A few months ago, when I was teaching Sociology of Religion at Rice University, the topic of Ted Cruz and Christian privilege came up in our classroom. In response to questions about his commitment to conservatism, Cruz stated: “I’m a Christian first, American second, conservative third and Republican forth. I’ll tell ya, there are a whole…… Continue reading Dear America – Check Your Christian Privilege
My fellow Americans, With Islamophobia rising in the U.S. and with Donald Trump promoting Hitler-esque policies towards Muslims, we must make a strong stand. The time is ripe for Americans of all backgrounds to join in solidarity with their Muslim neighbors. It’s time for a million man march in Washington, DC. Over the last few weeks, I have watched this country spiral out…… Continue reading It’s Time For A Million Man March in Solidarity With Muslims
“35 people dead in Paris. They don’t know what it is yet. Not sure if there were bombs.” That was the text message I received on Friday during my walk home from Rice University. Here we go again, I thought… My first reaction: the media will instantly assume Muslims carried out the attack, regardless of…… Continue reading The Paris Attack and My Racist Facebook “Friends”
“America is a Christian nation” is one of the Christian right’s favorite slogans. Consider Ben Carson, a radical Christian and frontrunner for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. He believes that the United State’s founding documents prove that the American nation was founded upon Christian principles. What is worrying is that Carson is not alone in his beliefs. Televangelists,…… Continue reading America as a “Christian Nation” Doesn’t Ring Historically True
Tayyip Erdogan, a Turkish politician, recently claimed that Muslims discovered America before Columbus. It’s a pretty stupid statement – “we discovered America” – and one that people and groups continue to make. Muslims, Columbus, the Vikings, the Chinese, etc. etc., didn’t discover America because the land was already inhabited by indigenous people. People lived in North America 12,000 years…… Continue reading No, Erdogan, Muslims Didn’t Discover America Either
A group of volunteers cleaning up the shores of the Mississippi river near the biggest city in Tennessee, have stumbled upon the remains of an ancient boat encrusted in mud. A team of archeologists from the University of Memphis that was rapidly called to the site, confirmed that the ship is most certainly a Viking…… Continue reading Viking Ship Discovery on Mississippi: Another Reminder Christopher Columbus Didn’t Discover America
When I published the article – An Unlikely Connection Between Prophet Muhammad and George Washington – I had little idea of the impact it would have on Muslims and non-Muslims. The responses to my article varied from people being elated about the comparison to others feeling outraged. While some were pleased to see the similarities…… Continue reading Revisiting the Connection Between Prophet Muhammad and George Washington
Columbus Day. A day where many Americans celebrate the ‘discovery’ of America. Why do we glorify it? For us thinking people, we realize that Columbus didn’t discover anything. In fact, he stumbled across a civilization, which he wrote about in his famous diary: They… brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many…… Continue reading The Stupidity of Celebrating Columbus’s ‘Discovery’
By now many of you have heard of the propaganda film Innocence of Muslims which led to a tragedy in Benghazi and an almost-tragedy in Cairo. For better or worse, these events proved that one film can make a huge difference, which is why I want to inform you about Journey into America (2009) by Ambassador AKBAR AHMED and its subsequent…… Continue reading A counter to the hateful Innocence of Muslims
2014 The Problem With Banning the Burqa. Huffington Post Religion, March 12th. Revisiting the Connection Between Prophet Muhammad and George Washington. Huffington Post Religion, February 16th. Interview on Scholar’s Spiritual Journey Into Islam and the Life of Prophet Muhammad. Huffington Post Religion, February 11th. What Studying Muhammad Taught Me About Islam. Huffington Post Religion, January…… Continue reading Articles
Mr. Harris, I want to challenge your comment that Americans need to be concerned about the loyalty of Muslim Americans. I want to do so through a story of my own experience. Throughout 2008 and 2009, I was conducting research under Professor Akbar Ahmed of American University with the hope of better understanding American identity…… Continue reading Response to Founder and Chairman of Original North Phoenix Tea Party
In Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Muslims are hoping to celebrate Ramadan in the much-anticipated opening of their Islamic Center of Murfreesboro (ICM). While it seems they will be able to do so, a most unfortunate story is lurking in the shadow. A group of non-Muslims who filed suit seeking a restraining order to end the Centre’s construction has…… Continue reading The “free” in Murfreesboro bugs me
‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, amongst these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness’. – Thomas Jefferson I’m proud to be an American if we adhere to this framework both on the domestic front and…… Continue reading Personal: My declaration on the 4th of July
We like to think of the drone war as something far away, fought in the deserts of Yemen or the mountains of Afghanistan. But we now know it’s closer than we thought. There are 64 drone bases on American soil, including 12 that house armed Predator and Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles. The possibility of military…… Continue reading Drones Over American Skies
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