Muslims Face Backlash After Terror Attacks

An interview of Interfaith Houston editor Saadia Faruqi with Art Rascon of ABC13.

Muslim Reaction after the Paris Attacks

Source: Houston Matters

 

Terrorism is a Matter of Privilege

By Daniel Johnson
Source: Free Thoughts

 

As I watch the latest episode in international terrorism play out and the inevitable blaming of Islam for extremist behavior, I wonder if we will ever see the same blaming of Christianity for its extremist activity. As it currently exists, the discussion of terrorist actions can only apply if you are a Muslim or a person of color, or by some happenstance both at the same time.

 

9/11: Never Forget

By Saadia Faruqi

Source: Tikkun Daily

 

Do you remember where you were, what you were doing that fateful morning on September 11, 2001? A Pew survey shows that 97 percent of Americans remember exactly where they were when 9/11 occurred, the highest percentage, followed by JFK’s assassination (95 percent) and Pearl Harbor (89 percent).

 

When One of Us is Hurt We All Feel Pain

By Saadia Faruqi

Source: Tikkun Daily

As Passover ends for my Jewish friends, I join them to mourn the attack on the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park, Kansas. Yes I am a Muslim, and the world doesn’t expect me to sympathize with Jews. But the world is wrong. We have increasingly become divided along religious lines, and Jewish-Muslim relationships have become strained because they have incorrectly become synonymous with the Israel-Palestine issue. This is neither true Islam nor true Judaism.

Does Religious Freedom Allow Stereotyping?

By Saadia Faruqi

Source: Tikkun Daily 

These days, anything and everything can be uttered under the guise of free speech. We can hurt the religious sensitivities of others, call people names, stomp our foot on someone considered the son of God by billions. It’s all protected in the name of free speech. Don’t get me wrong, as an American Muslim I am indescribably thankful for the freedoms I receive in this great nation of ours. Without the First Amendment, I’d be unable to practice my religion freely, take time off for Friday prayers, invite friends over to my local mosque or even write posts such as this one in a Jewish publication. No doubt about it, freedom of speech is probably the greatest liberty and blessing we all enjoy here in the United States. But sometimes I think we misunderstand this freedom altogether. 

American Muslims are Moderate and Peaceful - Who Knew?

By Saadia Faruqi

Source: Tikkun Daily

 

The Pew Research Center this week revealed another extensive and newsworthy piece of research: The World’s Muslims: Religion, Politics and Society. The results of the survey, which consisted of more than 38,000 interviews of Muslims in Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia in approximately 80 languages, reveals many things on many topics. Some revelations are interesting, others curious, and a few even downright alarming. As an American Muslim, though, I was mostly interested in the appendices, which discuss the attitudes of U.S. Muslims and compared them to similar themes among Muslims of other countries. Here’s my take: