Among other things, the atrocities in Gaza have revealed the superficial nature of interfaith dialogue. As if the atrocities and genocide committed by Israel in Gaza was not bad enough, the muted reaction by interfaith communities, especially many Jewish interfaith workers is very disappointing. It is painful to see the innocent civilians killed in Israel on October 7. There is no place for that kind of act in Islam and Prophet Muhammad was explicit in the ethics of war not... Read more
As the Christian world is observing the holy week culminating in crucifixion and ascension, most of my Christian friends are (often pleasantly) surprised to hear about the Islamic views on Jesus. There is a significant difference in the Christian and islamic(and other religions) view on “Jesus dying for our sins” and certainly on his divinity, however there are many similarities that I would like to share here. Before we talk about the end of Jesus’ life as we know it,... Read more
This Ramadan has been like never before for Muslims around the country. The month of Ramadan is typically celebrated for its immense blessings. It is a time to get closer to God, ask for forgiveness and yes, fasting. It is also a month of giving. Muslims traditionally open their hearts and pockets during this month. This year feels different. I still feel the spiritual boost I get every Ramadan. I still feel the connection, and connectivity with God Almighty. I... Read more
The new year is just around the corner. I am not wishing ‘happy new year’, or accepting any. Not this year. Not when there is a human tragedy going on in Gaza. How can we celebrate new year when over 20,000 innocent civilians have been killed, with well over half of them being children and women. The death toll accounts for 1% of the entire population of 2.2 million in Gaza. The death toll continues to rise at about 300... Read more
Palestine has been in the limelight in the past couple of months. People don’t know very many famous Palestinians. As we approach Christmas, we are reminded of the most famous, and perhaps the Most Valuable Palestinian of them all- Jesus of Nazareth. He is in the thick of things in the interfaith circles. Obviously, the Christianity is centered around him. Muslims love him and he is one of the 5 most elite Prophets in Islam. Jewish people may feel differently... Read more
It feels good to be back after a long hiatus from blogging on Patheos. It was not because of the “writers’ block” or anything like that. It’s just that the daily grind and the rat race got in the way in a big way. As I started thinking about the topic of the next post, I turned back to a trusted guide- the Qur’an, something I read every single day. The title of this post is basiacally a part of... Read more
Yesterday’s Jumah khutba (sermon) was once again a reminder of how some of the inventions have crept into Muslim minds. The Imam quoted a hadith from Prophet Muhammad, spending nearly all of the khutba on the importance of fasting on Ashura- the 10th of Muharram, and didn’t mention the tragic events of Karbala in 61 AH, when the beloved grandson of Prophet Muhammad, Imam Hussain, was brutally butchered, and marks a turning point in Islamic history. (OK, he actually spent... Read more
There is an outrage in the Muslim world over the burning of Quran in Sweden in front of a mosque on the occasion of Eid-Al-Adha, at the peak of Hajj and commemorating the sacrifice of his son by patriarch Abraham. The Swedish government was complicit in allowing this “protest’” to occur in the first place, and even worse later defending this as “legal but inappropriate”. Even the US representative called this as part of freedom of expression. Can you imagine... Read more
Shame on you, Joe Biden for rolling out the red carpet for the Gujrat butcher, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the US congress for giving him the platform to address them. You are all ignoring the international human rights groups calls to not welcome a well known extremist who has transformed secular India into a hate-filled, Hindu extremist/nationalist nation where the minorities rights are systematically abolished. What happened to standing up for international human rights? On the occasion of... Read more
This is probably one of my most “fun” posts. NBA is one of the four major sports leagues in America and second most popular behind NFL. Like so many other fields, Muslims are key contributors to the success and popularity of NBA. I can list the Muslim NBA players in various categories: current vs past, position by position, born Muslim vs converted, outwardly Muslims vs “quietly Muslim”, starters vs bench players, or by teams. I will combine these categories in... Read more
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