ISIS has emerged from all other violent extremist groups as the most organized, successful, and terrifying terrorist outfit in the world today. Their territorial victories, slick digital presence, and rapid development of state-like functions is leaving the best political and military minds in the U.S. at a loss, and driving fears of attacks on American soil. At the root of this fear is the phenomenon of foreign fighters joining ISIS ranks, in light of the group’s success at recruiting young Muslim men from the West. It is estimated that roughly 100 Americans have joined ISIS, along with many more Muslims from Europe. The question that then follows is what will happen if these fighters return home? Read more

  Recently I and the other Muslim writers on Patheos were called out for being “silent” on the persecution of Iraqi Christians by the hellish militia that is ISIS. In both a facebook post and a blog post, other writers asked what happened to the Muslims at Patheos. What happened indeed.  I know what happened. What happened was the past few months have unleashed a tidal wave of controversy, drama, pain, and ugliness both in the American Muslim community and... Read more

This post is going to seem like a weird and abrupt departure from my last piece, which was about my participation in a Jewish study program in Jerusalem, but dangit I had to share this before Ramadan.  So if you are having trouble transitioning from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, maybe this will help:  This Ramadan I pray for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Because Ramadan is a time for peace. It is also a time for not eating food. But is... Read more

As Twitter continues it’s meltdown over my Time article yesterday, which I fully expected, I thought it may be best to address some of the concerns, criticisms, and rage about the article and the program itself.  So here is a list of ten things that are important to understand as you think about this program. I ask you to momentarily put aside your angst and take the time to absorb this: 1) The MLI program was not created by Shalom... Read more

"What do you gift to a man who doesn’t have everything, but wants virtually nothing? This is what I’ve been thinking about as Father’s Day approached and I realized the most precious gift I could give my father would be words honoring him." Read more

People connected to me on social media, and in my own personal life, know that I’m in Jerusalem right now, as I was last summer.  There is much to share about this experience, and many have asked me to write about it, but first I have to begin with a confession about how I got here for which you’ll have to stay with me through the end of this piece. In the coming weeks I’ll write substantive pieces about what... Read more

"I’m not being facetious when I say this. The Quran and Sunnah are fairly clear on divorce issues. But Muslims are pretty unclear on them. Consider this article somewhat of a primer on when and how to go about the big split. When I’m approached by someone for counseling on these issues, this is essentially what I tell them." Read more

"I truly appreciate the attempts by our scholars and others to cultivate the will and interest of younger men in marrying older women, but I just want to push back a little on how this is being framed. In assuring them of the gallantry of such a decision, that there is no disgrace in it, that it doesn’t make them less manly, we almost seem to be reinforcing all of their hesitations. This script needs some flipping." Read more

"I’m invested in combating violent extremism against all people, because as far as violent hate crimes go, an attack on one is an attack on all of us. I also know that a person who harbors hatred towards Jews is usually not too fond of Muslims, and where there is a willingness to use violence against a minority, I become concerned about Muslim community centers, our Sikh temples and our black churches. None of us are immune to hate, and it serves our collective interests to combat it together." Read more