by Seidu Malik  In 2016, we witnessed an unprecedented level of violence against citizens. Men and women who have sworn to defend the community during day and night as well as adverse weather conditions tragically lost their lives in the line of duty. At unprecedented rates, civilians with no training or possession of firearms lost their lives at the hands of some law enforcement personnel. These unfortunate developments set of chains of violent demonstrations across the country and soul searching... Read more

by Musawar Syed To whom it may concern, “The world suffers a lot, not because of the violence of Bad people, but because of the silence of good people.” – Napoleon Bonaparte In the Quran, Allah the Most Gracious and Merciful says: 1. “For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.” (109:6). 2. “Whoever kills a person [unjustly]…it is as though he has killed all mankind. And whoever saves a life, it is as though he had... Read more

by Kwabena Osman The world has watched in horror the events that unfolded in Aleppo, Syria. The siege in that city has left hundreds of people dead and thousands of people displaced.  This war between pro-government forces and rebel groups has put the citizenry in a very devastated situation especially the vulnerable one’s among them like women, children, the old and orphans who may have nothing to do with this war. In a recent report and video, orphans were seen pleading... Read more

by Nayyar Ahmed  Social unrest is now the narrative of the day, a new ‘order’ that extremists are dictating for the world to follow. As we ease into our holiday season, the Grinch is always lurking around the corner, ever ready to pounce at us with a rude surprise. The truck attack in Berlin and the cold-blooded assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov and the ensuing grotesque images of the assassin standing next to the body are... Read more

by Ibrahim Ijaz Is anyone surprised that hate crimes have increased 31% in 2016? This year has been exceptionally revealing in terms of hidden, hateful sentiments. But hate based crime isn’t just an American issue. Unlike apple pie, hate based crime is on the rise globally as well. My religious community, The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, is especially familiar with violence stemming from intolerance in Pakistan. On Monday, December 12th, a mob of 1,000 attacked an Ahmadi Mosque while worshippers were inside. This incident occurred... Read more

by Zahid Mian That the world is increasingly moving towards instability is not shocking.  Riots and protesters are common on the streets of countries across the world.  Neither the rich nor the poor are immune from these eruptions.  Greece, Egypt, South Africa, Iceland, Venezuela, Pakistan, Myanmar, and even the United States have seen their share of protesters. In the United States, movements like Occupy Wall Street, Black Lives Matter, environmental protesters, and those like the “alt right” that take their... Read more

by Zohaib Zafar  A few weeks ago, Senator Tim Kaine came to Davidson College in an effort to mobilize millennials so that the Clinton-Kaine ticket can win over North Carolina. He made some interesting observations about how women are treated in America in comparison to other countries. One point he made was that Iraq and Afghanistan have higher representation of women in their legislative bodies and that America must recognize where it comes short. This fact is especially worth considering... Read more

  by Labeeb Ahmad  As we hear of another attack on our soil by someone who seems to be of a foreign background, his motives continue to be speculated by authorities. What pushed Ahmad Khan Rahami – the perpetrator of the Chelsea and Linden bombings this past weekend – to commit this evil act? If it was anger at America, enough anger to blow up one’s fellow country mates, then I must express how sick and tired I am of... Read more

by Ijaz Ahmed  Imagine, if you will, a leader of millions who spends every waking hour of the day trying to establish sustainable peace throughout the world. Despite having tens of millions of devoted followers across the globe, this same leader is so humble that he still changes the light bulbs in his small flat in London, prepares his own clothes, and tends to his own garden. Envision a leader so hardworking and devoted that he works 7 days a... Read more