Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American journalist, was shot and killed while covering Israeli forces’ raid and the second intifada (uprising) in the city of Jenin in the West Bank on May 11. What may be even worse, her funeral procession was attacked by Israeli police, nearly dropping the coffin to the ground. The Israeli government had attempted to divert the situation by first claiming that the bullet that hit her was fired by the “Palestinian militants”, in the classic ‘blame... Read more
Muslims are in the final stretch of the month of Ramadan. The entire month of Ramadan is a month of immense blessings but the last ten days and nights are even more special. In couple of days, my Islamic center will be hosting an interfaith Iftar to share our commonalities with our Christian and Jewish cousins. Interfaith Iftars have increasingly been hosted in Islamic centers, synagogues and churches- at least those who are engaged in promoting interfaith harmony and understanding,... Read more
Ramadan Kareem. My heart fills with joy as the Muslims around the world embark on the holy month of Ramadan today. It not only strengthens my spirituality, but is a time to get more conscious of God and to reflect on all His bounties. O you who believe fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you so that you can learn Taqwa (guard from evil , or be God-conscious). the Quran 2:183 Fasting is not... Read more
We tend to blame God for anything, and everything bad that happens to us, and those around us. Conversely, we take credit for all the good things that happen to us. What does the Qur’an have to say about this? The title of this post is based on a story as told by former Notre Dame football head coach and a conservative Christian, Lou Holtz during a commencement speech. There was once a man who was desperately seeking a job.... Read more
(Dr Muhammad Mohiuddin’s interview on University of Maryland’s website). Earlier this month, a team of surgeons from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) in Baltimore made history by transplanting a genetically modified pig heart into David Bennett, a 57-year-old patient with a bad heart. This led to a lot of enthusiasm medical community and gives hope to millions of people around the world who wait for organ transplants for years, often dying without getting one. This has... Read more
In my last post, I addressed the big bang and the aquatic origins of life as mentioned in the Qur’an. In part 2, two other verses in the series will be reviewed in reference to the earth’s protective layers and the celestial bodies floating in their orbits. Before going over the verses, it is worth reminding ourselves as to why these passages appear in the Qur’an in the first place. If the Qur’an (as well as the Bible) were revealed... Read more
There is a growing sense that the more educated you are, especially in the field of Science, the more likely you are to be an atheist or agnostic. The Qur’an actually challenges us to ponder over nature as signs of God, rather than as reasons to disbelieve, as we will see below. There are two prevailing myths when it comes to religion and science. Scientists don’t believe in God and/or are nonreligious Religious people don’t believe in Science. Religious people... Read more
MLK Day is not only to honor Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s life and his fight for social justice, but it is a stark reminder that his dream is still far from being fulfilled. Trevon Martin, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and the murders of hundreds of other Black Americans are painful reminders of that. His famous “I have a dream’ speech still resonates and still holds true. The Day is also an opportunity for all of us- Blacks, non Blacks,... Read more
You may have read it on US currency and coins and you may have said the phrase yourself or heard others say it. What does ‘trusting God’ means? What does it NOT mean? A brief history of its appearance on US currency and references in the Bible and the Qur’an are outlined here. In the end, we will address what ‘In God we trust’ mean and does not mean. Contrary to the common belief, the phrase does not appear in... Read more
Many people around the world, including many Muslims, tend to think of Islam as being born in Arabia in the seventh century; they consider Muhammad as its “founder,” and the Qur’an as its Holy Book. Was Islam a result of Jewish and Christian influence on Prophet Muhammad? Did it start as an independent religion and borrow some concepts from the other two monotheistic religions prevalent in Arabia at the time? Or is it the last chain in the long chain... Read more
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