The Egyptian people have accomplished one of the major objectives of their historic revolution. They have brought the thirty-year reign of Hosni Mubarak to an end. As they celebrate, from Alexandria in the north down to Aswan in the south, they realize that this is only the beginning of the…

We Hold These Truths to be Self-Evident… A well-meaning friend of mine has suggested that if I write anything else on the ongoing uprising in Egypt, I should frame it in terms understandable to Americans. After all, we should be aiming to affect American public opinion as much as possible…

The following questions have been sent to me from numerous individuals in response to my rant entitled, “Letter to a Would-be Mujahid.” Hopefully, these responses, some of which are quite lengthy will help clarify issues that are causing a lot of confusion for many of our young brothers and sisters.…

(Reprinted) This essay, written in the immediate aftermath of the failed New York City bomb attempt [1], will examine some of the theological implications of Muslims violating civilian immunity. I have written elsewhere why attacks against innocent civilians are in opposition to fundamental teachings of Islam. Unfortunately, there are…

“If a tree fell in the middle of the forest and no one was there to witness it, did it fall?” Although Muslims have been silent when it comes to telling our own story and articulating who we are as a people and the contributions we have…

American society has had a strange relationship with women. We pontificate about the importance of women’s rights and gender equality. Yet, to this day women still earn less than men doing comparable jobs. Nowhere is this glaring disparity more telling than in the financial managerial sector where women earn less…

I recently attended two major Muslim conferences where Christian fundamentalists were “protesting” against a Muslim presence in “Christian” America. In each instance, the demonstrators were shabbily-clad, apparently from the poorer elements of American society. Their faces were red with anger and their violent voices exuded rage. They stood in sharp…

During Ramadan we celebrate the Qur’an. This is fitting owing to the close association between the month of fasting and the Qur’an. Allah mentions in the Qur’an, The month of Ramadan in which the Qur’an was revealed (Q. 2: 185). Perhaps this association is connected to the fact that during…

Increasingly in the western world, nothing symbolizes the “otherness” of Islam like the veiled Muslim woman. If she chooses to remain quietly home undertaking domestic duties with patient dignity she is rendered invisible and mysterious, veiled by the walls of her home. If she emerges into the public square the…

My Sustainer, Increase my knowledge. (Q. 20:114) This time of the year brings convocations for both high school and university students and I would like to extend my deepest congratulations and prayers for success to all new graduates. At this pivotal time in your life, it is important to…