Islam Does Not Accept Domestic Abuse
To those who tell you to be silent and have ‘patience’ about abuse, know that the Prophet (pbuh) said:”Help your brother if he is an oppressor or oppressed.” A man said, “Messenger of Allah, I can help him if he is oppressed but tell me how I can help him if he is the oppressor?” He said, “Prevent him from oppressing. That is helping him.” [Sahih Bukhari]
Read MoreHouston Illumination Speech
A speech I gave at a conference in Houston on March 10, 2012 (my birthday): A few years ago today—we wont talk about how many years—but a few years ago today, I was born. And while a lot of people get into the theological debate about celebrating or not celebrating birthdays, I want to step outside of that for a moment. And look at something else. Some time ago, I had a realization. As young people, and then not so young people, many spend their birthdays waiting for people to celebrate them. As children they can’t wait to receive gifts and get heartbroken if someone forgets to...
Read MoreBe Muslim–But Only in Moderation
In his first 2004 presidential debate, Senator John Kerry began the night in the favor-of-the-day. Answering his first question, Kerry explained that America needed to isolate the “radical Islamic Muslims”. “I have a better plan to be able to fight the war on terror by … beginning to isolate the radical Islamic Muslims, not have them isolate the United States of America.” At first, the statement sounded redundant-even uneducated. A Muslim is, by definition, a follower of Islam, and is therefore, by definition, “Islamic”. Saying “Islamic...
Read MoreWhy do people have to leave each other?
Why Do People Have to Leave Each Other? Part I | Part II When I was 17 years old, I had a dream. I dreamt that I was sitting inside a masjid and a little girl walked up to ask me a question. She asked me: “Why do people have to leave each other?” The question was a personal one, but it seemed clear to me why the question was chosen for me. I was one to get attached. Ever since I was a child, this temperament was clear. While other children in preschool could easily recover once their parents left, I could not. My tears, once set in motion, did not stop easily. As I grew up, I learned to...
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