each other. This has never been more relevant (at least in our lifetime) given the current socio-political climate. But what about Intra-faith dialogue among Muslims? There seems to be near-complete lack of such dialogue, though there is clearly a need for one. Muharram is the perfect time to start one. The Muslim world... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In