by Dr Fawad Ahmed (Editorial Note: Dr Fawad is a physician by profession, a singer by hobby, a volunteer in Health Clinic and Board Member Of MCA, Orlando, and above all, an astute student of Quran) A Facebook group called Global Rally for Humanity put out a call for anti-Muslim demonstrations "in every country at every mosque." Some plan to use “open carry laws” in some American states to bring weapons. Granted, the average participant IQ at such rallies is about 89, and these proceedings could readily be dismissed as gatherings of village idiots. However, recently anti-Muslim views have been expressed by otherwise intelligent public figures (with much fanfare) such as Donald Trump and Dr. Ben Carson, who recently stated he would not want a “Muslim in the Whi...

by James Ragland, Dallas Morning News Something remarkable is happening in Irving, a city that, for the better part of a year, clumsily became a tinderbox for anti-Muslim madness. Time flies when you’re facing cultural bias and religious persecution. This is the town where Ahmed Mohamed, the “clock boy,” gained notoriety last fall for bringing a homemade project to school. Over the past 15 months, since Mayor Beth Van Duyne began stoking fears that Muslims were setting up a Shariah law court at an Irving mosque, the Muslim community hasn’t just turned the other cheek — it has rolled up its sleeves and gone to work. We noted last year that Muslims, who have generally refrained from city politics, had begun organizing get-out-the-vote drives and showing...

By Lauren Markoe, Religion News Service The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Greater Lansing is getting a new church this spring — but not quite soon enough. Hearing of construction lags and its neighbor’s need for a temporary home, a mosque in East Lansing offered up its worship space – for free. “No charge whatsoever,” said the Rev. Kathryn Bert. “It’s been a lovely story to live. It has been a beautiful relationship.” Since April 3, the church has been gathering at the mosque. The offer from the Islamic Society of Greater Lansing came with no strings attached, but in thanks the church decided to dedicate its plate offering one Sunday this month to the mosque. The mosque, in turn, plans to donate all or part of the offering to Islamic R...

by Ramazan Kilinç, Omaha Daily Herald The writer is an assistant professor of political science and director of the Islamic Studies Program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Are Muslims part of the American mosaic? This question requires us to address a dilemma for many American Muslims: searching for purity in one’s faith while tailoring religious practice to one’s life in America. To address this dilemma with one simple answer is almost impossible. When we talk about American Muslims, we’re talking about a very diverse group of people. Only the annual hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) brings together more Muslims from more countries than those living in the United States today. And the Muslim experience of being part of American history is not unique. Muslims...