New Islamic Directions
Shorter reflections and statements on the events of the day.
Imam Zaid Shakir · March 17, 2016
As racism, xenophobia, anti-Muslim bigotry, nativism, hatred and violence escalate in our society many are asking, "What is to be done?" To begin, we have to understand that these issues did not begin yesterday or with the emergence of a particular…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · March 16, 2016
Nearly a month has passed since the execution-style murder of three young men, two of them Muslim, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. We have to keep the memory Taha Omar, Adam Mekki and Mohannad Tairab alive and continue to pressure the authorities for…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · February 22, 2016
Black folks ride bikes to work and ride bikes for fun, Some are faster than an ice cube melting in the sun, Some can break the sound barrier: Brother Super Sonic! So why are black folks and bike lanes so oxymoronic? If brothers can ride in summer…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · February 16, 2016
American warplanes on their way to bomb ISIS targets fly over Syrian helicopters dropping barrel bombs on civilians in Aleppo. Russian warplanes on their way to bomb anti-Assad forces in and around Aleppo, killing a large number of civilians in the…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · February 9, 2016
“Good and evil are not equal. Respond [to evil] with what is best, [good]. You will unexpectedly see one between whom you and he there is enmity become as it were an intimate friend.” Qur’an 41:34 Recently, a young man, who did not identify himself,…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · January 28, 2016
Morning light As the birds take flight. Oakland Marina; Enter the arena, To fight for the right Of every man, woman And child To be able to smile As the retreating night Is overwhelmed... By the morning light.
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Imam Zaid Shakir · January 25, 2016
The deepening scandal and crisis in Flint, Michigan, over the contaminated water forced upon the residents of that city provides an insight into where the entire country is headed. The destruction of Flint, epitomized by th water crisis, is a direct…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · January 6, 2016
Many Muslims are obsessed with the end time Hadiths and prophecies. Many feel that the end is near, some groups and or Shuyukh actively recruit followers based on the certainly that we are living at the very end of history and Doomsday is well nigh…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · December 14, 2015
Yesterday, Sunday, December 13, 2015, Basim Callens, one of the young brothers from my New Haven, Connecticut, “Jamaat” was murdered in Atlanta, Georgia during a carjacking. This brother was one of the kindest, most pleasant, mannerable young men…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · December 10, 2015
Dry Your Eyes My Sister... Do not be torn asunder by the gazes From eyes of hatred oh so venomous; The prejudicial words befitting racists, "Your people, your religion, we can't trust." The words like acid rain fall from the sky, "Go back from…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · December 8, 2015
The seeming tsunami of negativity unleashed by the dastardly actions of terrorists, some claiming to act in the name of Islam, and the nefarious reactions of an assortment of bigots, racists and opportunistic politicians, have combined to create an…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · December 6, 2015
The day before the shootings in San Bernadino, California, a friend of mine, who is a distinguished journalist, sent the following note to me from Belgium: “Salaams, I have been in Belgium for a few days now. The Muslim community here is in serious…
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