Published on Huffington Post Religion Recent comments made by the Chief Justice of Alabama shows that much work needs to be done in educating some of America’s most powerful figures on the history of religious tolerance in America, especially as it pertains to Muslims. Speaking at the Pastor for Life Luncheon, which was sponsored by…… Continue reading Alabama, Islam, and the Founding Fathers’ Belief in Religious Tolerance
A recent report from the Pew Research Center, a reputable American think tank, revealed some damning findings on the state of religious freedom around the world. According to the report, religious hostilities increased in 2012 in every major region of the world, with Muslims and Christians being oppressed in the largest number of countries. Pakistan,…… Continue reading Islamic and American Constitutions Give Hope For Religious Freedom
U.S. Representative Louie Gohmert (Texas) recently suggested that the U.S. should judge its foreign policy decisions based on a literalist interpretation of prophecies and stories in the Bible. Scriptural literalism in any religious tradition blatantly denies cold-hard facts such as evolution and encourages naive absolutism in the face of scientific inquiry, among other issues. Interpreting the…… Continue reading A Radical Christian in U.S. Congress
I am very happy to see an interesting new book written by Denise Spellberg, associate professor of history and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Spellberg’s book, titled Thomas Jefferson’s Qur’an: Islam and the Founders and touched upon in this Daily Beast article, seeks to understand the role of Islam in the early…… Continue reading New Scholarship Sheds Light on Islam and the American Founding Fathers
This morning I woke up to an e-mail from my father which noted how an Indian American had just won Miss America 2013. In addition, on my Facebook feed I clicked on a story that read “Miss American crowns 1st winner of Indian descent; racist tweets follow.” Clearly many Americans were disturbed and even angry…… Continue reading Americans Should Reflect More Tolerance in Light of Miss America Crown
In all likelihood, President Barack Obama will soon bomb Syria in the hope of dealing a blow to Syrian President Bashar al Assad’s regime. This dangerous act of war is a betrayal of the foreign policy vision of America’s founding fathers and will only serve to further weaken the US’s floundering moral credibility around the…… Continue reading How Would America’s Founding Fathers React to Syria?
The founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, is much like Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and intellectual behind the American Revolution. Both men were educated, trained as lawyers, and powerful figures behind the independence movements of two countries, Pakistan and the United States of America. At the moment, Jinnah is in the…… Continue reading Tales of Two Founding Fathers: Jinnah and Jefferson
News this morning from Balochistan is not so great. The home of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan, has been attacked and pretty much destroyed by extremists. CNN reports: Assailants bombed the home of the Pakistani founding father early Saturday, killing a police officer who fought back and injuring an employee, authorities said.…… Continue reading Jinnah’s house: A symbolic hit in Pakistan
Although they are typically seen to represent overwhelming opposites, the Prophet Muhammad and America’s founding fathers shared many common characteristics and beliefs, which can be seen in historical documents. By comparing the speeches and texts that they left behind, we can learn of the similar viewpoints that Muhammad and the founding fathers held on issues…… Continue reading Documents Show Prophet Muhammad and US Founding Fathers Were Kindred Spirits
I have started putting my research into video format on You Tube. These passages from Washington, Adams, Franklin and Jefferson have been taken from my Huffington Post article. I hope this message of peace and tolerance reaches more people around the world.
Since the events of 9/11 the Prophet Muhammad has been in the news the world over for all the wrong reasons. Examples of this include the Prophet (PBUH) being mocked in political cartoons as a terrorist and depicted as a child killer, rapist, and adulterer in films such as The Innocence of Muslims. The Prophet…… Continue reading Prophet Muhammad Sculpture at U.S. Supreme Court Shows Respect for Islam
In a treaty with the Islamic nation of Tripoli initiated by George Washington, completed by John Adams, and ratified by the US Senate in 1797, the Founding Fathers declared that … the government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion… So, for the love, please spread this around, especially…… Continue reading A quote for the Christian-American right
I woke up to this comment on my blog ‘Why the “Free” in Murfreesboro bugs me’: The author of this blog is a naive, at best. Islam is a totalitarian ideology like Communism or, more closely related, Nazi-fascism. It controls every aspect of a Muslim’s life with Shari’ah Law. Ask Europe, the Mideast, Asia, Australia,…… Continue reading Commentary: What the standard American bigot says about ‘the Jihad’
Lately, I have been engaged in learning about the life of one of America’s Founding Fathers: Thomas Jefferson. His writings have inspired me to live a more moral and virtuous life. Oftentimes, I cease to ponder on my character and conduct, so it is humbling to learn about my self through someone else. Last night,…… Continue reading Personal: Manifesto from 2008
‘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
This archive documents my writings from the ‘Journey into America’ book and documentary project. The writings here are my own personal opinions and don’t necessarily reflect the overall message of ‘Journey into America’. Most of these entires are ‘notes in the field’, but you may also find published articles. In addition, included here are short…… Continue reading My diary: 1 year, 100 cities, 75 mosques, and one question…
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