By shirinzarqaledermanThe disparaging rhetoric spewed by politicians and others with media power (a.k.a. Trump) is making women in hijab targets of violent acts. Sadly, this is nothing new. Since 9/11, the rise of attacks on women donning the hijab continues to increase. Due to these incidents, CNN recently reported an increase in self-defense classes due to…
By shirinzarqaledermanDear President Obama, On behalf of — myself, I would like to thank you for your visit to the Islamic Center in Baltimore and welcome you to the religion of peace known as Islam. Though it is much appreciated, it’s about seven years overdue. That’s seven Ramadan missed opportunities, by the way. The announcement of…
By shirinzarqaledermanThose of you who are worried about where the millennials will take us in the future must not have read my article about Benny Koval. In case you needed more proof that humanity is in good hands, today I present you with Tair Kaminer. She is a 19-year-old Israeli who reported to the Israeli Army…
By shirinzarqaledermanIt was one of those “you had me at hello” moments, listening to Canada’s new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talk about a world where “you don’t have to choose between the identity of our parents and being a full citizen of Canada” at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last week. I could almost…
By shirinzarqalederman“With Islamophobia here in the U.S., is America really the place I want to raise my children?” Erin Tariq-Monir, an American Muslim from outside Des Moines, Iowa asked Tuesday. It was a poignant question posed by a Muslim woman who served in the U.S. Air Forces and was sitting in the audience of the Democratic…
By shirinzarqaledermanA student from Fair Lawn, N.J., learned a valuable lesson this week on the arbitrary limitations of the first amendment. The amendment was designed to prevent the government from creating laws that prohibit freedom of speech, religion and the press…unless you’re talking about the state of Israel, of course. The 16-year-old high school student was…
By shirinzarqaledermanThe inhumanity of the death penalty. Before you go judging the Saudis for their death penalty sentencing, let’s remember: The United States has 31 states that also have a death sentence penalty. The U.S. policies on sentencing don’t exactly make it the pillar of criminal rehabilitation. That said, generally, what incites human rights activists that…
By shirinzarqalederman“Allah hath revealed unto thee (Muhammad) the Scripture with truth, confirming that which was (revealed) before it, as Allah revealed the Torah and the Gospel.” — Qur’an 3:3 Three attempts to educate through experiential learning and all three attempts were greeted with anti-Muslim sentiment. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you may have noticed…
By shirinzarqaledermanIt’s a well-known feature in American politics that candidates for office conform their policy stances to benefit politically-active constituents who vote and contribute handsomely to their campaign coffers. So, how do Muslims measure up—as an interest group–compared to other demographics? In 2012, it was estimated that 1.2 Million Muslims were registered to vote. Let’s think…
