New Islamic Directions
Shorter reflections and statements on the events of the day.
Imam Zaid Shakir · November 14, 2015
Refuting the Idea That A Muslim (Amin al-Husayni) Prompted the Holocaust Note: This is an excerpt from a longer article I wrote refuting the idea that "Muslims are the new Fascists" and that the prompting of a pro-Nazi Muslim, Amin al-Husayni, led…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · November 12, 2015
I passed a begging veteran today. Sitting on a bench. No homeless stench. He held an empty cup in his hand. It pleaded for money to help the man. He sat forlorn in military dress. His face portrayed a life of stress. Had he murdered the innocent?…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · October 10, 2015
"We belong to Allah, and unto Him we will all return..." Death has an uncanny way of rearranging our priorities. Before an early morning text message yesterday from a dear friend, like many Muslims here in the United States, I was preoccupied with…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · September 13, 2015
Who are we? The entire world is waiting to see, Just what this Ummah might be, But can we tell them who we could be, When we ourselves cannot see... Who we are. Are we the proverbial raisin withering in the sun? Are we the stinking sore, Festering,…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · August 30, 2015
Most of us are familiar with the story of the boy, the old man and the starfish. A storm had washed up thousands of starfish onto a beach. An old man who was strolling on the sandy stretch noticed a little boy in the distance frantically throwing as…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · August 19, 2015
From eastern skies the stars brought forth their light, Conveyed by hearts transcending desert nights, Igniting flames that burn the dross of sin, Bequeathing the courage to gaze within, Freeing the hearts to know the secrets there, Those secrets to…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · August 19, 2015
There have been 210 mass shootings in the United States this year. A mass shooting is described as a shooting that has four or more victims. Of those 210 mass shootings, only one, the killing of the Marines in Chattanooga, Tennessee, was perpetrated…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · August 14, 2015
Today's New York Times' (NYT) article highlighting ISIS' sexual enslavement of Yazidi women has cast a critical light on the issue of slavery and Islam. The ensuing implications should concern all Muslims. This is so owing to the fact that ISIS…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · August 12, 2015
Tree and sky, Green, blue and white; Imagination, Serenity and flight. Not even the sky, Can limit our dreams... Which is one way God tells us, Better days are ahead.
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Imam Zaid Shakir · August 11, 2015
During my time in Damascus, I lived in many different neighborhoods: Zahira Qadima, Mukhayyam Yarmuk, Saha Shahbandar, Muhajireen, Suq al-Jumu'ah and Khurshid. Like a desert nomad in search of greener pastures, I was ever in search of a cheaper…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · August 4, 2015
The political theorist, Carl von Clausewitz, famously said, "War is the continuation of politics by other means." If that is the case, war is a politics that we do not need, because it only opens the door to mass murder, under the disguise of a…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · July 30, 2015
"Death is the most inescapable part of life. Upon entering into the world, no one can say, with absolute certainty, if a particular individual will be rich or poor, a glowing success or an abject failure. No one can predict if they, or anyone else,…
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