Just listen.

‎”…because this is America, damn it, and in America when somebody comes for your neighbor, or his Bible, or his Torah, or his Atheist Manifesto, or his Qur’an, you and I do what our fathers did and our grandmothers did and our Founders did. You and I speak up.”

Last night, President Barack Obama held an iftar dinner at the White House where he delivered a truly amazing speech on the controversy surrounding the construction of a mosque near Ground Zero. In support of the mosque, he mentions the importance of freedom of religion for all Americans, and reiterates that those who carried out the attacks on 9/11 are in no way representing the true religion of Islam.
Recently, attention has been focused on the construction of mosques in certain communities – particularly in New York. Now, we must all recognize and respect the sensitivities surrounding the development of lower [...]

New York City’s Mayor Bloomberg delivered a heartfelt speech on August 3, 2010 in support of building a mosque near the World Trade Center site. He got choked up while giving the speech, which he delivered among various religious leaders at Governors Island. He spoke of the fundamental rights that unite all Americans regardless of faith, and how the opposition of the new mosque defies the principles that America was built upon. Bloomberg made it clear that those rights and principles are not conditional to what religion a citizen may follow.
You can watch the speech here.
“We’ve come here to Governors [...]

As the champions of the World Cup will suspensively by decided over the next two days, prominent international figures, including world leaders, performers, and the players themselves, are trying to remind us of the one goal that matters: education for all.
Spearheaded by Queen Rania of Jordan, the 1GOAL campaign is aimed at seizing “the power of football to ensure that education for all is a lasting impact of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.” It is uniting the power of charities, organizations, the soccer players, and their fans to reach a Millennium Development Goal which promises education for 72 million children [...]

Recently, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour interviewed Yvonne Ridley about her conversion to Islam, after her capture by the Taliban.  This fascinating short film about a Muslim daughter and her Christian mother is a must-see. Ridley talks about how Islam’s feminist principles were what first drew her to the religion. The video exhibits the great difficulties she must overcome as the only hijab-wearing woman in her town and living with a mother who does not approve of her Islamic faith. It also highlights how Ridley adjusted to her new religion and the transition she had undergone. She mentions the epiphany she experienced [...]

Today is the one-year anniversary of the first day of the Gaza siege. Many of us can clearly remember the horror: the first bits of news trickled in and protests exploded around the world out of solidarity and, possibly, guilt for not having acted sooner. Day by day, the death toll rose; I myself can remember climbing out of bed in the morning in fear of the new numbers I would read.
We were uninvited spectators; that I knew. We had forgotten about our suffering Palestinian brothers until the very moment they needed us the most, and even then our passion [...]

The Associated Press Reports: “Millions of Muslims have been arriving in Mecca for the annual Hajj pilgrimage. They are taking part this year despite rain and the threat of swine flu dampening the rituals.”
Other factors besides the recent flu and rain include overcrowding, a common problem amongst Muslims through each pilgrimage. Yet it is the zeal and passion that urges Muslims each year to not only fulfill one of the five pillars of Islam, but to also display their religious devotion to Allah .

These are tough times.  Our values, outlooks, beliefs, lifestyle, and even our clothing are being attacked and ridiculed.  Each headline in the news, from about a mass murderer to a taxi driver, is being innacurately blamed on Islam, rather than a faulty human being.  There is no doubt that these are tough times for Muslims to be living in the United States.
To the families and friends of those who suffered in the attacks on November 5, 2009, in Fort Hood, Texas:  Please accept our deepest condolences and prayers.  We are with you in your loss and pray that you will [...]